Calories???

ambertimmons21

Do you go by the calories that mfp says that you burn or by the machine at the gym. Like the elliptical trainer on mfp doesn't give you the option of how vigorous the effort was. I know when I am on the elliptical I can tell that I am working alot harder than the people around me, but when you enter it into mfp it will say that you both burned the same calories. I know that the machines at the gym say that I burn more than this site does, I just don't want to go over or under my calories so I need to know how many I am ACTUALLY burning!!!HELP!!!!!!!:explode: :explode: :explode:

ambertimmons21

Do you go by the calories that mfp says that you burn or by the machine at the gym. Like the elliptical trainer on mfp doesn't give you the option of how vigorous the effort was. I know when I am on the elliptical I can tell that I am working alot harder than the people around me, but when you enter it into mfp it will say that you both burned the same calories. I know that the machines at the gym say that I burn more than this site does, I just don't want to go over or under my calories so I need to know how many I am ACTUALLY burning!!!HELP!!!!!!!:explode: :explode: :explode:

songbyrdsweet

Before I got my HRM, I'd visit several different sites and use the average of all the values. I can't give you the addresses, because that breaks the rules, but you can Google some :laugh: Don't forget to subtract the calories you'd burn in that time frame based on your BMR...that'll help improve the accuracy.

shorerider

If you want to know what you are really burning, then you need to get a Heart Rate Monitor--that's as close as you're going to get. Otherwise, MFP is an estimate as is the machine at the gym. I've heard that MFP tends to be closer than gym machines but I don't do gym workouts so not sure on a personal basis.

Invent in a HRM--you can get a great one for about $40.

thalli1

The only way to know for sure is to get a heart rate monitor. Otherwise I say it's better to go with underestimating rather than overestimating.

maverickyanda

Another great reason why I don't eat my exercise calories...

ladywalkalot

I would use MFP and underestimate if you have too. We, in general, have a tendency to underestimate the actual calories we take in so it balances out.

I also agree with MAVERICKYANDA