How accurate/inaccurate is MapMyWalk?

stephieleee

Hey All,

I used the MapMyWalk app for the first time today and I find it hard to believe that I burned 500 calories during 60 minutes of average paced walking...

Is this app a reliable way to record exercise calories or does anyone have any suggestions of something more reliable? I dont want be logging more calories burned than I actually have.

Thanks!

TavistockToad

i think walking is bodyweight in lbs x 0.3 x distance in miles

i always found MFP pretty accurate for walking calories

stephieleee

TavistockToad wrote: »

i think walking is bodyweight in lbs x 0.3 x distance in miles

i always found MFP pretty accurate for walking calories

Hmmm using that formula it would have been closer to about 200 calories.

sijomial

I used MapMy suite a few times and their calorie estimates were dreadfully exaggerated.
Also found Runkeeper a bit generous.

It's difficult to compare as various apps seem to try to estimate your gross calories whereas really you want to know your net calories - that's what the formula from @TavistockToad is providing.
The difference between net and gross is far more significant for long duration, low rate of burn exercise.

stephieleee

sijomial wrote: »

I used MapMy suite a few times and their calorie estimates were dreadfully exaggerated.
Also found Runkeeper a bit generous.

It's difficult to compare as various apps seem to try to estimate your gross calories whereas really you want to know your net calories - that's what the formula from @TavistockToad is providing.
The difference between net and gross is far more significant for long duration, low rate of burn exercise.

That's what I thought it might be doing. Might just have to stick with that formula in future to make sure I'm not overestimating my exercise calories. Thanks!

Damian45

what does the .3 represent in the formula?

NorthCascades

The maps should be accurate. The calories, those basically assume the air is molasses and you have to fight your way through every step.

Damian45

I did a quick walk here at work, only 6 minute at .12 miles. It says I burned 40 calories. Based on the formula I really burned 11 so it's VERY inaccurate.

earlnabby

stephieleee wrote: »

Hey All,

I used the MapMyWalk app for the first time today and I find it hard to believe that I burned 500 calories during 60 minutes of average paced walking...

Is this app a reliable way to record exercise calories or does anyone have any suggestions of something more reliable? I dont want be logging more calories burned than I actually have.

Thanks!

The mileage is accurate but the calorie burns are not. I have compared them to what MFP gives me and what my fitness tracker gives me and the tracker is the least number of calories burned so I go with that.

CarvedTones

TavistockToad wrote: »

i think walking is bodyweight in lbs x 0.3 x distance in miles

i always found MFP pretty accurate for walking calories

That's what I use; I rounded my weight down to 150 to make the math easier and the estimate slightly more conservative and use 45 a mile. There are charts with weights and speeds you can find searching around and some seem to have some good science behind them and they tend to come in a little higher but nothing like MMW. It is true that brisk walking is less efficient from an energy conservation POV, so you do burn a little more with faster walking. Running is really inefficient, which give it the double whammy over walking - you burn more calories per mile and cover miles faster.

I quit tracking walks individually and track steps on my phone and figure about 2500 steps a mile. I like using the phone so I don't throw it off exercising. I use Pacer and don't let it auto post. I only compute and post if I do a lot of walking and even then I ignore the first couple of miles.

sijomial

Damian45 wrote: »

what does the .3 represent in the formula?

@Damian45

0.3 represents the efficiency ratio of walking.

For "normal speed" running it is commonly given as 0.63 as running is roughly half as efficient a motion as walking (accelerating your weight upwards when running is effectively wasted energy).