Net Calorie Question

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Dixie341
Dixie341 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a bit confused about net calories.
Right now my goal is set to lose 1lb per week, in order to do this my calorie goal is set at 1300 per day. I understand that to lose my 1lb per week I should net 1300. I was hoping to lose more.
Suppose I ate 1300 calories and burned 500 calories by working out, is it mandatory for me to eat the extra 500 calories? If I didn't then my net calories would be only 800. Is this ok? I understand that it is important to make sure we eat at least 1200 calories per day but is this net too?

Replies

  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    Well, I can tell you my experience....when I started my weight loss, I just made sure I took in 1200 calories a day. I did not eat back my exercise calories and I would burn sometimes over 600 a day.

    I look at it basically the same way now. My calories are up, I eat between 14 and 1500 but I just look at it in that more simplified way.....I just make sure I take in that basic bottom line number to cover my basic body functions, and then I do not eat back my exercise calories so I can have at least a 500 calorie deficit.
  • Dixie341
    Dixie341 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thank-you! That helps.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    If you want to lose more, why not set your calorie goal at a 2lb a week loss in the first place?
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    People in a race with nature finish last.
    It's tempting to take the fast lane, but you will fail in the end like most crash dieters do.
    Your choice; can't say you weren't warned.
    Good Luck :flowerforyou:
  • TinaDay1114
    TinaDay1114 Posts: 1,328 Member
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    If you want to lose more, why not set your calorie goal at a 2lb a week loss in the first place?

    The best way to lose is to lose no more than 1/2 lb. - 1 lb. a week...slow and steady, and it stays off longer than if you bump it up to far too fast.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Severely restricting your calories for quicker weight loss may work in the short term, but for most people it is not long term sustainable. I understand that you want to lose the weight faster (don't we all?), but the key to being successful is losing it in a healthy way. Restricting your calories down to 700 or 800 calories a day isn't something you can do for the rest of your life. I would highly suggest you net your 1300 calories. You may actually find that your body needs more calories than 1300 to be comfortable losing weight. So, if 1300 calories doesn't seem to work - try raising them a little.
  • bcampbell54
    bcampbell54 Posts: 932 Member
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    People in a race with nature finish last.

    Quote of the day..
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    LOL 2 pounds a week isn't 'fast'.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    And what keeps the weight off is NOT going back to the diet and behaviors that got you fat in the first place. It's not how 'slow' you lost the weight. By all means, if you are comfortable losing only 1/2 pound or a pound a week then do so. What I am saying is that 2 pounds a week is not fast, nor is it dangerous, nor is it a 'race'. My doctor recommended that I lose 2 pounds a week, and she herself has lost 103 pounds in a year and has kept it off for the past 7 years. How has she kept it off? By changing her mindset and her behavior. If you feel you can't or won't do that, then what difference does it make the rate at which you took the excess weight off?? You're going to get fat again regardless.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    And what keeps the weight off is NOT going back to the diet and behaviors that got you fat in the first place. It's not how 'slow' you lost the weight. By all means, if you are comfortable losing only 1/2 pound or a pound a week then do so. What I am saying is that 2 pounds a week is not fast, nor is it dangerous, nor is it a 'race'. My doctor recommended that I lose 2 pounds a week, and she herself has lost 103 pounds in a year and has kept it off for the past 7 years. How has she kept it off? By changing her mindset and her behavior. If you feel you can't or won't do that, then what difference does it make the rate at which you took the excess weight off?? You're going to get fat again regardless.
    Actually, it is.
    Fast weight loss strips lean body mass which lowers metabolism.
    FACT!
    This is why MFP recommends 1 lb per week, and absolutely won't go beyond 2.
    One of the hardest things about weight loss is eating too much.
    The second hardest challenge is eating too little.
  • Dixie341
    Dixie341 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thank-you very much for your answers. It is hard to be patient! Definitely some things to think about.

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