Subtracting Maintenance Cals from Cardio Burn

kristelpoole

I have heard conflicting information about this topic and I'm at a loss for what to do. I use a HRM when I workout to log my calories and my typical workout is ~55 minutes and I burn ~500 calories. I don't pause my HRM when I'm walking from one machine to the other or when I'm putting back a kettlebell. My heart rate stays plenty above normal when I'm refilling my water bottle so never thought it necessary.

Then I'm on the boards feeling great about the 508 calories I burned at the gym today and I see someone saying that you're supposed to subtract maintenance calories from that burn. So I would only have burned ~410? That's depressing.

1) Do you use a HRM?
2) Do you subtract maintenance calories from what the HRM or MFP says you burn?
3) WTF am I supposed to be doing?

Thanks.

cornfritter22

I just got a HRM and I'm asking the same question. I've tried to search for an answer, but haven't found anything that seems to convince me either way. My MFP friends say they don't do it and they are also having success losing weight. So, that's what I'm doing for now, but I'm not eating back all of my exercise calories either. I hope someone can clarify things for us.

LabRat529

Calorie burns are an estimate anyway. Maintenance calories are also an estimate. Even with a heart rate monitor or something like the body bug, it's only an estimate and (if I remember correctly) has a standard error of the mean of + or - 10%.

The calories in food are also just estimates...

So.... while yes it makes sense to subtract your 'baseline' (a.k.a. as the maintenance calories) from your exercise calories to get a more exact number... it's really not possible to be 100% accurate about calories.

It's up to you whether you want to add in the extra layer of complexity. I don't think it will help or hurt your weight loss in any significant way.

kristelpoole

bump