Calorie Help

Ckelley1311
Ckelley1311 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
I have never been big on calories- I have just always tried to watch my bad carbs, portions and such but I am trying this MFP app out and need some help. I am currently doing a meal replacement program and including 2-3 snacks throughout the day to total up to 5 or 6 meals. I have a desk job but work out pretty good at least 3 times or more a week burning between 300-800 calories. My question is how to read and understand the calories and net calories and such. I have people that tell me to burn off what you eat each day to loose- and some say that is a negative. Honestly with my meal replacments and snacks and added cardio it's very hard to reach my total calories that MFP says I need in a day. It also says I need 212 g of carbs?! which is not true ( especially being all my carbs come from greens for now and I am only doing at max 35. Any help understanding this would greatly be appreciated. Below is what MFP says this morning for me after I inputted my weight of 235 and my goal wieght of 2 lbs a weeks to get down to 200 plus my bfast and morning cardio.



Goals: 1,540 Food: 125 Exercise : -853 = NET ( -728)

Replies

  • georgann1114
    georgann1114 Posts: 30 Member
    You need to figure out your daily caloric needs with no exercise first. Use this site...http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm For me, with little to no exercise, and to maintain my current weight, I would need to consume 1782 calories. Add your exercise calories to this number. For example, I burn an average of 450 calories daily, some times more, sometimes less.

    1785+450=2235 (totally number of calories I can eat WITH exercise to maintain) Now you have to create a deficit. 500 for 1 lbs a week, 750 for 1.5 lbs a week and 1000 for 2bs a week. If I want to lose 1.5 lbs a week, it would calculate as follows....

    1785+450=2235-750=1485 (This is the total amount of calories I would need to consume daily with exercising to lose 1.5 a week) Hope this helps and isn't too confusing. You can also manually change your goals in MFP. I don't use it to track my exercise because I feel that sometimes the info is inaccurate. Good luck!
  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
    I am currently doing a meal replacement program

    Huh? no need, bro - Caloric defit is all you need.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    MFP calculates just what you need for whatever you do every day NOT including exercise. Then it subtracts a flat number from that depending on how many pounds per week you say you want to lose. With this method, you would lose weight without doing any exercising. When you do exercise, you need to eat fuel for that.
  • Ckelley1311
    Ckelley1311 Posts: 15
    So- is it bad to be so low in your net calories so low?- such as yesterday it said at the end of the day I had 1,185 calories -remaining ?

    Also- georgann1114- I went to the site and put in my info for just basal metabolic rate and it gave me 1868 calories/ day.
  • Ckelley1311
    Ckelley1311 Posts: 15
    Also- georgann1114- I went to the site and put in my info for just basal metabolic rate and it gave me 1868 calories/ day.
  • georgann1114
    georgann1114 Posts: 30 Member
    So- is it bad to be so low in your net calories so low?- such as yesterday it said at the end of the day I had 1,185 calories -remaining ?

    Also- georgann1114- I went to the site and put in my info for just basal metabolic rate and it gave me 1868 calories/ day.

    I can't see you diary so I can not answer correctly. Are you adding exercise into that number?

    So what is the average calories you burn on a daily basis?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    With MFP's method, your calorie goal is your NET calories.

    BMR is basal metabolic rate. This is the amount they would feed you if you were in a coma just to fuel your organs to keep you alive.

    So, MFP has you set at 1500 did you say? You eat 1500 PLUS whatever you burn in exercise.
    (some people do not eat all of those exercise calories because estimates on calories burned can be high, if you have a heart rate monitor you can more accurately track that).
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    Yes, it is bad to be so low. You should attempt to "Net" the same as your goal. If you truly only ate 125 calories as your calculation in the first post seems, then you really REALLY need to eat more!

    It should look like this:

    Goal = 1540
    Food = 1540 + exercise calories

    After you input your food, MFP tells you how many calories are remaining....so eat those calories! That's why they call it a "goal"....
  • Ckelley1311
    Ckelley1311 Posts: 15

    So, MFP has you set at 1500 did you say? You eat 1500 PLUS whatever you burn in exercise.
    (some people do not eat all of those exercise calories because estimates on calories burned can be high, if you have a heart rate monitor you can more accurately track that).

    Yes- It has my goal at 1540. I guess the issues comes in that I burn about ( according to gym equipment) I burn 800-900 calories each morning and it is very hard for me to catch up with eating so much - if that makes sense.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Okay, assuming the calorie burn on the machine is inflated, figure 500 calories burned and eat 2000.

    A handful of almonds is 200 calories. A tablespoon of Olive Oil is 100 calories. A hard boiled egg is 70 calories. A container of greek yogurt is 140 calories. A tablespoon of peanut butter is 188 calories.

    There are a ton of ways to add calories without it being a lot of food to eat.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Netting very low isn't healthy..you still need to fuel your body and brain. Plus it can make your metabolism slow down trying to protect you from malnourishment. Meal replacement plans may be ok very short term, but really...who wants to live that way for long?
  • krc99080
    krc99080 Posts: 147 Member
    I found this website very helpful at figuring out how many calories I needed to eat. Maybe it can help you:

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • Ckelley1311
    Ckelley1311 Posts: 15
    deksgrl- so based on what I have today, how would you recommend achieving my required calories. I am doing these two shakes a day for bfast/lunch and have to be on them for 90 days- so with that said, it is saying now after lunch and my snacks already I have to consume 1800 calories by the end of the day!?
  • Ckelley1311
    Ckelley1311 Posts: 15
    I can't see you diary so I can not answer correctly. Are you adding exercise into that number?

    So what is the average calories you burn on a daily basis?

    You can see it now
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Why do you "have to" be on the shakes for 90 days? Other than by doctor's orders, I wouldn't do shake meal replacements. It doesn't make any sense to just not eat real food. And if it is on doctor's orders then you would have a specific calorie goal from the dr. and wouldn't need to ask here.

    If we are to assume your calorie burn as calculated by the machines at the gym is inflated and your target should be about 2,000 calories a day, then you have to eat 1500 cals for dinner. I would eat a large dinner including steak, sauteed mushrooms, mashed potato & gravy, veggies with olive oil on it, and follow it up with a huge bowl of ice cream. That should get you close.

    2000 calories a day would be 3 meals at 500 cals each and 2 snacks of 250 cals. It shouldn't be that difficult to do.

    This is my breakfast:

    White Sugar - White Granulated Sugar, 1.5 teaspoon 23
    Folgers - Classic Roast Instant Coffee Crystals, 1 tsp 0
    Chobani - Greek Non-Fat Strawberry Yogurt, 1 container (6 oz) 140
    Almond - Nuts - Almond - Raw, 18 almonds 126
    Sargento - Natural Blends Double Cheddar Sticks, 1 Piece (21g) 90
    Campbell - V8 Original 100% Vegetable Juice - Large Low Sodium , 11.5 FL OZ 70
    Total 449

    Sometimes I have 2 cheese sticks instead of one.

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