OMG NET CALORIES????

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mminter22
mminter22 Posts: 29
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I am so confused with net calories, my current weight is 180 and I put myself at moderate activity and it gave me 1220 calories a day....so my dairy today so far says GOAL 1220 FOOD 903 EXERCISE -332 = NET 571. I am working out again and eating dinner later but how do I get my NET CALORIES at a negative????

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  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    Are you using a fitbit or similar?
  • mminter22
    mminter22 Posts: 29
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    Are you using a fitbit or similar?



    No
  • ambascom
    ambascom Posts: 59
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    Ok so I am so confused with net calories, my current weight is 180 and I put myself at moderate activity and it gave me 1220 calories a day....so my dairy today so far says GOAL 1220 FOOD 903 EXERCISE -332 = NET 571. I am working out again and eating dinner later but how do I get my NET CALORIES at a negative????

    Well, your net calories is how many calories you consume minus the calories you burn. It is the number of calories you are giving your body. To have a negative net calorie, then that means you are not feeding your body at all. Think of it this way: you only have given your body 571 out of the 1220 calories. You are under eating.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    Can you open your diary?

    You should not have negative exercise calories unless you are using a fitbit or some other activity monitor.
  • cuebear
    cuebear Posts: 2 Member
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    Okay. Thank you. I've read so much about this topic that my head was starting to spin :-) So, in essence, I need to eat back my exercise calories, plus whatever amount I'd need each day to net my actual caloric goal each day. I may still have calories that remain, but I will have eaten the appropriate amount of calories, based on the BMR or TDEE each day. Did I get it? :-)
  • ambascom
    ambascom Posts: 59
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    Okay. Thank you. I've read so much about this topic that my head was starting to spin :-) So, in essence, I need to eat back my exercise calories, plus whatever amount I'd need each day to net my actual caloric goal each day. I may still have calories that remain, but I will have eaten the appropriate amount of calories, based on the BMR or TDEE each day. Did I get it? :-)

    I have been reading a lot about this too and yes, you are getting it :) I was given 1900 calories but I net around 1400 calories a day with exercise. A lot of people on my friends list say to eat back your exercise calories (so if you burn 400 calories, you can eat back those 400 calories). I don't always eat back my calories; I just listen to my body and if I am hungry then I can eat them back, otherwise I don't. There are a ton of threads that explains this better than I can. :)
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    DO not try to get your net calories at zero.. or below... your net calories should be your daily goal.. meaning you exercise, you eat more.

    Having negative net calories means you are leaving your body with nothing. It is incredibly unhealthy and will cause you to lose more muscle than you do at a deficit as it is.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Ok so I am so confused with net calories, my current weight is 180 and I put myself at moderate activity and it gave me 1220 calories a day....so my dairy today so far says GOAL 1220 FOOD 903 EXERCISE -332 = NET 571. I am working out again and eating dinner later but how do I get my NET CALORIES at a negative????

    Why do you want Negative net calories?! Starving yourself is not the way to lose weight! No no no! Net should be no lower than 1220.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Ok so I am so confused with net calories, my current weight is 180 and I put myself at moderate activity and it gave me 1220 calories a day....so my dairy today so far says GOAL 1220 FOOD 903 EXERCISE -332 = NET 571. I am working out again and eating dinner later but how do I get my NET CALORIES at a negative????

    I think I see the problem. You are not trying to end up with a 0/zero for your net calories. Your net calories should always be 1220 or as close as you can get. That is what you body needs to be healthy and still lose weight. Does that make sense?? MFP has already built in your deficit for the day when you answered how much you wanted to lose per week. Then MFP set your calories so that happens without exercise. When you add exercise you get more calories so you don't have too big a deficit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    There's a reason it's called a "goal"...and there's a reason that MFP ups that goal when you log exercise...because it is a goal..something to be achieved, not something to be under or over...meet your goals and you will succeed. This is one of the numerous reasons I caution people about too much exercise...exercise is a good thing, but many simply don't know how to fuel that activity properly and frankly, they over train.
  • cuebear
    cuebear Posts: 2 Member
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    You explained it quite well, Ambascom. Thank you. Now, to figure out how to make my comments post correctly! :happy:
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
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    Negative net? :huh: ...

    C'mon, a bit of common sense here... if your net is zero how many calories do you think your body is surviving on?

    You are given 1,220 calories... this should be what you achieve, daily, at least, with exercise. More exercise = more food to fuel such exercise. You do not need to starve your body for it to lose weight.
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
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    Your net and your goal are supposed to end up the same.
  • NWCountryGal
    NWCountryGal Posts: 1,992 Member
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    This is excellent imo, and I agree 100%, wow, this is going to help me today! I need to strive to meet my "goal". Thank you much, denise
    There's a reason it's called a "goal"...and there's a reason that MFP ups that goal when you log exercise...because it is a goal..something to be achieved, not something to be under or over...meet your goals and you will succeed. This is one of the numerous reasons I caution people about too much exercise...exercise is a good thing, but many simply don't know how to fuel that activity properly and frankly, they over train.

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