How Reliable is the MFP Exercise Log?

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  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    I find it funny in the feed when people log "cardio, one hour 900 calories". Makes me wonder if they assigned the calories instead of MFP.
    When I first began, an hour of cardio was around 900 calories per hour. I have an insane metabolism
    As I lost weight, that number fell lower and lower....and today, I burn around 650 per hour for the same activity.
    That's still crazy high though.

  • Train4Foodz
    Train4Foodz Posts: 4,298 Member
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    It's physically impossible for the calorie burns found in the exercise diary to be correct for everybody.
    The results are member submitted and although they should usually be accurate within a certain percentage, they will almost certainly be different than your accurate total.
    The reason being that everybody burns different amounts of calories doing different exercises, depending on how hard the exercise is working you compared to other people, for instance.. I can run at 14kmph and burn 1000 calories within an hour becuae my heart rate during that time is around 170, that heart rate gives me a certain burn rate. Calculated against my accurate body statistics giving me the 'correct' burn.

    The only way to be as close to accurate as possible is by using a HRM, even then.. the results will only be an estimate (perhaps the closest estimate you can get but non-the-less an estimate that is likely correct to within 5% if your stats are kept accurate).

    My point being, the log should be used more as a guide.. it is likely close but hardly ever 100% accurate for each person!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    MFP is designed to eat back exercise calories. Most will eat a portion (half to three quarters) to be safe. Remember, you want to fuel the machine.
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
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    I tend to do aerobic dancing or just plain aerobics (with squats and such thrown in) as my exercise of choice. I log it as walking at 2.0 mph and 3.0 mph depending on how intense I felt it was. I don't eat any of my exercise calories.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    megaiken92 wrote: »
    I guess the question is pretty self-explanatory haha. Generally I try to keep my calories eaten at my goal and don't eat back what I may burn off with exercise, but I'm still curious.

    Not accurate at all. I'd say if you decide to eat back exercise calories based on the MFP database, only eat about 60-70%.

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