net calories, and eating back exercised calories!!!

Leigh_mc
Leigh_mc Posts: 46 Member
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
Ok so i have been trying to understand this as best as i could, and there always seems to be another curve in the story when i think am getting somewhere, i never used to pay attention to the summary on the home pages, i used to always just look at the info at the bottom of my diary, and always made sure that my daily total was above 1200 as not to put myself into starvation! but now i am being told that it is my net that needs to be at 1200 not the daily total as the net has the exercise calories taken away from it already...now from what i have read when you are over weight it isnt to important to eat back your exercised calories not untill you are closer to the ideal weight is this right or am i having to eat more each day, because i am not actually hungry in the day any more, am having all my meals and keeping good as possible, i still have a treat in the day but always am well below 1200 (daily total not net) so i was struggling to eat well to bring it up a little, sometimes not so much eating good always!!!
but if it is so that i have to get my net to 1200 now i dont know how i am going to do this without eating more on each meal, but i am eating to where am satisfied am not starving myself i don't think i will be able to a whole lot more each day!!! am trying to break th ehabbit of finishing work and just sitting watching tv and eating!

Replies

  • icsracer
    icsracer Posts: 29 Member
    I am having the same problem as well.
  • abbie017
    abbie017 Posts: 410
    Try adding some avocado, peanut butter, or nuts to meals - they're nutritious but calorie rich.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    As a male your net calories should not be below 1500, if your goal is 1200 than your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive given your stats and you need to change it.

    To ingest more calories you don't have to eat more food, just make different food choices
    - stop eating diet and lite food and go for the real thing
    - add nuts, seeds, dehydrated fruit, and nut butters to your diet
    - all olive oil to soups and sauces
    - add avocado to salads and sandwiches
    - have a glass of juice in place of a glass of water
    - for milk products eat higher % MF versions (switch from 1% milk to 2%, eat 6% yogurt etc)
  • Leigh_mc
    Leigh_mc Posts: 46 Member
    my daily goal is 1980, but i just try to make sure am always above starvation, but it appears the last 3 weeks or so i have been looking at the 1200 in the wrong place!!! i have been loosing weight 8lbs in the first week then 1lb's and 2lb's there after, i f eating the more calories a day means my body burns more am all for that, but i do struggle with finding the right balance form healthy and not! lol avocado, peanut butter, or nuts seems like a good idea, atleast i could have a few nuts as a snack also even maybe!!
  • ahavoc
    ahavoc Posts: 464 Member
    My husband, and others I know who are in shape, eat all the time. They have 5 to 6 smaller meals all day long, but they work out all the time as well. Running, biking, gym, 4-5 times a week. Eating that way keeps their metabolism up and running, instead of going into starvation mode and storing everything. You do want to limit your calorie intake, but you have to eat to burn. It's the weirdest fact out there. I have a hard time eating my 1200 a day, because I'm not used to eating as much as I'm supposed to. You don't have to eat back your exercised calories, but you should give yourself a bumper so you can have a little extra once a week. If you are working out and eating 1300 a day, or 1400 a day, you might find you lose faster as you're stoking your engine and letting it run all the time, rather than having it start and stop. Does that make sense?
  • Leigh_mc
    Leigh_mc Posts: 46 Member
    My husband, and others I know who are in shape, eat all the time. They have 5 to 6 smaller meals all day long, but they work out all the time as well. Running, biking, gym, 4-5 times a week. Eating that way keeps their metabolism up and running, instead of going into starvation mode and storing everything. You do want to limit your calorie intake, but you have to eat to burn. It's the weirdest fact out there. I have a hard time eating my 1200 a day, because I'm not used to eating as much as I'm supposed to. You don't have to eat back your exercised calories, but you should give yourself a bumper so you can have a little extra once a week. If you are working out and eating 1300 a day, or 1400 a day, you might find you lose faster as you're stoking your engine and letting it run all the time, rather than having it start and stop. Does that make sense?

    I see what you mean, but is this the net calories should be 1300 - 1400 or just the daily amount (without exercise calories subtracted?) because yesterday i at a daily total of something like 1464 but my net was only 388 :s
  • lbelfrey
    lbelfrey Posts: 63
    Great comments, thanks!
  • casawada
    casawada Posts: 3
    Please a definitive answer on this issue I too get totally confused with the net cal thing!
  • Leigh_mc
    Leigh_mc Posts: 46 Member
    Please a definitive answer on this issue I too get totally confused with the net cal thing!
    From what i can tell your net calories should never be below 1200....1400 if your male? but it seems am eating for the sake of eating to hit that, especially some days when i go out for big cycles, i could burn 2000 calories or so and i dont think i could eat 4000 odd calories healthy! i dunno, am going to try and keep my net calories above 1200 form now on, which means eating my exercise calories also but i don't know how this is going to go!!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Please a definitive answer on this issue I too get totally confused with the net cal thing!
    From what i can tell your net calories should never be below 1200....1400 if your male? but it seems am eating for the sake of eating to hit that, especially some days when i go out for big cycles, i could burn 2000 calories or so and i dont think i could eat 4000 odd calories healthy! i dunno, am going to try and keep my net calories above 1200 form now on, which means eating my exercise calories also but i don't know how this is going to go!!

    How are you catcalling calories burned? If you are not using a HRM you are probably over estimating your burn, and if you are using a HRM are you backing out the calories you would have burned had you not done the workout (maintenance cals should be backed out or they will be double counted, once in your daily allowance on MFP and again in the total cals burned cording to your HRM)
  • Leigh_mc
    Leigh_mc Posts: 46 Member
    no hrm, only way am calculating it is using cycle computer for my bike taking average speed/time and then work it out for my weight and all that, it isn't accurate i know but i normally underestimate it a little bit also calorie counting just seems to be so complicated!!! how do i figure out the maintenance calories?
    I do want a HRM but at the moment it just isn't ideal timing for money to be getting one so am just going to try and make the best i can with the tools I get
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    My boss rides his bike into work. As I have recently purchased a HRM we were discussing calories burnt. He told me he'd burnt 2,000 calories on his hour ride into work, according to his bike computer. I was stunned, as the previous night I'd seen a personal trainer, worked really hard and only burnt 400 cals in a hour. The next day he wore his HRM in and it said he'd burnt 600 or so calories, so there could be a pretty big difference.

    I would stop eating back your cals if you aren't hungry, but give it a red hot go. LOL.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    I too have the problem of eating all my calories. I've only just got myself out of the habit of eating for the sheer hell of it and I'm happy that what I'm eating is healthy - I'm not about to go back to snacking when I'm not hungry or adding extra high calorie foods to my meals just so I can reach a specific number. I look upon the 1200 calories as an estimation - I'm not a fan of this 'starvation mode' - EVERYONE'S bodies are different and work if different ways, I can't see how one rule CAN work for everyone. I drink plenty of water and take multivitamin tablets (just to make sure!), include plenty of fruit and veg and I don't feel hungry, feint or tired throughout the day. I will be getting one of these HRM thingys and my calories burned per day will probably change (decrease lol!!), but I'm still happy with what I'm eating :-))
  • sgrinavi
    sgrinavi Posts: 80
    There's no #### calorie rule with regard to how much a male should eat.... We are all different and need a tailor our programs to suit

    Lets see,

    - You are not hungry
    - You are losing weight...

    Hmm... sounds like you're doing just fine. At some point you may want to refine your macro-nutrient profile & energy balance, but until your current program falters I would leave it be.
  • trishtrish84
    trishtrish84 Posts: 237 Member
    Okay going back to the calories burned thing. I use the exercise database on MFP. I really should get a HRM to track my progress hmmmmm....
  • trishtrish84
    trishtrish84 Posts: 237 Member
    woops posted 2 times :laugh:
  • Leigh_mc
    Leigh_mc Posts: 46 Member
    thank you all for the advice, i think when i get closer to my idea weights i will need to look into this stuff alot more, but untill then i think you're right, i am not hungry am loosing weight i should keep it up!!!!!!!!
    when i burt over 2000 calories on the bike i had cycled 46k in 1hr 40min, my fried had a garmin hrm on and his said over 2000 caloreis (think it was 2100) i figured it out for myself using weight totals etc when i had got home and mine was 2012 or something like that, i do need ot get a good hrm, just when i can afford it!!!
    But thank you all for the support you're giving it is brilliant!!!!
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