Why aren't certain strength exercises counted toward calorie loss?

nikolhasler

Everywhere I look, I see that strength training burns calories. For example:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_how_many_calories_does_strength_training_burn

Yet entering strength into MFP doesn't suggest any calories burned. Why?

jemhh

The strength training section of the exercise log is just a log for sets/reps. To get a calorie burn look under cardio for "strength training. "

wilsoncl6

I wouldn't log strength training as part of your caloric burn simply because it's absolutely impossible to know how many calories you actually burned during your routine, way too many variables. I just leave it alone and use it as a buffer to make sure I'm staying under my caloric intake limits. You could end up hurting your efforts if you start adding those calories in when you don't know for sure if you're anywhere near accurate.

rankinsect

Even professionals in a lab with lots of equipment have a tough time determining exact burns of strength and other anaerobic exercises.

It's easy to set a minimum number but hard to get an accurate full picture.

jemhh

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

I wouldn't log strength training as part of your caloric burn simply because it's absolutely impossible to know how many calories you actually burned during your routine, way too many variables. I just leave it alone and use it as a buffer to make sure I'm staying under my caloric intake limits. You could end up hurting your efforts if you start adding those calories in when you don't know for sure if you're anywhere near accurate.

I understand what you are saying but disagree with your advice.

It is impossible to know exactly how many calories any of us burn doing any activity. Lifting weights does burn calories. It is important to fuel our activities. When I look at a woman whose calorie goal is 1200 per day, the thought of not logging activity and eating (at least a portion of) those calories just doesn't sit well with me.

Log the calories. Eat them. After four weeks evaluate your progress. Losing too slowly? (Note that this means less than a reasonable rate considering your weight and distance to goal, not what you dream of losing in a perfect utopia.) Eat a bit less. Losing too quickly? Eat more. Losing just right? Eat at the same level.

wilsoncl6

jemhh wrote: »

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

I wouldn't log strength training as part of your caloric burn simply because it's absolutely impossible to know how many calories you actually burned during your routine, way too many variables. I just leave it alone and use it as a buffer to make sure I'm staying under my caloric intake limits. You could end up hurting your efforts if you start adding those calories in when you don't know for sure if you're anywhere near accurate.

I understand what you are saying but disagree with your advice.

It is impossible to know exactly how many calories any of us burn doing any activity. Lifting weights does burn calories. It is important to fuel our activities. When I look at a woman whose calorie goal is 1200 per day, the thought of not logging activity and eating (at least a portion of) those calories just doesn't sit well with me.

Log the calories. Eat them. After four weeks evaluate your progress. Losing too slowly? (Note that this means less than a reasonable rate considering your weight and distance to goal, not what you dream of losing in a perfect utopia.) Eat a bit less. Losing too quickly? Eat more. Losing just right? Eat at the same level.

I get what you're saying also but not losing at all or very slowly can be disheartening to someone just starting out and some will make drastic caloric changes right off the bat without considering the fact that they may have to adjust their caloric entries from exercise if they're adding in weights lifted. Really, no one should set their caloric intake at 1200 calories if their exercising. It's just not feasible, and most people over-calculate the amount of calories burned during exercise. Lifting weights in itself (depending on what type of lifts you are doing) is only going to burn a miniscule amount of calories (dependent upon body weight) at the time of the exercise. Most of the caloric burn from weightlifting occurs during the repair and construction process which is variable from person to person. Either way, if you add in calories from lifting or not, it's likely you may have to make some adjustments and adjusting up to hit that sweet spot may be more conducive to good morale and consistency for someone new to the game. If you lessen the amount of variables you have to consider, it makes reaching the goal easier. When I first started, I set my goal at 1.5 lbs per week, stuck with my same workout plan and then adjusted my goal weekly weight loss up or down dependent upon my weekly losses and then just had to adjust how much I ate from there.

jemhh

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

I wouldn't log strength training as part of your caloric burn simply because it's absolutely impossible to know how many calories you actually burned during your routine, way too many variables. I just leave it alone and use it as a buffer to make sure I'm staying under my caloric intake limits. You could end up hurting your efforts if you start adding those calories in when you don't know for sure if you're anywhere near accurate.

I understand what you are saying but disagree with your advice.

It is impossible to know exactly how many calories any of us burn doing any activity. Lifting weights does burn calories. It is important to fuel our activities. When I look at a woman whose calorie goal is 1200 per day, the thought of not logging activity and eating (at least a portion of) those calories just doesn't sit well with me.

Log the calories. Eat them. After four weeks evaluate your progress. Losing too slowly? (Note that this means less than a reasonable rate considering your weight and distance to goal, not what you dream of losing in a perfect utopia.) Eat a bit less. Losing too quickly? Eat more. Losing just right? Eat at the same level.

I get what you're saying also but not losing at all or very slowly can be disheartening to someone just starting out and some will make drastic caloric changes right off the bat without considering the fact that they may have to adjust their caloric entries from exercise if they're adding in weights lifted. Really, no one should set their caloric intake at 1200 calories if their exercising. It's just not feasible, and most people over-calculate the amount of calories burned during exercise. Lifting weights in itself (depending on what type of lifts you are doing) is only going to burn a miniscule amount of calories (dependent upon body weight) at the time of the exercise. Most of the caloric burn from weightlifting occurs during the repair and construction process which is variable from person to person. Either way, if you add in calories from lifting or not, it's likely you may have to make some adjustments and adjusting up to hit that sweet spot may be more conducive to good morale and consistency for someone new to the game. If you lessen the amount of variables you have to consider, it makes reaching the goal easier. When I first started, I set my goal at 1.5 lbs per week, stuck with my same workout plan and then adjusted my goal weekly weight loss up or down dependent upon my weekly losses and then just had to adjust how much I ate from there.

I agree with you overall. I think we're just approaching it in two different ways. I think that 1200 is too low for the vast majority of people. I pretty much think it should only be used by women who are bedridden, older, and/or very short. But since I noticed the OP has it as her goal, I phrased my advice based on it. I'd rather see somebody eat a bit more and lose slowly at first and then adjust her calories downward. (I think that most women will lose at least a little bit with 1200+1 hour's worth of strength training calories.) This, of course, is goes against what most people want to do (start losing now and start losing fast!) so I don't know if anybody actually ever follows it but I still write it anyway