Net calories of 1200, or Intake of 1200?

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TheSageMage
TheSageMage Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
I have my Fitbit track my daily moves and so it inputs my calories burned from daily activities. Most days, this is around 800 to 900. My daily caloric intake is near 1200, so my net calories for the day is near 300. Should I worry about bringing my net calories up to 1200 or is it okay as long as my intake is 1200?

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  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
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    If you don't net your calories at at least 1200, people on this site will hate you.
  • TheSageMage
    TheSageMage Posts: 18
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    I've noticed :) Obviously aside from the health benefits, why should I work out then? Just to allow me to eat more per day?
  • jdb3388
    jdb3388 Posts: 239 Member
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    Be prepared for a **** storm. They will literally hunt you down and throw rocks at you for netting 300 calories a day. You should be eating more though, unless you are so morbidly obese that heart failure is in your near future, which I doubt, due to the fact that you are able to burn 900 calories in a day.
  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
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    Essentially, yeah. Exercise isn't necessary for weight loss, but it can help tone you up so the muscles you reveal look nice.
  • TheSageMage
    TheSageMage Posts: 18
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    The burning is (mostly) through walking. I do about 30 minutes of cardio a day, which burned 300 calories, but the rest is just Fitbit tracking my steps, I do about 3.5 miles of walking in my day.
  • tsunamisurf8
    tsunamisurf8 Posts: 2
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    Net calories should never be below 1200 or your body begins to store fat and lose lean muscle. Work out to burn fat and gain lean muscle, since lean muscle allows you to burn more calories naturally while resting (BMR.) I net around 1300 calories/day and consume about half of the calories I burn back in order for my body to process the energy I've spent correctly.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    All FitBit is really doing is correcting your activity level you are set at here. Clearly FitBit thinks you should be set for active rather than sedentary, and is making the adjustment for that, so yes, you should be eating them back because you have set yourself too low.
  • bonkosaurusrex
    bonkosaurusrex Posts: 71
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    Wait so I should be getting at lease 1200 NET calories per day? I normally do (my daily non-net goal is 1440), but I thought it was what you actually put in your body, regardless of exercise. In fact, I thought a low NET calorie number was good. Halp!
  • bonkosaurusrex
    bonkosaurusrex Posts: 71
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    Here's a link to a specific day that I didn't net 1200. If anyone cares to look/give insight...
    I'm slightly worried that I am now doing this whole thing wrong.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/bonkosaurusrex?date=2014-04-30
  • tsunamisurf8
    tsunamisurf8 Posts: 2
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    Calculate your resting BMR, then add however many calories you burn in a day. Subtract your net calories (no lower than 1200). Then divide this number by your desired deficit (between 500-1000, which will result in a 1-2 lb loss per week.)

    Calculate resting BMR here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

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