I log my exercise and food at the daily plate and I was wondering something about net calories. If anyone else posts there or if you think you can help me without being there I'd love you.


My calorie goal is 1427 but I don't like to let my net calories go above 1000. Is that bad? Is it too low? I just figure I give myself some leway incase the calories burned isn't always correct. Should I aim for 1200 at least in the net calories? Mine is mostly in the 900s.

The food I've eaten this past week has been awful! I've been able to stay in my calorie range everyday even though the foods weren't great though. I haven't had my net calories at my calorie goal once in the almost 2 weeks I've been tracking. And I track over if I'm not sure on portion size 100%.

So, am I doing ok? Take a look if you'd like. Just remember, I've been off work and CAMPING. It's done a number on my food choices! I'm slowly getting back on track though! WOOHOO!

Are your net calories your total calories? If so... you need to be eating WAY more than 1,000 calories. Make sure to read the labels of what your eating, then adjust your daily plate to how many calories the package is labeled, not what the daily plate labels it as.

I'm not a DailyPlate user, so I don't know what net calories represents. On FitDay, calorie restriction is the term used for the difference between what you've burned and what you eat. Is that what net calories are on DailyPlate?

Jay

What are net calories? Is that like you eat 1400 calories, exercise 400 calories worth, equals 1000 calories net?

do you go by what the daily plate says as far as how many cals are burned during exercise? i put my exercise into the daily plate, but i think the calories it says i burn are higher than i actually burn, so i pretty much ignore it. if you are eating around 1400 cals, then i think you are fine.

Net calories can get dangerous - and they're a flawed way of measuring weight loss. It's important that they never go below 1200, according to all the 'expert opinions' I've seen.


Ani

The 1200 number exists because it is virtually impossible to get all your nutrients on fewer than 1200 calories a day. If you're eating 1500, burning an additional 500 through exercise and "netting" 1000, you're ok because your body still got 1500 calories worth of nutrients.

If you feel healthy and energetic, you're doing ok with your "net" calories. When you start feeling miserable, hungry and lethargic, then you know its time to increase them a little bit.

I agree Baffled. The problem with using net calories as a weight loss tool (and it has become really big in Australia), is that people often use it as an excuse to eat more.

And where it falls down is that while we can accurately measure calories that we put in our bodies (through food etc), we cannot accurately measure the calories we burn up. All the on-line calculators are guestimates, and are based on 'averages'; even the expensive heart-rate monitors are a guide, rather than pure science.

Baffled and PerthChick, what you say is true. The amount of calories burned through exercise is really hard to determine on an individual basis. And you're right, Perth, people then think they can "eat up" to their calories, which sometimes doesn't work well because things are not that exact.

Even pure science is statistics and averages, and we are all individuals. So the best way to use these tools is as guidelines, and to work with them to find out what settings give you the most consistent results.

Cheers!
Jay

Thanks! My calories consumed are between 1200 and 1500 for the most part. My net calories (calories after what I've burned) are usually aout 900. If it isn't right then I am probably getting about 1000-1100 net I bet.

My goal is 1427 so I better try and not hit that 1500 mark if I wanna lose anything. I'll ignore the net. I don't eat more because it says I can. My net has been as low as 700 before.

Thanks again!

Well, from my research, the body needs approximately 1200 calories in order to carry out it's daily functions (breathing, etc.) I, personally, try to keep my calories around 800 per day. There are special days on which I allot myself a few hundred over that, but I definitely try to stay below 1000 at all times. It's essentially impossible to gain weight if you're consuming less than a thousand calories a day. Your metabolism will be sneaky; it'll slow down, as it believes it's in "starvation mode"-Ha! You can beat that.

Always count your TOTAL calories. You don't want to eat too few calories, or you body will go into starvation mode. Basically that means that when you eat too few calories, your body thinks it is "starving" and turns everything you eat into fat right away, because that takes the longest to burn. If you can lose 1-2 lbs. while eating 1400 TOTAL calories, then do so. If you aren't seeing results, lower it 100 calories. Every body is different, and responds differently.

Brianna, you just said you did the research showing that your body NEEDS approximately 1200 to function normally, yet you are deliberately eating about 800 per day. WHY? Yes, you will lose weight. You'll also lose muscle as your body tries to eat itself (catabolism), you'll lose hair, your period, skin tone, etc. And it's really hard to get your metabolism back to normal after keeping calories that low for extended periods of time. I've done this- and it backfires in the long run. I've read some of your other posts, and I think you are treading on thin ice nutritionally. Your goal weight is very low for your height. Try eating a little more and doing some workouts. You'll look better and feel better in the long run. At 16 years old, you really need the vitamins and minerals, protein and healthy fats that are in food.

Hoping for a healthy future for you

Mel

Makemethin are you still receiving treatment for your ED? If not I urge you to go back and also talk with a nutritionist. As Mel said 800 cals is not enough cals for your body especially if thats your everyday goal. I really encourage you to up them cals. I was eating 800 or less a day and it was horrible to my body. I did not lose anything in fact before I started eating more I was up to 164. Now that I am getting more ,up to 1400-1500 a day sometime more or less, and I am now losing weight.