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NET VS. CONSUMED CALORIES
weightaminutenow
Posts: 53 Member
I'm a bit confused - I'm new to this! My goal is to lose 2 pounds per week and the calculator tells me I should be at 1200 calories per day. I'm finding I'm always under that amount. My question is: should I be EATING 1200 calories a day, or should I be NETTING 1200 calories a day after subtracting the calories burned during exercise. Thank you for helping the newbie 
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Replies
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You should be netting 1200 calories a day.
But make triple sure your exercise burns are correct. MFP and machines usually give over inflated burns.0 -
Thanks for your help Christine_72. I appreciate it! So far I've been taking the treadmill readout as gospel but I know it's very subjective due to your starting weight etc. My goal for now is to just get moving. It looks like I need to eat more (!). Some days I'm only netting 600 - 800 calories and I put that down to eating a low carb diet. Will have to make some adjustments.0
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I have a fitbit which syncs to MFP, which takes all of the guess work out of it.
People here usually recommend slashing 50% off the calories treadmills etc give you.
It's pretty much trial and error. Keep an eye on your weight and reassess if you're losing too quickly or maintaining or gaining weight0 -
Wow 50%!
LOL. But you are right about keeping an eye on weight - your body always lets you know when you're doing something "wrong". I'm going to research fitbit - sounds interesting. Thank you! 0 -
weightaminutenow wrote: »Wow 50%! LOL. But you are right about keeping an eye on weight - your body always lets you know when you're doing something "wrong". I'm going to research fitbit - sounds interesting. Thank you!
I know, annoying!! Someone will be along to give you more definitive numbers, as I've always used a fitbit, and never used the machine numbers.0 -
weightaminutenow wrote: »Wow 50%! LOL. But you are right about keeping an eye on weight - your body always lets you know when you're doing something "wrong". I'm going to research fitbit - sounds interesting. Thank you!
What type of exercise do you do?
The usefulness of different tools does vary depending on what you're doing.
The whole 50% thing is very arbitrary, it coulkd be less, it could be more.0 -
My experience is with cardio machines the gym grade ones are pretty good *as long as you program all the right profile settings* and it has heart rate sensors in the handles. They are also calibrated and serviced on a regular basis. My gym ones are very modern and are very close to my fitbit readings.
I have used other cheaper machines eg at hotel gyms/ typical home gym grade and they can be quite different and don't trust them and rely on the fitbit.
I have a Charge HR fitbit and wouldn't be without it now, and I know it motivates me to do more so I can reach my daily goals.
Definitely make sure you are eating enough daily though, it's unhealthy to eat less than 1200 a day.
Re Net vs Consumed, gee I am unsure myself. I always took it to mean you must consume at least 1200 but if net is under then thats ok, but I could be wrong.
It doesn't happen often enough for me to worry about but if I haven't netted 1200 and feel hungry I definitely have something to eat rather than ride it out. If Im not hungry then I don't0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
What type of exercise do you do?
The usefulness of different tools does vary depending on what you're doing.
The whole 50% thing is very arbitrary, it coulkd be less, it could be more.lalabrucey wrote: »My experience is with cardio machines the gym grade ones are pretty good *as long as you program all the right profile settings* and it has heart rate sensors in the handles. They are also calibrated and serviced on a regular basis. My gym ones are very modern and are very close to my fitbit readings.
I have used other cheaper machines eg at hotel gyms/ typical home gym grade and they can be quite different and don't trust them and rely on the fitbit.
I have a Charge HR fitbit and wouldn't be without it now, and I know it motivates me to do more so I can reach my daily goals.
Definitely make sure you are eating enough daily though, it's unhealthy to eat less than 1200 a day.
Re Net vs Consumed, gee I am unsure myself. I always took it to mean you must consume at least 1200 but if net is under then thats ok, but I could be wrong.
It doesn't happen often enough for me to worry about but if I haven't netted 1200 and feel hungry I definitely have something to eat rather than ride it out. If Im not hungry then I don't
Right now I'm walking treadmill at 2.7mph for 55 minutes (because it works out to about 2.5 miles walked, and 300 calories, if the reading is correct. Also doing some butt and thigh exercises, and just started with some very light free weights (3lbs. - shoulder issues). Hoping that once I've dropped a little more weight and the weather warms up I can run a bit outside.
I actually had an appointment with a dietician yesterday and she said that it is not necessary to eat back the calories you have burned during exercise, as long as you are hitting your minimum calories for the day, in my case 1200. You CAN eat them back, but I feel like that is defeating the purpose of the exercise!
Thanks for your input and ideas 0
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