Confused on remaining calories and net calories

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MelHo94
MelHo94 Posts: 7
in Getting Started
I am new to mfp as of yesterday. Today I started out with 1620 calorie goal. I went to the gym and worked out 1000 calories and later worked off another 500 calories with a total of 1500 burned. I ate 1617 calories as of now and it says I have 1556 calories remaining. My home page says 1617 food - 1553 exercise = 64 net. So what does 64 net mean? And do I eat the remaining calories because that seems like twice my "1620 goal" . Please help!

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  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    You should try to net at least 1,200 calories. Your calorie goal (1,620 calories) is your activity level minus the appropriate deficit for your goal. (For example, a 500 calorie deficit is 1 lb. per week.)

    Eat back at least half your exercise calories. Your goal should be finding the maximum number of calories at which you lose weight—not the minimum.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • MelHo94
    MelHo94 Posts: 7
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    So I've already ate 1617 calories today and it says I have 1556 remaining. Do I eat that? Because I'm not use to eating more than 1200 calories a day but I have intense workouts. If I eat the remaining 1556 calories then that will be over 3000 calories consumed.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Eat back half your exercise calories—750 calories.

    If it's too late in the day for you to eat all that, then roll some of those calories over. For the week, eat 11,340 plus half your exercise calories.
  • MelHo94
    MelHo94 Posts: 7
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    Ok thank you!
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    What are you doing and what are you using to calculate a calorie burn of over 1500 in exercise alone. Yes you should eat back you exercise cals, usually starting at 50% and adjusting from there! but a calorie burn of 1500 from exercise alone sounds high IMHO.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    What are you doing and what are you using to calculate a calorie burn of over 1500 in exercise alone. Yes you should eat back you exercise cals, usually starting at 50% and adjusting from there! but a calorie burn of 1500 from exercise alone sounds high IMHO.

    Echoing this. I would need three SOLID hours in the gym working near max capacity to get a 1500 calorie burn. Make sure you're calculating that correctly. Heavier people can get large burns by virtue of having to move their bodies around, but you look pretty lean in your photo. Be cautious.
  • MelHo94
    MelHo94 Posts: 7
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    About 2 1/2 hours at the gym to burn 1500 calories today but there was a 2 hour break in between
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
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    About 2 1/2 hours at the gym to burn 1500 calories today but there was a 2 hour break in between

    Still seems like a high caloric burn estimate. What are you doing to get that number - are you going off what the machine tells you or MFP? Both cardio machines and MFP over-estimate caloric burn. Unless you are running at 10mph or higher, or doing intense cardio for the whole 2.5 hours - 1500 is way too much. In which case, DO NOT eat back all your calories or you could end up GAINING. A good starting point is eat back no more than half.

    I have a caloric goal of 1500, and when I exercise for at least 30 minutes (regardless of how many calories I burn) I allow myself to eat 300 extra calories, or 1800 total.
    For example, if I burned 500 exercising, then my calorie goal would change to 2000 that day. I allow myself to eat 300 of the 500 burned making my total calories from FOOD 1800. The leftover (200) calories from exercise would be subtracted from my original calorie goal of 1500, which would mean I would NET 1300 calories that day. Does that make any sense?
  • MelHo94
    MelHo94 Posts: 7
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    You helped me a lot! It really makes sense now but I'm glad I'll be eating more
  • janupshaw
    janupshaw Posts: 205 Member
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    Just look at "Remaining" calories and eat them. I generally eat back all my exercise calories.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    You helped me a lot! It really makes sense now but I'm glad I'll be eating more
    Weight loss takes a whole lot of trial & error to find what works for you. The calorie counts & burns are only estimates. Give it a few weeks, then reevaluate.

    Did you read the Sexypants link?

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