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Calories earned.

Suzanne_the_foot_lady
Suzanne_the_foot_lady Posts: 219 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a health app on my Samsung phone, which refused to sync with MPG, so I downloaded map my workout. They both follow my activity with GPS and have my vital statistics. The calories they say I have earned during excersize does not match though, nowhere near. For example, today I did a fast walk at lunchtime.They both had my distance as just under three miles in 42 minutes, with around 5300 odd steps. But . . . Map my workout said I used 289 calories, my phone app said I used around 190 calories. As someone with a good appetite who normally eats a good proportion of earned calories, it's a big difference. Opinions please!

Replies

  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    For walking, calories per mile would be 0.3* bodyweight in lbs.

    For me, at 160lbs I'd do about 150 cals walking, or 300 running for three miles.

    The lower figure sounds more likely.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I'd go with the lower number too. The 289 is unrealistically high unless you were actually race walking at more than 5mph (which surprisingly burns a little bit more than running due to the mechanical inefficiency) 3 mile in 42 minutes is a good brisk walk but not race walking....the 190 even sounds high unless you weigh over 200 lbs.
  • Suzanne_the_foot_lady
    Suzanne_the_foot_lady Posts: 219 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    For walking, calories per mile would be 0.3* bodyweight in lbs.

    For me, at 160lbs I'd do about 150 cals walking, or 300 running for three miles.

    The lower figure sounds more likely.

    Thank you. I say walk, but it is a fast walk, I average 4 miles per hour, with a raised heart rate and faster breathing, ( but not panting.)
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    thechiopodist wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    For walking, calories per mile would be 0.3* bodyweight in lbs.

    For me, at 160lbs I'd do about 150 cals walking, or 300 running for three miles.

    The lower figure sounds more likely.

    Thank you. I say walk, but it is a fast walk, I average 4 miles per hour, with a raised heart rate and faster breathing, ( but not panting.)

    For accuracy, always go with the lower number. Observe your losses/gains over a period of weeks and adjust if necessary one way or another. Everyone is different. When I first started walking I could easily ramp up my heart rate to 150ish, sometimes higher, sustaining 4mph walking. Now I'm lucky if it's much over 100. Matter of fact to keep it in the cardio range I want I now have to run in intervals, or just run. I can burn up to 400ish calories running a 5k on uneven terrain but walking, not so much. This is why most people who use apps to calculate calories for exercises will tell you to only eat back 50% of what you earn. Then over time if your weight loss is accelerated more than you expected, adjust that up about 10% and wait a few more weeks. Eventually you'll get a picture of what's accurate for you. At least until you lose a significant amount of weight and become in better shape. It's sort of a moving target.
  • Suzanne_the_foot_lady
    Suzanne_the_foot_lady Posts: 219 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    I'd go with the lower number too. The 289 is unrealistically high unless you were actually race walking at more than 5mph (which surprisingly burns a little bit more than running due to the mechanical inefficiency) 3 mile in 42 minutes is a good brisk walk but not race walking....the 190 even sounds high unless you weigh over 200 lbs.

    Thank you. I thought it sounded high, but both apps have my height and weight programmed in. (5'8" 142ish lbs) There were several hills in the walk today, but I will have to try and leave 50% of my earned caliries uneaten!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    thechiopodist wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    For walking, calories per mile would be 0.3* bodyweight in lbs.

    For me, at 160lbs I'd do about 150 cals walking, or 300 running for three miles.

    The lower figure sounds more likely.

    Thank you. I say walk, but it is a fast walk, I average 4 miles per hour, with a raised heart rate and faster breathing, ( but not panting.)

    Speed isn't particularly material to it, the differences are negligible.
  • Suzanne_the_foot_lady
    Suzanne_the_foot_lady Posts: 219 Member
    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    thechiopodist wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    For walking, calories per mile would be 0.3* bodyweight in lbs.

    For me, at 160lbs I'd do about 150 cals walking, or 300 running for three miles.

    The lower figure sounds more likely.

    Thank you. I say walk, but it is a fast walk, I average 4 miles per hour, with a raised heart rate and faster breathing, ( but not panting.)

    For accuracy, always go with the lower number. Observe your losses/gains over a period of weeks and adjust if necessary one way or another. Everyone is different. When I first started walking I could easily ramp up my heart rate to 150ish, sometimes higher, sustaining 4mph walking. Now I'm lucky if it's much over 100. Matter of fact to keep it in the cardio range I want I now have to run in intervals, or just run. I can burn up to 400ish calories running a 5k on uneven terrain but walking, not so much. This is why most people who use apps to calculate calories for exercises will tell you to only eat back 50% of what you earn. Then over time if your weight loss is accelerated more than you expected, adjust that up about 10% and wait a few more weeks. Eventually you'll get a picture of what's accurate for you. At least until you lose a significant amount of weight and become in better shape. It's sort of a moving target.

    Thank you. I'm not really overweight and am used to excersize. I have lost 12lbs and would like to use another 10 vanity lbs. I have gotten a little stuck with my weightloss and thought that I was eating back too many earned calories. I will try to only eat back 50% from now on. (After my holiday that is!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    MMW was going likely only by distance done, inclines not in the formula.
    Phone app was probably using that and step impact data from phones accelerometer, which for inclines results in opposite of reality.
    Smaller steps going up given small burn, longer steps going down given bigger burn - compared to walking flat.
  • vnb_208
    vnb_208 Posts: 1,359 Member
    edited October 2017
    My samsung health works w/ mfp
    make sure you go into samsung health and under setting allow mfp to be connected
    Also connect mfp to samsung under settings, I had to uninstall mfp 1 or 2xs but now it works fine.
  • Suzanne_the_foot_lady
    Suzanne_the_foot_lady Posts: 219 Member
    vnb_208 wrote: »
    My samsung health works w/ mfp
    make sure you go into samsung health and under setting allow mfp to be connected
    Also connect mfp to samsung under settings, I had to uninstall mfp 1 or 2xs but now it works fine.

    I just gave up! I like the map my fitness, but I think I'll just consider earned calories a a bonus to be used in emergencies! :)
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    I use this chart to keep tabs on my walking burn, since my Fitbit gives me too much credit. https://www.verywell.com/walking-calories-burned-by-miles-3887154
  • Suzanne_the_foot_lady
    Suzanne_the_foot_lady Posts: 219 Member
    CoachJen71 wrote: »
    I use this chart to keep tabs on my walking burn, since my Fitbit gives me too much credit. https://www.verywell.com/walking-calories-burned-by-miles-3887154

    Thank you. I synced my Samsung app to map my workout and the readings changed to a more realistic amount which agrees pretty much with this chart.

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