I'm confused about net calories!!!

JRT3sMom
JRT3sMom Posts: 36
in Health and Weight Loss
It was brought to my attention by a MFP that my net calories have been too low (600-800). I'm not saying I don't believe her I would like other opinions as well. I always thought the idea was to make sure I ate fewer calories than I burned. On a typical day I eat 1200 give or take and I try to burn at least 400. Any advise or suggestions? I don't know if it makes a difference or not but I'm 5'11 and I weigh 233.

Replies

  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    I agree with your friend.

    Say your calorie goal is 1400. That's what MFP set for you, as being about 500 calories BELOW what you would need to maintain your current weight. That goal number is already your deficit. So that ACTUALLY is your goal. If you do not exercise at all that day, then you should try to eat a total of approximately 1400 calories. If you do exercise that day, you should (in my opinion, other people disagree) eat more calories so that your end result at the end of the day is apporoximately 1400 calories. If you're over or under by 50 or 100 it's not a huge big deal, but that's your goal range.

    Now, many people on here do not 'eat back' their calories that they lose from exercise. Someone who holds that opinion could explain that to you.

    But either way...800 calories a day is pretty low.
  • AEFidgets
    AEFidgets Posts: 243
    It's not to eat less then your goal, it's to eat your NET calories. A 500 calorie difference is already factored in when it gives you your intake goal so if you do any extra exercise then you should eat those calories back in as well. Now if you burn 400 and only eat 250 or so that's fine so long as you don't feel hungry or fatigued. I plugged your height and weight into the calculator under goals and it gave me a caloric goal of 1830 for one lb a week and 1330 for 2lbs a week. So unless a Dr trained in nutrition recommended a lower amount I wouldn't go below it.
  • JRT3sMom
    JRT3sMom Posts: 36
    It's not to eat less then your goal, it's to eat your NET calories. A 500 calorie difference is already factored in when it gives you your intake goal so if you do any extra exercise then you should eat those calories back in as well. Now if you burn 400 and only eat 250 or so that's fine so long as you don't feel hungry or fatigued. I plugged your height and weight into the calculator under goals and it gave me a caloric goal of 1830 for one lb a week and 1330 for 2lbs a week. So unless a Dr trained in nutrition recommended a lower amount I wouldn't go below it.

    MFP have my goal set at 1320 and on most days I find it hard to eat all of that without eating "bad" foods. I'm normally close to my goal before I work out.
  • JRT3sMom
    JRT3sMom Posts: 36
    I would like a few more opinions.
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    Eat "good" foods until you're full, and follow your normal fitness regime? Don't sweat it too badly.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    What is your definition of a "bad food"? There are very few truly bad foods.

    A serving of peanut butter or a handful of almonds can get you 200 calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    NET your calorie goal - ie eat the exercise calories.

    and you dont have ot eat 'junk' to do that. a boiled egg, glass of milk, banana, handful of nuts, spoonful of peanut butter, portion of cheese are all good snacks to add calories without eating junk!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    You're right... to lose weight you have to burn less than you eat. However, the "burn" is not simply exercise. You probably burn ~1200 cals just sitting on your duff all day. Add in exercise, running errands, cleaning, chasing around kids, whatever else it is you do on a daily basis and that number goes up, probably significantly.

    MFP calculates a deficit for you that will lead to weight loss. It assumes ZERO exercise in that calculation, which is why if you are using MFP as your guide, you should be eating back your exercise cals.

    Do you HAVE to? No. But the greater the difference is between cals needed by your body for fuel/energy and the cals you give your body, the greater then chance that your weight loss will be from muscle and less from fat. Most people want to lose fat and keep whatever muscle they can.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    It's not to eat less then your goal, it's to eat your NET calories. A 500 calorie difference is already factored in when it gives you your intake goal so if you do any extra exercise then you should eat those calories back in as well. Now if you burn 400 and only eat 250 or so that's fine so long as you don't feel hungry or fatigued. I plugged your height and weight into the calculator under goals and it gave me a caloric goal of 1830 for one lb a week and 1330 for 2lbs a week. So unless a Dr trained in nutrition recommended a lower amount I wouldn't go below it.

    MFP have my goal set at 1320 and on most days I find it hard to eat all of that without eating "bad" foods. I'm normally close to my goal before I work out.

    There are no BAD foods. Too much of any food makes you gain fat, even if it's fruit and vegetables.

    as for your exercise calories, you need to read this

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf
  • ForTheSmile
    ForTheSmile Posts: 89 Member
    It's really hard at first. :) I violently disagreed with eating back my exercise calories at first. We're told as women to eat as little as possible and exercise as much as possible, but there is too much of a good thing. Treat your body with kindness and give it time to acclimate to the new routine. Do three workouts a week and focus more on making better food choices than eating less. If you're scared to eat back your exercise calories, try just a little at first. I did experiments, giving myself one week, and then a month, eating back everything I worked off. I lost more inches than pounds, but that's good!

    My friend in high school starved herself and lost fifty pounds in a few months. She looked great in school but when we went to the beach and the bikini came on, ouch. Her body used her muscles as fuel and left the fat, so she was what they call "fat skinny." Take your time so you can be nice and toned!

    Hope this helped. Sorry if I just rambled the whole time. I'm still learning too! :blushing:
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    You burn calories breathing, sleeping, walking to the bathroom, brushing your teeth, blinking, etc. You have an inherent calorie burn everyday, which is called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Maybe people describe it as the number of calories you burn if you were in a coma. You can estimate your BMR with some online calculators and there are several different online calculators. Most peoples is higher than they expect. Since that is the MINIMUM calories you need to keep your body going, you should be eating at least that many calories. If you eat below that number, you will not pass out or die, but over long periods of time you can cause damage, slow your metabolism, etc. It is one of the reasons that people with anorexia have heart problems; eating so little can damage their hearts.

    When you exercise, walk around, dance, etc. that's even more of a burn. So, if your BMR is 1400, and then you burn 400 at the gym, your body has actually burned 1800 calories that day.

    If you want more information about this (and it's explained a lot better) please see these very helpful threads:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    ETA: Eating more calories is not that hard: cook with olive oil, add half an avocado to a salad, eat a handful of nuts, spoonful of peanut butter, etc.
  • gemmalu
    gemmalu Posts: 56 Member
    I would try to eat back some of your fitness calories. Anything massively less will put your body into starvation mode and make it harder to lose the weight. MFP set my goal to 1200 which I found was too low and I stopped losing after my first 6 pounds. I put my target up to 1400 and now I am losing again. Try to read up on basic metabolic rates a little.

    And if you are struggling to meet your net target, look at wholegrain foods which have more calories but not necessarily with all the bad stuff of naughty foods. Or you could look at not using low fat dairy products as much. Indulge in a favourite cheese a bit more :-)
  • eyeshuh
    eyeshuh Posts: 333
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    This link x2
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Yes, you want to eat less than you burn, but if you eat too much less, like you have been doing, then you are not going to lose as much as you would if your deficit were smaller. That's how it works. Eating too little has all kinds of bad effects, such as hormone production decreasing, especially cortisol, which inhibits fat burning.
  • Desdemina
    Desdemina Posts: 150 Member
    I think what you might be missing in your calculations is the number of calories you burn just existing: breathing, circulating blood, etc. You have a certain number of calories that you would burn even if you just laid in bed all day. The recommended calories that MFP gives is LESS than that number. So if you just laid in bed all day and ate the number of calories MFP recommends, you would still lose weight.

    When you exercise, you are burning even more calories, but your body still needs a certain number of calories to function, which is why you should eat back those calories so your net is still about whatever MFP recommends (this info is from my doctor who specializes in weight loss).

    So why exercise? So that your muscles stay in shape, so your metabolism increases, because it makes your body more efficient, and it makes you feel good (when you stop! LOL!). And so you get toned. You can be thin and still flabby if you don't tone up.

    Hope that helps.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    It's not to eat less then your goal, it's to eat your NET calories. A 500 calorie difference is already factored in when it gives you your intake goal so if you do any extra exercise then you should eat those calories back in as well. Now if you burn 400 and only eat 250 or so that's fine so long as you don't feel hungry or fatigued. I plugged your height and weight into the calculator under goals and it gave me a caloric goal of 1830 for one lb a week and 1330 for 2lbs a week. So unless a Dr trained in nutrition recommended a lower amount I wouldn't go below it.

    MFP have my goal set at 1320 and on most days I find it hard to eat all of that without eating "bad" foods. I'm normally close to my goal before I work out.

    Worry less about "bad" foods and more about giving your body the energy it needs to function correctly.
  • adriennepaolini
    adriennepaolini Posts: 28
    Ok hon w/ the deficit already in place just keep in mind to keep track. Eating too little can be just as bad as eating too much. That has been MY weight loss challenge. So I eat what I am going to through the day (just starting) then I check everything. I even put tea in as it has calories despite what some might think :) Cheese, Nuts, and dried jerky are some decent ways to add to the calorie count but add the protein you need for the day as well (be watchful on the sodium though). Just keep going and keeping track you will figure out what is good for you soon enough.

    Blessed Be
    :flowerforyou:
  • JRT3sMom
    JRT3sMom Posts: 36
    Thanks everyone. When I mentioned "bad" foods I just meant not as healthy as I would like. I do some form of exercise about 6 days a week now I need to stock up on healthy snacks such as nuts to try to balance things out.

    Thanks again.
  • keya51
    keya51 Posts: 25 Member
    seems like a buch of braniacs here on MFP!

    thanks for the post cause i learned a lot from the comments, hopefully u did too.

    remember when ur body thinks its starving, it will hold onto all the weight it can. nuts are a high cal, healthy food that u can snack on when u need it. also the protein shakes after your work out are good for u and give ur body what it needs.

    p.s. if the MFP that said ur cals are too low is not ur doctor take her opinion with a grain of salt, consult ur doctor, and do what's best for your body. :smile:

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