Calories....

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Hype
Hype Posts: 349
in Health and Weight Loss
Just a general question - on the calorie count thing - is the net supposed to be positive or negative?

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  • Lorelei19
    Lorelei19 Posts: 107 Member
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    I personally wouldn't let the net go below 500. That would mean your body is in starvation mode. The site recommends your net to be equal to whatever your daily alloted amount of calories are (before exercise). So if it recommends 2000 calories a day, and you workout for 1000 calories, you need to eat 3000 calories that day. I could be wrong, but that is how I interpret it.
  • Hype
    Hype Posts: 349
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    Makes sense, thanks
  • Inpjs66
    Inpjs66 Posts: 109 Member
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    If it's a negative, your are eating way too much, it means you've gone over your allotment.
  • Sarahr73
    Sarahr73 Posts: 454 Member
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    Is it negative on your food diary or when you are on your home page and it shows calories-exercise=net?
  • Kat120285
    Kat120285 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    NET should be equal to what your goal for the day is. So after I eat back my exercise calories my NET is back at 1250, that's 1250 calories my body has to absorb and use for funtioning and so on.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    Just a general question - on the calorie count thing - is the net supposed to be positive or negative?
    Should be a positive number close to your daily intake goal. At least that's what most people will say! :bigsmile:
    Right now mine is 25 so I guess I need to go eat something! LOL :drinker:
  • KTNemo
    KTNemo Posts: 100
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    If it's a negative, your are eating way too much, it means you've gone over your allotment.

    This is only true if you are over 500 calories in the negative. That is the deficit that MFP builds into your daily allotment based on your BMR. If you eat 20 over, it isn't that big of a deal. If you eat 500 over, you aren't going to lose anything, you will just maintain your current weight.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    There is so much wrong/bad info in this thread it gave me a headache just reading it.

    OK:
    NET calories, on your HOME PAGE, not in our diary, should be equal to your daily calorie goal at the end of the day.

    If your goal is 1200, and you exercise for 300, you need to eat 1500 total in order for your NET to be at the 1200.


    You already HAVE a deficit built in (250 cals if you chose 1/2 lb per week, 500 if you chose 1, and 1000 if you chose 2 lbs.)
    So your goal calories are a number to REACH, not a number to stay under. If you are UNDER goal, you are increasing the deficit you already chose to have. Eat all your calories for the day PLUS your exercise calories.

    In your DIARY, however, the number shows "remaining calories". THIS number should be very close to zero at the end of each day. Aim for within 50 whether it be green or red.

    Going Red does NOT mean you will GAIN weight. If you chose 2 lbs per week, you would have to go Red by 1000 calories just to stay the SAME weight, as you already have a 1000 calorie deficit.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    If it's a negative, your are eating way too much, it means you've gone over your allotment.

    PLEASE tell me you were referring to the number in your diary and not your NET, which is what the OP was asking about...

    If your NET is negative you are STARVING TO DEATH.
  • girlruns
    girlruns Posts: 344
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    Thank you Robin...thank you. :drinker:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    If it's a negative, your are eating way too much, it means you've gone over your allotment.

    This is only true if you are over 500 calories in the negative. That is the deficit that MFP builds into your daily allotment based on your BMR. If you eat 20 over, it isn't that big of a deal. If you eat 500 over, you aren't going to lose anything, you will just maintain your current weight.

    You almost know what you are talking about, IF she was asking about goal calories in the DIARY. She meant NET on the homepage.
    And even so, 500 isn't for everyone, just people who chose 1 lb per week.
    Also, it is NOT based on your BMR, it is based on your TDEE, which is your BMR+your activity level. BMR is the calories you would need even if you were in a coma just to beat your heart and breathe. As soon as you step out of bed in the morning you already need more than your BMR. If your deficit was subtracted from that you would have many health problems and be malnourished.
    Your BMR actually gets multiplied by 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 or some other multipliers based on what you said your daily activities were like. Only THEN do they subtract your 500 a day (for 1 lb a week).

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