Question about Net calories

yeti2000
yeti2000 Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
I have set up MFP to lose 2lbs per week. So far it has been great I have lost 29 lbs. My question is about the Net calories I am consuming I seem to have hit a wall and I am now hovering around 238 lbs. I would like to get to 226. If I go to the gym and work our and burn 800 calories I get a credit of 800 calories. What I do with those calories is use it as a buffer zone if I go over my goal of 1750 a day then the buffer is there for me. A friend of mine tells me I should eat those calories up because the algorithm already accounts for the two pounds of weight loss. This is not making sense to me because if I burn up 800 calories why would I want to eat it back?

Sometimes I do eat back some of the calories but it is nice to have calories in the bank so to speak. To me it just ups the weight loss from two pounds a week to something a little higher.

Replies

  • mrbongos
    mrbongos Posts: 1 Member
    My doctor told me to stick with my caloric goal, not to "use up" the net calories. I'm with you, doesn't make sense to burn up the calories you earned exercising but it is nice to indulge every now and then and use up a few of those numbers..
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Your doctor told you that because you didn't explain how MFP is set up. You already have a deficit built in before you do any exercise.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    The intent is that you will eat your exercise calories and wind up with your "net calories" at your original target. By not eating those calories back, you're creating a larger deficit (around 1800 calories instead of 1000 in your example), which is big enough that it may actually hinder your weight loss, not help it.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Your doctor told you that because you didn't explain how MFP is set up. You already have a deficit built in before you do any exercise.

    This. The deficit is already there, why cheat yourself and eat even less?
  • yeti2000
    yeti2000 Posts: 15
    The thing is I don't really feel like I am cheating my self. I am eating every 2-3 hours and choosing low calorie foods which leaves me satisfied. I just end up with a large bank of calories on my workout days and it seems a shame to just eat for the sake of eating. I do not go to bed hungry. I understand about how the body tries to hold on to fat if you do not take in enough calories the body will do just that. I am at a sticking point around 238 for the last week or so and maybe it is because of this. It is kind of a tough spot to be in but I am sure I will break through this wall.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    The thing is I don't really feel like I am cheating my self. I am eating every 2-3 hours and choosing low calorie foods which leaves me satisfied. I just end up with a large bank of calories on my workout days and it seems a shame to just eat for the sake of eating. I do not go to bed hungry. I understand about how the body tries to hold on to fat if you do not take in enough calories the body will do just that. I am at a sticking point around 238 for the last week or so and maybe it is because of this. It is kind of a tough spot to be in but I am sure I will break through this wall.

    It's not easy to tell what's going on with your metabolism. All you can really do is try something new for 3-4 weeks and see what happened, then make a decision on where to go from there. When you figure out what works for you, stick to it.
  • yeti2000
    yeti2000 Posts: 15
    Thanks

    Yeah I figure I will break through it in a couple of weeks.
  • yeti2000
    yeti2000 Posts: 15
    Yes sir!

    It is a nice feeling to have that exercise credit, I sometimes exercise on a scheduled day off so that I can get some credits. MFP rocks.

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