Daily calories & weight lifting

Fit_Fox88

We all know MFP doesn't count calorie burn when you enter weightlifting exercises. I've seen in other posts where people say "don't count your calorie burn while lifting b/c it's a different burn vs cardio". I was just wondering what you all do on days that you lift... do you count calories w/an HRM and enter it in your diary, or do you just enter your food and not the exercise even though it will then look like you ate over your daily calories? I lift 3-4 days a week and do cardio on my off days. I don't use my HRM when I lift and I do my workout before dinner so I'm always STARVING when I'm finished (even though I have a snack before I workout). On lifting days my diary is in the negative b/c my workouts aren't recorded w/a calorie burn.

Just looking for some pointers/input on what you all do. Any tips/advice appreciated

JenMc14

If you log it in the generic "strength training" under cardio, you'll get a burn estimate. It's minimal, but it's there. I use that. I'm more on a TDEE method than MFP method, so I don't eat the calories back, really, but I like to have a general idea.

michellekicks

I estimate about 200 calories/hour for lifting.

sweetpea03b

I use "strength training" under cardio.... and I use a fitbit linked with Myfitnesspal so it fixes my burn on its own.... but generally speaking... on lifting days I know I have to eat more... so I allow myself another 200cal or so because I have a protein shake afterwards. So even if MFP says I'm over I know that I worked out so its ok.

MarioLozano16

If you're trying to lose weight don't eat more than your daily goal. If you want to maintain the same weight or gain weight, eat more.
Logging weightlfiting is pretty much pointless because MFP doesn't take into account the intensity of your training and other factors

Amy8Lyn

I average about 400 calories burned per lifting session, so I certainly need to track this. I find I burn more calories with lifting that a lot of cardio sessions depending on my intensity (HIIT being an exception).

I use my HRM during any trip to the gym, I added "lifting" to my cardio and just use that. Not logging it will possibly cause you to underestimate the amount of calories you are burning on any given workout.

Strength training is the gift that keeps on giving!! :flowerforyou:

ItsCasey

I use the TDEE method to calculate my daily calories, so I log everything as 1 calorie burned, just to have a record of what I've done. I don't care how many calories any specific exercise burns. I just try to have a reasonable estimate of the total amount I"m burning in a day.

sijomial

I "break the rules" and use my HRM (I do understand the accuracy issues and differences in cardio and weight training by the way....).

However, I also tend to train in a high tempo circuit training style so HRM estimates would make a little more sense than one set - long rest/recover - second set, style of training. Most of my training I'm over 100bpm (double resting rate), on a day when I'm doing very high tempo then heart rate is generally above 125bpm. Per hour I can vary from 300 to 600 estimated cals.

While the estimates are probably far from perfect it gives me an idea and I adjust my calorie intake on results over time anyway. An alternative would just be to pick a number (say 300/hour??) and use that.

Really if your energy levels, training progress, hunger and weight loss results are good then you are doing it right whatever method you pick.

munchlaxx

I used to count calories burned while lifting heavy, but I fell out of the habit of tracking it (with my HRM)...now I just eat as I normally do with/without the lifting. When I did track it with a HRM I burned anywhere from 50-200 extra calories, depending on day. Some days my heart rate went faster than other times...Like a Monday I would easily burn 200 calories while heavy lifting, then Friday that same week I would be working just as hard yet only 50 calories...didn't see the point in keeping it noted anymore...stressed me out. Ha

whitebalance

While the estimates are probably far from perfect it gives me an idea and I adjust my calorie intake on results over time anyway. An alternative would just be to pick a number (say 300/hour??) and use that.

Really if your energy levels, training progress, hunger and weight loss results are good then you are doing it right whatever method you pick.

^^^ This.

I log it as an activity on Fitbit.com and let it carry over to MFP. If I haven't gone all-out in a session, I'll either understate the time a bit or use the "moderate intensity" activity (about 150 kcal/hour, or 2.5x my sedentary level) instead of the full one (about 300 kcal/hour, or 5x my sedentary level).

It's just an estimate, but I have to log something to account for calories burned before and/or after the session, because I use MFP's NEAT method for calorie tracking at the Sedentary level and let my Fitbit adjust my daily burn... and the Fitbit isn't very smart about strength training. Before I started logging a burn for strength training, I was waking up with headaches after my lifting days. I'm still working on getting the numbers right, but I can adjust as I go, so I'm not too hung up on it now.

arcticfox04

It depends on the level your lifting at. Are you lifting extremely heavy and isolating major muscle groups or do a lighter weight circuit for a couple days a week. Also it depends on your heart rate like your keeping it at fast intervals or resting 1-2 minutes between sets.

I'd just use the weight training in the Cardio database on MFP and adjust from there.

whiskaz

I've recently gotten back to working out and counting calories - and picked up an HRM to help more accurately estimate. That said, I use it for both cardio (I typically do a spinning program that involves a series of 15-45 second intervals with 15-45 seconds of rest between for around 25 minutes). My weight training is basically Power 90 Sculpt 1-2 (though I've just added a customized 4th round to the routine). During the cardio portion I typically burn around 400 calories during the 25-28 minute session, with an avg HR of 155 or so and a max of 175-180. When lifting, while I was doing 3 rounds (P90 1-2) I would typically burn around 300-350 with an average HR of 135-145. By round 2 my HR is staying pretty steady around 145-155.

I honestly have no clue how accurate the HRM ultimately is but MFP gives me an estimate of how many calories I burn doing nothing, how many I can consume to lose 2lbs a week and I plug in the estimates for the food I eat and whatever the HRM tells me. I generally eat back my exercise calories (so yes, if the HRM says I burned 300 cals, I'll usually eat those 300 cals back).

The HRM saying I burn 300 or more calories during a 30 minute lift session (which is now around 45 minutes and 400 calories) doesn't seem that far off to me. If it is, it's not been reflected in my weight loss (which is averaging around 2.5lbs a week) and I've also increased the amount of weight I'm lifting for certain moves.

I think the bottom line is really... it's all estimates, no? I tell MFP that I'm sedentary (desk job), my age, weight and it tells me I'll probably burn x amount of calories. An estimate. I try to stick to food that has nutrition facts on the label but when I'm making dinner or eating out, I estimate.

The worst thing you can probably do is lie to yourself though and over-estimate calories burned while under-estimating calories consumed. I try to do the opposite. That said, logging the calories burned during my strength training sessions appears to be accurate enough.

jimmmer

Best to use the TDEE method

1) Find the activity level that matches how much you workout, workout TDEE (using scooby or fitness frog or whatever)

2) Take a percentage off of that depend how much you have to lose (-5% up to -20%)

3) Eat enough food to match the figure calculated in step 2.

4) Monitor for 2 weeks

5) If weight loss is less or more than you calculate it should be from step (2), return to (1) and adjust TDEE figure by necessary amount. And away you go again.

Then repeat. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat. Etc. Ad Infinitum

Whyareyoumad

I use my HRM every time I go to the gym. If I run and lift, I continue to use it. I enter the calories my HR tells I burn in MFP, sometimes its close to what MFP estimates, sometimes not. I do have my excercises broke down in MFP and enter them accordingly. Right or wrong whatever I am doing is working and I am seeing results.