Net Calories

I think it all depends on the person... there are days when I eat back my calories and there are days that I don't. If I do eat them back I make sure that they are worth while calories. Some days I'm just not physically hungry and can't force myself to eat back my calories.

P.S.
Love the HRM!!! I have the same one!

MFP calculates your calorie deficit not including any exercise, so you would lose weight if you were sedentary, just through diet alone. When you do exercise, you need more fuel for that. MFP adds more calories for you to eat. So your target goal they gave you to begin with is your NET calories.

Example: MFP tells you to eat 1500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. 1500 (food) - 300 (exercise) = 1200 + 300 (more food for fuel for the exercise) = 1500 NET

It is interesting that this does not take into account that your body, just basic functions like breathing, pumping blood etc., actually burns calories (this is known as your Resting Metabolic Rate or Basal Metabolic Rate). Even if you are sedentary, you are burning calories, just not very quickly. The Net Calorie calculation explained here by myfitnesspal is simplistic but it serves its purpose of helping you lose/maintain. You can lose weight by just eating less, though you will not be getting in the cardiovascular work out your body needs.

In reality, here is how it works:
Calculate your BMR based on your height, age and weight: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Once you know your BMR, you can calculate your Daily Calorie Needs based on your activity level using the Harris Benedict Equation.
Harris Benedict Formula:
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Once you know the number of calories needed to maintain your weight, you can easily calculate the number of calories you need to eat in order to lose weight: Reduce calories by 15-20% below your BMR. BMR*.8 = the number of calories you can eat and still lose weight. Or you can simply subtract at least 500 calories from your BMR.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low. - From BMI-Calculator.net

The following is a meal plan for: 1500 calories / 118 gm effective grams of carbohydrate. You might need to substitute some of these higher carb things for other things, but I'm sure you can find substitutes. Google "low carb 1500 calorie meal plan" and see what else you can find.

Breakfast:
One oz. oatmeal (14 gm e.c.)
½ cup cottage cheese (3 gm e.c.)
½ cup blueberries (8 gm e.c.)
Total: 220 calories/ 25 gm e.c.

Lunch:
Grilled chicken, 4 oz.
2 cups greens
1 cup assorted vegetables (approximately 5 gm e.c.)
½ cup kidney beans (14 gm e.c.)
1 apple (18 gm e.c.)
2 tsp olive oil, unlimited wine vinegar
Total: 490 calories/37 gm e.c.


Snack:
1 oz low fat mozzarella stick (1 gm e.c.)
6 Finn Crisp crackers (22 gm e.c.)
Total: 180 calories/23 gm e.c.

Dinner:
Poached salmon, 5 oz
½ cup spinach (4 gm e.c.)
salad, 1 cup greens, ½ cup assorted vegetables (approximately 3 gm e.c.)
1 tsp olive oil, vinegar
½ cup brown rice (20 gm e.c.)
Total: 485 calories/ 27 gm e.c.

Snack:
1 oz. dry roasted soynuts ( 9 gm e.c.)
Total: 134 calories/9 gm e.c.

It should average out over the week. Also be aware that many people say the the calories given for exercise can be inflated, so if you are not using an HRM or a Fitbit or something like that, then it is a good plan to eat maybe 75% of the calories burned.

"Starvation Mode" - you will get people saying this is a myth, you won't starve, blah blah.

But it is a widely used (if misleading) term to mean your metabolism will slow down, your hormones will become imbalanced, making it more difficult to lose weight. In addition to not having energy to exercise.

You need to NET at least 1200 calories.

1200 (food you eat) - 400 (calories you burn) = 800 + 400 (more calories to eat) = 1200 NET.

Or, 1200+ 400 = 1600.