Calories Burned

LaurenMJenkins

I have some doubts about the accuracy of Calories Burned in my Exercise Diary. For 75 minutes of Yoga (which is intense, hot, constant movement, panting, dripping with sweat yoga), it gives me 194 calories burned. For one hour of walking at a brisk pace, it gives me over 350 calories burned. I'd be more likely to flip those numbers. Do you all ever tinker with the exercise to get it more accurate? What do you suggest?

Chrisparadise579

I actually use the Total Daily Expenditure method and dont track my exercise just use a base calorie burn each day and it is usually more accurate. Because like you, I agree that the workout log on here is not necessarily accurate, I have a hard time believing that lifting weights for half an hour burns close to 1000 calories.

SezxyStef

you are making a mistake with assuming because you are sweating and constantly moving you are exerting more effort and muscle movement.

But preceived effort really doesn't come into play.

MFP exercise calories are based on I believe age/weight/gender and time entered...so there will be some issues with it being correct for all as it really is probably an average or a bit on the high end...

When I checked brisked pace walking (3.5mph) for an hour gave a similar burn to 75mins of yoga 256 vs 211..now if I chose very brisk 4mph then it shot up to 337 which seems realistic....but I know those numbers are close for me based on my results from only walking for a week....

bwogilvie

MFP tends to overestimate calories burned.

But Stef is right: the fact that you are hot and sweating doesn't mean you're burning more calories. Aerobic energy expenditure comes from mobilizing large muscle groups (arms, leg, and/or back) continuously at moderate intensity for long periods of time. Static (isometric) contraction and short bursts of activity with rest, which characterizes strength training and yoga, might get your heart beating just as fast, but it doesn't metabolize as much energy.

LoneWolf_70

MFP's calories burned are almost always wildly wrong. Invest in an HRM or some like device. It is tailored to your height, weight, age etc.

bwogilvie

MFP's calories burned are almost always wildly wrong. Invest in an HRM or some like device. It is tailored to your height, weight, age etc.

Note, though, that HRMs are (relatively) accurate only when you're engaged in continuous, moderate-to-intense aerobic activity. That's because they only measure heart rate, and then make assumptions based on lab measurements about the relationship between heart rate and energy expenditure in continuous aerobic activity. They are wildly inaccurate for measuring energy expenditure in strength training, low-intensity cardio (such as a leisurely walk), and stop-and-go aerobic activities.