BMR Included in MFP's Activities

tch2296

Just curious whether MFP automatically factors in your BMR when it calculates calories burned, say, for an hour of jogging.

At first glance it looks like they don't factor it in, which would mean it would be constantly overestimating the calories you are burning. For example if it says an hour of walking burns 300 calories, does that account for the 75 calories I burn each hour, even while at rest?

It's not a huge difference but I'm just wondering if anybody knew for sure. Thanks.

jo_marnes

My understanding is that it is included rather than in addition.

heybales

Just like any other database or HRM or machine reading of calories burn - they have no idea what you would have done otherwise to leave those calories out, only giving you what you burned above and beyond.

For MFP, there's actually a worse problem that could be easily overcome. Because it's not just BMR that should be removed.

Your eating goal is already based on you burning an expected number of calories every minute of the day. Which is of course based on BMR x activity factor.

But you look at Goals tab, and calories burned from daily activity.
That divided by 1440 is what you are already accounted to have burned every minute of the day.

So in actuality, exercise should subtract that out for however many minutes the exercise was, to truly give you the amount you burned above and beyond already accounted for.

That would be truly give you the TDEE for the day, to then take a deficit from.
Or the way they do it, just add to the eating goal, same thing accomplished.

So if accounted to burn 2000, and you burned 500 in a workout in 60 min.

500 - (2000 / 1440 x 60) = 417 actually burned above and beyond, that would be correct for eating back.

And if you are large and have a big daily burn outside of exercise, and your exercise is perhaps just walking which isn't a huge burn compared to other things - that issue is increased.

400 - (3000 / 1440 x 60) = 275 to actually eat back.

No wonder people say the database inflates.
It totally depends on the workout, and your daily burn.

tch2296

heybales wrote: »

Just like any other database or HRM or machine reading of calories burn - they have no idea what you would have done otherwise to leave those calories out, only giving you what you burned above and beyond.

For MFP, there's actually a worse problem that could be easily overcome. Because it's not just BMR that should be removed.

Your eating goal is already based on you burning an expected number of calories every minute of the day. Which is of course based on BMR x activity factor.

But you look at Goals tab, and calories burned from daily activity.
That divided by 1440 is what you are already accounted to have burned every minute of the day.

So in actuality, exercise should subtract that out for however many minutes the exercise was, to truly give you the amount you burned above and beyond already accounted for.

That would be truly give you the TDEE for the day, to then take a deficit from.
Or the way they do it, just add to the eating goal, same thing accomplished.

So if accounted to burn 2000, and you burned 500 in a workout in 60 min.

500 - (2000 / 1440 x 60) = 417 actually burned above and beyond, that would be correct for eating back.

And if you are large and have a big daily burn outside of exercise, and your exercise is perhaps just walking which isn't a huge burn compared to other things - that issue is increased.

400 - (3000 / 1440 x 60) = 275 to actually eat back.

No wonder people say the database inflates.
It totally depends on the workout, and your daily burn.

Good point, I hadn't thought of including the activity factor also. I will simply add about 20% to my hourly BMR of 75.

However I have figured out an easy way around this issue. I created custom exercises and simply took the hourly estimates and subtracted my hourly BMR to give a better approximation, that way I don't have to do it manually each time.

I'll adjust it again to account for the activity factor. I realize these are all just approximations anyways, but I might as well be as accurate as I can. Regardless, I don't use MFP's goals. I simply set a calorie goal, measure my weight and bodyfat regularly, and make small adjustments on a weekly basis. So as long as I am consistent in my recording habits, a little bit of inaccuracy won't hurt me too much.

Thanks for the responses.