HRM and BMR question

AirCircleI
AirCircleI Posts: 334 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
If my BMR is about 1500, then I am burning an average of 62 calories an hour if I stayed in bed. If I do 30 minutes of exercise and my heart rate monitor (polar ft7) says that I burned 300 calories, so I need to subtract the equivalent of my BMR to accurately log it onto MFP? So 300-31 = 269?

I have seen some people suggest this and other people say they are wrong, but I can't quite get my head around it. Advice is most welcome!

Replies

  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    If my BMR is about 1500, then I am burning an average of 62 calories an hour if I stayed in bed. If I do 30 minutes of exercise and my heart rate monitor (polar ft7) says that I burned 300 calories, so I need to subtract the equivalent of my BMR to accurately log it onto MFP? So 300-31 = 269?

    I have seen some people suggest this and other people say they are wrong, but I can't quite get my head around it. Advice is most welcome!

    I'd personally just log what the HRM says because those little bits you do during the day that you don't log... (if you're set to sedentary) are going to add up quickly and account for that short time frame... after all 31 calories is just 3 minutes of jumping jacks really. so over 1 hour of being on your feet you'll have burned that off EASY! I.,e set to sedentary and then just add intentional exercise like running, 30DS, etc etc.
  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
    I shoot to eat back at least half of my exercise cals, so subtracting the BMR has never been an issue.

    However, if you are going to strictly adhere to the "eat back all of your exercise cals" rule, then you should probably subtract the BMR.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I think the theory is quite correct, but as all the numbers we use are estimates anyway, I've never bothered about it.
  • fxst78
    fxst78 Posts: 221 Member
    I do, but for me I subtract double my minutes in calories.

    So if I use the HRM for 45 minutes I will take 90 calories off the result

    60 minutes 120 calories etc.

    I have a higher BMR than OP!
  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,089 Member
    i substract.
  • ronellevan
    ronellevan Posts: 44
    I never heard of this subtracting.
    Why go to such great lengths?
    Neither the BMR or the heart rate monitor is 100% correct.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    Very good point and I wonder about it too. I set my MFP to sedentary due to a desk job but only eat 1/2 my exercise calories back at a big cheat meal once a week so i don't subtract the calories to exist. I have a high BMR as I tested it resting and it came out to 100 calories burned laying in bed for an hour but working out I burn about 600 an hour. I do log them all but know that it is really only 500 exercise calories per workout. Whatever works for you though
  • fxst78
    fxst78 Posts: 221 Member
    I never heard of this subtracting.
    Why go to such great lengths?
    Neither the BMR or the heart rate monitor is 100% correct.

    Because if you have gone to the trouble of buying a good HRM it will be quite accurate (especially with VO2 Max included) so if you work out for an hour it will be accurate for that hour, but your BMR will already have an extra 100-120 calories accounted for (in my case) so these would be a double up. Ignoring 100 or more calories every so often is not too much of an issue but every day and sometimes more than once a day it could be.
  • Stephaniededeyan
    Stephaniededeyan Posts: 18 Member
    okaaayy
    Your BMR is an estimate every person is different and the equations can't possibly account for all the differences (unless you obtained that value from a health care professional like a dietitian who closely monitored you). So don't get so hung up on 60 measly calories...

    So let's assume that you are in fact burning 62cal/hr just by being alive (metabolic pathways, hormone releasing, involuntary smooth muscle contraction...etc.) What I don't understand is why you're subtracting, 62cals/hr are being lost whether you're exercising or laying down, so 300+62 would make more sense but even then you're not gonna start subtracting your hourly BMR cause you're already doing that by consuming less calls then your BMR.

    I'm confused.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Do what you think is best but my motto is "keep it simple stupid" so for me I am not going to subtract my BMR calories (these are calories I would burn at rest doing absolutely nothing) from my exercise calories, I eat back 85% of my exercise calories and leave 15% for error. (I use a Polar FT60 HRM ) I start my Monitor immediately when I begin my workout and shut it off right when I finish. With the intensity of my workouts I am still burning extra calories quite a while after my workouts end so between that and my 15% for error, my BMR calories are covered . Plus those BMR calories are calories your body would burn if you was comatose, and during the course of the day I am up moving around burning calories I am not counting anyway......
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