Myfitnesspal & Mapmyfitness show different calories burnt.

ozzynotwood

Hi everying. After a 50 minute walk MyFitnessPal shows 132 calories burnt. MapMyFitness shows 234 calories burnt. The big difference between the 2 apps is MapMyFitness uses GPS tracking. Why the big difference?

radellie

I don't know why no one has replied! The reason for this difference is map my walk measures your speed and pace. Quicker pace means more calories burnt USUALLY. The only issue with this is that you can't truly predict calories burned without measuring heart rate.

If you're not measuring your heart rate the usual rule is 1hr of walking=300 calories burned.

robertw486

radellie wrote: »

I don't know why no one has replied! The reason for this difference is map my walk measures your speed and pace. Quicker pace means more calories burnt USUALLY. The only issue with this is that you can't truly predict calories burned without measuring heart rate.

If you're not measuring your heart rate the usual rule is 1hr of walking=300 calories burned.

No offense intended, but what you posted is incorrect on several levels.

Heart rate varies greatly with fitness levels, and can't tell the rate of actual work. It is of little use for calcating calories burned. And without knowing a persons weight, there is no good rule of thumb.

For net calorie burns studies show approx 1/3 of the persons weight x miles walked would be the approximate calorie burn for normal walking speeds.



As for the OP and original question..... MFP uses ranges of speed and time, subject to error. Most apps calculate gross calorie burn, and many seem to inflate reality regardless. Actual tests and studies show calorie burn to be lower than many estimates on websites or through use of apps.

IIRC .3 X Body weight x miles = calories was the result of one of the often referenced studies.