Eating back your calories

Ayla70
Ayla70 Posts: 284 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
...and not losing weight?

I think people need to be far more aware of the massive differences between the calories you burn in whatever workout/session/sport you do, as opposed to what MFP says you burn.

Today I bought a HRM that calculates it all based on height, weight, age etc. I had already noticed a massive difference between what MFP logs things as and what the machines at the gym do. But the HRM I wore today matched in heart rate to the machines, but the calories burnt were a LOT less than what MFP says.

So if you're eating back calories, and not losing weight, this could very well be why. You might not be on a plateau at all. You simply might be eating too many calories!

Replies

  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    ...and this is why I need an HRM! I rarely eat back my exercise calories, but I'm always worried that MFP doesn't give me the correct amount of calories burned when I run. When I work out on the WiiFit, I agree with their calories burned, but if I'm doing something off of that, like running or walking, etc. I feel like it isn't accurate.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    They need to figure out their weekly burn and either set MFP up for eating back cals or just dont log exercises and do a mild cut on cals.

    IE my fitbit.

    Weekly I burn XXXXX.
    I divided that by 7 and got my TDEE daily.

    I cut 20% off that because i'm already lean but not lean enough.
    Set mfp and go!
  • levstein
    levstein Posts: 74
    This is excellent information as I have been considering buying a hrm please can you tell me the make and model you have?
  • SteveTries
    SteveTries Posts: 723 Member
    You should also be aware that the HRM is also just estimating. The difference between it and MFP is that the HRM estimate is based on YOUR heart rate through the exercise period and then it uses statistical data averaged accross population samples to calculate your calorie burn. It's not actually calculating your actual true burn. It's going to be way closer than MFP but you should keep in mind that it too is an estimate. Considering this it's important to observe your weight loss/gain patterns for a while and then decide if it's over or underestimating for you.
  • Ayla70
    Ayla70 Posts: 284 Member
    This is excellent information as I have been considering buying a hrm please can you tell me the make and model you have?

    Although I would LOVE a fitbit...the one I got is an Oregon Scientific brand. Model number SZ901. It was only $49.95 Aussie dollars.

    It has the strap you wear around your chest, and a watch. I had to get my son to set it though lol.
  • levstein
    levstein Posts: 74
    Thank you for your reply : D
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    This is excellent information as I have been considering buying a hrm please can you tell me the make and model you have?

    I use a polar ft7 and I love it :) Wasn't too expensive, but it's a worthwhile investment anyway
  • Ayla70
    Ayla70 Posts: 284 Member
    Thank you for your reply : D

    You're very welcome :)
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Hmmmm. See, I view this differently. For one, I notice that my HRM and MFP are close enough. I don't know how "accurate" accurate has to be for some people. But, plus or minus 100 cals, and that's good enough for me. I have never seen MFP outside that range as compared to my HRM.

    I hope folks realize that all HRMs do is monitor your heart rate. Right? You understand that it has no idea how many calories you burn. What an HRM does is take your heart rate, and run it through an algorithm that some 12-year-old genius developed, and estimates a calorie burn, with ESTIMATES, being the key word there. It doesn't really know how many calories you burn.

    What an HRM is good for is monitoring your heart rate. Lol. So, when you do aerobic exercise, you can stay in the zone. I push for 80% of max heart rate for 45 minutes or so. You can google to find out where you should be in terms of the heart rate zone for maximum cardio workout.

    So, back to my original proposal, i wouldn't really worry about how "off" MFP is. It's not that off. If you're not losing weight at some calorie level, change something...eat less, eat more, workout harder. There are really 2 simple variables, how much you eat, and the effort you put into your workouts.

    One last important variable does have to do with what you eat. This argument goes back and forth, but I think the quality of food is important. When I look at people's diaries, I see so much junk food and fast food that it surprises me a lot. Whole foods, berries, fruit, veggies, good quality lean meats, and water. That's it.

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