Net calories?

lenah802
lenah802 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
To be honest, I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to nutrition and exercise. I just sort of, well, go for it. I recently started using the "Lose It" app for iPhone and have been tracking what I ate and burned for the past few days. For breakfast I always eat a hefty bowl of diced fruit (usually half a banana, a cup of strawberries and a cup of blackberries) and a cup of coffee. The only time that changes is when I eat 2 eggs, scrambled. For lunch I usually have an apple and half a sandwich and then I'm not too huge on dinner because I teach myself from home so I'm pretty sedentary, I usually eat some wheat cereal with whole milk or a banana with peanut butter. It's around dinner time that 3-4 times a week I go for an hour long run on the treadmill that varies in intensity but I usually aim for burning about 700 calories at least. I've realized that on the days when I exercise my "net" caloric intake is only around 100-150 calories or less (today it was 85) and on the days I don't it's around 750? Is this normal? I don't feel hungry or weak at all, in fact I feel I eat pretty healthily. If this isn't right, what should I be doing to make myself healthier and take the weight off? Thanks :)
*Note: I'm a teenage female, 164 lbs and 5'4".

Replies

  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Yeah that's really not okay.

    Your NET calories should be at least 1200. You haven't given your age but I'd say you should be aiming for something more like 1500. You exercise? Then you need to eat more. Since you're a teenager, I would recommend talking to your doctor about this, since you're still growing and your nutritional needs are number one priority.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    I'm going to guess, given your profile says you're 26 but you're admitting you're a teen you should maybe post on sparkteen.com and maybe see a doctor to make sure you're fueling your body properly. As a teen, your body is still growing so you need more calories than an adult at the same weight and height.
  • crissi725
    crissi725 Posts: 82
    As long as you are eating nutrient rich foods and little to no processed foods, you're diet seems ok. And definitely don't CONSUME less than your BMR. You can get a decent estimate of your BMR from calculators that are all over the internet and different apps and eve here in MFP.
    But I have to say, it sounds like you are not eating enough compared to your possible BMR. Your net calorie count is EXTREMELY LOW. That's not a good thing. This won't do your metabolism any favors in the long run. Granted, you are very young. So its great that you are taking time to think about what you are putting in your body for fuel. But please make sure you are consuming at least enough to cover your BMR. You will still lose weight and will be more likely to keep it off. Its the healthiest way to do this. And I agree with everyone else, check with your doctor.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    As long as you are eating nutrient rich foods and little to no processed foods, you're diet seems ok. And definitely don't CONSUME less than your BMR. You can get a decent estimate of your BMR from calculators that are all over the internet and different apps and eve here in MFP.
    But I have to say, it sounds like you are not eating enough compared to your possible BMR. Your net calorie count is EXTREMELY LOW. That's not a good thing. This won't do your metabolism any favors in the long run. Granted, you are very young. So its great that you are taking time to think about what you are putting in your body for fuel. But please make sure you are consuming at least enough to cover your BMR. You will still lose weight and will be more likely to keep it off. Its the healthiest way to do this. And I agree with everyone else, check with your doctor.

    Did you read what she said? She's not eating enough to keep a bird alive. Her diet is NOT OK.
    OP...please see a doctor with some training in nutrition issues...or eating disorders.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    I understand the op. My calorie goal is 1500. When I work out I burn around 700 cal to 1000. But if I'm not hungry I'm not going to eat. That's how people get fat to begin with; eating when not hungry. If I burn 1000 calories and my net for the day is 700 that's ok. I'm not starving myself. I'm just listening to my body.
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    First of all, I'd question whether you are really burning 700 calories of exercise. It would take around 2 hours to burn off that amounts of calories - are you really working out that much? But without exercise 750 calories is far too low and you should not be working out whilst eating so little - this is a recipe for disaster and can cause a whole RANGE of problems including muscle loss, high cortisol levels, electrolyte imbalance (which affects your heart and is extremely dangerous). By the sounds of it, not only are your calories far too low but so is your protein intake which is also dangerous. Your body needs enough protein to rebuild muscle fibres after exercise and is vital to repair and cell growth.

    It's odd that you're not hungry eating so little and working out a lot, but I suspect your burn isn't as high as you think and maybe you're eating more than you think. Either way, I would suggest accurate tracking, getting around 1.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight, doing strength training, eat enough carbs if you are doing high intensity exercise and good fats too and up your calories to around 1,600.
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    I understand the op. My calorie goal is 1500. When I work out I burn around 700 cal to 1000. But if I'm not hungry I'm not going to eat. That's how people get fat to begin with; eating when not hungry. If I burn 1000 calories and my net for the day is 700 that's ok. I'm not starving myself. I'm just listening to my body.

    Except she has said her net is 100 or so calories after exercise. That is NOT ok.
  • lenah802
    lenah802 Posts: 2
    Thanks for the response, I'll definitely try to eat more now. I thought I was doing myself good, too! Eek. I wonder why it is I'm not losing much weight then. For most of my life I would eat around 1,500 cals a day and I would exercise just as much as I do now but was less sedentary and then I gained weight… I guess I've always had a slow metabolism? I feel like compared to a lot of people my lifestyle wasn't too different but I guess I was wrong. What kinds of proteins do you think would be best? And I go on an elliptical that tracks how many calories I burn and my distance etc, I usually just watch a TV episode or two before I get off and then check how many I burned.
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    Thanks for the response, I'll definitely try to eat more now. I thought I was doing myself good, too! Eek. I wonder why it is I'm not losing much weight then. For most of my life I would eat around 1,500 cals a day and I would exercise just as much as I do now but was less sedentary and then I gained weight… I guess I've always had a slow metabolism? I feel like compared to a lot of people my lifestyle wasn't too different but I guess I was wrong. What kinds of proteins do you think would be best? And I go on an elliptical that tracks how many calories I burn and my distance etc, I usually just watch a TV episode or two before I get off and then check how many I burned.

    If you're not losing weight then you're either eating so little that your body is fighting back really hard and your cortisol is through the roof, or you're eating more than you think. Hormonal imbalance will slow weight loss but it won't completely stop it. Your metabolism never slows down enough to completely halt weight loss as long as there is a calorie deficit so it would be wise to check that your logging is accurate and you are weighing everything. It seems very unlikely that you are burning as many calories through exercise as you think. Machines don't take into account your weight and height so aren't accurate and you have to account for the time you would have spent at rest as you still burn calories at rest. E.g. I put cycling into MFP and it tells me my calories burned based on my weight and height, then I take off around 70 calories for an hour of exercise as this is what I would have burned at rest. So if MFP says I burned 400 cals cycling, the actual additional amount I can add to my daily calories is 330. So you are more likely burning around 600 cals.

    When you say you have eaten 1500 cals for most of your life it does beg the question of how you know that unless you're logging every day. I am no stranger to counting calories but even I can severely underestimate my calories unless I weigh and log everything. I cannot imagine why you would have gained weight eating 1500 cals and working out an hour a day, that just doesn't make sense. So please do this as a first measure. Even with a slow metabolism, you can't gain weight in an energy deficit and there's no way your BMR is below 1000 calories so it may have been water weight you gained after starting a new exercise routine as this is common. You might want to get some tests done to check your hormones out in case you have an underlying imbalance that you're unaware of.

    As for proteins, there's no absolute best type but animal proteins have all the essential amino acids so are the easiest source. If you are eating high quality meats (grass fed, organic) then any cut is fine. Lower quality go for the leaner cuts. Don't be afraid of fat, it is good for you! Plus, skin contains gelatin which is really good for you. Make sure you get at least 2 portions of oily fish per week for your omega 3s too.

Categories