New Here - Cant figure this out 😌
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saundraxo
Posts: 65 Member
Can anyone tell me if its bad if my net cals are 200+? I tried looking and reading around and Im not getting it. Im trying to lose weight - thank you!
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Replies
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Mine said 150 carbs daily, I ate 100 because I am doing low carb. MFP does it for you on the logging page2
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Ive noticed - i read net calories are supposed to be in the negatives if you want to lose weight but im not sure if i read that correctly0
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Ive noticed - i read net calories are supposed to be in the negatives if you want to lose weight but im not sure if i read that correctly
NOOOOOOOOOO!
Your net calories should be at or below the calorie goal that MFP has given you. And that number will be AT LEAST 1200.
A net calorie count of 0 is equivalent to not eating anything at all. Sure, you'll lose weight fast. And hair. And energy. And vital functions...18 -
Can anyone tell me if its bad if my net cals are 200+? I tried looking and reading around and Im not getting it. Im trying to lose weight - thank you!
You have to eat the minimums and "net" calories as stated above.
If you are speaking about the MFP daily goals, that is a different story. Then the settings you used for weight loss come into the picture, and the rate of loss desired dictates the calorie goals. If you set up MFP for your desired weight loss rate, you don't need to put any goals into the negative numbers. Say it tells you to eat 1800 calories a day, and your settings are to lose 1 lb per week. You could eat 1800 calories each day, and you will lose about 1 lb a week.
BUT to lose a pound a week is a 500 calorie daily deficit, already accounted for by MFP. If you went over on your eating slightly and went "in the red" that simply indicates calories above your set goal. So in this example if your goal is a pound a week, but you went "in the red" by 250 calories daily, you still wouldn't gain weight. You would simply lose about 1/2 pound a week as opposed to the set goal of 1 pound a week.
Net vs gross calories = calories eaten vs calories burned
Everyone needs positive net calories to survive, even if we are being total couch potatoes. The calories eaten is simply tracking food intake properly. The calories burned is BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the calories burned at rest just to keep our bodies functioning, plus all additional calories from any movement, regardless of whether that is basic daily functions or an ultra marathon.
MFP does all the math for you. If you can track intake and exercise properly just use the settings and do your best to hit the recommended goals. It will work. But also keep in mind that weight loss is not instant or linear, and fluctuations are normal. This is even more normal for females due to TOM hormone changes. Some lose weight on a fairly flat line, some will stall and then see periods of quick loss. But long term if you stick to the plan it works.7 -
robertw486 wrote: »Can anyone tell me if its bad if my net cals are 200+? I tried looking and reading around and Im not getting it. Im trying to lose weight - thank you!
You have to eat the minimums and "net" calories as stated above.
If you are speaking about the MFP daily goals, that is a different story. Then the settings you used for weight loss come into the picture, and the rate of loss desired dictates the calorie goals. If you set up MFP for your desired weight loss rate, you don't need to put any goals into the negative numbers. Say it tells you to eat 1800 calories a day, and your settings are to lose 1 lb per week. You could eat 1800 calories each day, and you will lose about 1 lb a week.
BUT to lose a pound a week is a 500 calorie daily deficit, already accounted for by MFP. If you went over on your eating slightly and went "in the red" that simply indicates calories above your set goal. So in this example if your goal is a pound a week, but you went "in the red" by 250 calories daily, you still wouldn't gain weight. You would simply lose about 1/2 pound a week as opposed to the set goal of 1 pound a week.
Net vs gross calories = calories eaten vs calories burned
Everyone needs positive net calories to survive, even if we are being total couch potatoes. The calories eaten is simply tracking food intake properly. The calories burned is BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) which is the calories burned at rest just to keep our bodies functioning, plus all additional calories from any movement, regardless of whether that is basic daily functions or an ultra marathon.
MFP does all the math for you. If you can track intake and exercise properly just use the settings and do your best to hit the recommended goals. It will work. But also keep in mind that weight loss is not instant or linear, and fluctuations are normal. This is even more normal for females due to TOM hormone changes. Some lose weight on a fairly flat line, some will stall and then see periods of quick loss. But long term if you stick to the plan it works.
So if my numbers are in the green Im okay? I know yesterday It said it gave me 1500 cals and i walked off around 900 i believe and it equaled out to 1500 idk this doesnt make sense to me i hate it0 -
Try not to make it too complicated.
Set your weight loss goal to 1 or 2 lbs per week (depending on how much you have to lose) Eat the calories MFP gives you. If you do any purposeful excercise (that is extra to your normal days activities) eat back at least half of the extra calories earned. Do this for 4-6 weeks and see where your weight is then. If you are not losing at the rate you set then come back to us and let us see your diary and we should be able to give you more advice.
Let MFP do the math. Dont worry too much at this stage about your macros just concentrate on hitting your calorie goal. You should not eat under 1200 as this is the minimum a woman needs to get proper nutrition.
Keep going you will get the hang of it. Read the stickies at the top of the forum pages for new members these will tell you how to get started and explain how MFP works.
Hope this helps.5 -
The final number (the one that is green or red) where it says "remaining" should be as close as possible to zero at the end of the day.
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manderson27 wrote: »Try not to make it too complicated.
Set your weight loss goal to 1 or 2 lbs per week (depending on how much you have to lose) Eat the calories MFP gives you. If you do any purposeful excercise (that is extra to your normal days activities) eat back at least half of the extra calories earned. Do this for 4-6 weeks and see where your weight is then. If you are not losing at the rate you set then come back to us and let us see your diary and we should be able to give you more advice.
Let MFP do the math. Dont worry too much at this stage about your macros just concentrate on hitting your calorie goal. You should not eat under 1200 as this is the minimum a woman needs to get proper nutrition.
Keep going you will get the hang of it. Read the stickies at the top of the forum pages for new members these will tell you how to get started and explain how MFP works.
Hope this helps.
@manderson27 the problem is im not hungry enough to eat all those calories. I set it up for 2lbs a week even though i know its not realistic IMO and its giving me 1300 a day. I eat less than 1000 but it adds it back up with walking at work and treadmill. Its back up to 1800 bc i synced my steps from work. I had a salad today abd a slim fast for breakfast and will have 1 for dinner. I dont get too hungry to just wanna eat all that
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Redordeadhead wrote: »The final number (the one that is green or red) where it says "remaining" should be as close as possible to zero at the end of the day.
@Redordeadhead Well then I must be doing it all wrong then ðŸ˜
I had 1300 to start
Logged in my steps from work/rough est on cals and my remaining shot up to 1800 ðŸ˜ðŸ˜0 -
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Today
Ok so using this photo as your example, that 1830cal are how many calories you have remaining to eat today. Your regular goal is 1300, then you ate 590cal which would have left you with 710cal more to eat for the day. But then you or your fitbit or whathaveyou added 1123 exercise calories to your 710cal remaining, leaving you with 1830cal to eat today.
There's no benefit to under-eating. If you don't have much of an appetite choose foods that are calorie dense and low volume. Nuts for example are great for this. What you basically want to do is have that number of cals remaining to hit as close to zero as possible.8 -
Start with your calorie goal of 1330.
Then subtract the 590 you've eaten, which leaves you at 740.
Then add the 1123 you've exercised, which leaves you at 1863. This is the amount of food you should eat now that you've done all that exercise.
If, for instance, you want to eat back half of your exercise calories, it works out to be (740 + 562 = 1302) calories left to be eaten.2 -
Are you a mail carrier? If you normally walk a lot for work, 1330 is way too low of a calorie goal. And I don't get how you are supposedly not hungry, eat salad and slimfast, and walk a ton, and you need MFP to lose weight? Something doesn't quite make sense.1
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luckycleo777 wrote: »Are you a mail carrier? If you normally walk a lot for work, 1330 is way too low of a calorie goal. And I don't get how you are supposedly not hungry, eat salad and slimfast, and walk a ton, and you need MFP to lose weight? Something doesn't quite make sense.
@luckycleo I work for amazon. So im in and out my truck walking to and from at least 200 times a day. Wirh whatever package 20 to 60lbs etc per depending. I think my loss of appetite really just comes from anxiety. Ive had it all my life and ill attempt to eat then get anxious and just lose my appetite. I mean idk what else to say lol1 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »Today
Ok so using this photo as your example, that 1830cal are how many calories you have remaining to eat today. Your regular goal is 1300, then you ate 590cal which would have left you with 710cal more to eat for the day. But then you or your fitbit or whathaveyou added 1123 exercise calories to your 710cal remaining, leaving you with 1830cal to eat today.
There's no benefit to under-eating. If you don't have much of an appetite choose foods that are calorie dense and low volume. Nuts for example are great for this. What you basically want to do is have that number of cals remaining to hit as close to zero as possible.
@michellesilverleaf Ill have to google foods like that then and maybe see if i can load up or make like snack packs or something!0 -
But this wasnt always so. I gained the weight prior to work. So now im just now trying to make it work. At one point i was eating more but it wasnt always healthh crap sadly lol0
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But this wasnt always so. I gained the weight prior to work. So now im just now trying to make it work. At one point i was eating more but it wasnt always healthh crap sadly lol
You might find some ideas here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
Pages 1-3 are sort of general thoughts, pages 4-5 are recipes, pages 5-7 are pictures of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson posing in front of food, and pages 7+ are more recipes and links to meal plans where I can find them.
But when you're drastically under fueling your body (assuming good logging, etc) what's wrong with including some of the "less healthy" stuff? Your body needs certain nutrients in food and it will get them from broccoli or potato chips or almonds or ice cream. As long as nothing is crowding out the nutrient dense choices and you're getting adequate nutrition (enough fats, protein, vitamins, etc), then eat the foods you like to get your calories up.3 -
diannethegeek wrote: »But this wasnt always so. I gained the weight prior to work. So now im just now trying to make it work. At one point i was eating more but it wasnt always healthh crap sadly lol
You might find some ideas here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
Pages 1-3 are sort of general thoughts, pages 4-5 are recipes, pages 5-7 are pictures of Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson posing in front of food, and pages 7+ are more recipes and links to meal plans where I can find them.
But when you're drastically under fueling your body (assuming good logging, etc) what's wrong with including some of the "less healthy" stuff? Your body needs certain nutrients in food and it will get them from broccoli or potato chips or almonds or ice cream. As long as nothing is crowding out the nutrient dense choices and you're getting adequate nutrition (enough fats, protein, vitamins, etc), then eat the foods you like to get your calories up.
@diannethegeek thank you - and i just mean like im a big french fry hoe and ill deff at that. Last month I lost 8lbs bc i was on a subway bet lmao i won.
But its not that I do this on purpose? My nerves just consume me and I lose the appetite. The slim fast shakes work well for the morning bur i want to switch to alkamind protein shakes and get more protein.
Since i drive a lot for work i cant find the time to eat until after 5pm anyway. If i eat lunch imma be miserable and NOT want to work. Story of muh liffffe0 -
The remaining figure should be a positive number when you’re add calories expended during exercise. It’s about calories in and out basically. Have a watch of this it’ll explain why. Good luck. https://www.facebook.com/JamesSmithPT/videos/1281921188579494?s=100004980691310&v=e&sfns=mo0
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All the advice given here is useful. However, it is difficult to give specific advice without knowing your details.
The bottom line is: Yes! If your calories are in the green you are okay.
IMHO, If you are in and out of a van all day delivering packages for Amazon, I would say that you are already doing a fair amount of exercise, so you would need enough extra calories to fuel this, otherwise it will draw on the body's reserves to fuel itself, whether that be fat cells or muscle cells.
Warning: The figures in MFP database are a guideline. They tend to be on the generous side.
One other point.
You said you synced your steps from work.
If you are have MFP synced with Fitbit or some other tracker, then your work steps will automatically be synced to MFP. If you also enter that exercise on MFP, you may be getting a double exercise calorie allowance for those steps.
This would skew your calories left number, (the green figure). To combat this, when you enter your work hours into MFP, adjust the calorie burn figure to a nominal figure, say 10, and this avoids the double entry from syncing your steps.
Good luck with your weight loss journey.0
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