Calculating Calories Burned

tlblake84

When MFP calculates calories burned during different activites, is that a general average or is our height, weight, and age a factor in determining that?

Gunu09

I believe it's the general avg..

kshadows

General average.

happieharpie

For those of us who have had to lose a lot, I take it as a push to become much more active and that's what I do. For myself, even the idea of micromanaging is counterproductive, so "guesstimates" work fine.

One of my activities is "aerobic singing" and I'm serious about that. As a trained singer, I know that 45 minutes of non-stop singing is at least as good as a 10 or 15 minute walk.

So that's what I do in my figuring.

Of course,YRMV!

joyangbax

I was given a heart monitor recently and I have used while working out to see if the MFP numbers were correct and they were right on.

SerendipitySkye

I love this!! It gives me an excuse to belt it out......my kids might hate it considering I can't sing, but I will tell them it is for the cause. Thanks!!! :flowerforyou:

bwogilvie

When MFP calculates calories burned during different activites, is that a general average or is our height, weight, and age a factor in determining that?

The MPF activity database takes your weight into account, but none of your other physical characteristics. If you use the Database feature (under the exercise tab) it prompts you to enter your weight. If you add cardio to your diary, it bases its estimate on your most recently logged weight.

However, the database (which draws on the Compendium of Physical Activities) notoriously overestimates how many calories are consumed by a lot of activities. For my bike rides at 15-18 mph, it overestimates by 30-40% compared with my Garmin Edge 800, which uses a heart rate monitor along with elevation and speed data to estimate calories expended. The Garmin estimate, in turn, agrees pretty well with my actual weight loss. I think it's prudent to log only about 60-70% of what MFP's database estimates, at least until you get a sense of how your logged calories compare with your actual losses.

throoper

^^^ THIS