Are MFP exercise calorie estimates reasonable?

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  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
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    I actually just invested in a HRM and have so far been shocked that the calories estimated in MFP have been very close to the what I'm burning running. As long as I'm choosing the correct pace in the preset MFP exercise, it's usually within 20-30 calories. Meaning I'm typically burning 20-30 MORE then MFP's preset.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Yesterday it told me a half hour of kickboxing was over 400 calories. I'd be surprised if I burned quite that much.

    Here's a rule of thumb...

    Net calories burned from running = 0.63 * weight in pounds * miles run

    If you're being told that you burned more calories than you can run, the odds are high that it is an over-estimate. For example, a 160 pound person would need to run around 4 miles (5.5km) to burn 400 calories. If that person can't run 4 miles in 45 minutes (or however long the class took), then it is unlikely they are burning that many calories, and should scale it down accordingly.

    What I've found is that when I'm accurate on pace and time, the MFP numbers are actually pretty good for running and walking. Where I've seen the biggest problems is in exercises tagged with descriptors like "vigorous" - "vigorous" doesn't mean "sweating heavy", it means "moving at competitive speeds".


    Yep,.did the formula and I got the pretty much the same amount as the treadmill estimation this morning after my run.
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