5097 calories under weekly net goal

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I'm new to this calorie counting thing. Am I supposed to eat 1200 in NET still or is what I'm doing good? I'm tryin to just lose 1 lb a week and exercise daily. I have a high protein diet but don't seem to see the scales change at all. What am I doing wrong?

Replies

  • shining_light
    shining_light Posts: 384 Member
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    Seeing as you only have 13 pounds to lose, 0.5 pound loss a week is a more realistic goal. Let MFP set your goals automatically. It works.
  • jadeyn59
    jadeyn59 Posts: 4
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    Regardless I still am wanting to make sure I don't go into starvation mode since I burn so many calories when I work out. Is the net what I should be focused on or is it good to have 400-900 net calories at the end of the day?
  • JoeCampbell85
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    You should focus on 1200 net.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    If you're using MFP as designed and letting it set your numbers, yes you should eat back your exercise calories to get to 1200 NET. With the caveat that if you're using MFP's estimates or a gym machine readout to get your calories burned it may be too high. You might want to aim for 50-75% of your exercise calories in that case.

    If you haven't come across them yet, I always recommend starting with these links:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

    And then read these when you're ready to take your logging accuracy to the next step:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Regardless I still am wanting to make sure I don't go into starvation mode since I burn so many calories when I work out. Is the net what I should be focused on or is it good to have 400-900 net calories at the end of the day?

    Starvation mode = not real

    What is your current height/weight? Even 1200 net can oftentimes be too low for someone who (by your profile pic and weight loss goal in your profile) appears to only need to lose a few pounds
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    No, it's not good to net less than 1200.

    However 1200 is kind of an arbitrary number that was established as the minimum # of calories the average woman should consume to make sure they get proper nutrients. Which is why that first reply mentioned setting proper goals. Once you have a proper daily calorie goal, that is the amount you should try to eat (hence the term goal), plus at least half of earned exercise calories.

    Be sure to check out the links diane posted - very good info.
  • jadeyn59
    jadeyn59 Posts: 4
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    I'm 5'10"and weigh 178
  • gizmo_2014
    gizmo_2014 Posts: 37
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    You should be netting much more then 1200 calories. Netting so little will increase muscle loss you experience along the way. You should be as close to 0 calories remaining as possible at the end of the day. You should be aiming for a calorie deficit of no more then 1000 calories at the end of the week considering your current weight loss goal amount, your height and current weight. The smaller you are the less of a deficit you should be aiming for.