background calories

Hanni

Hi,

can someone tell me please how I deduct the background calories?
Is there a formula I can use?

For example if my HRM says I have burnt 300 calories, how do I calculate my exercise calories, those that I should eat?

I assume it is: 300 - something = exercise calories ?

Thanks so much.
H

SHBoss1673

without really wearing your HRM for a full day, it's tough to know exactly what your hourly RHR is (Resting Heart Rate) but it should generally follow the equation below.

Since we sleep for about 8 hours and our metabolism runs at about 15% less then at rest on average you would do this:

sleep calories (assuming you sleep for about 8 hours)

([maintenance calories] x [.33]) x .85 = sleeping calories

then total calories for the awake portion of the day are:

[maintenance calories] - [sleeping calories] = awake calories

then to find your hourly calorie burn at rest:

[awake calories] / 16 = hourly calorie burn when awake

for exercise cals

take total cals burned and subtract the hour (assuming you worked out for an hour, otherwise divide by the number of minutes)

for example my daily total maintenance calories is 2750
so
(2750 x .33) x .85 = about 772 calories when I sleep (again, assuming 8 hours)

so
2750 - 772 = 1978 daily awake calories

1978 divided by 16 = about 124 cals per hour I burn when awake

so if I work out for 45 minutes I need to subtract 93 calories from my total.

Hanni

Thank you, this is very helpful

Amy_B

Does MFP automatically figure that out for you if you input your owns cals based on HRM? If not, do most people on here figure it ot themselves?

Hanni

I dont know. I think MFP just adds the exercise calories you enter. That's why I asked how to deduct the bg calories so I know what to put in... :ohwell:

SHBoss1673

I dont know. I think MFP just adds the exercise calories you enter. That's why I asked how to deduct the bg calories so I know what to put in... :ohwell:

correct. it's up to you to subtract RHR calories, because MFP doesn't know if you have an HRM that pre-calculates them, some do. I think (not sure on this) the rebok one does, or maybe it's the Timex one, I forget. Someone who has one would know.