How to net cals without logging exercise?

Jessi_Brooks
Jessi_Brooks Posts: 759 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I havent been logging my exercise calories.. I dont because I get most of my exercise through working out on my pole, which is a combination of calisthenics, gymnastics, aerobics, dance, etc... its hard to log the calories with MFP estimates, and wearing a heart rate monitor while working on my pole doesnt seem realistic to me.

How can I go about tracking my calories without logging exercise? I still want to eat back exercise calories, or atleast half of them.

Should I just go over my calorie goal by 1-200 cals on days I work out?
Or change my life style to active or very active?
Or when I set my goals put in that I plan to workout 4-5 days a week and take MFP's calorie estimate?
Any other suggestions? :)

I track the calories I eat to a T, I weigh and measure everything. I also jog, lift weights, jump rope, I suppose if I got a heart rate monitor I could atleast track those calories..? Then maybe not bother logging pole days and still aim for that days calorie goal as is?

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Well, either you need to wear the HRM during exercise so you'll know your calorie burn, or you could calculate your BMR and TDEE, figure your exercise into your activity level, then eat at TDEE minus 15-20%, depending on what your goals are and what you're trying to lose.

    Great info and tools here for figuring our your TDEE and how much to eat: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    theres lots of pole people here too, wonder what they do/
  • CP_9712
    CP_9712 Posts: 25 Member
    They have some really nice small calorie trackers that will automatically do it for you (if you add it on MFP). Well as long as your willing to spend the money. Its under the Apps tab. Other than that you could google how many calories you burn from pole dancing and get an estimate then add a new exercise to the MFP database. This site doesn't really have many options when it comes to tracking calories burned.
  • Jessi_Brooks
    Jessi_Brooks Posts: 759 Member
    theres lots of pole people here too, wonder what they do/

    Im in a pole group. Its been asked before.. nobody really knows how to log it. It varies so much.
  • Jessi_Brooks
    Jessi_Brooks Posts: 759 Member
    The reason I dont think a heart rate monitor would work out is because at some point almost every body part has to come into contact with the pole for different grips etc. A wrist and finger watch definitely wouldnt work, and looking at pics of where the chest strap should lie... that looks like it would get in the way too.
  • mmctaw
    mmctaw Posts: 30 Member
    You can estimate your calories by using the "Strength Training" under the cardio exercise setting. It's definitely not exact but it will at least give you an estimate. To be clear, in the iPhone app you would 1) Go to Add 2) Choose Cardiovascular (not Strength) and then 3) Choose strength training. There are also other options listed under the Cardio >> All Exercises option that might be comparable like Aerobics, Belly Dancing, Calisthenics, Dancing, etc. It's not going to be exact, but it will at least give you an estimate without having to purchase another piece of equipment.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    You should log your jogging and jump roping, at least, and then perhaps bump your activity level up a notch or two to account for the rest of it?

    Telling MFP that you plan to work out 4-5 days a week won't change the base calorie estimate. You'd have to actually log the exercise for that. Upping the activity level would increase it, though.
  • Jessi_Brooks
    Jessi_Brooks Posts: 759 Member
    Thank you for your suggestion, Amy. I'll try that out and see what it puts me at for a calorie goal.
  • Jessi_Brooks
    Jessi_Brooks Posts: 759 Member
    Thanks mmctaw. Thats how Ive gone about logging it before, it just seems so inaccurate and trying to split it up based on how much time of the 1-2 hours I spent practicing tricks, or just dancing, or whichever is pretty hard to figure out, especially cuz I only use it at home, so Im not following any class. I basically just do whatever I feel like, which ends up being some dance, then practicing tricks I already know, then trying knew, harder tricks, then back to dance, then stretching, etc. Its different every time I use it.

    llkilgore, oh I thought that when you put in that your'e gonna work x amount of days for x minutes, the calorie burn it estimates, I thought they accounted for that in your calorie goal. Thanks for letting me know!

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