Entering exercise calories - subtract BMR/TDEE or not?

butterflyknife
butterflyknife Posts: 12 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm sure that my HRM includes basal calories burnt during exercise, and I think all other gym equipment does too. According to the BMR calculator on this site, my body burns 70 calories per hour, just by being alive.

If I do an hour of exercise and the HRM/treadmill/etc reports 500 calories burnt, should I enter 500 calories when logging this exercise in MFP, or should I log 430, ie, 500 - 70?

Follow up question: If I do have to subtract something from the number reported by the gym equipment, should it be based on BMR or TDEE?

Replies

  • ME0172
    ME0172 Posts: 200
    Enter the calories burned as it is in addition to your normal calorie burn.
  • butterflyknife
    butterflyknife Posts: 12 Member
    That's what I've been doing, but I'm not sure it's correct any more. Do you have any sources or reasoning to back this up?
  • cornfritter22
    cornfritter22 Posts: 230 Member
    I've asked your same question before. The only answer I got was not to worry about adding that extra layer of complexity...but who knows, really.

    Recently, someone shared a link to a calculator for determing net calories burned. I've been using it for only a week. Feel free to check it out.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn-conversion-calculator.aspx
  • tootoop224
    tootoop224 Posts: 281 Member
    I'm sure that my HRM includes basal calories burnt during exercise, and I think all other gym equipment does too. According to the BMR calculator on this site, my body burns 70 calories per hour, just by being alive.

    If I do an hour of exercise and the HRM/treadmill/etc reports 500 calories burnt, should I enter 500 calories when logging this exercise in MFP, or should I log 430, ie, 500 - 70?

    Follow up question: If I do have to subtract something from the number reported by the gym equipment, should it be based on BMR or TDEE?

    Assuming when you set up your activity level on MFP, you did not factor in this exercise, when you log it, you are accounting for calories burned in addition to your normal settings. From a strictly from a logical standpoint, you would use 430 as the 70 is already included in your base settings. However, if you included this exercise when setting your activity level, you wouldn't add the calories at all.

    I would say you subtract TDEE from the burn as that is what you have accounted for in your base settings.

    Remember, all of these numbers are estimates, and in the big picture, 70 calories ends up being a rounding error. If you really want to get accurate numbers, pick a method, keep track of all your calories as accurately as possible, then compare that to your results and adjust accordingly.
  • ME0172
    ME0172 Posts: 200
    Assuming when you set up your activity level on MFP, you did not factor in this exercise, when you log it, you are accounting for calories burned in addition to your normal settings.

    This is the reasoning behind it. MFP already takes into account how many calories you burn a day without exercise. When you log exercise you're logging what you've done in addition to.
  • butterflyknife
    butterflyknife Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I think I'm going to go with logging the 430, because the 70 must come out of the number of calories you're allowed as per your base settings.

    But yes, this level of detail is just being pedantic, really - there's far more errors introduced in logging calories eaten, like for example when you're logging a home-cooked meal and you have to choose an approximation to it from the list in the food database.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    You should subtract BMR calories.
    I had something like 6 hours running recorded yesterday - that's a good number of calories that are doubled with my BMR. Didn't bother logging food so a moot point, never mind that I missed the start and the end which would have made up for some of the doubled calories.
    That's with endomondo and I've raised the issue in both sites, but as you'd expect nobody is particularly interested.
  • butterflyknife
    butterflyknife Posts: 12 Member
    You should subtract BMR calories.
    I had something like 6 hours running recorded yesterday

    Thanks, that's what I've come round to. But wait - you ran for SIX HOURS yesterday - what are you, some kind of nutter? :laugh:
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Total race time was 7 hours 27 minutes I think.

    However I did have breaks at the checkpoints (which had food and drink) and of course it didn't record it all.

    32 miles, 4400ft of climbs, 90% off road. First time I've run over 11 miles (and that was flat road). To be fair, I walked most of the climbs (some of which were more 'scrambles').

    I think that answers both your questions with a 'yes'! ;)
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    geebusuk,

    I'm surprised you didn't find any info on calories burned for running? With running I've always heard it's best to keep it simple - initially just 100 calories per mile, then .63 x your body weight (lb) per mile. Of course walking shoots it down to .3 x body weight so who knows when you do a mix ;). The .63 and .3 are net calories
    Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I think I'm going to go with logging the 430, because the 70 must come out of the number of calories you're allowed as per your base settings.

    But yes, this level of detail is just being pedantic, really - there's far more errors introduced in logging calories eaten, like for example when you're logging a home-cooked meal and you have to choose an approximation to it from the list in the food database.

    NO, SIR!!! :angry: :flowerforyou:

    Contrary to that statement, eating a home cooked meal is one of the best ways to record your calorie intake accurately. If you have a food scale, you can weigh individual ingredients and input them using the MFP Recipe feature. You may have to research the ingredients which you have not purchased with a nutrition label , but that's it! This is often why it is suggested to eat more foods from home rather than restaurants, etc since you have direct control over what's in it.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I use endomondo and with a HRM strap which should give me a reasonable accurate idea of calories burnt.
    It's just that endomondo gives you a figure INCLUDING your BMR calories and then transfers that figure with BMR to mfp.

    It's pretty hilly around here and when running with others I will often make an effort up a hill, then rest at the top (endomondo set to ignore rest periods). Calories burnt per mile does noticably change depending on the terrain and so on - and does so inline with what I'd expect.

    Some of the (off road) 'walking' bits I was doing on Saturday were steep enough that hands were used as well as feet - I suspect that bumps the calories per mile up a little!

    He may have meant when someone else has cooked a meal for him - while I measure what I cook myself, it's a little cheeky to ask someone else to weigh out and note down everything they use, if they're already cooking for you as it is!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Sounds like a full body workout!

    Yeah we had someone the other day saying his "Mum" wouldn't use a food scale. :wink:

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