MFP and calorie estimates

mattb714

Why does MFP estimate calories so high? I do 40min of cardio (eliptical - about a 10 1/2 min mile with moderate resistance) daily and MFP estimates 740 calories burned. I know this has to be way too high. Even my eliptical estimates around 600 burned. Any idea on how to figure what I'm actually burning without using a HRM?

I am obese so maybe my calorie count is high because of this?

drwilseyjr

A heavier person will burn more calories than an average person doing the same amount of cardio. I believe that's factored in.

wilsoncl6

Yes, you will burn more calories. You are carrying and moving around more weight. Most don't really consider the estimates as a problem because they only eat back maybe 50%-75% of their calories in exercise back.

blues4miles

There are a lot of online calorie estimates that will give you different numbers...

If you had jogged 10:30 min/miles during those 40 minutes and weighed 260 lbs I'd estimate you would burn 622 calories. So I don't think the 600 is too far off. I have no idea how much you weigh, I just threw the number out there as an estimate. Obviously running is not 1 to 1 to using an elliptical, but that's still a much more conservative calculation than a lot of people on here use, so 740 wouldn't surprise me either.

mattb714

Thanks for the help!