calories

Should your goal calories be higher than your net or vise versa. I have not lost any weight maybe a few inches. I do normally exercise alot so when you do should you decrease your net calories . dont really get it. I dont like eating back all my calories from exercise or should you

Replies

  • No. You eat you set goal calories. I always have atlest 1000 calories left over because of my excercise
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    As a general rule you should eat back your exercise calories and don't eat below 1200. Losing a few inches is amazing, not sure how long you have been at this but it sounds like you are making good progress. Check out the threads on BMR and TDEE on here for more detailed infromation on how many calories to eat.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    No. You eat you set goal calories. I always have atlest 1000 calories left over because of my excercise

    This is incorrect, if you are using MFP's numbers (I, like many others, use TDEE numbers not MFP numbers) then it is designed that you should eat back your exercise calories.
  • ArubaJane
    ArubaJane Posts: 62 Member
    so i have my calories set at 1300. On a normal day we walk for a good 2 hours, not sure how many calories it really does burn. My watch says around 300 so i say 200. I do run and incline for 45 minutes and some weight training so could burn again another 400 calories. How much should i be eating calorie wise. I feel great but would love the scale to move also!
  • aberc
    aberc Posts: 98
    Eat your NET calories. That's the whole point of exercise - so you can eat more and still lose weight, otherwise you'd be driving yourself crazy because you'd be CONSTANTLY hungry. Trust me, I used to eat under 1200 calories and I was a mad-woman.

    If your goal is 1300 and you burn, let's say 400. You can eat those 1300 calories AND the 400 calories.

    It's like a bank account:
    Deposit 1300
    - 400
    _________
    900 Calories Total

    Eat those 400 calories back..

    900
    + 400 Deposit
    _________
    1300 Calories Total at the end of the day. This is what you want. Like the woman above me said, this is how the MFP system works.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Depends. There are 2 basic approaches to all this, but the bottom line is that your body has to burn more cals throughout the day than you consume in order to lose weight. If you chose to follow the TDEE -20% approach, that's fine. If you chose to follow MFP and eat back cals, that's fine too.

    But if you're not losing weight it's because you're not in a calorie deficit.