Total Cals vs Net Cals?

VainMommy
VainMommy Posts: 46 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello. I have a question. Instead of a daily calorie goal I'm trying to meet a weekly goal (calorie banking). My diary shows that I and OVER my TOTAL calorie goal but UNDER my net goal by a couple thousand calories.

Have you had results by being under your net goal but above your total goal? Which is best

I hope this makes since thanks!

Replies

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,337 Member
    If you have set up your calorie goal using MFP, you already have a deficit in that goal. It is a goal. You are supposed to eat that much, not eat significantly under it. Also, that goal does not include calories burned in exercise, when you exercise it increases that goal amount because your reasonable calorie deficit is already built into your original calorie goal.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    MFP is set for you to aim for your net calorie goal. Not eating those calories back can help you lose faster, but it can come at a price (muscle loss, not fueling your body).
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited November 2016
    I don't worry about net calories, as long as I meet my calorie goal and my nutritional goals that works for me. I don't go to bed hungry, I have plenty of energy for exercise and am losing weight at a healthy rate.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Net calories for me - the way MFP is designed.
    If I ignored my exercise calorie expenditure I would be dreadfully undereating and as my over-riding goals are health & fitness that would be dumb in the extreme.

    Think ahead to maintenance at goal weight, you will need to account for exercise then so why not learn the skill now?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I don't even look at total calories, as i am always over. I concentrate on weekly net calories which are always at or under my goal.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    To see how much you've banked, look at how much under in the net. The total doesn't take exercise in consideration that's why it shows over. Say you are 1000 under in net, that is how much more you can eat today to make it even for the whole past week.
  • VainMommy
    VainMommy Posts: 46 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I don't even look at total calories, as i am always over. I concentrate on weekly net calories which are always at or under my goal.

    Thanks for responding! So you are still losing I'm assuming:)
  • VainMommy
    VainMommy Posts: 46 Member
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    To see how much you've banked, look at how much under in the net. The total doesn't take exercise in consideration that's why it shows over. Say you are 1000 under in net, that is how much more you can eat today to make it even for the whole past week.

    Thanks!! So even if I eat all my net calories back I will still lose weight?
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    VainMommy wrote: »
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    To see how much you've banked, look at how much under in the net. The total doesn't take exercise in consideration that's why it shows over. Say you are 1000 under in net, that is how much more you can eat today to make it even for the whole past week.

    Thanks!! So even if I eat all my net calories back I will still lose weight?

    If your net calories are accurate, yes. (I'm told that MFP tends to overestimate exercise calories so many people only eat back 50-75% of their exercise calories.)

    If you think about it, for the purposes of weight loss, all that actually matters is what your deficit is. If you eat 1500 and burn 2000, that's exactly the same as if you eat 3000 and burn 3500. Either way, you have a 500 calorie deficit and (if you have that every day), you lose 1 pound/week on average. Remembering that weightloss is not linear.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    If you are using MFP's goals and logging exercise, total calories are not relevant for anything. It is only net that matters.

    If you are using a TDEE calculator to calculate a goal that already includes exercise, then you are not logging exercise, your net and total calories will be the same.

    Either way, you don't need that total calories number, and it makes me wonder why they even bother having it, as it is not useful and just causes confusion, and potentially encourages people to undereat.
  • VainMommy
    VainMommy Posts: 46 Member
    Got it thank you all!
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