Lifting weights and calories...

Options
Jadu786
Jadu786 Posts: 141 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone!

Do you add calories to your daily allowance for strength training?
I have set up a goal to lose 1 lb a week and I am tracking calories - so for weight lifting - I'm just adding 300 calories for my whole weight lifting session...

I do eat the calories I burn...

What are your suggestions?
«1

Replies

  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Options
    How are you coming to the 300 calories for your session?

    If you use MFP as designed, then yes you should eat them back. If you are uncertain as to the number, eat 1/2 to 3/4 back and see if your weight loss averages 1 lb over 6-8 weeks. Adjust as needed.

  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Options
    I do eat back most of my exercise calories, although I average my calories by week so I'm not super strict about exactly when and how many more I eat. That said, I believe many people don't add/eat back calories for weight lifting, as it generally doesn't burn much and heart rate monitors are basically useless for estimating what it does burn. That said, if you're losing weight at a rate you're happy with, keep on keeping on.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Options
    If I were using an MFP goal, yes I would add the calories. If you are having trouble finding them (common question from new people) you need to search "strength training" in the cardiovascular exercise section.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    Options
    How long are you weight lifting for? 300 sounds like a lot unless you are very overweight...
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    Options
    300 sounds like too much, unless you are lifting for 1.5-2 hours. another option is to enter "strength training" in the cardio section on this site and see what MFP gives you.
    Alternatively, if you lift 3+ times/week you may want to increase your activity level from sedentary to light active and don't log cals from lifting.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
    Options
    I eat back every single lifting calorie.
    At 100-105 lbs that works out to 200 per session.
    When I first started following a barbell routine I didn't, I followed the general advice that it wasn't a big burn so not worth it.
    However, after a few weeks I found myself tired and dropping weight (in maintenance).
    Initially I used the MFP cals, but I also tracked my cals so I could estimate my actual burn. There was less than 20 cals difference so I rounded to 200.

    I think one can ignore lifting calories if one has a lot of calories available, but if one has 1200-1400 cals it is probably better to eat back the cals.

    Cheers, h.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    Yes the way it's designed is that you do more you get to eat more to keep the rate of loss you have chosen.
    Your basic calorie goal is for a day with no purposeful exercise.

    Just log duration of the workout under the cardiovascular part of the diary under category "strength training".
    It's just a rough approximation based on weight and METS but it's simple and free.


  • WhereIsPJSoles
    WhereIsPJSoles Posts: 622 Member
    Options
    I don’t because I can’t figure out how to measure the calorie burn with any accuracy whatsoever. I do log the total amount MFP gives me for cardio knowing full well it may be inflated and figure somewhere it’s evening out by not logging a calorie burn for strength training.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Options
    What program are you running? Is that burn calculation from a HRM?
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
    Options
    erickirb wrote: »
    alondrakayy wrote: »
    If you're able to, you can purchase a HRM watch to better track your weight lifting cals.

    Wrong!!!! HRMs calculate heart rate, there is a calculation embedded in some that give an estimate of calories burned. That calcualtion is based on steady state cardio, the further you get away from steady state (which weights are the furthest away you can get) then the estimate will be way off and have no basis on what drives calorie burn from lifting (which is not oxygen uptake as it is with cardio)


    Ok. The watch I own (Polar 360) has the option for me to calculate calories burned during my weight lifting workouts... so that's what I do. Worked just fine for me but if OP would rather add 300 calories to her day no matter what then she can.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    alondrakayy wrote: »
    erickirb wrote: »
    alondrakayy wrote: »
    If you're able to, you can purchase a HRM watch to better track your weight lifting cals.

    Wrong!!!! HRMs calculate heart rate, there is a calculation embedded in some that give an estimate of calories burned. That calcualtion is based on steady state cardio, the further you get away from steady state (which weights are the furthest away you can get) then the estimate will be way off and have no basis on what drives calorie burn from lifting (which is not oxygen uptake as it is with cardio)


    Ok. The watch I own (Polar 360) has the option for me to calculate calories burned during my weight lifting workouts... so that's what I do. Worked just fine for me but if OP would rather add 300 calories to her day no matter what then she can.

    FYI - most HRMs don't have that kind of setting or algorithm.

    The basic ones are just using HR as a proxy for oxygen uptake - only (somewhat) applicable to aerobic exercise.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited December 2017
    Options
    jemhh wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I eat back every single lifting calorie.
    At 100-105 lbs that works out to 200 per session.
    When I first started following a barbell routine I didn't, I followed the general advice that it wasn't a big burn so not worth it.
    However, after a few weeks I found myself tired and dropping weight (in maintenance).
    Initially I used the MFP cals, but I also tracked my cals so I could estimate my actual burn. There was less than 20 cals difference so I rounded to 200.

    I think one can ignore lifting calories if one has a lot of calories available, but if one has 1200-1400 cals it is probably better to eat back the cals.

    Cheers, h.

    I can never understand why people describe strength burning calories as "not many calories." 200 calories is likely 10-15% of a lot of women's total calorie burn per day. To me that is significant.

    I said it because I've seen so many other people saying it. My bad! I don't actually lift weights myself so I don't have any first-hand knowledge. I'd totally count a couple hundred calories - most of my workouts are in the 100-150 range as it is and I count those.

    /hangs head in shame
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    Options
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    How are you coming to the 300 calories for your session?

    If you use MFP as designed, then yes you should eat them back. If you are uncertain as to the number, eat 1/2 to 3/4 back and see if your weight loss averages 1 lb over 6-8 weeks. Adjust as needed.

    OP, I am also curious how you come to 300 calories for your session???

Categories