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People who lift

Maidapt
Maidapt Posts: 8 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I do weightlifting 5 days a week for about 1-1.5 hours and I do no cardio at all. When calculating my daily calorie intake I checked the "active" option (4-5 workouts a week I think). I am worried that MFP maybe considers 4-5 more cardio like workouts, which are considerably more calorie burning than lifting. I am concerned about overestimating the calories I need. The app added around 700 calories to my BMR.
I would love to know how you calculate your ideal caloric intake. Ideally if you lift and do no cardio, like me.
Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    The activity setting is based on daily activity outside of intentional exercise. So, set it to reflect what you do on a daily basis and then add exercise as you go.

    I have used the strength training option under the cardio section to log my lifting for the past five years and the calories work out pretty accurately. I eat them all and lost, bulked, and maintained as expected. They're based standard MET values including rest between sets.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You are using MyFitnessPal like a TDEE calculator when it doesn't work that way.
    Notice when you select an activity setting it makes no mention of exercise, just your day to day routine.
    That's because exercise is completely excluded from your base daily calorie goal.

    If you want a same every day calorie goal then go to a TDEE site like sailrabbit.com and manually set your goal on here using the TDEE number given there and don't log exercise. On a TDEE site it's a combined activity and exercise multiplier.

    I prefer the MyFitnessPal way of accounting for exercise as my days/weeks/seasons are immensely varied (I'm a lunatic cyclist...).
    The strength training selection (under CV part of your diary) worked well for me.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    You are using MyFitnessPal like a TDEE calculator when it doesn't work that way.
    Notice when you select an activity setting it makes no mention of exercise, just your day to day routine.
    That's because exercise is completely excluded from your base daily calorie goal.

    If you want a same every day calorie goal then go to a TDEE site like sailrabbit.com and manually set your goal on here using the TDEE number given there and don't log exercise. On a TDEE site it's a combined activity and exercise multiplier.

    I prefer the MyFitnessPal way of accounting for exercise as my days/weeks/seasons are immensely varied (I'm a lunatic cyclist...).
    The strength training selection (under CV part of your diary) worked well for me.

    And just monitor your weight over 4-6 weeks to dial in your real TDEE. All these calculators are just educated guesses to give you a place to start. You have to see how your body responds and if you maintain, lose or gain on the recommended amount and then tweak accordingly.

    BTW - whatever you've been doing has been working for you because you look amazing.
  • Maidapt
    Maidapt Posts: 8 Member
    Oh, that makes sense. Thank you all very much for your replies, they were very useful :)
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    Just wear a heart rate monitor when you train from start to finish.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    Just wear a heart rate monitor when you train from start to finish.

    Heart rate monitors don't work for weight lifting...
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    Just wear a heart rate monitor when you train from start to finish.

    No don't do that. HR is a pointless metric for strength training and completely useless as a calorie guide for what isn't an aerobic exercise.
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