Do I really need to eat these cal's back?

Peta22
Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
edited December 17 in Fitness and Exercise
Nope... I'm not going to ask about eating exersize calories again... I think?

I had an unusually active day today (unusual of late) but it will hopefully become a regular thing over the next couple of months. I'm in the middle of a home renovation in which I am doing a lot of the unskilled manual labour myself. This includes sanding, painting, rendering, shovelling, tiling, paving, climbing ladders and scaffolds continuously ect and lots of 'hill and stair climbing' as it's a two storey house on a very steep block. Being so physically demanding, I figured I'd wear my HRM to see just how 'active' I'm actually being. Today wasn't that full on (I've been ill so I had to start slowly) but I still managed to burn almost 1600 calories in 6hrs.

I've basically eaten normally today calorie wise (I treated myself to a couple of Hot Cross Buns and butter) but I've just noticed my net calories are really low... And yet I'm definitely not keen on trying to eat another 1000 calories in the next hour before bedtime!

My question is, being that I'm likely to be clocking up these 'calories burned' figures quite a bit over th coming weeks, should I really be recording them as exersize and trying to eat my net to min 1200? ...or are they not really exersize calories?

Replies

  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
    I would eat a little more than normal throughout the day, you are working hard and your body needs the fuel. But I certainly wouldn't worry about eating them all.
  • david_swinstead
    david_swinstead Posts: 271 Member
    Well over the course of 6 hours you would've burned a lot of them anyway, whether you were "exercising" or not.

    1600 burned doesnt mean 1600 more than you wouldve done if you had sat in bed all day.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    Well over the course of 6 hours you would've burned a lot of them anyway, whether you were "exercising" or not.

    1600 burned doesnt mean 1600 more than you wouldve done if you had sat in bed all day.

    This, I would have burned around 720 during those 6 hours just sitting around the house so I would not eat all that, perhaps have a bigger dinner of healthy foods
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    Well over the course of 6 hours you would've burned a lot of them anyway, whether you were "exercising" or not.

    1600 burned doesnt mean 1600 more than you wouldve done if you had sat in bed all day.

    This was basically my thinking... Like 'dontletmeeatt' said, I think I could probably eat more but not all... Maybe if I factor them in as 50% perhaps?

    This is where I'd like to know what my BMR and TDEE accurately are. Then I could work out an estimated 'hourly burned' base figure and know what extra I'm doing...
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    Well over the course of 6 hours you would've burned a lot of them anyway, whether you were "exercising" or not.

    1600 burned doesnt mean 1600 more than you wouldve done if you had sat in bed all day.

    This, I would have burned around 720 during those 6 hours just sitting around the house so I would not eat all that, perhaps have a bigger dinner of healthy foods

    How have you worked out the '720'? I think this is the calculation I need to do...
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    I had a professional BMR done at a hospital a few months ago, showing i'm burning about 120 an hour existing.
  • aprilwoo97
    aprilwoo97 Posts: 16 Member
    When you are using your HRM, remember to subtract your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) from the calories burned. Those account for the calories that your body would burn if you laid in bed all day. The deficit within MFP already accounts for those calories. Personally, my body burns 1.1 calories per minute if I did nothing. So if I were measuring over 6 hours i would have to subtract 396 calories from the calories burned on the HRM.
  • elijahgo1
    elijahgo1 Posts: 17
    Hello,

    It really depends on how you set up your "lifestyle" when you created your profile. You can set it up anywhere from sedentary to active. The MyFitnessPal program will auto-grant you more calories if you tell it you move a lot on your job or in your every day life.

    Accounting for this, I put my status to "sedentary". This grants me the least amount of calories. This way, I can add things I may do throughout the day (mowing the lawn, walking at the grocery store). I generally eat my calories; however, I don't force myself to do so. Some people, like my wife, have problems eating their calories. If I have 400 left after the day is done, and I don't feel hungry, I don't force myself. After all, there may be a day that I go over by a few calories.

    You will lose weight faster if you don't eat all of them. A deficit of a couple hundred is probably OK; however, if you want to stay on the recommended 2 lbs a week (as a Doctor would recommend) four digit calorie deficit may be too much and unsafe.

    The tortoise wins the race here!

    Remember to check your "settings" to determine what MyFitnessPal is giving you to compensate for activity.

    Hope that helps,

    Elijah
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    I had a professional BMR done at a hospital a few months ago, showing i'm burning about 120 an hour existing.

    Thanks... Although I'm figuring I probably can't just wander into the local hospital an get one done? However, I do have an appt with my doc on Thursday to discuss my 'lack of weight loss' so I'll ask about it.

    It would be such a useful thing to know!
  • Maddy__H
    Maddy__H Posts: 28 Member
    Hi, I would not really trust your HRM in this case! A HRM is designed to measure constant cardio excercise and those kind of activities usually have your heart rate raising followed by periods with low intensity. Therefore the accuracy goes completely out of the window (see similiar discussions on wearing an HRM while strength training).
    My recommendation would be to adjust your activity level for days like this, so your general caloric intake is calculated for a more active lifestyle and does reflect, that your body will need more fuel.
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    When you are using your HRM, remember to subtract your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) from the calories burned. Those account for the calories that your body would burn if you laid in bed all day. The deficit within MFP already accounts for those calories. Personally, my body burns 1.1 calories per minute if I did nothing. So if I were measuring over 6 hours i would have to subtract 396 calories from the calories burned on the HRM.

    How dud you find out your BMR - i.e: that you burn 1.1 per minute?
  • katysmelly
    katysmelly Posts: 380 Member
    You should probably eat some of them back, for your metabolism's sake. But, you don't have to eat them all up before bedtime. Have a bigger breakfast in the morning, which will set you up for the day's work.
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    Hello,

    It really depends on how you set up your "lifestyle" when you created your profile. You can set it up anywhere from sedentary to active. The MyFitnessPal program will auto-grant you more calories if you tell it you move a lot on your job or in your every day life.

    Accounting for this, I put my status to "sedentary". This grants me the least amount of calories. This way, I can add things I may do throughout the day (mowing the lawn, walking at the grocery store). I generally eat my calories; however, I don't force myself to do so. Some people, like my wife, have problems eating their calories. If I have 400 left after the day is done, and I don't feel hungry, I don't force myself. After all, there may be a day that I go over by a few calories.

    You will lose weight faster if you don't eat all of them. A deficit of a couple hundred is probably OK; however, if you want to stay on the recommended 2 lbs a week (as a Doctor would recommend) four digit calorie deficit may be too much and unsafe.

    The tortoise wins the race here!

    Remember to check your "settings" to determine what MyFitnessPal is giving you to compensate for activity.

    Hope that helps,

    Elijah

    I'm set at the one above sedentary because a normal day for me would include several hours on my feet but not necessarily being overly active... I figured that sedentary would be 8-12 hours at a desk (what I used to do).

    Edit: Set to 'sedentary' now... I think this is a smarter way to go :)
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    I had a professional BMR done at a hospital a few months ago, showing i'm burning about 120 an hour existing.

    Thanks... Although I'm figuring I probably can't just wander into the local hospital an get one done? However, I do have an appt with my doc on Thursday to discuss my 'lack of weight loss' so I'll ask about it.

    It would be such a useful thing to know!

    Yes, check with your doctor, it took me a bit of prodding but finally found a rehab hospital that does them nearby
  • david_swinstead
    david_swinstead Posts: 271 Member
    Finding our your BMR is easy - just wear your HRM while you do a more "normal" daily activity level for an hour (whatever normal means for you)

    Then multiply this by 6 (hours), and work out the difference between this figure and your 1600.

    The difference is what you need to eat back.
  • jennifergaudette
    jennifergaudette Posts: 23
    If you go to tools up at the top where it has 'my home' 'food' ect. there is a BMR calculator to give you an idea. theres also one on superskinnyme.com free. You can see what each of them say.
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    Finding our your BMR is easy - just wear your HRM while you do a more "normal" daily activity level for an hour (whatever normal means for you)

    Then multiply this by 6 (hours), and work out the difference between this figure and your 1600.

    The difference is what you need to eat back.

    I did this the other day but someone told me it wouldn't be a correct indicator and now I can't remember what the reading was! Doh! :(
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    If this is going to be your daily lifestyle over the next few weeks then move your lifestyle activity level to active. 1600 in 6 hours is about 267 calories per hour. As long as you were moving this whole time than yes you can trust it. HRM's aren't to be worn from wake to sleep as they are unreliable when you are inactive, but when you are active they should be relatively accurate. Personally over this lengthy period of time I would figure that I burn about 50 - 75 calories per hour just by living, so these calories would already be in my daily net as determined by mfp.
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    So I've just found what I wrote a few days ago in relation to BMR's when I was trying to work out what mine was..

    'bmrcalculator.net told me my BMR was 1407 and my weight watchers scale told me it was 2100ish!!! The MFP Calculator says 1327 and my HRM experiment (1hr reading x24) came out as 1916.... So thats consistantly inconsistent!'

    The vast difference in numbers is rather annoying!

    However, wearing the HRM for an inactive hour gave me a reading of '79b/pm' so that sits well with what Allabtlm has just said.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    :noway: I'd just eat a bit more to fuel me that day, but certainly wouldn't worry about eating them all. Zara :flowerforyou:
This discussion has been closed.

Categories