Does MFP automatically deduct RMR calories from exercise?

Options
AMC110
AMC110 Posts: 188 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For example, lets say I exercise for 5 minutes and burn 40 calories. If I were to spend those 5 minutes resting/watching TV instead I would burn about 8 calories. When adding the calories I burned through exercise to MFP should I subtract the 8 calories from 40 or does MFP automatically take that into consideration when calculating calories burned?

Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Options
    If I had to guess, I'd say no.

    But given all the estimates, approximations, and assumptions that go into this, I'm not sure that's something I'd worry about.




    Full Disclosure -
    I'm the special snowflake for whom MFP's numbers have worked really well.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,958 Member
    Options
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    If I had to guess, I'd say no.

    But given all the estimates, approximations, and assumptions that go into this, I'm not sure that's something I'd worry about.




    Full Disclosure -
    I'm the special snowflake for whom MFP's numbers have worked really well.

    You're not that special. The MFP numbers worked for me when I was losing. I always ate every single delicious "exercise calorie."

    @AMC110 you'll have to experiment a bit.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,958 Member
    Options
    How MFP Calculates Calorie Goals
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Options
    Generally you can follow MFP calories. It does the math for you. That's the purpose of the app. You don't have to do extra calculations to figure out your burn. The only adjustment is that exercise cals can be overstated, regardless of the source, so many people eat back only a portion of them. That's not really an MFP thing because it draws from a more general database.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Options
    Most online activity calculators use the published metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs) values that provide an estimate for Calories burned per minute, which are estimates for a general population and may differ for you as an individual based on your level of intensity. MFP generally uses the 2011 METs values compiled in the Compendium of Physical Activities for cardiovascular exercise activities; although they have not included all of these in the pre-loaded Cardiovascular list.​

    The METs values in the Compendium and MFP include your BMR (METs = 1.0). This means that the estimated Calories per minute logged in MFP include the Calories you would burn during that time period even if you were not actively exercising.

    You can determine your MFP BMR by using the web version feature at APPS > BMR. Once you have the BMR per day value, divide the BMR by 1440 minutes/day to get your MFP BMR per minute rate. For example, my BMR is about 1470 Cals/day. 1470 Cals/day divided by 1440 minutes/day equals 1.02 Cals/minute. For every ten minutes of exercise, I subtract 10.2 Calories from the MFP estimate.

    If you don't want to go to the trouble of subtracting your BMR Cals/minute from the amount of estimated Calories MFP provides, you can reduce the amount of time logged or only eat back a portion of the earned Calories. This is one of the reasons some people recommend to eat back only about 50-75% of the estimated Calories if you log the entire amount of time. The percentage you choose is dependent on how high your BMR is, how long you do a sustained cardiovascular activity, and your intensity.

Categories