Myfitnesspal accurate?

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bridget1915
bridget1915 Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey, hows it going?
I just was wondering to those of you who wear a hrm is myfitnesspal accurate when it comes to calories burned? I won't be able to get myself a hrm until February so I'm hoping it's accurate. Let me know from your experience. Thanks

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    It really depends on the person and the activity. For me, the calories were usually pretty close to what my HRM gave me. But it does have a tendency to give you too many calories for some activities (I'm thinking of things like the elliptical or zumba).

    You can judge based on your own results, though. If you lose at the pace you expect, then great. But if you're losing slower than you expect then trying cutting back to eating 50-75% of those earned calories.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Broadly its not really any more inaccurate than an HRM.

    Despite the mantra on the forums the calorie expenditure approximations from an HRM aren't inherently more accurate than any other form of approximation.

    The main thing is to stick with an approach and tune your intake according to your experience.
  • bridget1915
    bridget1915 Posts: 6
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    Thanks. :-)
  • fat2strongbeth
    fat2strongbeth Posts: 735 Member
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    It is very close for me, but I go hard core in my workouts.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    For database items that actually have a level of effort, and you really did that the whole time you've entered - yes.

    Like did you really walk 3.5 mph level for 45 min?
    Or did you start at 2.5, working your way up slowly to 3.5 half-way through?
    That would be 3 mph for 22 min, 3.5 for 23 min say, probably not a huge difference, but you get the idea if you were say running.
    Or say you ran outside for 60 min, distance unknown. Then how could you possibly pick the right entry. And if you did inclines, then even if distance is known and you can get avg speed, likely need to round up since inclines is more effort.

    Spin bike, no description, but I've noticed that a 45 min Spin class usually has 5 min warm-up much slower, and 5-10 min cool-down slower with stretching.
    So class may have been 45 min, but actual use of Spin bike at normal intensity was only 30 min, and should be logged as such.

    As mentioned, the cheaper HRM's, even Polar, make some big assumptions to calculate calorie burn, combined with using the HRM with workouts the calorie burn formula isn't even correct usage with, make it rather iffy.
    If doing huge amounts of endurance cardio for training and needing to get more accurate , sure that would be useful. If doing 3-4 hrs weekly, not that big a deal.
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
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    You can always use steady state cardio. Get your heart rate up to where you are working at the steady rate, check your heart rate for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. Then use an online heart rate calculator to give yourself a pretty accurate idea of how many calories you burned during your workout.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Thank goodness people ahve posted the responses they have. Its popular to slate the estimates that MFP gives. They can be out for many things, but not everything. As dianethegeek says test by results.

    People often exaggerate their own effort, so they pick a more generous category. The point that Heybales makes (thanks).

    The rower from what ive read tends to be a reasonable estimation and you can go to the Concept2 site for an adjustment to take into account your weight. Dont worry too much about HRM its just a tool and you can survive without one. Listen to your body and make a note of your results so you know whether you are getting faster or going further.

    If you are worried about accuracy then decide whether you want to eatback 0-75% of calories as protection from eating more than you have burned.
  • getalife9353
    getalife9353 Posts: 100 Member
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    It's going to be a very individual thing. Use either as a reference then adjust for you.
    I would not purchase a HRM just for tracking calories. It can be a useful tool for developing a cardio program, but then again so can perceived effort. I do use a HRM for cardio training and since I have it I do track the calories it reports, but I don't track my exercise or calorie expenditure on MFP.
  • bridget1915
    bridget1915 Posts: 6
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    Thanks everyone for the responses, I appreciate it.

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