Net Calories

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kblue2007
kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi my name is Kate and I have been struggling with my last couple pounds for quite awhile. I tend to fluctuate 4-7lbs from time to time and I am focused on reaching my goal.
I am having an issue with my net calorie intake. MFP says I should consume 1200 calories per day, which I do, but with my workouts my net is always less, should my net be 1200???
I am confused because after I input all my food and exercise and my net is less than 1200, MFP says that I will weight X-amt in 5wks???? But I have not lost....actually gained this week because of my weekend habits.
If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Kate

Replies

  • carline123
    carline123 Posts: 1
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    I'm confused, too. If I burn 300 calories exercising am I SUPPOSED to eat 300 more calories or is it just an option?
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    Read the link in my signature... you should be at your net calories... that is why you are not losing, and probably gaining weight... because you body is starving now that you are really close to your goal. and you should be eating probably closer to your BMR calorie goal. if you are 4-7 pounds away from your goal.. 1200 is only okay if you have a bit to lose.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    I'm confused, too. If I burn 300 calories exercising am I SUPPOSED to eat 300 more calories or is it just an option?

    Read the link in my signature... you need to eat at least a majority of those calories back. you ask then, why do i even work out? well read my signature..
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Your NET should be your goal. so if your goal is 1200 that is net. 1200 plus exercise caloires. With only a few pounds left to lose I would suggest changing your goal to 0.5lbs/week or 1.0 at the most. this will give you more caloires which is important. The closer you get to your goal the smaller your caloric deficit should be. This ensures that what you lose is mostly fat, if you don't eat enough you may lose more muscle than fat.
  • rherrin5
    rherrin5 Posts: 136 Member
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    I personally keep my NET above 1200. It works for me so I stick with that plan for me. If I go below it I start to slowly gain. I never knew about a NET of 1200 till I joined here and I started losing once I followed what some others had told me. I eat enough exercise cals just to keep me a little above so im not eating them all back. Its confusing I know but it works for me. Some will argue it and say you do not need to. For them it works not to eat them back. Depends on your body and who you are. Good luck!
  • sevangelista
    sevangelista Posts: 42
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    a couple of things to keep in mind when you get past the "easy" weight. 1st, your calories should be net including exercise. so if you eat 1200 and then exercise for 400 and your net is 800, you body does go into starvation mode...sounds funny but you have to eat to lose. 2nd and maybe more important is to shake things up with both variety of food and exersie. your body is VERY efficient and it will learn to store calories. changing up the mix of what you eat can really help that. Also not sure what you do for exercise, but if its cardio only, you have to consider going to the weights. Weights will build mucle and muscle speeds metabolism. very careful to record your inches at the thighs, butt, waist, bust, and arms before you head to the wieghts. You may see some gain as you gain muscle tone, but you will see decline in inches and if you stick with it, you will see weight come off too.

    as for the you will weight xxx in 5 weeks, that seems not to work. I have been hovering for about 2 months. I have just changed everythnig up and I am starting to lose again

    good luck!!
  • rherrin5
    rherrin5 Posts: 136 Member
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    Your NET should be your goal. so if your goal is 1200 that is net. 1200 plus exercise caloires. With only a few pounds left to lose I would suggest changing your goal to 0.5lbs/week or 1.0 at the most. this will give you more caloires which is important. The closer you get to your goal the smaller your caloric deficit should be. This ensures that what you lose is mostly fat, if you don't eat enough you may lose more muscle than fat.

    I did not know this. Thanks for sharing! Im 12 lbs away from goal, when should I change to .5 a week? When I have 5lbs left to go?
  • hmschultz
    hmschultz Posts: 32
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    I was finding the same thing. Two weeks ago I stopped logging my exercise. I still keep track of it with a heart rate monitor and writing it down, but I don't enter it. I used the BMR calculator and go with approximately the number of calories it says. I was finding after working out that I still had over 1000 calories left to consume on a daily basis. I was working very hard for the scale not to be moving. Now, since I have done that, the scale is moving again.
  • caboeyes
    caboeyes Posts: 24
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    I'm no expert, but I think it's an option. If you intake 1200 to lose the weight, but you exercise and burn extra calories, you can add those calories back as food (your body needs the energy for the muscles to work properly). If you can't eat the extra calories back, then you might lose faster, but in WW it was always an option. Don't deprive yourself of nourishment ESPECAILLY when you are working out hard. The more you burn, the more fuel you need.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Hi my name is Kate and I have been struggling with my last couple pounds for quite awhile. I tend to fluctuate 4-7lbs from time to time and I am focused on reaching my goal.
    I am having an issue with my net calorie intake. MFP says I should consume 1200 calories per day, which I do, but with my workouts my net is always less, should my net be 1200???
    I am confused because after I input all my food and exercise and my net is less than 1200, MFP says that I will weight X-amt in 5wks???? But I have not lost....actually gained this week because of my weekend habits.
    If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.
    Thanks!
    Kate

    good one for you: In "links in MFP you want to read again and again" there is a link called "700 calories a day and not losing". This will explain your situation pretty well. (When you go too low on calories for too long - especially if you don't have a lot of weight to lose - your body responds not by burning more fat but by slowing your metabolism and digging into lean muscle mass for fuel). Then when the weekend kicks in and you relax on foods your body stores it as fat rather than burning it off (lower metabolism).
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Options
    Your NET should be your goal. so if your goal is 1200 that is net. 1200 plus exercise caloires. With only a few pounds left to lose I would suggest changing your goal to 0.5lbs/week or 1.0 at the most. this will give you more caloires which is important. The closer you get to your goal the smaller your caloric deficit should be. This ensures that what you lose is mostly fat, if you don't eat enough you may lose more muscle than fat.

    I did not know this. Thanks for sharing! Im 12 lbs away from goal, when should I change to .5 a week? When I have 5lbs left to go?

    My goal was only 10 pounds and I set up to lose .5 per week from the start. I'm 7.5 down total and this has been steady since late January. (I went from calorie deficit to Maintenance calories several weeks ago and lost 2 more pounds after that).
  • kblue2007
    kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone for all the great information. I'm going to up my calories to be 1200 net for the rest of the week and see how it goes. I'll let you all know.
    Thanks!
    Kate
  • kblue2007
    kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    I was just talking with my mom who recently lost 50lbs, she was on a program that encouraged people not to replaced burned calories.....any thoughts on that?
    Also, some people mentioned weight training, I go to a gym and I am not comfortable with free weights, do you feel weight machines are just as beneficial?
    Thanks.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I was just talking with my mom who recently lost 50lbs, she was on a program that encouraged people not to replaced burned calories.....any thoughts on that?
    Also, some people mentioned weight training, I go to a gym and I am not comfortable with free weights, do you feel weight machines are just as beneficial?
    Thanks.

    A lot of programs are like that, but they give you a higher caloric intake as they factor in exercise before giving you a caloric goal. Say you workout 4 days/week and burn 300 cals each day. A trainer may say to eat 1400 cals/day. MFP will say 1200 cal and the days you workout eat 1500. At the end of the week the totals would be within a couple hundred calories of each other.

    What MFP does is allow you to lose your goal amount of weight whether you exercise or not.
  • kblue2007
    kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    Thanks!! I am pretty frustrated and trying to figure out my best course of action. I workout 7-9 times per week, which include 45-50mins of cardio 4-5 times per week and also vinysa yoga for 30-60mins 3-4times per week. I am wondering if I should try 30mins of cardio and 30mins of weight training on my gym days and keep the yoga as is?

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