MFP Calculations

krknobbe10

When I put my exercise into MFP, I like to think the calories are accurate. Is this true? It seems somewhat right because you burn 100 calories when running and since you log the time it takes you to run a mile plus for how long you ran, shouldn't the numbers to close to what you actually burned. I'm not sure on the strength training tho. I put that down in my cardio part and it says 100 calories for like 45min. What are your thoughts? Is MFP accurate or how far are they off? They know your weight so I would assume it would be close to the actual number burned off by exercise.

3dogsrunning

Here is a really good blog that addresses this question
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/estimating-calories-activity-databases-198041

For running, MFP is fairly reasonable. The strength training is very hard to estimate due to all the factors but it is one entry I find that does not over estimate. 100 calories for 45 minutes is reasonable or low.

When I first joined MFP my two primary activities were running and weight lifting. I used MFP entries and lost weight just fine.
I think I was getting around 200 calories for an hour of weightlifting. To me, it was enough to give me a little extra food but not so high as it would hurt my deficit if over estimating.

Also, the estimate is about 100 calories per mile for a 150 on person. If you are lower, it will be less, higher if more.

marcolbmp

Unfortunately, these are all estimates. I personally would suggest using 80% of the time you actually do rather than the entire workout. You're better being conservative on the calories burned and continue to eat the correct calories. You may want to get a heart rate monitor, a good one like any Polar, not a FitBit or any that take your heart rate from your wrist.

Heart rate monitors aren't perfect either, but they are usually consistent as long as you continue to update the data as your lose weight. Even with a heart rate monitor, I only put in 80% of the calories burned, and I never record strength training. Lifting weights puts a different type of stress on your heart and will severely inflate how many calories you burned. Typical weight lifting with short rest times would burn about 180 calories an hour for a 200 pound man. But again, I would not record that, but that's just me.

Don't forget to up your protein to at least .75 grams per pound of body weight for each day, some guys go much higher.

Good luck, and if you want a more accurate way to calculate your calorie requirement, google Scooby's workshop and go to the Fitness Tools link on the right, then Accurate Calorie Calculator.

Cheers