which number do I follow again?

shakybabe
shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting confused about which number I should follow if I exercise?

My daily summary box reads: goal 1200, food 216 (just had oats for breakfast so far), exercise -578 (did early morning workout from 5.30am before eating), net -362..... then on top 1562 calories remaining.

I thought I had to follow the net number so eat 362 to make it go to 0? ... or should I be following the top number and eating another 1562 calories (additional to breakfast?) for the rest of the day?

help!!!! don't want to mess my cals up when it looks like I'm starting to lose some fat! my tummy has stayed soft throughout my monthlies and usually it was ballooned and gone hard by now so I'm wondering if I've lost some fat and hoping it may show on the scales when I pluck up the courage to get back on them and see how much I weigh!

Replies

  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I eat the calories remaining. :drinker:
  • impudentputz
    impudentputz Posts: 479 Member
    as far as i can understand from the numerous posts on some of the forums... you need to eat your daily calorie allowance + whatever you exercise...

    example...
    1500 calorie diet...

    Calories (consumed) 1500
    Exercise -450
    Net should be 1950

    Now, i could be totally off with that, but i have read a couple posts multiple times and that is what im getting from them


    I think it would make more sense to people if they reordered the calorie lables to

    Food - Exercise= net (goal)
    1500 - 450 = 1150 (1500)

    so you have side by side numbers that show, what you are at and what you should be at
  • tonicia
    tonicia Posts: 145 Member
    you should try to eat as close to 1200 calories as you can each day. If you exercise, it's up to you whether you want to eat those extra calories or not. Some do, some don't. I usually eat half of the calories I burned plus my 1200. = )
  • Adrenaline_Queen
    Adrenaline_Queen Posts: 626 Member
    I eat half cals remaining... If I eat them all, then I dont loose!! But that is just me. Also the workout cals on here are very high, so I cut them down, if I do a hard work out, but if I know I could of put so much more in, then I cut them. I knwo my own body..

    You should eat 1,200 cals, what I go over, then I half and eat... xx
  • Adrenaline_Queen
    Adrenaline_Queen Posts: 626 Member
    you should try to eat as close to 1200 calories as you can each day. If you exercise, it's up to you whether you want to eat those extra calories or not. Some do, some don't. I usually eat half of the calories I burned plus my 1200. = )

    If I had read this post, there would be no need for mine xx
  • Soccer_chick916
    Soccer_chick916 Posts: 159 Member
    They are right eat your 1200 + the calories you burn. 1200 is what you need to eat to loose 2 lbs per week with out exercise. If you exercise and don't eat your calories back it is unhealthy because you body will begin to take from your bodies lean muscle for fuel. That puts you in starvation mode and leaves you with flabby fat. Get as close as you can to eating all of your calories per day with out going over. Reducing sodium to 1500mg per day and drinking 64 oz of water will work wonders too!
  • sandislim
    sandislim Posts: 264
    I eat half cals remaining... If I eat them all, then I dont loose!! But that is just me. Also the workout cals on here are very high, so I cut them down, if I do a hard work out, but if I know I could of put so much more in, then I cut them. I knwo my own body..

    You should eat 1,200 cals, what I go over, then I half and eat... xx

    I agree, I think MFP overestimates exercise calories - so if I eat all mine I don't lose, but I start to lose when I'm closer to 1200.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    ok thanks.

    I'm planning to do a shepherds pie so allowing one white potato (gonna mix with sweet potato for the mash on top) as I haven't had white potato all week. as I will probably burn alot today with the exercise on top of just getting through the day.

    I thought if I cut out too many carbs completely for a month.. lose then go back to adding potatoes and rice the weight would pile back on? so I'm allowing white potatoes (one) once a week and small portion of white rice once a week.. rest of week I substitute them for example... sunday dinner planning swede mash in place of mashed potato, cauliflower rice in place of rice with my prawns as I had white rice monday with chicken curry.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Goal 1200 + exercise 578 = 1778.

    You need to eat 1778 in total today to bring your calories up to 1200 net.
  • Blackthorne99
    Blackthorne99 Posts: 250 Member
    Make sure your goals are set up properly to include a degree of weight loss. I have mine set to lose 1 lb a week. Once you do this, then you want to eat whatever your 'remaining" calories are per day or slightly less. I don't mind leaving 100 calories remaining, but 400-500 calories remaining could mean I'm putting myself into starvation.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    1778!!! jeez.... so is 362 the difference between calories burned in exercise and the breakfast I ate?

    Yesterday I only managed 851 but didn't exercise. I've cut out bread and pasta and reduced potatoes and rice to once a week so found it hard to make up the calories even to 1200 as melons. veg, salad had very little calories even though had fish twice yesterday (tuna with lunch and baked cod for dinner - no batter).

    I haven't decided yet whether to add potatoes to my mince mix to bump up the cals or do it with spring greens to make little cabbage rolls that I was going to do (and freeze other half to stuff a pepper with next week)

    I think mine is set to 2lb and I wasn't sure whether to do with sedentary or lightly active but even at lightly active its just something like 1270 or 1290 can't remember without doing it again but was under 1300 even on lightly active, and it says my BMR was 1400 and something? (which is around same BMR my body fat scales gives me - in the 1400 range).

    I think today needs to be an higher calorie day though with the exercise and i never stop moving completely due to mild involuntary movements which are about the same amount of calories burned from constantly fidgeting all day (on top of the exercise).. I'm thinking I should add potatoes today or one white potato at least and mix with a sweet potato for the mash on the shepherds pie? .. or add a few carb based snacks (like crisps or snack a jacks) if I really want the cabbage rolls?.. or maybe an higher calorie lunch than the bowl of tuna salad (124cals)
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