Couch calories?

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annahiven
annahiven Posts: 185
in Fitness and Exercise
We naturally burn calories, just sitting around. In ten minutes, I might burn 10-15 calories, just lying on the couch, scratching and yawning.

So if I wear an HRM and burn, say, 250 calories in 30 minutes of real exercise, and I then go enter all of that in MFP, am I not adding in those automatic 30-45 'couch calories' as well?

Replies

  • roxerella
    roxerella Posts: 80 Member
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    I've been told that my natural calorie burn is 40-60 calories an hour, so I tend to subtract 50 from my work out cals for that reason. I know most people don't bother but if you eat back your exercise cals and want to be precise it is probably advisable.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    don't subtract your "couch calories" from your workout log. Your HRM is smart and automatically takes that amount into consideration. Log the exact number your HRM reads out.
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
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    Thats already in the equation. Your not burning those on top of what your doing with cardio. Your just burning some more calories during the cardio session. If that even makes sense. :laugh: So no, you don't count the calories you would have burned had you sat around.
  • jcmartin0313
    jcmartin0313 Posts: 574 Member
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    Unless your getting freaky on that couch than it does not count !
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    don't subtract your "couch calories" from your workout log. Your HRM is smart and automatically takes that amount into consideration. Log the exact number your HRM reads out.

    This is not correct. HRM's are not "smart" nor do they take this amount into consideration. HRM's take what info you give them, take max heart rate and translate that into a percentage and then go from there. In no way does that include BMR calories.

    OP:
    If you want to subtract them you can.. but I never did and lost just fine.

    HRM's with all information(age, weight, height, gender and Vo2max) and used during steady state cardio(IE walking, running) will only be 80% accurate.

    If you are worried, then just leave that many calories over at the end of the day.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    don't subtract your "couch calories" from your workout log. Your HRM is smart and automatically takes that amount into consideration. Log the exact number your HRM reads out.

    wrong

    Polar, at least, one of the LEADING HRM companies, has stated that you DO need to take out your BMR calories if you want to know how much MORE you burned by exercising.

    If you do cardio for an hour and it says 400, you need to subtract like 60-100 or so of that, depending on your BMR, if you eat back all your exercise calories, otherwise you would be eating those twice.

    also, with that said, it honestly doesn't need to be that technical, since most people probably have their TDEE off by a couple of hundred and their food intake miscalculated by a couple of hundred daily....
    It's ALL just estimates.
    But if you REALLY insist on trying to get AS PRECISE as possible, then, yes, subtract them out.
  • annahiven
    annahiven Posts: 185
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    Thanks everyone!

    I figured it wasn't calculated into my HRM count, because if I wear it sitting around, it's not like it beeps and says, "Cheater, you're not moving".

    I ask because I guess I would rather be safe than sorry. After realizing how much I overestimated my burn BEFORE I had an HRM, I want to know all the variables. Also because I ALWAYS eat back my exercise calories (or I starve).
  • Martina_Who
    Martina_Who Posts: 172 Member
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    I burn around 1-1.5cal per minute sitting around or not doing much so I always subtract that value from the number my HRM gives me when I exercise! Otherwise your not getting an accurate calorie count for your exercise time.
    Some people cheat and wear the hrm for normal everyday things which I think is sad. They're only fooling themselves :/
  • jaquwa
    jaquwa Posts: 99 Member
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    I think it is swings and roundabouts.

    After intense exercise you will burn more calories due to EPOC or afterburn and so your BMR for that day will increase.

    I have never subtracted my BMR and have lost 3 stone and continue losing, but then I never eat back more than about 30% of my exercise calories.

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