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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?
Replies
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French_Peasant wrote: »I think the "don't log it" perspective is an important and valuable perspective for people to hear and consider. How many of us have people on our feeds who regularly log 20 minutes of light cleaning, and then complain that they don't lose weight?
In thinking about this, I have my maintenance calories set at 1380 when they should be somewhat higher; I tend to be sloppy on a lot of my logging and this buffer accommodates for the sloppiness, as well as the gardening days where I am, say, spending too much time working on a knot or repairing some netting or staking tomatoes instead of digging the potatoes or some such. I guess we all have our work-arounds.
This is exactly why I think most people should not. I had one person in my feed that would log light cleaning, shopping and walking the dog for 10 minutes. After 6 years they had lost 20 lbs and complained constantly about how hard it was to lose. They had to go.
Something vigorous and or sustained, I can see it. But a little weeding the front flower bed? Not so much.
There may or may not be an entry for "walking--pushing shopping cart" in the database. I only know this because...um... I asked for a friend way back in the day.
8 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
okay then let me ask you a couple of questions then.
how many people log their food accurately? (guesstimate)
Do you need physical activity to lose weight?
was is done to improve your health and/or fitness? (if yes then it's exercise)
If all are answered no or none..then there is why I make the distinction, because that activity is moot when it comes down to it and in the larger scheme of things that one activity is not going to make or break your weight loss but if you log them all that could break it.
To me it makes sense to you maybe not...
As someone who does log as accurately as she can manage and who is also a data geek, I want data as accurate as I can reasonably make it, during weight loss.
From this data, when I've accumulated enough of it, I can more accurately estimate my NEAT/TDEE, predict my fat loss for the week independent of water weight fluctuations, and assess the impact of an over-calorie-goal indulgence I'm considering (in terms of days delay to ultimate goal, number of days at standard deficit needed to cancel out the extra, or indulgence pounds gained).
Since part of the fun part of weight loss for me was treating it - metaphorically - as a science fair project, I want that extra (minor, but easy) accuracy. So I carefully, conservatively logged anything significant that wasn't part of my activity level.
Lost just fine, doing it, too - and eating back the most of it, besides.
Edited: typo
I think if you have the time and patience to track everything and the calories aren't already accounted for in your activity level settings, then I think it is a good method for you.
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French_Peasant wrote: »French_Peasant wrote: »I think the "don't log it" perspective is an important and valuable perspective for people to hear and consider. How many of us have people on our feeds who regularly log 20 minutes of light cleaning, and then complain that they don't lose weight?
In thinking about this, I have my maintenance calories set at 1380 when they should be somewhat higher; I tend to be sloppy on a lot of my logging and this buffer accommodates for the sloppiness, as well as the gardening days where I am, say, spending too much time working on a knot or repairing some netting or staking tomatoes instead of digging the potatoes or some such. I guess we all have our work-arounds.
This is exactly why I think most people should not. I had one person in my feed that would log light cleaning, shopping and walking the dog for 10 minutes. After 6 years they had lost 20 lbs and complained constantly about how hard it was to lose. They had to go.
Something vigorous and or sustained, I can see it. But a little weeding the front flower bed? Not so much.
There may or may not be an entry for "walking--pushing shopping cart" in the database. I only know this because...um... I asked for a friend way back in the day.
1 -
I can see both sides of the equation in this. But I see a distinction. If I am doing a little yard work for an hour or 2, I'm not going to log that. I see it as part of N.E.A.T. and it will all come out in the wash with any overestimating of burns and underestimating of calories over the week. If I am going out and splitting firewood for the afternoon, I might log it. In either event, I have a Fitbit, so if it is an "increase in HRM type activity", it'll get captured. And while the Fitbit is not 100% accurate, I know the windage on it well enough.
That being said, I don't do a high deficit and I may only slightly eat more no matter what I log or what Fitbit says because I think there is enough inaccuracy on all sides of the equation that I am going to be conservative. I eat around 2000 cals per day. I'm not close to the edge. I've got margin for error.
I try to always bear in mind that the 2 most common reasons why people struggle to lose when tracking calories is overestimating burns and underestimating food intake.
Close behind in struggling: The people who go for an aggressively low calorie goal, add a heap of exercise they don't eat back (because MFP overestimates, or some such), on top of an active daily life . . . then regularly fall for deficit-destroying binges, engage in self-recrimination ("I'm a failure!") and give up.
Yes, the occasional uneaten extra exercise is not a certain weight loss breaker, but there are slippery slopes and pitfalls on both sides of the exercise-counting path.
The example I drew is extreme . . . but so is the "logs daily dishwashing and fails to lose" example. At the narrow margins, both happen.
12 -
French_Peasant wrote: »I think the "don't log it" perspective is an important and valuable perspective for people to hear and consider. How many of us have people on our feeds who regularly log 20 minutes of light cleaning, and then complain that they don't lose weight?
In thinking about this, I have my maintenance calories set at 1380 when they should be somewhat higher; I tend to be sloppy on a lot of my logging and this buffer accommodates for the sloppiness, as well as the gardening days where I am, say, spending too much time working on a knot or repairing some netting or staking tomatoes instead of digging the potatoes or some such. I guess we all have our work-arounds.
This basically summarizes how I feel about this. Whether an individual chooses to log these sort of "day to day activities" as exercise or not really should be determined by how they intend to use the data, and whether or not they are seeing the results they desire overall. I also have a FitBit, and so I don't need to log the activities like shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc - but my FitBit is capturing them as part of my overall activity level and I eat back my calories, so how would it be different if I did log it and eat them back? I reached my weight loss goal and am maintaining for a few years now, so it has worked for me. But I've seen plenty of people logging things that I would not, and these are often people that complain about not getting results.
I think the issue comes in when (and I may have been guilty of this in the beginning too) people think that they need to get "credit" for any activity they do JUST so that they can eat the extra calories. When people start thinking "gosh, there's an exercise entry for stretching that would give me an extra 30 calories which means that I can have a little bigger slice of cake" (again, that may have been me in the very beginning but I'm not naming names) that's when the problems come in. Those kinds of decisions in which the tail wags the dog, often, if not changed over time, can derail progress toward goal. Fortunately I think most people who stick around realize this and find a method that works for them overall. Maybe they get a FitBit like me, or maybe they stop logging it and just use that sort of activity as a buffer for inaccurate logging (I think this is what Steff was saying). But as I think most of us agree here, there isn't a one sized fits all approach to using MFP.
6 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
okay then let me ask you a couple of questions then.
how many people log their food accurately? (guesstimate)
Do you need physical activity to lose weight?
was is done to improve your health and/or fitness? (if yes then it's exercise)
If all are answered no or none..then there is why I make the distinction, because that activity is moot when it comes down to it and in the larger scheme of things that one activity is not going to make or break your weight loss but if you log them all that could break it.
To me it makes sense to you maybe not...
As someone who does log as accurately as she can manage and who is also a data geek, I want data as accurate as I can reasonably make it, during weight loss.
From this data, when I've accumulated enough of it, I can more accurately estimate my NEAT/TDEE, predict my fat loss for the week independent of water weight fluctuations, and assess the impact of an over-calorie-goal indulgence I'm considering (in terms of days delay to ultimate goal, number of days at standard deficit needed to cancel out the extra, or indulgence pounds gained).
Since part of the fun part of weight loss for me was treating it - metaphorically - as a science fair project, I want that extra (minor, but easy) accuracy. So I carefully, conservatively logged anything significant that wasn't part of my activity level.
Lost just fine, doing it, too - and eating back the most of it, besides.
Edited: typo
I went through a similar phase early on. Still remembering a day where I burned over 1500 calories and this was reported in my feed something to the effect "Burned 1500 calories Stretching".
Over time I realized that I'm not at the point yet where this data will pay off. If I get below 10% body fat this level of detail may pay off, but that's on the 2018 goals.1 -
I can see both sides of the equation in this. But I see a distinction. If I am doing a little yard work for an hour or 2, I'm not going to log that. I see it as part of N.E.A.T. and it will all come out in the wash with any overestimating of burns and underestimating of calories over the week. If I am going out and splitting firewood for the afternoon, I might log it. In either event, I have a Fitbit, so if it is an "increase in HRM type activity", it'll get captured. And while the Fitbit is not 100% accurate, I know the windage on it well enough.
That being said, I don't do a high deficit and I may only slightly eat more no matter what I log or what Fitbit says because I think there is enough inaccuracy on all sides of the equation that I am going to be conservative. I eat around 2000 cals per day. I'm not close to the edge. I've got margin for error.
I try to always bear in mind that the 2 most common reasons why people struggle to lose when tracking calories is overestimating burns and underestimating food intake.
Close behind in struggling: The people who go for an aggressively low calorie goal, add a heap of exercise they don't eat back (because MFP overestimates, or some such), on top of an active daily life . . . then regularly fall for deficit-destroying binges, engage in self-recrimination ("I'm a failure!") and give up.
Yes, the occasional uneaten extra exercise is not a certain weight loss breaker, but there are slippery slopes and pitfalls on both sides of the exercise-counting path.
The example I drew is extreme . . . but so is the "logs daily dishwashing and fails to lose" example. At the narrow margins, both happen.
Yes, I agree! That would make the top 5 list of reasons people fail. Well said!0 -
So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP DOES pull the most useless value from Google Fit... steps. It gives this a calorie value and wants to add to my budget for the day but an hour and a half of pounding the heaviest weights I can manage with good form doesn't count??
Ultimately I am now logging in 2 apps and entering my training in Google Fit... this completely defeats the purpose of automation!
The question (finally)...
Is there a way to enter my lifting in MFP that would make sense?
I would be perfectly happy with a generic "intense weight training" and the length of the session giving me a rough calorie estimate. That's what FS, Google Fit, and LG Health all do. (but MFP only pulls "steps")
Again, I don't want it to change my calorie budget, but I would like to have the information available to see if I'm running a deficit, surplus, or maintenance.1 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »
okay then let me ask you a couple of questions then.
how many people log their food accurately? (guesstimate)
Do you need physical activity to lose weight?
was is done to improve your health and/or fitness? (if yes then it's exercise)
If all are answered no or none..then there is why I make the distinction, because that activity is moot when it comes down to it and in the larger scheme of things that one activity is not going to make or break your weight loss but if you log them all that could break it.
To me it makes sense to you maybe not...
I do
No
Anything I do that is not sitting on my backside helps my fitness. Yes, even spading and tilling our extremely heavy clay soil.
I only log what is out of the norm. All other household/living activity gets added in to my steps so yes, I get extra calories.
It neither makes or breaks my weight loss because I pay attention to both calories in and calories out and make adjustments as needed. Working very well so far.
I think my point is being missed on purpose...
No one is 100% accurate in logging...we can't be, we can do what we can but in the long run it's all just a guesstimate and usually people are on the wrong side of it
No you don't need exercise to lose weight
and the question was "was it done to improve your health and/or fitness" and you don't till for that you till to have a garden, to mix the soil etc...it might help it a bit but it wasn't done for that sole purpose which is what exercise is...done for the sole purpose of increasing health and/or fitness.
anyway I won't be changing people's minds they have their own way which is fine, great even...
the difference here is I can say I see why people see it the other way...I don't agree but I can see why...
So to fix this logging inaccuracy you advocate deliberately making your logging even less accurate by randomly excluding calorie burning activities because they may have been done for other reasons than fitness. Or even fitness plus other reasons?
What a peculiar way to calorie count or estimate.
Excluding data doesn't improve accuracy - that's basic mathematics.
17 -
jamesakrobinson wrote: »So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP DOES pull the most useless value from Google Fit... steps. It gives this a calorie value and wants to add to my budget for the day but an hour and a half of pounding the heaviest weights I can manage with good form doesn't count??
Ultimately I am now logging in 2 apps and entering my training in Google Fit... this completely defeats the purpose of automation!
The question (finally)...
Is there a way to enter my lifting in MFP that would make sense?
I would be perfectly happy with a generic "intense weight training" and the length of the session giving me a rough calorie estimate. That's what FS, Google Fit, and LG Health all do. (but MFP only pulls "steps")
Again, I don't want it to change my calorie budget, but I would like to have the information available to see if I'm running a deficit, surplus, or maintenance.
"Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)" is an entry in the MFP "cardio" exercise database, and has a (low) calorie burn estimate attached.2 -
@jamesakrobinson look for your lifting calorie burn under cardio, you are at the moment just keeping a record.
Some find it inaccurate, I find it spot on.
Cheers, h.
Oops, you have faster fingers than me Ann.
2 -
So to fix this logging inaccuracy you advocate deliberately making your logging even less accurate by randomly excluding calorie burning activities because they may have been done for other reasons than fitness. Or even fitness plus other reasons?
What a peculiar way to calorie count or estimate.
Excluding data doesn't improve accuracy - that's basic mathematics.
I don't know. If it works for her, it works. We all know we are not 100% accurate and need to adjust based on the actual weight gain/loss, so if she is losing or maintaining or gaining according to plan, then it is fine.
I won't do it that way and would never recommend it, but to each their own.
2 -
@mmapagsFrench_Peasant wrote: »I think the "don't log it" perspective is an important and valuable perspective for people to hear and consider. How many of us have people on our feeds who regularly log 20 minutes of light cleaning, and then complain that they don't lose weight?
In thinking about this, I have my maintenance calories set at 1380 when they should be somewhat higher; I tend to be sloppy on a lot of my logging and this buffer accommodates for the sloppiness, as well as the gardening days where I am, say, spending too much time working on a knot or repairing some netting or staking tomatoes instead of digging the potatoes or some such. I guess we all have our work-arounds.
This is exactly why I think most people should not. I had one person in my feed that would log light cleaning, shopping and walking the dog for 10 minutes. After 6 years they had lost 20 lbs and complained constantly about how hard it was to lose. They had to go.
Something vigorous and or sustained, I can see it. But a little weeding the front flower bed? Not so much.
My view is that it's a matter of degree and significance to an individual.
My 15 minute walk or 5 minute cycle to my local station is a regular and normal part of my life. When I choose to do a 4 mile round trip to the next station I figure that just compensates for days I work from home.
But when the trains are out of service and I cycle a 36 round trip to work because if I don't turn up for work I don't get paid that's significant. It's not for fitness but my body doesn't know that.
Same I apply to my gardening - regular maintenance is part of life and not logged but if I spend hours cutting down a tree and logging/shredding it then that's significant.
For me I work on roughly 10% of my base calories as being significant. Which is a fair amount for me on a high calorie allowance but not a lot of calories for the infamous 1200 cals a day crew.
It might even motivate people to be more active which is only a good thing.
3 -
middlehaitch wrote: »@jamesakrobinson look for your lifting calorie burn under cardio, you are at the moment just keeping a record.
Some find it inaccurate, I find it spot on.
Cheers, h.
Oops, you have faster fingers than me Ann.
Thanks!0 -
jamesakrobinson wrote: »So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP DOES pull the most useless value from Google Fit... steps. It gives this a calorie value and wants to add to my budget for the day but an hour and a half of pounding the heaviest weights I can manage with good form doesn't count??
Ultimately I am now logging in 2 apps and entering my training in Google Fit... this completely defeats the purpose of automation!
The question (finally)...
Is there a way to enter my lifting in MFP that would make sense?
I would be perfectly happy with a generic "intense weight training" and the length of the session giving me a rough calorie estimate. That's what FS, Google Fit, and LG Health all do. (but MFP only pulls "steps")
Again, I don't want it to change my calorie budget, but I would like to have the information available to see if I'm running a deficit, surplus, or maintenance.
"Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)" is an entry in the MFP "cardio" exercise database, and has a (low) calorie burn estimate attached.
Thanks!1 -
jamesakrobinson wrote: »So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
You can do everything in grams if you find the correct entries. When I'm logging, that's generally what I do.FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP allows you to list strength exercises specifically in that section, without a caloric value, or to list it in the cardio section as "general weight training" or things like that. You can change the calories to whatever you think is appropriate and create your own entries too.
If you want it for the data, I'd do both, I guess. (I use the TDEE method where I don't log back specific exercises for calories but like to share them sometimes or have a record, so when I'm logging them I change the calorie count to 1 anyway.)0 -
jamesakrobinson wrote: »So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP DOES pull the most useless value from Google Fit... steps. It gives this a calorie value and wants to add to my budget for the day but an hour and a half of pounding the heaviest weights I can manage with good form doesn't count??
Ultimately I am now logging in 2 apps and entering my training in Google Fit... this completely defeats the purpose of automation!
The question (finally)...
Is there a way to enter my lifting in MFP that would make sense?
I would be perfectly happy with a generic "intense weight training" and the length of the session giving me a rough calorie estimate. That's what FS, Google Fit, and LG Health all do. (but MFP only pulls "steps")
Again, I don't want it to change my calorie budget, but I would like to have the information available to see if I'm running a deficit, surplus, or maintenance.
"Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)" is an entry in the MFP "cardio" exercise database, and has a (low) calorie burn estimate attached.
I track my strength training calories with my HRM and it generally gives me a calorie burn of 3-4 calories per minute, which is ballpark what the tables estimate. My unpopular opinion is that HRMs provide reasonable calorie burn estimates, even for non-steady state exercises.6 -
jamesakrobinson wrote: »So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP DOES pull the most useless value from Google Fit... steps. It gives this a calorie value and wants to add to my budget for the day but an hour and a half of pounding the heaviest weights I can manage with good form doesn't count??
Ultimately I am now logging in 2 apps and entering my training in Google Fit... this completely defeats the purpose of automation!
The question (finally)...
Is there a way to enter my lifting in MFP that would make sense?
I would be perfectly happy with a generic "intense weight training" and the length of the session giving me a rough calorie estimate. That's what FS, Google Fit, and LG Health all do. (but MFP only pulls "steps")
Again, I don't want it to change my calorie budget, but I would like to have the information available to see if I'm running a deficit, surplus, or maintenance.
In addition to what @AnnPT77 said, MFP also has database entries that you can log in grams and ml. You may have to search for them, but get into the habit of entering a food in the following patter, "chicken, breast, cooked, usda" into the database when you're searching. It takes a little time to build your recent foods, but once you do logging in accurate measurements is a cinch.
You seem to be new to the MFP site. I'd advise spending some time going through the stickies and learning the ins and outs of the app; you'd probably get a lot more functionality out of it.3 -
@mmapagsFrench_Peasant wrote: »I think the "don't log it" perspective is an important and valuable perspective for people to hear and consider. How many of us have people on our feeds who regularly log 20 minutes of light cleaning, and then complain that they don't lose weight?
In thinking about this, I have my maintenance calories set at 1380 when they should be somewhat higher; I tend to be sloppy on a lot of my logging and this buffer accommodates for the sloppiness, as well as the gardening days where I am, say, spending too much time working on a knot or repairing some netting or staking tomatoes instead of digging the potatoes or some such. I guess we all have our work-arounds.
This is exactly why I think most people should not. I had one person in my feed that would log light cleaning, shopping and walking the dog for 10 minutes. After 6 years they had lost 20 lbs and complained constantly about how hard it was to lose. They had to go.
Something vigorous and or sustained, I can see it. But a little weeding the front flower bed? Not so much.
My view is that it's a matter of degree and significance to an individual.
My 15 minute walk or 5 minute cycle to my local station is a regular and normal part of my life. When I choose to do a 4 mile round trip to the next station I figure that just compensates for days I work from home.
But when the trains are out of service and I cycle a 36 round trip to work because if I don't turn up for work I don't get paid that's significant. It's not for fitness but my body doesn't know that.
Same I apply to my gardening - regular maintenance is part of life and not logged but if I spend hours cutting down a tree and logging/shredding it then that's significant.
For me I work on roughly 10% of my base casame lories as being significant. Which is a fair amount for me on a high calorie allowance but not a lot of calories for the infamous 1200 cals a day crew.
It might even motivate people to be more active which is only a good thing.
Yup, we're on the same page.1 -
Bry_Lander wrote: »jamesakrobinson wrote: »So with all this talk about logging exercise and food accurately I have a question. (yes I realize that that makes this off topic but the topic is what triggers the question)
I was using Fat Secret for a few years, and I think I still prefer it... but MFP actually shares information with Nokia Health Mate, Google Fit, and some other apps I use...
Observations:
FS allows you to enter everything in grams or milliliters but MFP has some "1 piece" or imperial only, which is awkward when I use a scale or measuring cup for almost everything.
FS has calorie counts for almost any activity you can imagine, even sex. I only log actual exercise, and it does not change my caloric budget for the day. (I prefer this because it's easier to stick with roughly the same macros regardless of whether I lift or not on any particular day)
MFP lists tons of exercises, and allows me to even enter sets, reps, and weight... but has no calorie value for any of them?
MFP DOES pull the most useless value from Google Fit... steps. It gives this a calorie value and wants to add to my budget for the day but an hour and a half of pounding the heaviest weights I can manage with good form doesn't count??
Ultimately I am now logging in 2 apps and entering my training in Google Fit... this completely defeats the purpose of automation!
The question (finally)...
Is there a way to enter my lifting in MFP that would make sense?
I would be perfectly happy with a generic "intense weight training" and the length of the session giving me a rough calorie estimate. That's what FS, Google Fit, and LG Health all do. (but MFP only pulls "steps")
Again, I don't want it to change my calorie budget, but I would like to have the information available to see if I'm running a deficit, surplus, or maintenance.
"Strength training (weight lifting, weight training)" is an entry in the MFP "cardio" exercise database, and has a (low) calorie burn estimate attached.
I track my strength training calories with my HRM and it generally gives me a calorie burn of 3-4 calories per minute, which is ballpark what the tables estimate. My unpopular opinion is that HRMs provide reasonable calorie burn estimates, even for non-steady state exercises.
That's the gross calorie burn, which includes your BMR. Mine does the same.
I've logged strength training using MFP's data base, and I really have no problem trusting my Fitbit in exercise mode for strength training. I get a reasonably small burn and adjustment.
I lifted this afternoon and just ran some numbers, figuring out the net burn I'd get from Fitbit vs. what I'd get by logging on MFP. There's a whopping 6 calorie difference.3
This discussion has been closed.
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