Some exercise questions...!

shocker02k

Okay, so I've been plugging along at this whole MFP thing since mid-April, and to date I've lost about 45 lbs. I don't know if this is in the right forum though, so feel free to move it if it isn't.

Now, I know it gets harder as you get closer to your goal weight so I'm trying to not mess this up. I'm really most concerned about the number of calories I burn at the gym and my "lifestyle", and getting those calculations right.

I have a HRM, it's one of those mio ones, and I keep it updated mid-exercise quite often. At the end of my workouts (which primarily consist of about 30-45 minutes of elliptical work done in the "fat burning" zone, then 1-2 miles of running), it consistently shows about 1000 calories burned, generally 50% in the "fat burning" area and 50% above that. Now MFP had been allowing for only about 900 calories of workout *per week*, and since I do that workout at least 3 times a week, it was definitely inaccurate. Should I allow for 3000 calorie workouts in the profile area? I'm worried about what that would do to my caloric intake per day (I think it would shoot it way up), but I'm also worried about hurting my metabolism and plateauing.

Secondly, my lifestyle is somewhat varied. I bike to class every day and bike to the stores when I need to, but otherwise it's pretty sedentary. According to my HRM I'm burning about 120 calories back and forth when I'm going out to class, which may happen 1-3 times a day. How many calories would a person burn (above absolute "resting") before they'd move up to the "lightly active" lifestyle, as opposed to the sedentary?

Thanks for your help.

shocker02k

Okay, so I've been plugging along at this whole MFP thing since mid-April, and to date I've lost about 45 lbs. I don't know if this is in the right forum though, so feel free to move it if it isn't.

Now, I know it gets harder as you get closer to your goal weight so I'm trying to not mess this up. I'm really most concerned about the number of calories I burn at the gym and my "lifestyle", and getting those calculations right.

I have a HRM, it's one of those mio ones, and I keep it updated mid-exercise quite often. At the end of my workouts (which primarily consist of about 30-45 minutes of elliptical work done in the "fat burning" zone, then 1-2 miles of running), it consistently shows about 1000 calories burned, generally 50% in the "fat burning" area and 50% above that. Now MFP had been allowing for only about 900 calories of workout *per week*, and since I do that workout at least 3 times a week, it was definitely inaccurate. Should I allow for 3000 calorie workouts in the profile area? I'm worried about what that would do to my caloric intake per day (I think it would shoot it way up), but I'm also worried about hurting my metabolism and plateauing.

Secondly, my lifestyle is somewhat varied. I bike to class every day and bike to the stores when I need to, but otherwise it's pretty sedentary. According to my HRM I'm burning about 120 calories back and forth when I'm going out to class, which may happen 1-3 times a day. How many calories would a person burn (above absolute "resting") before they'd move up to the "lightly active" lifestyle, as opposed to the sedentary?

Thanks for your help.

alf1163

I am no expert and hopefully by replying more people will read it and answer your questions...I don't think you are sedentary at all!!! You bike to classes every day?? And also to stores, etc? That is pretty active to me. And also you work out at least 3 times a week. This site is a little confusing when it asks how active we are because it is only mentioning your job/lifestyle. Other sites determine it by asking how often and how hard you work out. I work out 5-7 days a week, most days pretty hard. I am a research coordinator so I sit at my desk for a few hrs. But I still consider myself pretty active. You might want to check out other sites to compare calorie requirements. :flowerforyou:

shocker02k

Thanks for your reply.

The thing is except when I'm biking to class or explicitly working out, I am pretty sedentary. I like being on the computer and I tend to not be doing much activity while working (I'm a writer, so yeah). But I didn't know if "moving up" on that scale would be possible given that.

OomarianneoO

I'm certainly no expert either, but it is my understanding that MFP asks you what your lifestyle is like without making the effort to go to the gym or planning for exercise. I would also consider your lifestyle as somewhat active, even without going to the gym. The time you do spend at the gym or actually exercising for the sake of exercising, MFP calculates that in afterwards and that's how you come up with what your caloric intake should be everyday. Did that make any sense? Anyway, I would definitely suggest that you change your lifestyle from sedentary to lightly active.