Subtract what I would have burned anyway?

kmreynolds11

I use my HRM during exercise to keep track of calories burned and then enter that number manually into MFP. For example: this morning I ran for about 30 minutes and my HRM said I burned 220 cals. Check... got that!

However, am I supposed to subtract away the cals I would have burned anyway during that 30 min, even without exercising? In other words, do I need to subtract calories already accounted for in my BMR away from HRM calories to get the # I should enter in my diary?

And, if so... how do I calculate that???

BTW: My BMR is approx 1350 calories, and I have my settings set @ Lightly Active (gives maintenance calories around 1950-2000)

SaraTonin

MFP includes your BMR in its calculation. Just log above-and-beyond working out.

SiltyPigeon

I am no expert... but isn't your BMR the number of calories it takes just be alive? I have been told that number is the number you would burn if you were in a coma, and ANYTHING extra you do (sitting, walking, etc) is extra ABOVE your BMR. Maybe that's wrong, but that was my understanding of it. Under that theory, YES you should add the entire 220 calories you burned in, and not recalculate.
Besides, even if that is wrong, you already counted your 1350 per day in. The 220 is over and above anyways.

annacataldo

i dont have a hrm, and have no intention on getting one, but i believe yes, u r suppose to subtract it.. at least thats what my friends say when ive asked them questions about theres... but for example, my one friend wears hers all day, takes the number then subtracts her bmr number from it, to get how many calories she burned from excercise alone without the "being alive" part factored in... but this wouldnt be the same for you since u wear urs for an hour...

Itd take my bmr, divide by 24 (hours in a day), then if my hrm said i burned 1000calories in that hour, id know what number to put in for excercise... (2100bmr /24 =87.5calories burned an hour by being alive.... 1000burned at gym in 1hr minus 87.5 =912.5)... Just a suggestion, like i said no idea since i dont have one.

baisleac

Based on your maintenance calories, at any given moment of the day you are burning approximately 1.3 kcal per minute. If your HRM doesn't figure those calories in, then you burned approximately 181 kcal above your normal for a 30 minute period.

If that 39 calories is a big deal to you, I'd subtract it. But honestly, everything we log is an approximation.

kmreynolds11

i dont have a hrm, and have no intention on getting one, but i believe yes, u r suppose to subtract it.. at least thats what my friends say when ive asked them questions about theres... but for example, my one friend wears hers all day, takes the number then subtracts her bmr number from it, to get how many calories she burned from excercise alone without the "being alive" part factored in... but this wouldnt be the same for you since u wear urs for an hour...

Itd take my bmr, divide by 24 (hours in a day), then if my hrm said i burned 1000calories in that hour, id know what number to put in for excercise... (2100bmr /24 =87.5calories burned an hour by being alive.... 1000burned at gym in 1hr minus 87.5 =912.5)... Just a suggestion, like i said no idea since i dont have one.

That's what I was thinking... I guess if I know I would have burned x amount of calories without running... I'll just always take that much away from what my HRM says when I put it in MFP. Thanks!!!!