Calories Burned as Listed by MFP

Nysportsred
Nysportsred Posts: 224 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone know how accurate the calories burned that MFP lists per exercise actually is? There is one that I put in that I have always adjusted because it seemed way too high, but wasn't sure exactly HOW much they are usually off.

Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Depends on the exercise. Some are pretty close. Cycling is about 2x reality in my experience.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    MFP uses a compilation of common formulas and published documentation for it's exercise database. The accuracy of that source information varies considerably; thus the accuracy of the MFP exercise numbers will vary considerably as well. It will be most accurate for simple steady-state activities that have measureable workloads and for which standardized equations exist to predict energy expenditure. That pretty much means walking and running; maybe stairclimbing. Everything else is a crap shoot. Again, that is not a particular fault or failure on the part of MFP--they have pulled together a huge amount of data to be accessed (for free) via a user-friendly interface. The accuracy issues lie in the source data itself--and the fact that such generalized information is difficult/impossible to accurate estimate for a general population.
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