Net calories

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jamieses
jamieses Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
Does mfp net calories take in to consideration calories burned by basic bodily functions like breathing etc? I'm a bit confused as it's lower than my bmr. I'm currently at a net if 1400 with eating back my exercise calories per day.

Thanks
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Replies

  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
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    What did you put in as your activity level?

    What did you put in as pounds peer week to lose?

    MFP net calories includes everything that isn't exercise, but it will go below your BMR if you put in your activity level too low, or your desired rate of loss too high.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    To lose 12 lbs., set your goal to .5 lb. per week—which is way more than 1,400 calories for a guy.

    Please, read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    How many calorie total are you eating? You need to fuel your body so it can function properly. I bet you are not eating enough. For setting calorie goals, I go by progress and performance. What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~2200 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

    Allan
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    Hi I put sedentary as I'm not working at the moment and the only exercise is like a 2 hour walk per day most days and every other day I'll try a 20 min jog as I have a back injury at the moment. Thanks
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Hi I put sedentary as I'm not working at the moment and the only exercise is like a 2 hour walk per day most days and every other day I'll try a 20 min jog as I have a back injury at the moment. Thanks

    If you have a back injury, get cleared to run first.

    What about upping calories? What are your stats to get a goal intake that low?

    As a 32 year old male with only 12 lbs to lose, with such an aggressive goal you may sacrifice that weight in lean body mass.
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    Yeah I'm just building the muscles back up gradually. I'm 5.9 174lbs around 21 bf. I was 196 lbs 26 bf in January but my weight loss grinded to a fault so thought I'd try a different approach. Thanks
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Yeah I'm just building the muscles back up gradually. I'm 5.9 174lbs around 21 bf. I was 196 lbs 26 bf in January but my weight loss grinded to a fault so thought I'd try a different approach. Thanks

    My point is, you won't build anything up without the blocks (calories).

    You're running such a deficit, you will sacrifice the muscles instead, if you are eating only 1400.

    At sedentary alone, your TDEE is almost 2200 calories.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Yeah I'm just building the muscles back up gradually. I'm 5.9 174lbs around 21 bf. I was 196 lbs 26 bf in January but my weight loss grinded to a fault so thought I'd try a different approach. Thanks

    You aren't building muscle on that large of a deficit.
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    I'm eating 1400 plus exercise calories, which is usually around 1900-2000 per day. This is what mfp calculated for my goals. If I eat more I'll fain weight. Thanks
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    Yeah I'm just building the muscles back up gradually. I'm 5.9 174lbs around 21 bf. I was 196 lbs 26 bf in January but my weight loss grinded to a fault so thought I'd try a different approach. Thanks

    You aren't building muscle on that large of a deficit.
    I'll re phrase that then. I'm strengthening the muscle I have. Not looking to build masses amount of muscle. My goal is fat loss I understand I would need to eat over maintenance to build new tissue. Thanks
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    To asnwer your original question, MFP does take into consideration your basal metabolic functions and your daily activities. These are calculated when you input your stats. Where it's dependent on the user, is that you determine your per week weight loss. Many members are too aggressive and choose 2 lbs a week, but below is a better guideline.


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


    The problem with net calories, is how do you truly determine calories burned through exercise? HRM's aren't very good, especially once you get away from steady state intense cardio. IMO, its much better to include exercise in your activity level and not eat back exercise calories. If you do this and use a food scale, you can get a better understanding of your true maintenance calories.
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    I'm just totally confused at the moment there's a lot if conflicting statements on the internet as to what you should do. I was losing on 1800 to start with in January but as my weight loss slowed I lowered my calories but I was walking a lot as well. I've watched so many tv programmes where the personal trainer had automatically out there client on 1500 kcals a day with around 3 hours of cardio. My weight loss wasn't all muscle as I lost around 5% bf. I do believe however that my metabolism has came grinding to a halt as a result of too few calories hence the reason I'm trying mfp out but still I'm getting told I'm not eating enough. Thanks for the input guys it's a real help.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Do you use a food scale? And can you open your food diary?
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    Yeah I use kitchen scales and write everything down in a notepad just really use mfp to get the amount of calories I need. Thanks
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Yeah I use kitchen scales and write everything down in a notepad just really use mfp to get the amount of calories I need. Thanks

    i would suggest loggin on here so we can provide advice and evaluate where you can improve. If we can't see it, it's all speculation.
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
    Options
    To asnwer your original question, MFP does take into consideration your basal metabolic functions and your daily activities. These are calculated when you input your stats. Where it's dependent on the user, is that you determine your per week weight loss. Many members are too aggressive and choose 2 lbs a week, but below is a better guideline.


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal. To be honest most calculators and stuff tell me my maintenance is 2100 and I've actually maintained on this number.


    The problem with net calories, is how do you truly determine calories burned through exercise? HRM's aren't very good, especially once you get away from steady state intense cardio. IMO, its much better to include exercise in your activity level and not eat back exercise calories. If you do this and use a food scale, you can get a better understanding of your true maintenance calories.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    Yeah I'm just building the muscles back up gradually. I'm 5.9 174lbs around 21 bf. I was 196 lbs 26 bf in January but my weight loss grinded to a fault so thought I'd try a different approach. Thanks

    You aren't building muscle on that large of a deficit.
    I'll re phrase that then. I'm strengthening the muscle I have. Not looking to build masses amount of muscle. My goal is fat loss I understand I would need to eat over maintenance to build new tissue. Thanks

    My point is you won't build any new as your deficit, if accurate, would be really big.

    If your goal is fat loss, at your weight, you really don't need to lose weight. You shouldn't be running a 2lb per week deficit that sets you at 600-800 calories below TDEE.

    IMHO, you should be much closer to 1800-2000 Net, with strength training of some sort mixed in (talk to your doctor), and cardio if you like it. You're much closer to the boat of a recomp rather than weight loss.

    Again, IMHO.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Yeah I use kitchen scales and write everything down in a notepad just really use mfp to get the amount of calories I need. Thanks
    i would suggest loggin on here so we can provide advice and evaluate where you can improve. If we can't see it, it's all speculation.
    ^^^This.

    If you're not logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly, then you have zero idea how many calories you're actually eating.

    Set your goal to .5 lb. per week, and work on your logging. If you eat 250 calories less than you burn, you will lose weight.

    Edited to add: please read the Sexypants post. It will clear up so much of your confusion: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants
  • jamieses
    jamieses Posts: 11
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    I do log everything accurately just not on her. My problem is knowing the right amount if calories to consume. If say mfp tells me to eat 1400 plus I burn 500 through exercise I will get bang on 1900 kcals per day. I would eat 250 less a day if I know what my total calories were to be. Thanks
    Yeah I use kitchen scales and write everything down in a notepad just really use mfp to get the amount of calories I need. Thanks
    i would suggest loggin on here so we can provide advice and evaluate where you can improve. If we can't see it, it's all speculation.
    ^^^This.

    If you're not logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly, then you have zero idea how many calories you're actually eating.

    Set your goal to .5 lb. per week, and work on your logging. If you eat 250 calories less than you burn, you will lose weight.

    Please, read the Sexypants post. It will clear up so much if your confusion: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    MFP is a NEAT calculator. Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise.

    So this is why the calories that MFP gives seems a bit low compared to other calorie calculators. When you do exercise, it adds more calories for you to eat.

    Most other calculators are a TDEE - % (total daily energy expenditure which includes exercise minus a certain percent for weight loss).

    A properly set MFP + exercise calories goal should be somewhere in the same vicinity as a properly set TDEE-% goal. Operative words being "properly set".

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