More accurate way of tracking calories burned?

panther1911
panther1911 Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been using the Exercise Data base, and just entering my minutes into MFP for most things.

For walking/jogging/running outside I use map my fitness since it knows your speed and syncs with MFP, i figured it would be more accurate.

What about for treadmill, weightlifting, elliptical, or things that are not in the database? Is there a accurate way to track the calories burned?

Replies

  • pietomb00
    pietomb00 Posts: 69 Member
    A heart rate monitor will usually give you more accurate calories. Not sure how else though.
  • panther1911
    panther1911 Posts: 9
    any recommendations for one?

    any that will sync with my phone(android) and MFP?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    A heart rate monitor for steady state cardio (treadmill, running, jogging, elliptical). For weightlifting, you really just have to play with your intake to determine.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    A HRM is going to be the most accurate for steady state cardio. With anaerobic workouts like weight lifting and the like, it's more trial and error than anything...there are too many variable involved to accurately determine calorie burns from these types of activities other than your own personal experience.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    "accurate" calorie burns are a misnomer - there's no such thing. There's no way to know if any 1 method of estimating calories burned will be any better than another.

    Pick 1 method - MFP, machines, HRM, activity monitor, website, etc - and use it exclusively for a month. Log as completely and as accurately as you can, both food and exercise. Then compare your expected results with your actual results. If they are close, then your estimating is reasonably accurate (or at least your errors are balancing each other out). If not, make 1 or 2 small changes to how you log/estimate, and repeat the process for another month.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    You can reasonably estimate caloric burns for running or walking based on distance

    walking .30 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    running .63 x weight (in lbs) x distance (in miles)

    Walking on a treadmill at a steeper incline will yield a higher caloric burn but I have yet to find a really reliable way of computing that.

    You will find that there is a great deal of variability with HRMs, many of the more economical models use algorithms that incorrectly correlate heart rate with caloric expenditure.

    Short of getting your RMR tested & V02max tested etc etc it's a crapshoot.......the suggestion above is a very reasonable approach, trial and error.
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    "accurate" calorie burns are a misnomer - there's no such thing. There's no way to know if any 1 method of estimating calories burned will be any better than another.

    Pick 1 method - MFP, machines, HRM, activity monitor, website, etc - and use it exclusively for a month. Log as completely and as accurately as you can, both food and exercise. Then compare your expected results with your actual results. If they are close, then your estimating is reasonably accurate (or at least your errors are balancing each other out). If not, make 1 or 2 small changes to how you log/estimate, and repeat the process for another month.

    Add the fact that logging food calories is pretty hit/miss and you end up doing exactly what you suggest.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member

    Walking on a treadmill at a steeper incline will yield a higher caloric burn but I have yet to find a really reliable way of computing that.

    1. Choose treadmill that allows input of body weight.

    2. Walk at incline without holding on to handrails.

    3. Read number from calorie display.

    Problem solved. That number is as reliable as you can get w/out a metabolic cart. More accurate than an HRM.
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
    panther1911 wrote: »
    I have been using the Exercise Data base, and just entering my minutes into MFP for most things.

    For walking/jogging/running outside I use map my fitness since it knows your speed and syncs with MFP, i figured it would be more accurate.

    What about for treadmill, weightlifting, elliptical, or things that are not in the database? Is there a accurate way to track the calories burned?

    treadmill. put in walking or jogging plus speed.is deffo in mfp database.
    ditto elliptical/ cross trainer.
    weight lifting is under strength training in cardio exercises too.
    even planks and stretches can be logged under callisthenics.

    i log all the above easily every week.

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