Difference between Goal and Net?

Sigra
Sigra Posts: 374 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I keep hearing people talking about your Goal and Net, and what each should be at or it will work against you. But what is net? And how do you make it go up or down?

I haven't ate dinner yet, but here's what I'm seeing now.

Goal: 1200
Food: 852
Exercise: - 664
Net: 188

I still expect to eat around 300cal for dinner, but is that bad? Will it make my net go down or up? :(

I'm super confused!

Replies

  • Jess21684
    Jess21684 Posts: 202 Member
    well the way mfp is set up, you want your NET to be at 1200. when u workout, it ups your daily intake and its designed for u to eat back those calories since your burning more than mfp factored in originally. your NET should be 1200 its a whole ordeal on here and some people swear by eating all their calories burnt back and some dont eat many of them back but ideally you should eat some bc otherwise your body isnt getting many fuel to function itself on. I usually tend to eat about half but really never all of them just incase estimates are off. your supposed to still lose the same amt of weight even if u eat those extra calories back, its designed this way
  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
    Net is the amount of calories left after you subtract out the calories you burned exercising. You would want your net not to go any lower than 1200 at a minimum...so you have a ways to go!! 1200 is what's recommended as the lowest that you should go to ensure our body has enough fuel to do what it needs to do. So you may have ate 800 calories with of food...you burned 600 from that so you are left with the 'goal' amount...at the end of the day it's the NET you want to make sure is above 1200.
  • Sigra
    Sigra Posts: 374 Member
    I'm confused then. Am I not working out enough? Or am I eating too much?

    My Net isn't going to go up I assume it would only go down after I eat.
  • dekarlo08
    dekarlo08 Posts: 102
    Goal calories+exercise calories-food calories=net calories
  • Sigra
    Sigra Posts: 374 Member
    Ahh, I think I understand now. I added food(to test) and it went up. So it's basically saying the lower the number the worse! And telling me I need to eat more to get up to 1200!
  • dekarlo08
    dekarlo08 Posts: 102
    Goal calories+exercise calories-food calories=net calories
    I eat my goal calories which is 1350 plus half of my exercise calories
  • rachellepilcher
    rachellepilcher Posts: 95
    Goal is what MFP sets your calorie intake at based on what you want to lose per week. Net is how many calories you have eaten minus how many calories you have exercised(burned off). You should not have more than 1000 calories left to use or eat less than 1200 calories per day on a regular basis.
  • kasmir8199
    kasmir8199 Posts: 507 Member
    Your net will go up. MFP will tell you how many cals you have remaining on your home page. Your net is the difference in the cals you've consumed and those your earned through exercise.

    For instance, I worked out quite a bit today, so my chart reads

    2092 CALORIES REMAINING

    Goal 1720 Food 644 Exercise 1016 = -372 Net


    I've expended more cals than I've taken in today (hence the negative net amount). What you want to pay most attention to is the "CALORIES REMAINING" part of the chart. Your net at the end of the day (if you level out) should equal your GOAL amount.
  • alienblonde1
    alienblonde1 Posts: 749 Member
    goal (total calories you are to eat)= food (actual calories you ate) minus exercise calories equals net (which should be same as goal)
  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
    :smile: You actually aren't eating enough..believe it or not.

    MFP sets your 'goal calorie' limit at a deficit based on what you put in with your activity level and weight loss goals. This is done so that you can essentially lose weight without exercising. You are exercising (awesome!!!) so when you input the amount you burned (of calories) from exercising...MFP adds that number back into your alloted food calories so that you can eat those calories back to make sure you aren't going way below a safe number (ie. 1200). I'm not the best at explaining it, but I hope that helps.
  • happynmontana
    happynmontana Posts: 42 Member
    This post was submitted by a trainer on MFP. I am new to the site and the concept of net calories, but this is the BEST explanation I have seen. I hope the link works... if not it is in the message boards - General diet and weight loss - a couple pgs before your post. Hope it helps!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories
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