Not understanding the NET calories

Everything is calculated for you when you put your information in MFP. Don't stress over the calculations- just make sure your net calories are in the green and you'll be golden.

REMEMBER: GREEN = GOLDEN

:glasses:

You're about to get so many different answers! My take on it is this:

My BMR is 1443. My TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is something like 1700 or 1800.

MFP suggests that there should be a 500 calorie daily deficit - so you would eat 500 calories LESS than our TDEE.

A lot of people, who I tend to agree with, suggest you eat your BMR, which in my case would be 1443. If I wanted to eat my NET calories, then -

Say I burned 500 cals exercising. I would eat 1443 PLUS 500, so my net calories would be 1443. If I chose not to eat back my exercise calories, I my intake would be 1443 MINUS 500.

As I say, aiming to NET at your BMR seems to be the healthiest option, though people are successful eating more. If I were you, though, I really wouldn't go below 500 cals under your TDEE.

(I hope if that's wrong I'll be corrected, but I *believe* I'm right!)

Net is food consumed calories minus exercise burned calories. Example: Eat 500 calories, exercise and burn 400 calories. Net = 500 - 400 = 100 calories. That 100 calories is what counts against your daily calorie total. As said already, keep the Net in the green and it's all good.

If your BMR is 1900 and MFP is giving you 1400, that is 500/day deficit. It's because you said you wanted to lose 1 lb. a week.

When you exercise, you MUST eat those calories back, in order to keep the net deficit the same, 500 cals per day, still for 1 lb. loss per week.

(People who tell you not to eat the exercise calories do not understand the calculation, OR if they tell you "it works for me" that is because they have A LOT of weight to lose).

That being said, many people (myself included) have greater success eating MORE calories, or eating at LEAST at BMR.

Since you are very new, you might just try logging your usual way of eating for a week, and see how much you usually eat (or look back at your old site), before deciding.

You can set goals manually (choose GOALS, then CHANGE GOALS, then CUSTOMIZE GOALS), and just enter 1900 if you like.

There are many people who find the most success by incorporating heavy weight training 3 days, small increments of cardio and eating a SURPLUS of calories as well.

Just as a comparison (if you're interested), I just started heavy lifting after years of primarily cardio. I am 5'4, 130 lbs, 44 years old, work out hard 6 days a week. I am eating 2017 - 2244 calories per day. I expect over the next 6 mos. to gain a little bit of weight in muscle mass but decrease in measurements, and more importantly, body fat %.

See below a website (courtesy of the following post by Heloitsdan here on MFP):


I have a link you can use to a very good calculator for calories.
This is the link that brought me out of the low calorie fog and into the real world of dieting to lose fat.

BTW my High Calorie group just posted their first measure up and so far 99% have lost Body Fat % by eating higher cals.
This stuff works!

Isnt physiology fun?"


To get your numbers right please visit http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

1. Do the Military Body Fat Calc first, then the BMR tool.

2. The BMR tool will give exact calories to eat on a daily basis.

3. Add 20% to this number to get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). For Fat loss plans set up macros at 30% Protein/Fat each.<<<<<<<

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If you want to go this route (I am just getting started), you will customize your goals with the number you get from the above websites, and customize your macros to 30 protein, 40 carbs, 30 fat. This will likely be a lot more protein than you are used to, but it is designed to help you lose fat and build muscle.

Also a great book that is the subject of many forum posts and a group here: THE NEW RULES OF LIFTING FOR WOMEN. You may like to search that topic in the forums and look at various photos of women who have made dramatic improvements in their bodies by eating MORE, lifting HEAVY, and cutting back on cardio.

blessings.