Confused about Net Calories & Actual food eaten

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rjlam
rjlam Posts: 149
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm throughtly confused. Prime example is my food intake yesterday was 1447 calories but the net calories showed 825. I don't get it. I understand that in order to loose I have to eat the daily intake but my daily caloric intake is 1411 of food. Can someone explain.

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  • safetyscott
    safetyscott Posts: 66 Member
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    Food is net +extra from exercising...you need to eat your exercise extra
  • safetyscott
    safetyscott Posts: 66 Member
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    Also....and im no expert...but...850 cal a day seems a bit small to me...without knowing..it apears you are setting yourself up for your body to go into starvation mode.
  • michelletr
    michelletr Posts: 236 Member
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    dumb question.......we have to eat our exercise calories?
  • raf46
    raf46 Posts: 9
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    All you need to look at is 'Calories remaining'. The arithmetic of 'Target', 'Exercise', and 'Food' gets you to the 'Net'. If 'Calories remaining' is green then you are ahead for the day, if red then you've eaten too much and need to take some exercise. For me if I'm red by say 120 calories (a slice of bread) that just means that I could get to zero by spending 8 minutes on a rowing machine. A Triple Chocolate Muffin would take me about 25 minutes hard work on a rowing machine. Once you see it like that - it all starts to fall into place.
    As regards any fear of starvation diets I really wouldn't worry. I regularly finish a day with 1000 Calories remaining in green, even 2,000 on occasions. If you are serious about cutting off pounds, just record everything (even four nuts add up to about 40 calories) and try and stay Green as much as you can. It doesn't matter if you have a couple of bad days and go very Red - I went 1500 into the Red on Saturday, just bring it back and use the Weekly view on the Home page of the iPhone app to monitor your under or over for calories. Try and keep to it and you'll lose as much weight as you want.
    Richard
  • Inpjs66
    Inpjs66 Posts: 109 Member
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    If I do not eat enough calories based on my daily goal and extra's from exercise, I get a message below.


    *Based on your total calories consumed for today, you are eating too few calories. Not only is it difficult to receive adequate nutrition at these calorie levels, but you could also be putting your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode lowers your metabolism and makes weight loss more difficult. We suggest increasing your calorie consumption to 1,200 calories per day minimum.
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
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    dumb question.......we have to eat our exercise calories?

    Yes. If you don't, you end up with too large deficit, which in turn can cause damage.

    Here is a must read about the exercise calories:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • MISTTIMI
    MISTTIMI Posts: 53
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    This question has been an ongoing topic for some time, Personally I do not eat the extra exercise calories, the main debate is that if you don't eat the extra calories your body will go into starvation mode, the fact is your body's metabolism will slow down and almost stop burning calories to conserve energy when is detects the body is not getting enough to eat from starving and famine, however the body does not know the difference between dieting and exercise and famine. So it can go into a 'ghost" starvation mode when in fact you're Not really starving, but it will slow down your loss for awhile, but in the long run if you don't eat the extra calories you will lose the most weight.
  • Bzbear2
    Bzbear2 Posts: 109
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    I always eat my exercise calories. Why? Because if I don't "get to" I am not motivated to exercise AT ALL! And we all know that exercise is good for you AND your weight loss

    also, of course it isn't healthy to workout like crazy on 1400 calories! you need to give your body more fuel. Remember this is about lifetime, sustainable weightloss. IT IS NOT A RACE!
  • Louise12
    Louise12 Posts: 389 Member
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    I Think if you ate 1411 cals then thats fine... i usually stick to my daily in take of 1340... sometimes i need extra calories for exercise ...sometimes i dont ... i think you are doing fine and eating enough ... i dont usually take much notice of the net cals ...if you eat all of them then your not burning anything off... hmm this is a confusing topic! but i think if u are all together eating less that 1200 then thats too little but you ate more so i think you are doing fine :)
  • Louise12
    Louise12 Posts: 389 Member
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    I Think if you ate 1411 cals then thats fine... i usually stick to my daily in take of 1340... sometimes i need extra calories for exercise ...sometimes i dont ... i think you are doing fine and eating enough ... i dont usually take much notice of the net cals ...if you eat all of them then your not burning anything off... hmm this is a confusing topic! but i think if u are all together eating less that 1200 then thats too little but you ate more so i think you are doing fine :)

    oh man i say 'fine' wayyyy tooo much ! lol
  • Bzbear2
    Bzbear2 Posts: 109
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    ... i dont usually take much notice of the net cals ...if you eat all of them then your not burning anything off...

    this is a common misconception. You ARE burning off all your normal defecit calories! For example, if you have a 1lb/week loss, you have a 500 calorie defecit per day. Even if you eat ALL your exercise calories, you will still have a 500 calorie defecit!

    Some people say "but then what is the point of working out" but I say

    1) you get to eat MORE!! wooooooo. more good food, more vitamins, more delish.
    2) you gain muscle, definition, up your metabolism and feel GREAT.
    3) you are building good HABITS - if you plan to go to a party, or eat a bit more, you also plan in exercise. This is a great habit to get into because you can also use this during your maintanence stage!

    The only warning I would give is be careful not to overestimate your workout calories - it's really worth it to invest in an HRM for more accurate calorie indications.
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
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    This question has been an ongoing topic for some time, Personally I do not eat the extra exercise calories, the main debate is that if you don't eat the extra calories your body will go into starvation mode, the fact is your body's metabolism will slow down and almost stop burning calories to conserve energy when is detects the body is not getting enough to eat from starving and famine, however the body does not know the difference between dieting and exercise and famine. So it can go into a 'ghost" starvation mode when in fact you're Not really starving, but it will slow down your loss for awhile, but in the long run if you don't eat the extra calories you will lose the most weight.

    There are lots of misconseptions surrounding this topic and the body is often thought of extremely simplistically. It is a complex organism geared to adapting to different situations and survival, so statements like "if you eat too little, you'll go to starvation mode and stop losing" and "the greater the deficit, the greater the losses" are only half truths. By the way, the way the body stores, burns, and produces energy, all change according to what and how much you digest, so the claim that it doesn't care how much nutrition it gets is just plainly not true.

    The true problem with too large deficits is the fact that the balance between fat loss and muscle loss tips too much to the dark side. There was a woman on "Supersize vs Superskinny" who ran a lot and ate something like 400-800 Kcal per day. She had an enormous daily calorie deficit (not to mention other nutritional deficits). Btw. she hadn't stopped losing so there goes the idea that eating too little, you stop burning calories. Her body was most certainly shutting down though.. Anyway, she was a perfect example of a person who had used malnutrition and lots of low intensity exercise to burn away most of her muscle and fat tissue. I don't think that's what most of us are here for..

    The reason, why certain deficits are recommended, is that they are most optimal for burning fat and retaining muscle tissue. Not "because your body will go to starvation mode and you'll start piling bounds even if eating only a couple of peas a day"..

    Honestly!! :mad: Where the heck do people get this stuff?! It's even worse than the infomercials that someone was flipping about in another thread!
  • MISTTIMI
    MISTTIMI Posts: 53
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    This question has been an ongoing topic for some time, Personally I do not eat the extra exercise calories, the main debate is that if you don't eat the extra calories your body will go into starvation mode, the fact is your body's metabolism will slow down and almost stop burning calories to conserve energy when is detects the body is not getting enough to eat from starving and famine, however the body does not know the difference between dieting and exercise and famine. So it can go into a 'ghost" starvation mode when in fact you're Not really starving, but it will slow down your loss for awhile, but in the long run if you don't eat the extra calories you will lose the most weight.

    There are lots of misconseptions surrounding this topic and the body is often thought of extremely simplistically. It is a complex organism geared to adapting to different situations and survival, so statements like "if you eat too little, you'll go to starvation mode and stop losing" and "the greater the deficit, the greater the losses" are only half truths. By the way, the way the body stores, burns, and produces energy, all change according to what and how much you digest, so the claim that it doesn't care how much nutrition it gets is just plainly not true.

    The true problem with too large deficits is the fact that the balance between fat loss and muscle loss tips too much to the dark side. There was a woman on "Supersize vs Superskinny" who ran a lot and ate something like 400-800 Kcal per day. She had an enormous daily calorie deficit (not to mention other nutritional deficits). Btw. she hadn't stopped losing so there goes the idea that eating too little, you stop burning calories. Her body was most certainly shutting down though.. Anyway, she was a perfect example of a person who had used malnutrition and lots of low intensity exercise to burn away most of her muscle and fat tissue. I don't think that's what most of us are here for..

    The reason, why certain deficits are recommended, is that they are most optimal for burning fat and retaining muscle tissue. Not "because your body will go to starvation mode and you'll start piling bounds even if eating only a couple of peas a day"..

    Honestly!! :mad: Where the heck do people get this stuff?! It's even worse than the infomercials that someone was flipping about in another thread!

    The example you gave was extreme, my comment was directed toward a person taking in normal calories for their weight, and exercising in a normal fashion, not surviving on 400 to 800 calories and running a lot...
    Also, I got most of my information from my friend, and Fitness Manager of a popular fitness gym, He is a Master Trainer and Licensed Dietitian. Not like someone flipping around these threads wondering what the heck people are saying. ~Cheers~
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
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    The example you gave was extreme, my comment was directed toward a person taking in normal calories for their weight, and exercising in a normal fashion, not surviving on 400 to 800 calories and running a lot...
    Also, I got most of my information from my friend, and Fitness Manager of a popular fitness gym, He is a Master Trainer and Licensed Dietitian. Not like someone flipping around these threads wondering what the heck people are saying. ~Cheers~

    No need to get personal, mind you.. For training and nurtritional information I flip through scientifical studies, fittness articles, books, and websites, and try never to rely on only one source.

    I do need to apologise, though. You didn't say that the body doesn't care about how much nutrition it gets. It was misreading on my part so I'm sorry about that! What you wrote was quite accurate except for the part saying that if you don't eat the extra calories you will lose the most weight. That is one of those half truths.

    The example was extreme but it does illustrate the problem quite well.. The fact remains. When losing weight with a deficit greater than about 300-500 Kcal per day, you run the risk of burning much more muscle tissue in proportion to the lost fat tissue, than you would staying within the recommended range. (I personally do use a deficit of up to 700 occasionally, but not for extended periods any more now that I don't have that much surplus left.)
    This is a bit different for obese people simply because they have a lot of fat tissue easily available, though.

    If your friend really is such a decorated trainer and dietician, I doubt he will disagree here.
  • MISTTIMI
    MISTTIMI Posts: 53
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    The example you gave was extreme, my comment was directed toward a person taking in normal calories for their weight, and exercising in a normal fashion, not surviving on 400 to 800 calories and running a lot...
    Also, I got most of my information from my friend, and Fitness Manager of a popular fitness gym, He is a Master Trainer and Licensed Dietitian. Not like someone flipping around these threads wondering what the heck people are saying. ~Cheers~

    No need to get personal, mind you.. For training and nurtritional information I flip through scientifical studies, fittness articles, books, and websites, and try never to rely on only one source.

    I do need to apologise, though. You didn't say that the body doesn't care about how much nutrition it gets. It was misreading on my part so I'm sorry about that! What you wrote was quite accurate except for the part saying that if you don't eat the extra calories you will lose the most weight. That is one of those half truths.

    The example was extreme but it does illustrate the problem quite well.. The fact remains. When losing weight with a deficit greater than about 300-500 Kcal per day, you run the risk of burning much more muscle tissue in proportion to the lost fat tissue, than you would staying within the recommended range. (I personally do use a deficit of up to 700 occasionally, but not for extended periods any more now that I don't have that much surplus left.)
    This is a bit different for obese people simply because they have a lot of fat tissue easily available, though.

    If your friend really is such a decorated trainer and dietician, I doubt he will disagree here.

    When someone takes a direct quote from another poster and uses it above their reply, That my friend is getting personal. I believe you did that first.
    Anyway, It seems you have already pointed out the source of disagreement here when you said "This is a bit different for obese people simply because they have a lot of fat tissue easily available, though." my aim was toward someone like me and so many people on MFP; the need to lose weight while maintaining the muscle mass they have now, Not lose weight while trying to increase muscle mass like some guys desire. With any of the eating/exercise patterns discussed you can go in any direction and get extreme.
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
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    When someone takes a direct quote from another poster and uses it above their reply, That my friend is getting personal. I believe you did that first.
    Anyway, It seems you have already pointed out the source of disagreement here when you said "This is a bit different for obese people simply because they have a lot of fat tissue easily available, though." my aim was toward someone like me and so many people on MFP; the need to lose weight while maintaining the muscle mass they have now, Not lose weight while trying to increase muscle mass like some guys desire. With any of the eating/exercise patterns discussed you can go in any direction and get extreme.

    I'm merely trying to share some information and experience that I have accumulated over years of weight exercise, martial arts training, losing weight, and trying to learn everything I can about those things in the process. I am a very average person so my aim is towards any normal person under no medical supervision. Not some marginal, extreme case as you seem to insinuate. Thank you very much..

    The difference for obese people is that their body can support a bit higher calorie deficits before turning to the muscle tissue for energy. I have heard of a deficit of up to 700 Kcals per day being okay in those cases, and I suppose that some extreme cases might get higher recommendations under medical supervision, but the normal recommendation (for very good reasons!) is about 500 Kcal per day for any normal person, under no medical supervision, and lower for those within the normal weight range. Because of all of this, not eating the exercise calories is, in effect, going over the recommended limits, and as such, not at all recommendable, but it is everyones own choice as long as they know the risks..

    Btw. I have never promoted the idea of building muscle while losing weight since it seems to be all but impossible to all practical intents and purposes. Although, I suppose that a total beginner might sometimes see some marginal muscle gain. I'm yet to see any studies on this, though..
    The best you can do while losing weight, is exercise to preserve as much muscle tissue as you can. That is why weight training is recommended.
  • MISTTIMI
    MISTTIMI Posts: 53
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    The extreme cases I was referring to was like the one you mentioned. Actually any intelligent person can sift thru the rhetoric and come up with a satisfactory calorie/exercise ratio. And I think there is a lot of intelligent people on MFP. So, only a fool would continue this truths and half truths conversation . I'm done. ~cheers~
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    dumb question.......we have to eat our exercise calories?
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/150803-eat-or-not-eat
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I'm throughtly confused. Prime example is my food intake yesterday was 1447 calories but the net calories showed 825. I don't get it. I understand that in order to loose I have to eat the daily intake but my daily caloric intake is 1411 of food. Can someone explain.
    Hi! the site is based on the fact you eat them but people generally figure out what works for them, eating all ,eating half ,eating none..for me I dont eat them I stick to 1200-1400 calories and have done fine this way for over 1yr. But if Im hungry I have no issues increasing my calories by 100 and having a good snack. Everyone is different but I do think you should work closely with a Nutritionist and Doctor to get a set caloric intake...and ask them their opinion on if you should eat back what you worked off.
  • rjlam
    rjlam Posts: 149
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    Thanks for all your comments even the negative ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've figured it out and working it.

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