Help Understanding Net Calorie Report and Goal

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lexusjade
lexusjade Posts: 45 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am transitioning out of an online macro program to strictly using MFP. I used MFP along with the macro program, but a nutrition coach would set my macros, I would enter that as the goal in MFP and track to that goal. I am now 6 months+ in hovering between a calorie target of 1,480 and 1,580 calories (I am 200lbs+) and have started to feel very lethargic. I workout 4-6 times a week for at least 45 minutes and twice in that time I workout 60-90 minutes. My target calories consumed never change day to day even with the more intense workouts. I was taking a look at my net calorie report from this week, and am I reading this correctly in that for the past week I've been eating under my net goal? Is the MFP target all based on net goals? So as I transition to strictly using MFP, should I be aiming to hit the calorie target as a NET goal? What if I workout at the end of the day, do you estimate what you plan on doing based on prior similar calories so you can eat those calories throughout the day? Of course the risk is if you don't end up working out, now you've overconsumed. Thanks!

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  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    edited April 2019
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    Oh dear. Yes, eat your exercise calories back so you net at the red line. There is a tendency to overestimate burn, so you could start at like 80% (eating most back, not all, and then re-evaluating), but you really need to fuel your workouts considering how little you're netting due to exercise. No wonder you're fatigued.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,045 Member
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    From Help at the top of every page: How does MyFitnessPal calculate my initial goals?


    You're crashing because you are seriously undereating. Your "Net" should be up there at the 1500 level. You need to eat those Exercise calories.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67USKg3w_E4
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    no wonder you are feeling lethargic - you should be hitting that red line daily
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    lexusjade wrote: »
    I am transitioning out of an online macro program to strictly using MFP. I used MFP along with the macro program, but a nutrition coach would set my macros, I would enter that as the goal in MFP and track to that goal. I am now 6 months+ in hovering between a calorie target of 1,480 and 1,580 calories (I am 200lbs+) and have started to feel very lethargic. I workout 4-6 times a week for at least 45 minutes and twice in that time I workout 60-90 minutes. My target calories consumed never change day to day even with the more intense workouts. I was taking a look at my net calorie report from this week, and am I reading this correctly in that for the past week I've been eating under my net goal? Is the MFP target all based on net goals? So as I transition to strictly using MFP, should I be aiming to hit the calorie target as a NET goal? What if I workout at the end of the day, do you estimate what you plan on doing based on prior similar calories so you can eat those calories throughout the day? Of course the risk is if you don't end up working out, now you've overconsumed. Thanks!

    vjtmucxeuoan.jpg

    Your severely undereating. If you eat XXXX calories and end up with a net 634 or 40 or whatever after exercise, that is the exact same thing as just eating 634 or 40 without exercise. Yes, you should be hitting the net GOAL...it's a GOAL...it's something to be achieved...
  • lexusjade
    lexusjade Posts: 45 Member
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    Thank you all! Especially that video, I've saved it. I am hitting 7-8 hours of sleep most nights and have still been feeling so tired throughout the day the last month or so, barely able to wake-up and get my morning workouts in. It is one of the reasons why I am ready to transition on from my current program. THANKS AGAIN!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    If you workout in the evening and don't feel like eating back all of your calories that day, you can always carry them over to next day or to the weekend (if you're planning to have a more relaxed weekend).
  • lexusjade
    lexusjade Posts: 45 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    If you workout in the evening and don't feel like eating back all of your calories that day, you can always carry them over to next day or to the weekend (if you're planning to have a more relaxed weekend).

    Thank you! Sorry I am now seeing this, I never saw a notification on my post! I'm trying to figure out how to track against a weekly goal versus a daily goal since my longest workouts 60-90 minutes are Saturday and Sunday, during the week I do 3 days of 45-50 minute workouts and two days I recover by doing recovery yoga or stretching.

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