Net calories

Okay the best way I explain this is this example:

Look at your paycheck. Your gross is what you earned prior to any subtractions like medicare, social security, health insurance yada yada yada. Net is the amount you actually get. So like if your pay check is 2000, you only get 1600 something after deductions.

Net calories works the same way. Lets say I eat 1700 calories but burn 200 going on a walk. I gross 1700 calories, but my net is 1500. (1700-200) Just like your pay check, you have deductions if you work out.

If your trying to "net" at or above your BMR, (which you should as its best for your body to eat above your BMR) You need to take your gross calories (everything you ate) and subtract your workout to find out how many calories you get to keep.

So my doctor has me on eating a minimum of 1700 calories a day and a maximum of 1900. My BMR is 1850, I get to go under for health related issues currently under construction, and for being morbidly obese, but I have to eat way more protein if I eat under my BMR and only for the next 6 months while other medical conditions are getting fixed)

So lets say I wake up and eat. Then I go take a Zumba class. Then finish my day eating. I eat 1700 calories. Looks good right...wrong. I burned calories from Zumba class. So I have to eat back those calories I burned to net 1700.

I hope that helped.

Hmmm. Depends on the context. Here is another way to think about net versus gross.

-Net Calories are what you are burning working out.
-Gross calories are workout calories PLUS what you would have burned simply living during that time.

*****Gym epmt and HR monitors unfortunately provide Gross, not Net burn!

To get what you should eat back from exercise only (net), you need to subtract the calories you would have burned anyway. If you don't do this, you are eating back more than you really worked out. This percentage error varies depending on your size. Mine is about 25%--I am a small person.

In order to log HR monitor or gym eqpmt calories, they need to be converted to net first.

***MFP does this dirty work for you.

While HR monitors are more accurate because they track your actual effort, not just a generalized average number, they must be converted to net to be more accurate than MFP.

This online calculator will do that conversion, if you know your gross calories burned:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn-conversion-calculator.aspx

If you only know your time and heart rate, you can start here to get a gross number, then use the above page to convert it to net: http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

Ok so it works like this; you need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound. so if your net calories = -1000 a day then you will lose 2lbs per week. To figure out your net calories is a somewhat complicated process so I will use an example to illustrate.

Laurie is 48 years old and weighs 215 lbs and is´5’10” tall. She would like to lose some weight but does not know how many calories she can eat and still lose weight. She does work out 5 days a week in an hour long vigorous aerobic class.

A. 215 (weight)
B. 354 - (6.91 X 48) + (9.36 X (215 / 2.2)) + (726 X (70 X .0254)) = 2228 (Total calories burned in a day before exercise)
C. Aerobics class (vigorous)
D. 5 days
E. 60 minutes
F. 5 days X 60 minutes = 300 minutes
G. 300 minutes / 7 days = 42.9
H. 0.095 (vigorous aerobics class factor)
I. 215 X .095 = 20.4 (weight times factor equals average calories per minute in aerobics class spread across 7 days)
J. 42.9 X 20.4 = 875.2 (total aerobics calories spread across 7 days)
K. 2228 + 875.2 = 3103 (average calorie burn per day, obviously its more on the days she has class and less on the days she doesnt)
L. 215 X 5 = 1075 (calories recommended to subtract from diet, weight times 5)
M. 3103 – 1075 = 2028 Daily Calories (recommended daily calories to lose weight)

So in a week on average she burns 3103 calories a day but only eats 2028 calories. that leaves her with a net of -1075 calories a day.

I am a total newbie. I have a set goal, 1200 calories, which I am finding it hard enough to eat in a healthy manner. Now I need to worry about net calories? Do I have to eat back what I exercised? Not sure I understand. Help! I just want to eat healthy and lose weight.