I'm Bailing on the HRM (and Exercise Calories in General)

Spokez70

So I've been eating more to weigh less for 3+ months now and all is going very well.

I started EM2WL on 3/27/12 right after coming back from a 10-day Disney vacation and unable to face going back to very restrictive calories, no energy, etc. plan I was on prior to vacation. Since then I have dropped 25 pounds (286-261 lbs) and lost 7" around my waist. But the best part is the huge increase in energy- back in March my workouts were pretty much a 30-min walk on the treadmill 3-4 times a week which I hated and had to force myself just to do it. Whereas now I am hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking all together probably 6-12 hours a week and sometimes more and I love it- get really irritable if I miss it. I run up the steps at work- I practically jog behind the lawn mower- I feel so much better it's unbelievable.

And through all this I have meticulously worn a HRM and logged all of these exercise burned calories even though I don't eat them back directly- my eating plan is based on http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ and I know that where I am in this process right now my BMR is 2234 and my TDEE is between 3855 and 4246 (I'm kind of on the line between the settings for 5-6 Hrs vs. 7-21 Hrs. strenuous exercise.) With a 15% cut I know that I'm going to try to eat 3277 calories a day and if it's a week of big activity like this week is (my wife and kids are out of town so I have more time to myself ) then the high end is 300 or so extra calories.

So I'm thinking what is the point of tracking exercise calories anyway? I don't need the HRM to tell me if I'm pushing myself or half-assing it. I think all I need to worry about is work out hard- hit the hours- and reassess the above numbers if/when my weight or activity level changes. Am I missing something?

booyainyoface

good point...

i stick to my HRM because it helps keep me motivated... i'm a visual person, and seeing that number helps keep me accountable!

divediva2

Correct me if I am wrong here, but are you eating TDEE -15% based on 5-6 hours??? if so and you are exercising more hours then you should be upping your calories to match your hours, so move to the 7-21 hours category of TDEE-15% if that is where your exercise level is.

Sounds like you are having a blast with all that kayaking, hiking and stuff. And it sounds like you are very happy too. Congrats on that. Feels great when you can do what you love doesn't it. I would ditch the HRM unless you need it for a medical condition. I have a Fit bit, love it. No heart rate but it does measure my steps, distance, stairs, calories burned and best part, my sleep patterns. I did some number crunching with it and compared to the scooby numbers, they are very similar so I am happy with that.

Have you ever considered adding some strength training into your mix? personally I am loving it. All the best to you, you are doing a fantastic job!

Spokez70

Correct me if I am wrong here, but are you eating TDEE -15% based on 5-6 hours??? if so and you are exercising more hours then you should be upping your calories to match your hours, so move to the 7-21 hours category of TDEE-15% if that is where your exercise level is.

I'm kind of in the middle- some weeks it's around 6 hrs then some weeks it's more. My MFP settings reflect the 6hr range but if I'm having a big week it's only like 300 more cal's a day. Also the Scoobys Workshop site says 'strenuous' which is kind of subjective too.

Have you ever considered adding some strength training into your mix? personally I am loving it. All the best to you, you are doing a fantastic job!

I do a little with weights- maybe 30min 1-2x a week. I also think ocean kayaking and mountain biking are more than just cardio like on an exercise bike.