Calories burnt vs Calories i would have burnt anyway

HMonsterX
HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, here's the example.

I go bowling on thursday nights. With my HRM, it tells me i burned 423 calories. In two hours.

Now, is that really a burn of 423, or is it 423 less 180ish i would have burnt if i was just sitting still doing nothing? Would i eat back 423, or 143?

Also, BMR v daily calorie count + exercise calories. My sedentary BMR is 2200, with my moderately activity level making it 3200. Has that 3200 already taken the calories i burned into account? If i were eating them back, should i eat the 3200 PLUS the cals i burn each day? Or is it 2200 plus the cals i burned?

Replies

  • Schwarzeaugen
    Schwarzeaugen Posts: 129 Member
    Since bowling is above and beyond daily calorie burning, I'd count it as exercising and eat the calories if you're hungry.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    You are way to over thinking this. Whatever you decide, just stay consistent. I don't think the 180 calories a day either way is really going to matter that much. You really want to deal with calculations and formulas beyond what mfp provides, every day? For the rest of your life??

    I'm to busy to sweat 180 that I may have burnt in my underwear watching TV. Just eat your calories back. You increased your metabolism, you very well be burning more during the work out plus using more after.
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    I need to go bowling! Love to bowl, had no idea it was such a calorie burner! I'd say, less the 180 calories..because you'd burn those anyway..the real burn is the 423 MINUS 180..eat that total back.
  • Shalimarmandy
    Shalimarmandy Posts: 409 Member
    The 400 or so calories is what you burned during the 2 hours bowling and you are right you need to subtract out the calories that you normally burn if you just had been hanging out. So that is the calories that you would eat back.

    But when you are talking about something as low as a couple hundred I personally wouldn't eat them back now when I burned 500+ extra then I eat some of them back because normally I am hungry but that's just me...

    As for your BMR, if you are counting your bowling as part of your moderate activity level then you should NOT eat back the bowling calories.

    Hope this helps!
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    It's up to you really :) Some people do and some people don't. If you feel it was like other exercise, then eat it all. Or maybe just eat the extra you burnt, and only eat the rest if you're really hungry.

    A few other things though, how does moderate activity make your calories go up by 1000 :/ For me, lightly active gives 250 extra, active gives 500 extra and it goes up like that in 250's. To me 3200 sounds alot if you're trying to lose, and from your ticker it doesn't seem like you have loads left. Have you included the calorie deficit in with that?

    From what it seems, 2200 is probably what you should be eating to maintain your weight + any exercise calories you burn. BMR is how much you burn just by living. If you are moderately active you need to change it from "sedentary" to "lightly active" or "active" which will give you 2450 or 2700 to maintain. Then to lose 1lb a week you have a deficit of 500, giving you 2200 a day, or for 2lbs a week, you have a deficit of 1000, giving you 1700 a day. All of those are before exercise calories, which would be 243 (423-180) or the full 423 :)
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    The common thing is to eat back all 423. Use the MFP and get to net 0 on it.
    That being said, your correct. you would have factored in the 180 in just your lifestyle. I don't think you can be so robotic about your calories. Its like saying I'd fill up a car, idle it for 30 minuts and use 1 gallon, or rev the engine up for 30 minuts and use 5 gallons.
    Should I only fill the car back up 4 gallons if I rev the engine?



    @HMonsterX read your profile. OK. I don't really know what your workout routine is. If not already get a pregame of what you want to accomplish. Maybe even a personal trainer for a few sessions? Or go make friends with some of the muscle heads at the gym, really they are usually pretty nice.

    Your major muscle groups will burn more. Legs and stuff. Running will get those going. You aren't going for looks, so a lot of stuff isn't going to matter to you. You are all about fitting that work out in an hour. Skip the weight machines and go for the free weights. They will work more muscle groups.

    Curls are to attract the girls, you don't need to do these. core muscle groups. you need to lift stuff, not look pretty.

    During the winter I was trapped in the house taking care of my wife after surgery, not he same. I know. I used an elliptical and really was able to slowly ramp it up to get some awesome burns in. I'd rather have chosen a treadmill. That is something that you can do inside, for 30 min? and still be right there.

    I hope that info helped? I really have no fitness knowledge, I just pretty much am going by what I learned from people.
  • OnMyWay2STay
    OnMyWay2STay Posts: 144 Member
    Just be sure that you aren't including in exercise everything you do that makes you "moderately active." For MFP to calculate that correctly, you have to be active in ways that aren't counted as exercise. For instance, if you are a nurse or construction worker then you are active at your job all day, but it doesn't count as exercise. If you work at a desk by day but go to the gym 5 days a week, you are still sedentary! You would then put in to MFP all your gym time.

    That said, if you go bowling weekly and that is part of why you consider yourself "moderately active" then it doesn't belong in your exercise log. You don't need to eat the calories back, because they are already included. If you are active at work and you want to count your bowling as exercise, then eat back the calories!
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Bowling is only 1 league a week, one night. I just used that as an example as it was the lowest, therefore nearest to what i would have "burned" anyway by doing nothing.

    Tuesday: Circuit training, averaging 800 cal for the hour
    Wednesday: Competitive Badminton, averaging 820 for the 2 hours.
    Thursday: Bowling, 400 average, and then DDR, for 500 average in 30 mins.
    Friday: Competitive Badminton, averaging 1000 cals for the 2 hours.
    Saturday: Social Badminton, averaging 650 cal for the 45 mins.

    That's why i put myself down as moderately active. And yes, 2200 for nothing, 3200 for moderately, but i dont really trust that. I just take 2200 as a base, and allow myself something extra if its one of those days, and ive done some burn. Rather than thinking "im moderately active, therefore im allowed 3200, AND eat back my 1000 calories that i burned", i think think "2200, then if i want to eat back my 1000, or some of it, i can".

    This isnt about whether or not i should eat them back, its about whether the moderately active part has already taken into account the extra calories i burn each day. I assume it has.

    EDIT: Re-reading some of the above post, i should say that the rest of my day, i AM sedentary. Im a carer for my wife, so i have to be here when she needs something. Therefore, im just sitting around waiting to be needed. So, would it be best to think 2200, and just add on all the cals i burn?
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    Bowling is only 1 league a week, one night. I just used that as an example as it was the lowest, therefore nearest to what i would have "burned" anyway by doing nothing.

    Tuesday: Circuit training, averaging 800 cal for the hour
    Wednesday: Competitive Badminton, averaging 820 for the 2 hours.
    Thursday: Bowling, 400 average, and then DDR, for 500 average in 30 mins.
    Friday: Competitive Badminton, averaging 1000 cals for the 2 hours.
    Saturday: Social Badminton, averaging 650 cal for the 45 mins.

    That's why i put myself down as moderately active. And yes, 2200 for nothing, 3200 for moderately, but i dont really trust that. I just take 2200 as a base, and allow myself something extra if its one of those days, and ive done some burn. Rather than thinking "im moderately active, therefore im allowed 3200, AND eat back my 1000 calories that i burned", i think think "2200, then if i want to eat back my 1000, or some of it, i can".

    This isnt about whether or not i should eat them back, its about whether the moderately active part has already taken into account the extra calories i burn each day. I assume it has.

    EDIT: Re-reading some of the above post, i should say that the rest of my day, i AM sedentary. Im a carer for my wife, so i have to be here when she needs something. Therefore, im just sitting around waiting to be needed. So, would it be best to think 2200, and just add on all the cals i burn?

    Yes, by listing youself as moderate because of the exercise, you have already accounted for those calories in the 3200, you do not need to add extra exercise calories on top of that.
    I would therefore: Eat all of the 3200 a day and no extra cals, or; Eat 2200 + exercise calories for that day :)
This discussion has been closed.

Categories