Beginning to think it's Calories consumed vs. NET instead

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  • lorierin22
    lorierin22 Posts: 432 Member
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    It just doesn't seem to make sense what you are saying...yes, if you were in a coma and you were getting more than your BMR in a feeding tube you would gain weight...but it has no real life application. Everyone on these boards are using more than their BMR calories because they are awake and typing...so I guess I just don't get the purpose of what you are saying...

    Agreeing with the OP. That if your NET is below BMR it's not a problem. Going to happy hour now so that's all the explanation I can give for now. :drinker:

    Well I enjoyed our chat...I'm pretty sure I burned several calories just trying to figure out what the heck you were trying to say...so thank you. Enjoy your happy hour...you've earned it! :tongue:
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
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    My BMR is 1299 (on another website). It's an apple away from the 1200 calories MFP recommends for me. MFP says my BMR is 1208 calories a day!

    I'll consider bumping up to 1300/day if I plateau.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    You should eat back half of how many calories you burn during exercise. NOT ALL. So if your goal is 1500 and you burn 500 calories your net would be 1,000 so you need to eat back 250 calories at a minimum. If you don't eat within 30 minutes of working out you lose half of your workout. I think it's more of what type of calories and foods people are putting into their bodies then eating back exercise calories. It also depends on a million different factors, age, gender, etc.

    Sorry, I hate to potentially start another sub-thread here, but there is no evidence to suggest eating 30 minutes after a workout is better than eating say 4 hours after a workout (unless you are hungry of course!). Also, the only reason why you should not eat all your exercise calories back, assuming you already have an appropriate deficit built into your base and your base target does not include exercise, is really because of the fact that MFP and the exercise machines usually over-estimate them.

    That's ok, it was so far off the chart that I just decided to let it go....... :wink:

    Reedited - re-read and just realized what you were saying :blushing:
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
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    Calories Consumed > Net Calories
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I'm good at math. I really am.

    But when it comes to this site, I simply entered my numbers, told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week, and concentrated on making as many of the green numbers stay green but approach zero as closely as possible every single day. And I'm nowhere near perfect in that regard. Yet I'm averaging about 1-2 pounds a week of weight loss, I'm rarely hungry, my fitness levels are coming up (because exercising means I get to eat more food!), and I'm happy.

    Seriously, the site makes things so simple, yet there's post after post trying to overcomplicate it. If it's not working for you, experiment with different levels of calories (or different balances of carbs/fat/proteins) until it does, because the BMR/TDEE/calories burned/calories consumed are just estimates anyway. But leave it on automatic for a little while and just learn about food to start with.

    And what works for one person does not necessarily work for another. If I eat less, my weight loss speeds up for a short time then stalls, and I find my workouts start being less energetic. The site tells me that this is because I'm lowering the number of calories I burn while at rest, and I'm not feeding my body enough. Then I get hungry and start eating more and my weight pops up, then slowly begins to dwindle again as my exercise intensity gets better and I feel more energetic. The site tells me that I'm affecting my metabolic rate, and this explanation fits my experiences with self-experimentation on different exercise/diet types over the years. Is it bull****? Maybe, but it's reasonable-sounding bull**** that happens to work for me.

    I'm not in this to become a nutritionist. I'm in this to learn about food, and healthy diets, and the fact that my old diet (which was full of good fats and fruits and protein and veggies and all the good stuff Momma told me to eat) was made of excellent components that were not in proper proportions to maintain my health. I'm learning what works for me, and the site is giving me great advice that is working.

    For someone new to this site or someone who has been struggling with exact calculations of BMR/TDEE, etc, and gets confused, I'd respectfully suggest you just put down the calculator, go through the setup wizard, and follow the recommendations for a month or two. The people who put this plan together are not complete idiots, and while there are many paths to weight loss and you are free to chose your own, the site's chosen path seems to work pretty well (at least for me).
  • SuzieMae78
    SuzieMae78 Posts: 52 Member
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    interesting
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
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    I'm good at math. I really am.

    But when it comes to this site, I simply entered my numbers, told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week, and concentrated on making as many of the green numbers stay green but approach zero as closely as possible every single day. And I'm nowhere near perfect in that regard. Yet I'm averaging about 1-2 pounds a week of weight loss, I'm rarely hungry, my fitness levels are coming up (because exercising means I get to eat more food!), and I'm happy.

    Seriously, the site makes things so simple, yet there's post after post trying to overcomplicate it. If it's not working for you, experiment with different levels of calories (or different balances of carbs/fat/proteins) until it does, because the BMR/TDEE/calories burned/calories consumed are just estimates anyway. But leave it on automatic for a little while and just learn about food to start with.

    And what works for one person does not necessarily work for another. If I eat less, my weight loss speeds up for a short time then stalls, and I find my workouts start being less energetic. The site tells me that this is because I'm lowering the number of calories I burn while at rest, and I'm not feeding my body enough. Then I get hungry and start eating more and my weight pops up, then slowly begins to dwindle again as my exercise intensity gets better and I feel more energetic. The site tells me that I'm affecting my metabolic rate, and this explanation fits my experiences with self-experimentation on different exercise/diet types over the years. Is it bull****? Maybe, but it's reasonable-sounding bull**** that happens to work for me.

    I'm not in this to become a nutritionist. I'm in this to learn about food, and healthy diets, and the fact that my old diet (which was full of good fats and fruits and protein and veggies and all the good stuff Momma told me to eat) was made of excellent components that were not in proper proportions to maintain my health. I'm learning what works for me, and the site is giving me great advice that is working.

    For someone new to this site or someone who has been struggling with exact calculations of BMR/TDEE, etc, and gets confused, I'd respectfully suggest you just put down the calculator, go through the setup wizard, and follow the recommendations for a month or two. The people who put this plan together are not complete idiots, and while there are many paths to weight loss and you are free to chose your own, the site's chosen path seems to work pretty well (at least for me).

    White MFP recommendations are working for you right now, you only joined this month. The reason I started this thread was because MANY on here stall out or "plateau" on their weight loss which leads to discussions about BMR and TDEE..... you will probably have a different opinion in a few months :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I'm good at math. I really am.

    But when it comes to this site, I simply entered my numbers, told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week, and concentrated on making as many of the green numbers stay green but approach zero as closely as possible every single day. And I'm nowhere near perfect in that regard. Yet I'm averaging about 1-2 pounds a week of weight loss, I'm rarely hungry, my fitness levels are coming up (because exercising means I get to eat more food!), and I'm happy.

    Seriously, the site makes things so simple, yet there's post after post trying to overcomplicate it. If it's not working for you, experiment with different levels of calories (or different balances of carbs/fat/proteins) until it does, because the BMR/TDEE/calories burned/calories consumed are just estimates anyway. But leave it on automatic for a little while and just learn about food to start with.

    And what works for one person does not necessarily work for another. If I eat less, my weight loss speeds up for a short time then stalls, and I find my workouts start being less energetic. The site tells me that this is because I'm lowering the number of calories I burn while at rest, and I'm not feeding my body enough. Then I get hungry and start eating more and my weight pops up, then slowly begins to dwindle again as my exercise intensity gets better and I feel more energetic. The site tells me that I'm affecting my metabolic rate, and this explanation fits my experiences with self-experimentation on different exercise/diet types over the years. Is it bull****? Maybe, but it's reasonable-sounding bull**** that happens to work for me.

    I'm not in this to become a nutritionist. I'm in this to learn about food, and healthy diets, and the fact that my old diet (which was full of good fats and fruits and protein and veggies and all the good stuff Momma told me to eat) was made of excellent components that were not in proper proportions to maintain my health. I'm learning what works for me, and the site is giving me great advice that is working.

    For someone new to this site or someone who has been struggling with exact calculations of BMR/TDEE, etc, and gets confused, I'd respectfully suggest you just put down the calculator, go through the setup wizard, and follow the recommendations for a month or two. The people who put this plan together are not complete idiots, and while there are many paths to weight loss and you are free to chose your own, the site's chosen path seems to work pretty well (at least for me).

    You sir, are far too sensible for this site!!
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Bump
  • MommaFuhrer
    MommaFuhrer Posts: 214 Member
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    Saving to read later :flowerforyou:
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    I'm good at math. I really am.

    But when it comes to this site, I simply entered my numbers, told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week, and concentrated on making as many of the green numbers stay green but approach zero as closely as possible every single day.

    People who are trying to lose 20 pounds or less are not usually able to lose 2 pounds a week *safely*. So the calorie goal given by MFP is not necessarily going to be sustainable for them.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
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    You should eat back half of how many calories you burn during exercise. NOT ALL. So if your goal is 1500 and you burn 500 calories your net would be 1,000 so you need to eat back 250 calories at a minimum. If you don't eat within 30 minutes of working out you lose half of your workout. I think it's more of what type of calories and foods people are putting into their bodies then eating back exercise calories. It also depends on a million different factors, age, gender, etc.

    Sorry, I hate to potentially start another sub-thread here, but there is no evidence to suggest eating 30 minutes after a workout is better than eating say 4 hours after a workout (unless you are hungry of course!). Also, the only reason why you should not eat all your exercise calories back, assuming you already have an appropriate deficit built into your base and your base target does not include exercise, is really because of the fact that MFP and the exercise machines usually over-estimate them.

    That's ok, it was so far off the chart that I just decided to let it go....... :wink:

    Reedited - re-read and just realized what you were saying :blushing:

    lol..... too funny
  • btwestra
    btwestra Posts: 6
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    bump
  • sandown12
    sandown12 Posts: 648 Member
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    Can someone help me

    I've lost 22lbs
    I've 71 lbs to lose
    I'm 42 female 207lbs 5ft 2
    I do 2 Zumba classes a week & 3 wii Zumba a week
    3000 calories burnt
    I was eating 1310 calories a day
    Then lowered at mfp recommendation as I'd list 2x10lbs
    My weightloss is stalling people have helped me saying I should eat more rat my net = my BMR 1649

    Now after reading this I'm worried I shouldn't eat net of 1649

    I've eaten 1350 or under Net since Tuesday as it was only 620 net before

    Can someone tell me how many calories I should eat to lose 1-2 lbs a week do I eat net 1350 or calories 1649
    Or something else ?

    Thanks
  • KellyKAG
    KellyKAG Posts: 418
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    bump for laters.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Could it be that eating back what you burn off is the reason people are not losing weight ? Maybe our body's do not care if we net below our BMR as long as we EAT/CONSUME over BMR's ????

    I think the word NET is what is screwing everyone up on here.....just eat over your BMR and leave it at that !

    Thoughts ???

    I think that's horrible advice. I always NET over BMR and eat back my exercise calories, and I've managed to hit goal/the bottom of the healthy BMI scale.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    Can someone help me

    I've lost 22lbs
    I've 71 lbs to lose
    I'm 42 female 207lbs 5ft 2
    I do 2 Zumba classes a week & 3 wii Zumba a week
    3000 calories burnt
    I was eating 1310 calories a day
    Then lowered at mfp recommendation as I'd list 2x10lbs
    My weightloss is stalling people have helped me saying I should eat more rat my net = my BMR 1649

    Now after reading this I'm worried I shouldn't eat net of 1649

    I've eaten 1350 or under Net since Tuesday as it was only 620 net before

    Can someone tell me how many calories I should eat to lose 1-2 lbs a week do I eat net 1350 or calories 1649
    Or something else ?

    Thanks

    It's a bit hard to pick the relevant numbers out of this. When you say "3000 calories burnt", is that your total for an average day? If so, then you can eat between 2000 and 2500 (total, not net) and be in a perfect zone for weight loss.

    It's your total calories consumed versus TDEE (total calories burned) that matters. Throwing the "net" numbers around just confuses people.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
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    Could it be that eating back what you burn off is the reason people are not losing weight ? Maybe our body's do not care if we net below our BMR as long as we EAT/CONSUME over BMR's ????

    I think the word NET is what is screwing everyone up on here.....just eat over your BMR and leave it at that !

    Thoughts ???

    I think that's horrible advice. I always NET over BMR and eat back my exercise calories, and I've managed to hit goal/the bottom of the healthy BMI scale.

    Read the whole thread before you judge.... I said I don't advocate eating 1200 calories or starving yourself.......
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    My take on the 'netting your BMR' is:

    - the studies are not totally conclusive either way
    - as there is no evidence to say netting below your BMR does not impact your metabolic rate, why risk it?
    - I can lose weight being below my TDEE and, as long as I am below that, in my opinion, eating more is good (I like food!!)
    - eating at a higher amount just is more sustainable and allows me to go out, have treats etc etc more readily.

    I suppose that I look at it from a different perspective. If someone is netting below their TDEE, whether by 500 cals or 1500 cals, the questions to me is why they are not losing weight (assuming that is is a real stall and not just a week or two masked by water weight fluctuations). Either way, they should be losing weight, and increasing the deficit, whether that takes you under your BMR or not, is not necessarily the right answer.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    I am honestly having a hard time seeing the difference between eating above BMR and not eating exercise calories back and eating below BMR but consuming exercise calories...

    You eat above. You exercise. You land between 1200-1300 cals per day. You lose.
    You eat below. You exercise. You eat back exercise calories. You land with a net between 1200-1300 per day. You lose.

    See why I'm having a hard time seeing what you're saying?

    Edited to Add: I just used 1200-1300 as a random number. I realize most people's BMR will be much more then this.