Calorie burns for SL

DianeinCA

Yeah, I know, everyone's favorite MFP topic.

Do you enter in your weight lifting sessions into the cardio part of MFP -- that is, do you enter them in to get the calories burned/extra calories? Or do you leave it off because "everyone says" they're too inexact to count?

I have been leaving them off -- my CICO last month was much larger than my actual weight loss, so I figured I didn't need the extra encouragement to eat more. But now I'm wondering if I should. (I figure at 12 sessions a month it'll only be a difference of between 1200 and 2400 calories, but still...)

katro111

I log mine in Fitbit so I get credit for "very active minutes" because, hey, I work hard when I lift so I want my active minutes meter to reflect that! I'll either use the automatic calorie burn estimate from the Fitbit phone app or I'll take whatever calorie burn my HRM says and divide it in half (whichever is the smaller one). It's not very many calories, though, and I hit my Fitbit TDEE goal without them.

viglet

I tried doing the TDEE -20% when I first started SL, but I didn't have success with the method because well.... I just love to eat. At that time, I would log 1 calorie burnt per lift.

I am going back to my old method and wore my heart rate monitor last week on a lift. My results were about 230 calories burnt in 60 minutes (including breaks in between my sets).

Personally, I love food (too damn much :sad: ) so I add the calories burnt so I don't feel guilty about eating.

But if you feel that you have the energy you need to lift without eating those calories back, I would say just continue to do what you are doing.

SezxyStef

I do TDEE -10% (at my old TDEE but it's TDEE-20% at my new one)but I still log my SL under cardio...as 1 calorie...hehe just to keep track of my exercise and ensure I am getting all my minutes in.

viglet your HRM won't give you good estimates for weight lifting unfortunately...I suspect it is under estimating due to rest period etc.

I think if you do TDEE it gives you some play room with food. I always allowed for hungry days and would go over my TDEE-20% up to maintenance depending on the need...not the want...(which can be hard for me to do...hehe)

jstout365

The important thing is to figure out what works best for you. Both methods (TDEE or exercise calorie eat back) can produce results, it just depends on the person. It is tricky to determine calorie burns for lifting and many of the estimates in the database are pretty off, but you can start tracking that way and then see what happens with your weight to start figuring out how well it matches up.

I use the TDEE method and never log exercise. I had a BodyMedia Fit for a while and that was pretty accurate so I do have a baseline to go off of. Figuring out how much you burn with lifting just takes time.

suremeansyes

I have been debating doing TDEE -10% since I've started working out more. I have been at 1500ish M-F (eating back some or all exercise calories) 3000ish on Sat, which is my spike and rest day generally, and 2000ish on Sun (but usually 1500-1700 net).

These past couple weeks, especially this week, I've been so freaking hungry. Coincides with starting SL.

rlw911

I just recently switched to the TDEE method, using a combination of my FitBit numbers and Scooby's calculator. I log SL under cardio, but only 1 calorie burned, for tracking purposes.

Yep, like Stef said, HRMs are designed to measure steady state cardio, not strength training.

DianeinCA

Well, it's not so much about "eat calories back" versus TDEE - x% for me -- this month I'm just following what my Fitbit tells me to eat. I'm wondering if I should tell it when I lift weights, or whether I should just make it easy (:grumble: ) on myself and stick to the step-based calorie adjustments.

sbarella

I log it on Fitbit too. I pick "light effort" because of the looong rests I need between sets and it's around 200 cals/hour for me (MFP gives me the same result)

My TDEE is around 2100 calories, I picked a 500 daily calorie deficit and I eat at that goal or slightly over on rest/cardio days (I walk/bike, nothing strenuous) and eat around maintenance on lifting days, so I average a 250 calorie deficit (2lbs a month). Well, I'm not that deadly accurate because life gets in the way, but I do my best to stick to this plan and it's working so far. When I lift my body wants all teh foods!

DianeinCA

I find an overpowering desire to eat on days when I run. I have to make myself eat more on lifting days.

randomtai

I use my BodyMedia FIT.

Llamapants86

I tell my fitbit that I did lifting but I usually leave a couple of calories left most days. And I like to eat, so the extra 200 calories makes for a happy evening snack.

SezxyStef

I find an overpowering desire to eat on days when I run. I have to make myself eat more on lifting days.

I am never hungry on lifting days after my walk/ride or HIIT it is always non lifting days (funny tho it's the day after lifting)

for me NEAT+exercise=TDEE-20%...for 1lb a week.

I like TDEE method as there is no guessing etc...I don't always hit my goal...like yesterday...and sometimes I go over (wayyyyyy over) like on Wednesday but my average through the week is usually 1700-1800...that's what I look at most of the time anyway...

averages.

redheadmommy

Regardless i do the MFP method or the TDEE method , I do log my workouts under cardio just to get the minutes recorded. When I do TDEE method I just log them as 1 calorie.
Even when I used my bodymedia, I logged my workouts as 1 calorie, just to have a record of the frequency and length of my workouts.