MFP calories burned calculation question

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Jgalla8
Jgalla8 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been searching for how MFP calculates calories burnt doing workouts and cannot find this answer anywhere. Does MFP factor rest periods during workouts like lifting? 
Three scenarios for example: 
1) Weightlifting alone, for 60 minutes with no significant or unusual delays other than an average rest between sets.
2) If I am at the gym for 60 minutes with a partner.  I’m only on the actual machine/free weights for ~1/2 of that time while I am working with a partner/waiting for the weights/resting between sets will it calculate for that time in between or should I only log 30 minutes?
3) Or if I am running for 60 minutes and spend 10 minutes waiting for lights to turn green should I put in 50 minutes or 60?
I am not sure if it averages in expected breaks in activity or if I am expected to calculate the exact amount of time I worked out.  

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    MFP calorie burns are guesstimates. A heart rate monitor will give a better guesstimate for steady state cardio. Strength training way too many variable to get a decent guesstimate (not a big number).

    Rest - no rest - no worries. It's not accurate anyway (sorry). Just pick a number, use it for awhile & tweak up or down depending upon actual weight loss results.

    Many MFP members use 50-75% of MFP guesstimates & tweak from there.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    I'd like an answer here too. If I go on the treadmill for 30 minutes, the machine says I did just over 200 calories. MFP thinks it is 342 calories. I log the amount from the machine.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    The weightlifting estimate (it's based on METS and weight) does assume lifting in a "standard" style of lifting and recovery periods - log the entire duration. It's a small calorie burn and a rough estimate, not worth being too fussy about it.

    For running log the time and pace you actually run but a better way would be to base it on actual distance you run rather than time. (Runnersworld have a simple calculator.)

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