I just don't get it.

jojo37696
jojo37696 Posts: 93 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have tried till the cows come home to understand this net thing. So what I am asking you is to just tell me if I'm doing the wrong thing by eating too low or the right thing. My diary is open is you want to peek at it as well. You see the problem is I am not losing any weight and I exercise a lot. So I'm 5'8", 60 yrs, female, 200lbs. Have lost 10 lbs in 5 months. So today I have a goal of 1200cal, food was 1225, exercise was -1156 for a net of 69 and 1131 cal remaining. Good???Bad??? What???
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Replies

  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Deficit is built into the calorie goal MFP gives you.

    If you exercise, you make the deficit bigger.

    If you eat the calories back, you restore the deficit to it's original size.

    If you don't, you have a bigger deficit than MFP gave you.

    Too high a deficit leads to lean mass loss as there's only so much fat that can be metabolised in a day. Lean mass loss lowers your BMR, meaning you burn less calories by being alive, so weight regain is easier.
  • fizzletto
    fizzletto Posts: 252 Member
    Bad. Your NET calories should be 1,200. It really isn't that difficult to understand.

    Calories eaten, minus exercise calories, equals net calories. Your net calories should be 1,200. You need to EAT BACK whatever you burn when you exercise. If you do 1156 calories worth of exercise, you need to eat that amount of calories back afterwards.
  • tarakizer
    tarakizer Posts: 52
    You need to net at least 1200. Some say to net at least your BMR. You are probably in starvation mode at these numbers.
  • chlorisaann
    chlorisaann Posts: 366 Member
    Bad... you need A LOT more than 69 cals just to breath and make you heart pump ect.... yet that is all the cals you have given your body to run on.... you exercised the rest away and left your body running on fumes. If your body were a car you would be stranded on the side of the road by now..... at the end of the day your cals remaining should be as close to 0 as possible, and your net should be close to 1200.
  • leska1216
    leska1216 Posts: 260
    You need to eat. Simple as that.

    If your daily intake is 1200 cals and you exercise and use up 1156 calories, your body's intake is only 44 calories. Your body cannot sustain itself on 44 calories per day.

    1200 calories is a very small amount. You should up your daily calories to 1500 or more. Eat back at least 1/2 if not more of your exercise calories.

    Try this for a month or so and see where you are.

    What were you doing to lose 10 lbs in 5 months?
  • melnia89
    melnia89 Posts: 34 Member
    Deficit is built into the calorie goal MFP gives you.

    If you exercise, you make the deficit bigger.

    If you eat the calories back, you restore the deficit to it's original size.

    If you don't, you have a bigger deficit than MFP gave you.

    Too high a deficit leads to lean mass loss as there's only so much fat that can be metabolised in a day. Lean mass loss lowers your BMR, meaning you burn less calories by being alive, so weight regain is easier.

    This. ^^

    You don't need to eat all those calories you burn.. even though when you enter it in it is really tempting :P Not quite sure what kinds of workout you are doing... but maybe you need to mix it up.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I have tried till the cows come home to understand this net thing. So what I am asking you is to just tell me if I'm doing the wrong thing by eating too low or the right thing. My diary is open is you want to peek at it as well. You see the problem is I am not losing any weight and I exercise a lot. So I'm 5'8", 60 yrs, female, 200lbs. Have lost 10 lbs in 5 months. So today I have a goal of 1200cal, food was 1225, exercise was -1156 for a net of 69 and 1131 cal remaining. Good???Bad??? What???

    The only part of the equation in question that everyone has explained is - how did you determine your burn?

    What activity?

    Treadmills and walking or jogging slow are right on if you entered your weight, as is the MFP estimate if the speed description matched exactly what you did, and level no incline.

    Other stuff depends.
  • LilacDaffodil
    LilacDaffodil Posts: 148 Member
    The MFP way works like this-

    If your MFP allowance is 1200, and you burn 1500 calories doing exercise, you should eat 2700 calories. If you do no exercise eat 1200 calories.

    You will probably get lots of conflicting advice about eating back your exercise calories though.

    Read this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • BusyBut
    BusyBut Posts: 1
    Hi,

    Just based on the numbers you posted you are not eating enough and/or exercising too much. The 1200 food calories is the amount you should be eating without any exercising. When you exercise, you need to increase the amount of food calories to equal the amount burned while exercising. Otherwise, I think you body goes into starvation mode and will not burn off the fat. Also, how much water are you drinking? Not drinking enough water can slow your weight loss. Also not getting enough sleep will slow your weight loss.

    Hope this helps.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Eat. Lots more! This will help you understand why you haven't been losing.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    The following is a Group here. Read their "pinned' posts at the start of their forums.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less


  • chlorisaann
    chlorisaann Posts: 366 Member
    Deficit is built into the calorie goal MFP gives you.

    If you exercise, you make the deficit bigger.

    If you eat the calories back, you restore the deficit to it's original size.

    If you don't, you have a bigger deficit than MFP gave you.

    Too high a deficit leads to lean mass loss as there's only so much fat that can be metabolised in a day. Lean mass loss lowers your BMR, meaning you burn less calories by being alive, so weight regain is easier.

    This. ^^

    You don't need to eat back those calories you burn.. even though when you enter it in it is really tempting :P Not quite sure what kinds of workout you are doing... but maybe you need to mix it up.

    you say the person you quoted is right then go against what that person said.... makes no sense!! Yes she should eat back at least 1/2 of the cals she burns exercising. to maintain the safe deficit that MFP has already given her.
  • jojo37696
    jojo37696 Posts: 93 Member
    TY everyone. I thought I was doing it wrong. Maybe now I will finally lose some weight.
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Hi there!

    Here's how MFP works: WHen you figure out your settings, it automatically calculates a deficit for you based on a day where you do no activity.

    For example, if MFP tells you to eat 1225 calories, then that's what you eat because they've already calculated a number that will help you lose weight and created a deficit for you (you don't have to figure out the deficit yourself).

    Now, let's say that you burn 200 calories in a work out. Those 200 calories are added to what you should eat on the website. Your total calories should go up (look at your diary at your goal amount of calories-- that's a pretty good hint about what you need to eat in the day), but if you don't eat those calories, your net calories (the actual amount of calories that will give your body energy) will be lower. You want your net to be as close as possible to the original goal MFP has set for you (most people will say you need to try and hit at least 1200). In order to do this, you need to eat some or most of your exercise calories.

    Hope this helps!

    Hope this helps!
  • melnia89
    melnia89 Posts: 34 Member
    Deficit is built into the calorie goal MFP gives you.

    If you exercise, you make the deficit bigger.

    If you eat the calories back, you restore the deficit to it's original size.

    If you don't, you have a bigger deficit than MFP gave you.

    Too high a deficit leads to lean mass loss as there's only so much fat that can be metabolised in a day. Lean mass loss lowers your BMR, meaning you burn less calories by being alive, so weight regain is easier.

    This. ^^

    You don't need to eat back those calories you burn.. even though when you enter it in it is really tempting :P Not quite sure what kinds of workout you are doing... but maybe you need to mix it up.

    you say the person you quoted is right then go against what that person said.... makes no sense!! Yes she should eat back at least 1/2 of the cals she burns exercising. to maintain the safe deficit that MFP has already given her.

    i'm sorry i misread her initial posting... but thanks for being really understanding.. :D
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    you need to eat more. also i suggest not eating below your BMR, especially since given your age you're more likely to be losing lean body mass which you don;t want to do.

    eat the foodz. they deserve it :smile:
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    What did you do to burn 1156 calories? That's massive. I have to run 12 miles to burn that much.
  • primal7
    primal7 Posts: 151 Member
    Hi,
    Agree with what everyone is stating.
    You have put your body into starvation mode.
    I know it can be scary to eat calories, especially after years of being told the less calories the better, but your body knows what to do. Trust it.
    I freaked when I went from that 1,000 or less mind set that I had been on for years and added those extra 400+ calories, but now it is paying off.
    Eat and enjoy!
  • esphixiet
    esphixiet Posts: 214 Member
    I highly recommend doing some research on Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). These two number will give you a better indication of what your caloric intake should be according to YOUR body. It will also, hopefully, explain Net calories along the way.

    There's a lot to learn about the science behind eating properly. Don't feel badly for not getting it right away. We all started from where you are :) The internet, and this website especially, are your friend.
  • chrissym78
    chrissym78 Posts: 628 Member
    If you are truely burning over 1000 cals a day you are probably overtraining and undereating
  • wrkout2bfit
    wrkout2bfit Posts: 41 Member
    Holy Cow, aren't you STARVING? You have got to eat more! What are you doing for your calorie burn, that's a lot of calories.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    TY everyone. I thought I was doing it wrong. Maybe now I will finally lose some weight.

    If you've not been eating your workout calories back, you may gain initially by eating a little more. DO NOT be alarmed by this. Just push through it, and it will come off. Often, after long periods of undereating, the minute you eat more, you put on water weight. This is NOT fat weight. Just don't get alarmed by this and keep making sure you're eating those exercise calories back. Your body needs fuel to function. Don't starve yourself.

    Also, your diary is severely lacking in nutritious food. Try eating more fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and fiber-rich foods. Your body needs the vitamins, fiber, and nutrients in that kind of food ESPECIALLY at such a low calorie intake.
  • sweetbn
    sweetbn Posts: 318
    Wow your diary is interesting. I would starve if that's what I ate, try cutting the butter, bread, peanut butter out and eating Greek yogurt, fruit, egg whites... Healthier things?

    Yesterday almost all your calories were from the pie/ice cream. You need some protein to build muscle to drop the pounds.

    Also get a heart rate monitor. 1197 calories everyday without losing weight seems like a lot. Perhaps you are burning less than you think.
  • enorth77
    enorth77 Posts: 9
    hello , i am also in my 60's and over 230 lbs . I asked my doctor why i am not losing weight faster as i have drastically changed my eating habits and now exercise faithfully at least 1 hr ..3x a week. she told me to concentrate on getting healthier on the inside and don't worry about the numbers on the scale. are you charting saturated fats, carbs , fiber and sugar? are your numbers good in those columns?. i just was diagnosed with elevated cholesterol; and type 2 diabetes. i try and control this with diet. i find that my fitness pal shows me where i am lacking and where i overindulge. it's not so much about dieting as it is about the quality of my diet. i try and play around with different food choices so i can balance my intake and forget the calories. i am stunned at how well this works in becoming a more informed eater. i allow myself cookies and the odd sweet but find i am not so desperate when i know i can have these things if i track my sugars and fats. i also found that my diet was quite lacking in fiber so i am trying to adjust that. by the way my numbers on the inside have improved a lot with these lifestyle changes. i hope this helps you..i need someone to make me exercise more and snack at night less lol. but look at this as learning how to eat healthier for life! no fast weight loss plans seem to work when you stop the extreme diet..keep trying , you seem to be very committed to losing ..just don't be so hard on yourself.good luck!!
  • sweetbn
    sweetbn Posts: 318
    Also I'm not sure eating more calories is better. I have never eaten those exercise calories back. Just try eating more protein :)
  • amberlykay1014
    amberlykay1014 Posts: 608 Member
    Try eating different foods. From the looks of your diary, you are wasting your calories on butter, sugar, & cream. Where are your vegetables, proteins, fruits? Try to lay off the white breads and extras and eat more lean foods. You'll feel fuller and more energetic.

    Your exercise calories are also really high... are you wearing a HRM? You could be over-estimating.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    If your MFP allowance is 1200, and you burn 1500 calories doing exercise, you should eat 2700 calories. If you do no exercise eat 1200 calories.
    That is fine if her normal TDEE is 2200 and she does burn exactly 1500 calories or more.
    But lets say her TDEE is actually 1350 before exercise and she uses MFP's estimates, which are notoriously high, so she actually only burns 950 calories.
    Now she's eating 2700 calories, but burning 2300. The figures all look correct on MFP, but it doesn't reflect reality.

    That's an extreme example, of course - but to make a point.
    How 'safe' things are depend on an awful lot of factors and should be considered on a case by case basis to my mind.
  • dudette7
    dudette7 Posts: 2 Member
    Make SURE to track your sugar intake in your diary - you can change this in your diary settings. I see so many people on here not doing that and it can make SUCH a difference in weight loss when you cut out the sugar!!!! (Take for example something that is considered "healthy" for you like a Dannon Oikos Strawberry Fat Free yogurt - it has THIRTEEN grams of sugar! Much better off to get the plain and add a packet of splenda with a few berries that have lots of antioxidants.) Sugar can be cut out in SOOOO many places in your diet and will make a big difference!
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Try eating different foods. From the looks of your diary, you are wasting your calories on butter, sugar, & cream. Where are your vegetables, proteins, fruits? Try to lay off the white breads and extras and eat more lean foods. You'll feel fuller and more energetic.

    Your exercise calories are also really high... are you wearing a HRM? You could be over-estimating.

    This. I doubt you are burning what you think you are, and you need to re-evaluate how you are eating and how much. Healthy choices! I know you can do this...have faith and just keep making good choices.
  • vytamindi
    vytamindi Posts: 845 Member
    Why are butter, cream, and PB unhealthy?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Why are butter, cream, and PB unhealthy?

    I was wondering this as well. Since you have to add a lot more calories just keep the butter, cream, and PB and add lean proteins, veggies, and fruit.

    I also question your calorie burns. Make sure that is accurate. If you're really burning that much I feel like you might be overdoing it.

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