Net Calories and Eating Back Calories

dmillross · October 2014

Good Morning! I've been trying to do a lot of research on net calories and eating back calories. I've been on a diet roller coaster most of my life. I go to the extreme, slowly gain it back, loose a little, gain a little, and before I know it....I'm back at square 1. Well thankfully I'm about 24 pounds lighter than square one, however I'm leaning towards the other extreme right now.

I started walked 4 days a week at lunch, along with going to the gym about 4 days a week for an hour of cardio and lifting weights on the side. On an average Monday-Thursday I burn about 700 calories (200 from a 2 mile lunch walk and about 500 at the gym, either running and the bike or a zumba class). I don't wear my heart rate monitor for lifting weights, but I do my arms around 4 times a week. Nothing crazy, just some basic exercises.

I've been sticking at or around the 1200 calorie mark and it was great until I hit the dreaded halt, where everyday it's 172.5, 171, 171.5, 172, and so forth. Of course it's so hard to eat back calories when you've worked so hard to burn them off. Plus the one day I did eat 200 calories more and the next day the scale seemed to show it. I'm sure it's just a fluke, but still you start to worry!

What are your thoughts on eating back calories, MFP calculates my BMR at 1,543, and this whole "Net Calorie" thing it confusing to me. Right now my "net calories under weekly goal" is 3,274 which I think is probably not good...... eek!

Anyways, just trying to figure out how to do this right, what I need to change and how to get me out of these damn 170s!

Also, thoughts about good calories to add in? I'm not necessarily hungry in the evenings, would some type of shake be a good option for the evening after the gym?

Thanks in advance for all your help and input!

jrline · October 2014

Don't weigh daily. I only weigh two times a month. If you are consuming enough calories to start should be no reason to eat back much if any of your burned calories. Good Luck

hill8570 · October 2014

My rule of thumb over the last 10 months has been "eat at least your BMR in calories, and eat back part of the really big burns". If it were me, I'd bump up to BMR. Maybe eat back a couple-three hundred of the exercise cals (not really necessary if you don't feel tired, etc. like you're not getting enough cals). For strength training, something high protein (nonfat greek yogurt or a smoothie made with a protein powder) would help get your protein macros up. Looking at your diary, I'd say upping your calories and getting more lean protein would be the two changes I'd suggest -- the rest of it looks quite good.

Kalikel · October 2014

There is no way for me to know this, but I think MFP overestimates those "calories burned" deals. I do not trust them on that. I eat them back if I'm hungry enough. If I'm not all that hungry, I don't eat them back. (Today I will! Today I woke up hungry and had a 320 calorie breakfast, so I know today will be a big day, calorie-wise, lol.)

Eat enough food so that you are strong, energetic and can exercise. If you feel run-down, weak, dizzy or cannot exercise, eat more.

TeaBea · October 2014

MFP as designed expects you to eat exercise calories back because you were given a deficit BEFORE exercise. That way people who can't/won't exercise still lose weight.

Because you are already at MFP's lowest default minimum (1,200) you already have a pretty large deficit. Generally petite, senior ladies have a BMR around 1,200. A large deficit makes you lose fast, but it also makes it hard for your body to retain lean muscle. Your body will "feed" on your existing muscle mass if it has to. If you want a lower body fat percentage....you should eat more.

Weight fluctuates.....water weighs a ton. High sodium meal - retain water. Sore muscles - retain water. TOM / hormones - retain water. Bowels, etc..... retain water.

To gain 1/2 pound back you would have had to eat 1,750 calories more than maintenance ...you ate 200. If normal weight fluctuations bug you....don't weigh everyday.

BMR is basal metabolic rate. This is what your body would burn if you stayed in bed all day. TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) includes: BMR + activity level + exercise. This is maintenance. Eat less than TDEE....you lose weight.

"Good" calories fit your macros.....protein, fat, and then carbs. If you're low on protein for the day....a shake would be great....Greek yogurt is high protein too. Add in some good fats if you're lacking there....roast veggies in olive oil, add a sprinkle of nuts or avocado to a salad. The added calories can be consumed anytime of the day.

That's what makes the TDEE method nice. It will average out your calories so you don't have the up /down of workout & rest days.

punkinqueenthefirst · October 2014

In addition to what everyone else is saying, focus on what you're eating too, higher on the protein, lower on the processed carbs, etc.

Also try lifting more, perhaps go a little bit heavier on the weights (but make sure your form is good). Lifting builds muscle better than cardio and building muscle is how you raise your bmr. The higher your bmr, well, you get the idea.

Squats, deadlifts, rows and other exercises that use multiple muscle groups are great. Kettlbells (if you have access to one) are great for some of these exercises and swings are a pretty good addition too. And I cannot stress enough, pay attention to your form.

Good luck!

50sFit · October 2014

Great comments!
And yes, MFP is designed with your daily deficit already built in.
EAT BACK THOSE CALORIES!

MFP works to produce 1 pound per week weight loss for steady, safe and lasting results. I suppose you could move the scale faster, but what kind of loss will it be?
You'll lose muscle which slows metabolism. and once you finally reach your weight goal, you look and feel bad, and the weight starts piling back on in most cases. Remember, this is not a race.
GOOD LUCK!

ana3067 · October 2014

jrline wrote: »

Don't weigh daily. I only weigh two times a month. If you are consuming enough calories to start should be no reason to eat back much if any of your burned calories. Good Luck

It's fine to weigh daily if it's not done obsessively. Lots of people weigh daily to understand their fluctuations and to better see the trend. I just started weighing daily, and I'm not yet sure if It's something I'm going to keeo up with or not just because I'm lazy. But it is nice to see that I gained 2lbs in 1 day, so it's obviously water weight. if I had waited a week and saw that, I might have thought I was ove-eating (although I don't usually assume I'm over-eating even now that I'm eating at my estimated maintenance of 2400 net).

and amount of calories consumed does not matter when it comes to eating back exercise calories. If you set your net to 1200 or 3000, if both of these are a deficit from your net maintenance needs then you need to consume your exercise calories back. As outlined below, the only time you don't do this is if using TDEE method, because exercise calories will already be factored in.

ana3067 · October 2014

To OP, this is how it works.

If you calculate your NEAT needs, ie non-exercise activity thermogenesis (MFP default), then eat back your exercise calories and adjust overall intake based on your results after= a month or two.

if you calculate your TDEE needs, i.e. total daily energy expenditure, which includes average weekly exercise in the calculation, do not log and eat back exercise calories because you are already eating those every day.

You should acquire your deficit from both by subtracting 10-20% from the number you receive. Calculators like health-calc.com and exrx.net will give you more accurate portrayals.

If doing the former, I recommend eating back all exercise calories that you log. This requires that you are honest with your NEAT burn AND honest with your intensity level at the gym. So if you did 30 minutes of light intensity, that is not 30 minutes vigorous. After a few months, if you are not losing as you expect (e.g. 20% is usually around 1lb/week, or 4-5lbs a month) then lower your exercise calorie intake to 75%. If this doesn't help, lower to 50%. If you find that you need to stop eating your exercise cals entirely, you are either not logging accurately, overestimating your energy expenditure at the gym, or overestimating your NEAT level. In this case, recalculate everything, buy a food scale, etc.

dmillross · October 2014

Thanks for all the good input. I weigh my food, except for broccoli...that I just guesstimate with my one cup measuring cup. I figure broccoli isn't going to make me gain weight, so I can be a little less precise with that.

I just haven't seen the scale budge much these past few weeks, and I didn't know if it was due to not eating enough and exercising too much or what it was. You start to think, Okay....I'm tracking my food, and I'm exercising, what am I doing wrong?

I just needed a boost to keep me going

.

IgorFigscreed · October 2014

NOBODY "EATS CALORIES" , YOU FITNESS AIRHEADS. "CALORIES" ARE THE HEAT ENERGY OF FOOD. THAT IS IT.

YOU DERIVE ENERGY FROM THE CHEMICAL ENERGY IN THE CHEMICAL BONDS OF THE FOOD YOU DIGEST .............

MORONS!!!!!!!!!!

ana3067 · October 2014

dmillross wrote: »

Thanks for all the good input. I weigh my food, except for broccoli...that I just guesstimate with my one cup measuring cup. I figure broccoli isn't going to make me gain weight, so I can be a little less precise with that.

I just haven't seen the scale budge much these past few weeks, and I didn't know if it was due to not eating enough and exercising too much or what it was. You start to think, Okay....I'm tracking my food, and I'm exercising, what am I doing wrong?

I just needed a boost to keep me going .

I've had small stalls like this before. Usually due to needing to either drink more water or to lower my intake. You could try daily weighing nad see if your weight is fluctuating a lot, you might find that you've just been weighing yourself on heavy days.

cierrashadows · October 2014

My guess is you are eating too few calories and your metabolism thinks it is in a famine and clinging onto every calorie. When I lost weight, initially I lost it pretty fast then got stuck at 135ish. I found when I ate more like 1400 as a base I lost easier. I know how frustrating it can be! I set my pound loss at .5 per week so I have a base of 1400ish and it seems to work!

Net Calories and Eating Back Calories

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