Snap! I have been wrong about Calorie Burns!
Options
Chevy_Quest
Posts: 2,012 Member
Snap! I realized that I have been overestimating my Calorie Burns!
If you read posts from the people who have been here for a while, you realize that most of their advice to people who come here after 1-2 week with no results boils down to this.
1. Counting calories is important at this stage.
2. You may be UNDERestimating what you eat - Using a scale is always a good practice.
3. You may be OVERestimating your calorie burns - be careful.
Educate yourself on relative calorie burns and if in doubt take the "conservative" number.
For example. I strapped on my Polar FT7 HRM and did a 30 minute stationary bike ride. I cranked up the resistance and tried to keep a pace of 75 RPM. I watched my HRM the whole time and I always was between 125 and 135 the whole time. Classic "steady state cardio". My HRM said 128 minutes.
I looked at several factors and calculated my burns using MFP, My HRM, and some websites. Look at the variation! I ended up using 273 cals burned.
I have been fooling myself for nearly a year thinking I was burning more than I did - No wonder I did not lose weight that quickly
I went back to my old data, old weight, estimated my old fitness level and re-ran the numbers - There was my "smoking gun"!
I did not take into account my VO2Max
When I plugged "realistic" VO2 Max numbers into one of my favorite calculators it opened my eyes.
I used a "below average" rating from this website:
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/norms/vo2max.htm
And then I plugged this info into This website:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx
It is OK to OVERestimate what you eat and UNDERestimate what you burn
It's your body and your fitness - why fool yourself? I found out I WAS fooling myself and I am taking corrective action now!
Look if you are
- Counting 950 calories for a round of miniature golf wearing snowshoes
- Counting 1270 calories for watchin "Dukes of Hazzard" reruns while dressed up as Vanilla Ice
- Counting 2000 calories for spearfishing in Loch Ness
You might want to reconsider your burns!
Good luck on your fitness journey - Keep Learning and keep "Self - correcting"!
If you read posts from the people who have been here for a while, you realize that most of their advice to people who come here after 1-2 week with no results boils down to this.
1. Counting calories is important at this stage.
2. You may be UNDERestimating what you eat - Using a scale is always a good practice.
3. You may be OVERestimating your calorie burns - be careful.
Educate yourself on relative calorie burns and if in doubt take the "conservative" number.
For example. I strapped on my Polar FT7 HRM and did a 30 minute stationary bike ride. I cranked up the resistance and tried to keep a pace of 75 RPM. I watched my HRM the whole time and I always was between 125 and 135 the whole time. Classic "steady state cardio". My HRM said 128 minutes.
I looked at several factors and calculated my burns using MFP, My HRM, and some websites. Look at the variation! I ended up using 273 cals burned.
I have been fooling myself for nearly a year thinking I was burning more than I did - No wonder I did not lose weight that quickly
I went back to my old data, old weight, estimated my old fitness level and re-ran the numbers - There was my "smoking gun"!
I did not take into account my VO2Max
When I plugged "realistic" VO2 Max numbers into one of my favorite calculators it opened my eyes.
I used a "below average" rating from this website:
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/norms/vo2max.htm
And then I plugged this info into This website:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx
It is OK to OVERestimate what you eat and UNDERestimate what you burn
It's your body and your fitness - why fool yourself? I found out I WAS fooling myself and I am taking corrective action now!
Look if you are
- Counting 950 calories for a round of miniature golf wearing snowshoes
- Counting 1270 calories for watchin "Dukes of Hazzard" reruns while dressed up as Vanilla Ice
- Counting 2000 calories for spearfishing in Loch Ness
You might want to reconsider your burns!
Good luck on your fitness journey - Keep Learning and keep "Self - correcting"!
0
Replies
-
:flowerforyou: =^.^=0
-
I think we are all guilty of this which is why and how many of us gained weight or can't seem to lose weight. There WERE 1200 calories in the giant lasagna I ate the other day and my 30 minute workout was not enough to make up for it no matter what I do or don't enter into my diary the real numbers are what matters. Not the lies we tell ourselves.0
-
0 -
Funny I have done this a few times. Especially this week0
-
This is why I use a calorie burning app, and my HRM and if the app is lower than the HRM, I use that number. If my HRM is higher, I'll deduct 100 calories just to be safe.0
-
More reason to not try to 'eat back'. Use a TDEE method, see what happens, adjust as needed.0
-
How did you work out your VO2 max?
I do a regular test on a Concept2 rower (2000m fast as possible) but when I went to a sport science lab for a proper VO2 max test the results were very different.0 -
Or do the MFP method, see what happens and adjust as needed. TDEE method isn't going to be any more accurate by estimating in advance rather than after the event!More reason to not try to 'eat back'. Use a TDEE method, see what happens, adjust as needed.0 -
@sijomialHow did you work out your VO2 max?
I do a regular test on a Concept2 rower (2000m fast as possible) but when I went to a sport science lab for a proper VO2 max test the results were very different.
I did the worst case estimate from this site:
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/norms/vo2max.htm
I am going to try some self-testing (I know that is a can of worms) and then go to a reputable lab where they strap the mask on me and find out what my VO2max really is!
Thanks!0 -
Excellent post!0
-
@walkingalongMore reason to not try to 'eat back'. Use a TDEE method, see what happens, adjust as needed.
You have a pretty good point there. That is why I normally eat back 25% to 50% of my estimated exercise calories. But... last year... It looks like I probably ate several times over my TDEE and didn't know it DOH! :drinker:0 -
0
-
Sometimes I think that another part of the problem is that some people are not working out as hard as they think and choose a more intense level of exercise when logging it. I wonder how much of a difference that really makes.0
-
It's certainly an experience! Finding out your true max HR as part of the test is also useful (and bloody hard!).@sijomialHow did you work out your VO2 max?
I do a regular test on a Concept2 rower (2000m fast as possible) but when I went to a sport science lab for a proper VO2 max test the results were very different.
I did the worst case estimate from this site:
http://www.topendsports.com/testing/norms/vo2max.htm
I am going to try some self-testing (I know that is a can of worms) and then go to a reputable lab where they strap the mask on me and find out what my VO2max really is!
Thanks!0 -
@R3Ban1x
The George Costanza quote
Jerry, just remember. It's not a lie... if you believe it...
just doesn't work here LOL!I think we are all guilty of this which is why and how many of us gained weight or can't seem to lose weight. There WERE 1200 calories in the giant lasagna I ate the other day and my 30 minute workout was not enough to make up for it no matter what I do or don't enter into my diary the real numbers are what matters. Not the lies we tell ourselves.0 -
@Jkal1979
I think I just heard the sound of a giant hammer hitting a giant nail right on the head! :flowerforyou:
It's the same thing as the "bogus" entries in the food database that "shave" 30-40 calories of something that is clearly published on an online website for that food just so that they "feel better" about themselves.Sometimes I think that another part of the problem is that some people are not working out as hard as they think and choose a more intense level of exercise when logging it. I wonder how much of a difference that really makes.0 -
This is why instead of counting my calories burned I simply don't count the 240 calorie protien shake I eat afterwards. I figure for a 1-2 hour workout that I am burning at least 200 calories, and anything over that is simply bonus calories I am burning.0
-
@Mykaelous - Brilliant - I I do the same things sometimes with a Quest or Zone bar after a big workout - It is "all good" !This is why instead of counting my calories burned I simply don't count the 240 calorie protien shake I eat afterwards. I figure for a 1-2 hour workout that I am burning at least 200 calories, and anything over that is simply bonus calories I am burning.0
-
This is why I use a calorie burning app, and my HRM and if the app is lower than the HRM, I use that number. If my HRM is higher, I'll deduct 100 calories just to be safe.
Same for me - except I always use what my HRM and calorie burn app (Digifit) say. Plus I use a fitbit for non-exercise activity, so I really never have to guess. In the last couple months, my actual calorie deficit (based on weight loss per week) and the deficit I calculated via MFP logging have been almost identical.
Edited to clarify - my HRM syncs to Digifit so it's not an either/or in my case. The calories are calculated based on my HR data.0 -
I'm so glad you "math" for me because.......
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 931 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions