Net calories?

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LizToner
LizToner Posts: 49
in Food and Nutrition
I don't understand what they are or what they are for? Does anyone know?

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  • GypsyRose25
    GypsyRose25 Posts: 407
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    Let us say that you eat 1300 calories in a day, but you burn 300 through exercise. That means that your NET calorie intake is only 900 calories.

    So NET calorie intake = calories eaten - calories burned.
  • LizToner
    LizToner Posts: 49
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    thank you, how much should my net calories be then?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Let us say that you eat 1300 calories in a day, but you burn 300 through exercise. That means that your NET calorie intake is only 900 calories.

    So NET calorie intake = calories eaten - calories burned.

    1300 - 300 is actually 1000, not 900.
  • lesleyta
    lesleyta Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks - I was wondering that too.

    Also - I don't want to eat my exercise calories, is there anyway of just having them there for info, but not taken into account on my calories remaining?

    Thanks!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    thank you, how much should my net calories be then?

    your net calories should be the original number of calories that MFP gives you each day.

    so, for example, i am allowed 1380. if i dont work out my net cals will be 1380, and my total cals will be 1380.

    if i work out and burn 200 cals, my total cals will be 1380 but my net will be 1180 because of the cals i have burnt.

    if i work out and burn 200 cals then eat a fruit salad and yoghurt which is 200 cals then my net cals will be 1380 and my total will be 1580.

    the last example will give me 1380 net, which is what you should generally aim for.

    hope i havent totally confused you with all the numbers
  • LizToner
    LizToner Posts: 49
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    But if I eat back all the exercise calories I do, how am I losing weight? I am not sure I get it? Sorry, if I sound dumb, I've never done weight loss before
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,651 Member
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    But if I eat back all the exercise calories I do, how am I losing weight? I am not sure I get it? Sorry, if I sound dumb, I've never done weight loss before

    Because when you set up your mfp goals, you picked to lose 1 or 2 lbs a week. When giving you your calorie goal, it already takes that deficit into account. So if your goal is 1200 calories a day and you didn't exercise and ate 1200 calories worth of food, you'd lose weight. Like was stated previously, if you exercised off 200 calories and ate those back, you're STILL at 1200 calories (left in your body for fuel).

    1200 - 200 = 1000 <---fuel in your body
    1200 - 200 + 200 = 1200 <---original calorie goal which already takes your deficit into account

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