Calories you would have burned minus those you did?

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Steel6981
Steel6981 Posts: 154 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i was reading on a site called Health Status that calories burned are often overestimated. They indicated that you would burn calories just sitting and breathing so to get an accurate number you have to subtract the calories you would have burnt sitting from the number you burnt running ( for example) to get a true number of calories burnt. I did a search and did not find a similar topic on here so I'm interested in whether people think this has merit or not? If one figure were 60 and the other 300 is there merit in only counting 240 as the actual number burnt?

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  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    This is what I'm thinking lately too.

    If i do my 2 hours of Badminton, but its a busy night, with lots of time off court waiting, i "burn" about 750 calories, according to my HRM.

    Now given that my BMR is around 2,000, that means had i just been sitting around, id have "burned" around 160 calories anyway.

    So, 750-160 = 590 calories. Therefore i use this amount when deciding how much to eat back.
  • rebysue
    rebysue Posts: 136
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    I always subtract my "normal" calories burned. For me, it's about 1.2 calories per minute. I just multiply that number by my minutes exercised and subtract it from my HRM calories burned. This only matters though if you eat back your exercise calories (which I do).

    30 minutes exercised
    300 calories burned
    300 - (1.2 * 30) = 264
  • SportySpiceVT
    SportySpiceVT Posts: 59 Member
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    but you if would have burned them just sitting, it is what your body burns. the exercise burns more on top of that. so just count what is in the database or what your heart rate monitor reads. your body is still working to keep you breathing, blood flowing, etc.
  • rebysue
    rebysue Posts: 136
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    You are correct that you would have burned those calories anyway but MFP already calculates those calories into your daily calories. If you're eating back your exercise calories, then you are actually eating those calories twice.
  • Steel6981
    Steel6981 Posts: 154 Member
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    Thanks for the input everyone!

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