Net calories?

amraf1024
amraf1024 Posts: 74
in Introduce Yourself
So may question on my net calories. I currently have a goal of 1300 hundred a day although I seem to stay a bit lower...anyways I'm a stay at home wife and have been really hitting the treadmill hard about 3 hrs a day and 1200 calories burned so I am only netting 200 or so calories or some times in the negative...how is it supposed to be? Keep in mind I do have 100lbs to loose so I am not shooting for a small weight loss goal..

Oh and any friends/motivators would be nice as I am new to MFP as a way to try group motivation:happy:

Replies

  • sdirbder
    sdirbder Posts: 159 Member
    You should be eating back your exercise calories.
  • KAYRRIE
    KAYRRIE Posts: 201 Member
    I honestly think you're actually working out too much. I only say that because it's giving you such a high deficit to fill, unless you don't mind that. That means, technically, your body is only receiving 200 calories to maintain itself, and that is extremely bad for you. From experience, I have 1800 and I try to eat all of them and when I workout, I eat those back too. That's because my official daily burn is extremely high on its own because I'm a big girl myself. Even if I didn't workout and only ate my 1800, I could still lose weight. The workouts are only meant for fitness and strength. The eating habits is what helps you lose the weight. I have consistently been losing 1 to 2 pounds every week because I'm eating all my calories and workout calories and from time to time I have passed them by a hundred or 2 (but mostly from fruit, so I don't worry about it). If you're following MFP, then you should be eating back all your calories. I hope I helped a little.
  • kaittea
    kaittea Posts: 96 Member
    With strenuous exercise like that, you NEED to be eating back your calories. At the very least you should aim to have your NET CALORIES at 1,200--- otherwise you risk your body going into starvation mode and clinging on to all your fat. If you're going to train that hard you need to make sure you're eating a sufficient amount to prevent your body from going into shock.
  • marcvandenberg
    marcvandenberg Posts: 190 Member
    You should be eating back your exercise calories.

    this
  • redfro2
    redfro2 Posts: 11 Member
    Feel free to add me! My goal is 30 pounds. I was wondering the same thing about eating back your exercise calories. It seems the general consensus is to eat them, but it doesn't make sense to me. My husband keeps telling me the opposite. When you end your day with calories left over, that should equal weight loss, right?? I'm confused.
  • kaittea
    kaittea Posts: 96 Member
    Feel free to add me! My goal is 30 pounds. I was wondering the same thing about eating back your exercise calories. It seems the general consensus is to eat them, but it doesn't make sense to me. My husband keeps telling me the opposite. When you end your day with calories left over, that should equal weight loss, right?? I'm confused.

    Yes, but if the deficit is too high (like what you're doing) your body doesn't have enough calories to function properly, so the metabolism slows to conserve energy. You should be aiming for around a 500cal defecit per day, to my knowledge.
  • KAYRRIE
    KAYRRIE Posts: 201 Member
    Feel free to add me! My goal is 30 pounds. I was wondering the same thing about eating back your exercise calories. It seems the general consensus is to eat them, but it doesn't make sense to me. My husband keeps telling me the opposite. When you end your day with calories left over, that should equal weight loss, right?? I'm confused.

    I was confused too when I started. I thought, "but if I workout, isn't the point to lose weight and not eat back exercise calories? how does that make sense". But then I realized that this program sets you up to lose weight already giving you the least possible calories needed for your body to function properly. So when we workout we're "deleting" some of the calories they said our body needs, that's why we have to replace them, hence, eating them back. Look at your net calories, that shows your daily allowance minus what you've worked out. That's what you're actually eating. It's not as hard as it sounds to eat them back. Best way to do it is try working out early so you know what you're working with for the rest of the day. Then have a big healthy breakfast, turkey, cheese (whole, yes, whole), whole wheat bread, fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc., have a big lunch, a big dinner and it'll fill up easily. And by big, I don't mean bad, I just mean more calorie dense. Peanut butter has great protein and packs a whoping amount of cals. That's a great fill in. Big bananas range in the 180 cal range. Greek yogurts usually carries more cals than regular yogurt, and it's better for you. Whole milk, yes, whole milk. That fat in whole milk is good for you. It all basically comes down to portion control and when you need to fill calories, you can increase your portion by a 1/4. That's what I do and it's been working amazingly for me. I've learned alot on MFP and I'm more than happy to share that knowledge. If anyone would like to friend me, please feel free to add me.
  • amraf1024
    amraf1024 Posts: 74
    Thank you to everyone

Categories