New and Net Confused...

BreR7906
BreR7906 Posts: 47 Member
in Getting Started
I am entirely new to, well all of this, and am confused on the net count on the home page. Where it has goal|food-exercise=net... do you want your 'net' to be in the negative numbers? Please help me understand better so I can do this right. Thank you in advance.

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,292 Member
    No, your net should equal your goal. If your goal is 1200 and you don't exercsie eat 1200. If your goal is 1200 and you burn 400 from exercise eat 1600 (1200+400)

    1200-0 = 1600-400
  • jessupbrady
    jessupbrady Posts: 508 Member
    There is a great thread started here to help individuals get started on MFP, it has links to further threads and will help you get through how to determine your goals and configure MFP for that purpose. With that, I would start here and see what's been said:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
    No!!

    MFP has given you a deficit so it's designed so that you 'eat back' your exercise calories (or, at least, some of them)
  • BreR7906
    BreR7906 Posts: 47 Member
    Okay. Thank you everyone! I always thought negative numbers were a bad thing but I see some people on here telling others that they want to burn more than they eat and it confused me, that's all. I probably misunderstood what they were saying. Lol. Thanks again. Have a great day! :smile:
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
    This site over estimates calories burned in exercise, your machines over estimate calories burned in exercise. If you want any chance of success at all do not eat back all of your exercise calories.

    Your base calories are still calories you burn. They are just calories you burn during a normal day. So if you go to the store, clean the house, and mow the yard every week already these are part of your base calories. Now if you add to a normal week say a 5 mile jog then you have added to the total number of calories you used above your normal weekly amount.

    So

    1800 calories burned normal (waking up, brushing your teeth, going to the store, breathing ect)
    +200 calories burned in 45min on the treadmill
    2000 calories used to operate your body total for the day
    You eat 1500 calories and make your body take the other 500 from your storage (fat) and that is how you lose weight. Eating less calories than you burn. You burned 2000 you eat 1500.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    BreR7906 wrote: »
    Okay. Thank you everyone! I always thought negative numbers were a bad thing but I see some people on here telling others that they want to burn more than they eat and it confused me, that's all. I probably misunderstood what they were saying. Lol. Thanks again. Have a great day! :smile:

    You burn a lot of calories just being alive. MFP already figures out all that for you when it tells you how much your calorie goal should be.

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