Why doesn't MFP give me more?

crewellademel
crewellademel Posts: 168 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone know why I get extra calories to eat with cardiowork but MFP doesn't assess any additional food calories for strength training excercises? :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • SaraTonin
    SaraTonin Posts: 551 Member
    You'll have to log strength training under cardio.
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
    You have to still log everything under "Cardio" just do a search of the type of lifting/training you did. The other section is more for your own notes on how many you did etc.
  • talysshade
    talysshade Posts: 273 Member
    So.. if i do crunches.. how hsould i log that under cardio? they're not there.. and i have no idea how many calories i burn doing crunches
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    Because strength training varies far too much in terms of calorie burn for mfp to have a database on - you need to have your own heart rate monitor or some other way to gauge it, and then stick it underr cardio.
  • zaz936
    zaz936 Posts: 68 Member
    Thank you for the question! I'm new as well and couldn't figure out why it wasn't giving any calories to the strength training while I'm pretty sure it burns some as well as cardio.

    I'll keep reading on here!
  • talysshade
    talysshade Posts: 273 Member
    so since there's no way i can afford a meter like that.. i'm just better off not logging it at all?
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    The reason it doesn't is because it is impossible for mfp to know how many sets you lifted in how much time, and how hard that was for you body. .. so it cant calculate your calorie burn like cardio.

    cardio is math your weight times how fast your moving at what pace...

    there are too many factors to guessing your calorie burn when weight lifting...

    you can enter it under cardio. but the calculations are sure to be off.. be careful to not over estimate and then over eat causing weight gain... its better just to not log it under cardio and then eat all of your cardio calories burned.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    The reason MFP doesn't give you extra calories is because there is no way for them to measure your heart rate when you are lifting. You can lift 5 lbs and there is no way to say what impact it will have on you vs me or anyone else. Think of it as free exercise that will have a return on investment, in the terms of building muscle which will burn more calories down the road. You may not get to eat them, but they will still help.
  • AndyAt160lbs
    AndyAt160lbs Posts: 44 Member
    I had the same question.....makes no sense.
  • Madmumlee
    Madmumlee Posts: 25 Member
    It is all just a guideline, as when you weight train you continue to burn more calories for longer too.
  • wmjrigo
    wmjrigo Posts: 69 Member
    They kinda generalize it all under strength training. A more accurate way would be to wear a good HRM. Next, I guess you could Google it. I’m sure some site will have it. Then you could create a custom exercise and post it under that.
  • stitcherbeth
    stitcherbeth Posts: 52
    Your best way to know what calories you have burned is to buy a heart rate monitor (Called HRM for short). Then you will know what you burn with each activity.
  • alpha2omega
    alpha2omega Posts: 229 Member
    The easiest way to do this is take your pulse periodically for 10 or 15 seconds. You can average out your heart rate and plug it in the following calculator. This will tell you roughly how many calories you have burned. The exercise itself doesnt matter. Your heart rate and duration of heart rate is what dictates your calorie burn.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx
  • kamk16
    kamk16 Posts: 205
    I don't log calories for strength training. I feel like calories as a whole are all an estimate so who says 1 banana is 105 calories maybe mine only contained 90 because it was smaller or had a spot I didn't eat. I also don't feel like just because it says I burned 500 calories doing ellipitical that I burned exactly that so any calories I burn with strength exercises I just feel is extra towards my deficit of calories that way if I forgot to log a cup of coffee or miss calculated calories burned I still should be good:smile:
  • NikkiDerrig386
    NikkiDerrig386 Posts: 1,096 Member
    The best solution id a HRM it will give you an accurate reading based on your height, age, and sex.
  • JWeaser
    JWeaser Posts: 302
    so since there's no way i can afford a meter like that.. i'm just better off not logging it at all?

    Under cardio search for "Sit up" it will give you two options but rather than enter how many you did, you enter how many minutes you did them. Like everyone else says though, it's just a guideline.
  • eeeekie
    eeeekie Posts: 1,011 Member
    so since there's no way i can afford a meter like that.. i'm just better off not logging it at all?

    I got mine for $29...they aren't all that expensive. It was on clearance from $129
  • mizfrankie
    mizfrankie Posts: 100
    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

    This website is amaaaazing!! It tells you how many calories you burn for anything. Everything. Crunches, lunges, weights, etc, etc, etc...
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