Machine vs MFP Database

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Hey All!!! I have a question...I go to a free local gym and the equipment is older....I don't know if that even matters to my question or not but here it is...I spent 15 minutes on the treadmill at 4 mph...the machine says I burned 85 calories but the database on here says closer to 200....same with the bicycling machine....it said I only burnt about 50 but the database says about 100....HELP! Which do I go by??

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  • DeniseNichole76
    DeniseNichole76 Posts: 303 Member
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    I personally do not go by the MFP cardio database because you don't know what weight it was based on, what machine, etc... it all varies, I actually manually input my own excersizes in my own database in MFP. Did you know you can add your own? Click on your Excercise tab, then My Excercises and add your own. I hope this helps. =)

    Good Luck
  • amylynn96
    amylynn96 Posts: 114 Member
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    if theyre older machines im not sure how accurate they are. I would maybe invest in a HRM, one with a chest strap is the most accurate way for your total calorie burn. But you can always manually enter you number of cals too so if your thinking you burned more than what its saying just round it up a bit.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    Most older machines that don't calculate calories burned by weight input and/or HR, are usually general for the typical person. As a motivating factor, you could consider the low calorie calculation to be a "safe" number to go by, therefore you'd put more intensity into the workout, but for accuracy, I really would recommend in getting a HRM.