Why doesnt MFP track calories burned during strength??

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chatty826
chatty826 Posts: 47
in Fitness and Exercise
I get really annoyed that there is no method of tracking calories when you do strength work through this site. I know calories are being burned with I lift and it has a more lasting effect than doing cardio but when I take into account my allowed calories for the day none of that lifting is included. Some days I just do a ten minute warmup and only lifting. If I am doing crossfit style metcons then I can figure the rowing/running/jumping part of the workout but the thrusters/situps/pushups ect are all for naught with this app. You can't tell me that running 800m doing 80 situps and then running 800m only burns the calories that the two runs did.

Sigh I wish this was the one thing this app fixed because I have no idea of what my calorie amount is. Yesterday my workout was this:

20 min walk warm up
Deadlift to find 1 rep max at 221lbs which was a 10lb PR
Bench press to find 1 rep max at 111lbs

2000m row for time

then 10 min walk cool down

I only burned 306 calories according to MFP. I call bull on that.

What does anyone else who lifts weights on a regular basis do? Right now I am concerned I am not getting nearly enough calories to maintain or build muscle mass if I look at MFPs info.
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Replies

  • 1LoveChips
    1LoveChips Posts: 260 Member
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    It's covered by the FAQs; not what you wanted to hear maybe, sorry.
  • meganuhl1
    meganuhl1 Posts: 26 Member
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    You could always check into buying a heart rate monitor. Mine you enter height, age, and weight and it will calculate calories burned based of your heart rate. Good buy if you really want a more accurate calorie number. Hope this helps
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    Get a heart rate monitor. I wear mine during strength and cardio and put it all down as cardio cals. burned. I did an hour of strenght and an hour of cardio today and burn 967 cals. My HRM told me so. I like that it takes inconsideration me. My size, my age, my effort.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    You don't need to track calories burned for any exercise. I eat maintenance and then use exercising to create a deficit.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
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    In - for the first person to remind everyone that you can't track calorie burn for anaerobic activity with a heart rate monitor.

    There - I said it.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    The easy part to address is the logging issue - log your calories under the cardio category "circuit training, general".

    Estimating your calories is the hard part - options are to use the default numbers, guess, or use a HRM even though the numbers are likely to be very inaccurate as you aren't using a HRM in the way intended (or calibrated).

    Whatever method you use you just have to accept that the numbers are more of a "guesstimate" than an estimate.
    In the end you can adjust your calorie intake according to your actual results so no need to stress too much over something which is difficult/impossible to quantify.

    I mostly wear my HRM as I use one anyway for my cardio and as I tend to train in a circuit training style with elevated heartrate the numbers I get seem a reasonable guess.
  • chatty826
    chatty826 Posts: 47
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    You don't need to track calories burned for any exercise. I eat maintenance and then use exercising to create a deficit.

    MFP calorie amount is set up for with a deficit as in I created a plan to loose x amount of weight and it gave me a daily calorie amount to do that. So that is less calories than needed to maintain. If I burn 600 of those calories I should eat them back ideally or get close to it. I lift heavy weights I don't want my muscle mass wasting away because I didn't eat enough.
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
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    The calorie burn for strength training is under 'cardio', oddly. It seems to be more accurate than other estimates, weirdly.

    1 Hour lifting puts me somewhere about 200 calories, which sounds about right.
  • chatty826
    chatty826 Posts: 47
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    The easy part to address is the logging issue - log your calories under the cardio category "circuit training, general".

    Wohooo great suggestion thanks! I don't really live by the calorie count here but I like looking at it as a ball park. I lost the weight I did before MFP (165lbs) by just clean eating and working out. Never tracked a thing but I have found the last bit of weight loss requires more effort. My body does not want to loose this last 40lbs.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    You don't need to track calories burned for any exercise. I eat maintenance and then use exercising to create a deficit.

    Great idea!
  • nessagrace22
    nessagrace22 Posts: 430 Member
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    Calories burned on mfp is only an guesstimate anyway so if you are really concerned about getting the correct number then the best thing to do is invest in a heart rate monitor (although even that isn't a 100%).

    MFP is a free tool, I think people expect too much.
  • chatty826
    chatty826 Posts: 47
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    Calories burned on mfp is only an guesstimate anyway so if you are really concerned about getting the correct number then the best thing to do is invest in a heart rate monitor (although even that isn't a 100%).

    MFP is a free tool, I think people expect too much.

    I know its a free tool but it would still be nice to have that ability. Nothing is ever going to be 100% but right now if 90% of my workouts are lifting then all of that isn't tracked in calories. The person above made a great suggestion by logging it as circuit training. BTW not all people can afford a HRM I am currently volunteering in Uganda all my money goes to help other people out even if I could find one here I would not buy one.
  • HANGRYFEEDME
    HANGRYFEEDME Posts: 89
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    You should not use a HRM for strength training...it will not be accurate.
  • sausens
    sausens Posts: 39 Member
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    Add exercise - Cardiovascular - Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I get really annoyed that there is no method of tracking calories when you do strength work through this site. I know calories are being burned with I lift and it has a more lasting effect than doing cardio but when I take into account my allowed calories for the day none of that lifting is included. Some days I just do a ten minute warmup and only lifting. If I am doing crossfit style metcons then I can figure the rowing/running/jumping part of the workout but the thrusters/situps/pushups ect are all for naught with this app. You can't tell me that running 800m doing 80 situps and then running 800m only burns the calories that the two runs did.

    Sigh I wish this was the one thing this app fixed because I have no idea of what my calorie amount is. Yesterday my workout was this:

    20 min walk warm up
    Deadlift to find 1 rep max at 221lbs which was a 10lb PR
    Bench press to find 1 rep max at 111lbs

    2000m row for time

    then 10 min walk cool down

    I only burned 306 calories according to MFP. I call bull on that.

    What does anyone else who lifts weights on a regular basis do? Right now I am concerned I am not getting nearly enough calories to maintain or build muscle mass if I look at MFPs info.

    I'm not 100% sure how accurate it is, but this article gives a formula based on body weight and intensity

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/338469-how-to-calculate-calories-burned-weight-lifting/
  • jollyjoe321
    jollyjoe321 Posts: 529 Member
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    In - for the first person to remind everyone that you can't track calorie burn for anaerobic activity with a heart rate monitor.

    There - I said it.

    /thread
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    you can log the length of time under cardio

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