Calories burned?

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sexymom04
sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just did my workout and my hrm says I burned 217 calories but mfp says 110. Why does it bring it down? I don't get it.

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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Both 217 and 110 are estimates. Your calorie burn is based on; height, weight, age, gender, exertion level & more.

    A HRM is a decent estimate for steady state cardio. If that was your workout type, and you gave your HRM several factors above then 217 is more likely. A chest strap style HRM is generally more accurate than the wrist only models.

    Most people eat back a % of exercise calories & then adjust up or down based upon actual weight loss results.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    What was your workout?
  • sexymom04
    sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    Both 217 and 110 are estimates. Your calorie burn is based on; height, weight, age, gender, exertion level & more.

    A HRM is a decent estimate for steady state cardio. If that was your workout type, and you gave your HRM several factors above then 217 is more likely. A chest strap style HRM is generally more accurate than the wrist only models.

    Most people eat back a % of exercise calories & then adjust up or down based upon actual weight loss results.

    It is a chest strap
  • sexymom04
    sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What was your workout?

    Strength training
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sexymom04 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What was your workout?

    Strength training

    HRM are for steady state cardio, not strength training
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited April 2016
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    sexymom04 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    What was your workout?

    Strength training

    Then a HRM isn't terribly helpful. I'd take (at most) the lower estimate because strength training doesn't burn a lot of calories. There are just too many factors for strength training that makes calorie burn a "wild guess."
  • sexymom04
    sexymom04 Posts: 263 Member
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    even if I do cardio, whatever the hrm gives me, mfp changes it to a lower amount
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    sexymom04 wrote: »
    even if I do cardio, whatever the hrm gives me, mfp changes it to a lower amount

    Because the HRM is designed for steady state.....that's what is does best. If your cardio is intervals then again, a HRM is not that great. But MFP's calorie burns are notoriously inaccurate.

    Over ride the calorie burns to your numbers, then live with them awhile. You will get a good indicator on accuracy based upon your actual weight loss results.

    There are so many estimates. Your activity level (for example) that's actually a range of numbers, not just one. So MFP picked one, high, middle or low....who knows. Logging food; some people are great at this others not so much.

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