Calculating calories

Whatsthemotive

I am doing an exercise program 6-7 times a week. The provider of the YouTube exercise video rates the calories burned as 121 to 248. I initially entered the minimum of 121 calories. I am now doing considerably more than the minimum. However, apparently because I lost some, MFP is now entering 118 calories. Any hints on how best to adjust calories burned to be as accurate as possible?

AnnPT77

Whatsthemotive wrote: »

I am doing an exercise program 6-7 times a week. The provider of the YouTube exercise video rates the calories burned as 121 to 248. I initially entered the minimum of 121 calories. I am now doing considerably more than the minimum. However, apparently because I lost some, MFP is now entering 118 calories. Any hints on how best to adjust calories burned to be as accurate as possible?

Is it an exercise you created yourself? Yes, MFP will adjust the exercise calories as your weight changes, since it uses the METS method of estimating calories, which involves multiples of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), and that changes with weight changes.

For either your own custom exercise, or an MFP standard one, you can override the initial value it suggests, just by typing over the calorie amount when you log it.

I'm skeptical that the estimate by the video provider is extremely precise in the first place, but it's more important to be consistent with exercise estimates than correct, as long as the estimate isn't outlandishly far off (and that magnitude of estimate probably isn't outlandish).

sijomial

There's no real calculating going on here. You can just make a different guess and overwrite 118 with whatever you feel is more appropriate.

Whatsthemotive

I guess what I was asking is if there is a way to make the guess anywhere close to reality. I went in and adjusted to 140, figuring that I’m not doing the most but I’m not barely moving either. This particular workout is designed for seniors and people with mobility issues. I do have mobility issues but I’m going hard at the exercise modifications I can do.

Fit_Happens_2021

It is difficult to know how accurate it is as everyone is different. My husband is a foot taller and 80lbs heavier than me, and when we go for a walk together his wrist tracker records his calorie burn as much higher than mine, for the same walk at the same speed because he burns more for the same activity due to size.

I like my Fitbit smartwatch, it tracks heart rate, steps, calories burned, etc. I can set it to start recording an exercise session and stop it when I am done to get an estimate of how many calories I burned during that exercise session. Some say they are not always accurate, and I agree with that, but mine seems to be quite good. I look at how many calories I burn in a month and how many I have logged that I ate and it seems to correlate quite well to the amount of weight I lost each month.

quiksylver296

Whatsthemotive wrote: »

I guess what I was asking is if there is a way to make the guess anywhere close to reality. I went in and adjusted to 140, figuring that I’m not doing the most but I’m not barely moving either. This particular workout is designed for seniors and people with mobility issues. I do have mobility issues but I’m going hard at the exercise modifications I can do.

As long as you are losing weight at the rate you should be, then you know that number is right. If you're losing slower, it's too high. If you're losing faster, it's too low. You'll have to watch your data, and determine that answer for yourself.

sijomial

Whatsthemotive wrote: »

I guess what I was asking is if there is a way to make the guess anywhere close to reality. I went in and adjusted to 140, figuring that I’m not doing the most but I’m not barely moving either. This particular workout is designed for seniors and people with mobility issues. I do have mobility issues but I’m going hard at the exercise modifications I can do.

No-one else knows what exercises you are actually doing or for how long or at what intensity. My hunch is that even if you invested in some technology you would just be making a more expensive and ultimately no more accurate guess.

If these exercises aren't weight-bearing then as your bodyweight goes down but your fitness/capability level goes up your actual calories expended by the exercise could well be going up. Your feelings seem entirely reasonable.
If you think 140cals is a reasonable estimate then go for it, that size of number isn't going to derail you. It's just one of a whole bunch of estimates in this calorie estimating game.

Whatsthemotive

Thank you for the responses.

MichelleMcKeeRN

I set my calorie limit pretty high at 1650 calories. Some days I eat all my calories and some days I eat less. Some days I work out but am not terribly hungry but then I am super hungry the next day. I don’t have to worry about how many calories I burned. Less stress=lower cortisol lol

HerNameIsMischief

Fit_Happens_2021 wrote: »

I like my Fitbit smartwatch, it tracks heart rate, steps, calories burned, etc. I can set it to start recording an exercise session and stop it when I am done to get an estimate of how many calories I burned during that exercise session.

I just got a Versa 3. I thought that as long as it was on your wrist, it was reading/recording everything. Do you need to set it to record before exercising?