Anyone think the exercises are overstating calorie burn?

MegJo

Wow are some great posts on this topic! I also think that MFP may over estimate calorie burns.

I am overweight and out of shape - so when I really push it, naturally I'm going to burn more calories then the fit person next to me. I did zumba on Monday and was wearing my GoWear Fit (same as a bodybugg, even made by the same company (BodyMedia) that makes the bodybugg, just cheaper! ) I realllly pushed it - I've been doing zumba for a couple months, and I can tell I've gained muscle - I did a lot of the footwork and jumping and my GoWear showed it! I burned 820 calories in the 60 min class As I was telling a friend in the class about my burn someone else overheard me and proceeded to tell me there is no way I burned that much and my armband must be off because her HRM said she only burned 580. She was medium height and average weight, she appeared to be pretty fit. Obviously her burn is going to be lower then mine!

As far as gym machines - they are always off. They always show I burned WAY more then my GoWear shows, especially the stairmaster. It can be as high as 200 calories off!

I also agree with some of the posts to be careful in eating your exercise calories back. Personally, I don't eat any of them, but some people on here eat 1/2 back. I think trying it a couple different ways and figuring out what works best for you is most important. Its great to have this site and all the support that comes with it - but I never compare my workouts and calories to other people.