If you're doing cardio on non-lifting days, it's still considered a workout and you would need to eat at the higher calorie amount for workout days. The idea of non-workout vs. workout days is that you are actually resting on non-workout days and not doing any lifting or cardio. So if you are doing a workout, then you need to eat the amount of calories calculated for workout days. If it's just light cardio (under 300 calories burned) then I wouldn't adjust what you have already calculated for your workout days. If it's more than that, then you should probably adjust your calories up by any amount over 300. Just my two cents.

It's really all a guessing game, even with a HRM. Try what you're doing for at least a month and see where you are. If it's not working then tweak it and try again for another month.

I eat my HRM cardio calories on non-lifting days, and I've lost 7 lb. since I started NROLFW (I've completed stages 1-3). I do NOT want my body to burn the muscle I'm working so hard on with lifting, and I do NOT want to slow down my metabolism so I can burn off lots more extra fat.

Some days, I even drink a protein shake after a cardio workout, to help me meet the 30% protein goal.

I eat my HRM cardio calories on non-lifting days, and I've lost 7 lb. since I started NROLFW (I've completed stages 1-3). I do NOT want my body to burn the muscle I'm working so hard on with lifting, and I do NOT want to slow down my metabolism so I can burn off lots more extra fat.

Some days, I even drink a protein shake after a cardio workout, to help me meet the 30% protein goal.

Are you eating at a calorie deficit? I would like to lose fat still doing NROL4W whilst maintaining the musle I have.

Yes, my base calories are approx. 1400, based on the calculations in the book for a 300 cal. deficit (my BMI is over 25, and my age is over 35, which is why my base cals are relatively low, for NROLFW, at least). I typically burn 600-1000 calories on workout days, and usually eat most/all of them (maybe some days I leave 100-200, but rarely more than that).

So are you setting MFP at 1400 and eating burned calories on both days? Or are you eating cardio calories on non-workout days and the higher NROLW number on workout days? Thanks.

Yes, that's exactly what I did. Set my MFP base to 1400 (with custom macros for 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat), and then I eat back exercise calories whether it's cardio or lifting.

I eat my HRM cardio calories on non-lifting days, and I've lost 7 lb. since I started NROLFW (I've completed stages 1-3). I do NOT want my body to burn the muscle I'm working so hard on with lifting, and I do NOT want to slow down my metabolism so I can burn off lots more extra fat.

Some days, I even drink a protein shake after a cardio workout, to help me meet the 30% protein goal.

Are you eating at a calorie deficit? I would like to lose fat still doing NROL4W whilst maintaining the musle I have.

Yes, my base calories are approx. 1400, based on the calculations in the book for a 300 cal. deficit (my BMI is over 25, and my age is over 35, which is why my base cals are relatively low, for NROLFW, at least). I typically burn 600-1000 calories on workout days, and usually eat most/all of them (maybe some days I leave 100-200, but rarely more than that).

thanks for the response, your way makes more sense to me; less fear of over estimating each xercise calories and more motivation to do some additional cardio (I need to work on my stamina still as well as i'm very unfit!)