Question about calories--net gross and BMR

amandakev88
amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
OK, i was told you should never eat under your BMR. Now, i eat above it, but but the time ive finished exercising, ive burned a lot of that off, and my total is actually UNDER my BMR, even though it was ABOVE it before exercise. Is this ok? Or is it hindering my weight loss efforts?

eg if my BMR is 1500.... my TDEE is 2300...

i eat 1700 [gross], but after exercise ive netted [i think thats the right term] only 1200. is that alright? or is it going to slow dwn my metabolism and mess me up or hurt my progress?

My calorie goal was 1500 when i was set to sedentary, but now that im active, i changed my activity level to 'lightly active' and it upped my caloric intake to 1700. if that helps. I go to the gym 5x a week, and i'd like to lost 1-1.5 pounds per week.

I really want to do this right. What should my number after all the exercising be? and the days when i didnt exercise--eat less?

Replies

  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    My recommendation would be to stick to a net intake of 1400, since that will still give you a deficit of 700 calories, which is almost 1.5 lb/week.
  • amandakev88
    amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
    My recommendation would be to stick to a net intake of 1400, since that will still give you a deficit of 700 calories, which is almost 1.5 lb/week.

    ok. so 1400 *after* exercise? sounds reasonable--thank you.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Does your TDEE of 2100 include exercise?

    If so, your gross intake of 1700 is giving you a 400 calorie deficit. If you burn 500 calories through exercise (which I'm assuming if you would be netting 1200), then eat 200 more to make sure you're netting above your bmr, you're now eating 1900 calories - which is a 200 calorie deficit. So yes, that will mean you lose weight more slowly (about .4lbs a week instead of .8). If your TDEE of 2100 includes exercise, and you eat gross over 2100, you will gain-even if you're netting below your bmr. So just be aware of that while you play with your calorie numbers. "Net" is a special mfp-specific thing that works with mfp settings and mfp exercise calories and all of that. If you're going with TDEE, go with TDEE. And make sure you don't gross more than that in an effort to merge "net" and TDEE methods together.
  • amandakev88
    amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member
    Does your TDEE of 2100 include exercise?

    If so, your gross intake of 1700 is giving you a 400 calorie deficit. If you burn 500 calories through exercise (which I'm assuming if you would be netting 1200), then eat 200 more to make sure you're netting above your bmr, you're now eating 1900 calories - which is a 200 calorie deficit. So yes, that will mean you lose weight more slowly (about .4lbs a week instead of .8). If your TDEE of 2100 includes exercise, and you eat gross over 2100, you will gain-even if you're netting below your bmr. So just be aware of that while you play with your calorie numbers. "Net" is a special mfp-specific thing that works with mfp settings and mfp exercise calories and all of that. If you're going with TDEE, go with TDEE. And make sure you don't gross more than that in an effort to merge "net" and TDEE methods together.

    your post kinda, confused me, sorry.. but i just checked with the calculator at iifym.com, with an updated activity level--says my TDEE is 2374. so if i eat 1700 and burn an additional 550 or on top of that 2374...

    confused. if my NET is under my BMR.. is what im asking.
  • FoogooFish
    FoogooFish Posts: 54 Member
    I'm having the same problem, OP. I'm using the TDEE method as well, and I'm confused about what calorie goal to include on MFP. Ultimately, I just picked the "Sedentary" option numbers even though I exercise an hour a day five times a week. It seemed like the most logical choice since it was above my BMR.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Does your TDEE of 2100 include exercise?

    If so, your gross intake of 1700 is giving you a 400 calorie deficit. If you burn 500 calories through exercise (which I'm assuming if you would be netting 1200), then eat 200 more to make sure you're netting above your bmr, you're now eating 1900 calories - which is a 200 calorie deficit. So yes, that will mean you lose weight more slowly (about .4lbs a week instead of .8). If your TDEE of 2100 includes exercise, and you eat gross over 2100, you will gain-even if you're netting below your bmr. So just be aware of that while you play with your calorie numbers. "Net" is a special mfp-specific thing that works with mfp settings and mfp exercise calories and all of that. If you're going with TDEE, go with TDEE. And make sure you don't gross more than that in an effort to merge "net" and TDEE methods together.

    your post kinda, confused me, sorry.. but i just checked with the calculator at iifym.com, with an updated activity level--says my TDEE is 2374. so if i eat 1700 and burn an additional 550 or on top of that 2374...

    confused. if my NET is under my BMR.. is what im asking.

    Right. I'm saying that if your calorie goal is 1700, and you log exercise (or worry about exercise calories-which you shouldn't if you're doing TDEE), and you eat back enough to make your net above your bmr, you will be reducing your deficit considerably.

    Not netting your BMR:
    TDEE=2374
    Gross intake=1700
    Deficit = 674 (1.3 lbs per week)
    Net = 1150 (how it will show in mfp: 1700-550 if you log exercise in addition)

    Netting your BMR:
    TDEE=2374
    Gross intake=1950 (1700 goal + 250 to make net 1400)
    Deficit= 424 (.8 lbs/week)
    Net=1400

    If you've included exercise in your TDEE calculation, then you shouldn't be logging exercise on mfp separately and "net" calories is a moot point. I'm showing the calculations for netting your bmr or just eating above your bmr because in terms of loss, it's the deficit off your TDEE. And at some point (like for me at my weight), netting my BMR is at or above my TDEE. That means I maintain or gain. You have a couple hundred calories to play with.

    Personally, I wouldn't worry about netting above your bmr.
  • amandakev88
    amandakev88 Posts: 328 Member


    If you've included exercise in your TDEE calculation, then you shouldn't be logging exercise on mfp separately and "net" calories is a moot point. I'm showing the calculations for netting your bmr or just eating above your bmr because in terms of loss, it's the deficit off your TDEE. And at some point (like for me at my weight), netting my BMR is at or above my TDEE. That means I maintain or gain. You have a couple hundred calories to play with.

    Personally, I wouldn't worry about netting above your bmr.

    helpful--thank you

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