Disappointed!! HRM vs Machine Calories

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  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    ok...so you are saying that the activity/exercise we log (and we use MFP calculator) INCLUDES what calories we would be burning if we just sat on the couch? NOT additional calories?

    this is confusing.....

    :huh:

    I doubt it, but these number can be off by as much as 50% on MFP's database anyway, usually overestimated.
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
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    On top of that the HRM is calculating total caloric burn, which if entered into MFP would be double counting the calories you would have burned had you not worked out (maintenance calories should be deducted from the HRM readout) So that 315 should be more like 270 assuming you burn 1.5 cal/min during the day. maintenance calories/24/60.

    Don't be disappointed this just means you are in much better shape (if you enter weight and age) than the machine thinks you are, this is a good thing.

    WAIT!! If I work out (Cardio) for 30 minutes and I come up with 400 calories burned I am supposed to subract 1.5 * 30 = 45 calories for a 'real' extra calorie burn of 355 calories?

    You would have burned 355 total, but some of those you would have burned had you not worked out. so to get calories burned from exercise alone (which is what should be added to MFP) yes you would have to back out maintenance calories from the total. This is usually 1.2 to 1.8 cals/minute depending on your stats (age, weight, gender)

    Thanks Eric!!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    On top of that the HRM is calculating total caloric burn, which if entered into MFP would be double counting the calories you would have burned had you not worked out (maintenance calories should be deducted from the HRM readout) So that 315 should be more like 270 assuming you burn 1.5 cal/min during the day. maintenance calories/24/60.

    Don't be disappointed this just means you are in much better shape (if you enter weight and age) than the machine thinks you are, this is a good thing.
    Do you have anything to support this theory? You would think that HRM makers would take that into consideration when programing the algorithm.

    Another thing to consider, the BMR you speak of equates to approx. 35-50 cals/30 mins for the average person. The margin of error on the HRM is probably more than that. Therefore, I wouldn't bother "deducting" that BMR figure.

    yes, I called Polar about a year ago, they do NOT subtract maintenance calories, I.E. you have to account for them manually, each manufacturer is potentially different though, you should call yours and ask.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    Which is why I try to make sure that I don't eat back ALL my exercise calories, and leave a padding for that maintenance burn that is added in.
  • rydn4h2o
    rydn4h2o Posts: 255
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    I also vow to never work out without my HRM again! I've gone without it before and felt completely lost! here's to being obsessive :drinker:

    I'm the same way! I can't even go on a quick 15 minute walk without it or I feel completely out of sorts!:drinker:
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
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    Which is why I try to make sure that I don't eat back ALL my exercise calories, and leave a padding for that maintenance burn that is added in.
    Thats what I have been doing as well, but now I will be especially aware of how many I eat back!!
  • Mad_Dog_Muscle
    Mad_Dog_Muscle Posts: 1,251 Member
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    Which is why I try to make sure that I don't eat back ALL my exercise calories, and leave a padding for that maintenance burn that is added in.
    Thats what I have been doing as well, but now I will be especially aware of how many I eat back!!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    A good rule of thumb is that 1 minute burns about 10 calories if you are pushing yourself to the point of sweating.... that is what I have found is most accurate..

    This varies GREATLY from person to person.

    I WISH I could burn 10 per minute.
    Average for me is 4-7.
    A real hard HOUR LONG workout for me is 300-400 calories, and you are saying it is a "rule of thumb" that is should be about 600. I have NEVER hit 600 in one hour even pushing to the point of almost collapsing at the end of a hard run.

    So, yes, it may be accurate for you, but it's not THE rule of thumb...
  • jantenor
    jantenor Posts: 3 Member
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    This is the exact topic I was wondering about. I had logged a 4.4 mile hike I had done as 440 calories burned, but in reality, we were out bird watching/hiking over a 3.5 hour period in which we walked 4.4 miles.. My "normal" caloric burn if was at home or work would be 70 to 90 calories per hour = 280 calories, so was the 4.4 miles of walking only worth 440 - 280 = 160 calories? Not a lot of benefit for a good walk!
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    Wow, I started using my HR Monitor today while I was on the treadmill. 30 minutes, level 15, 3.0 mph ..... my heart rate monitor showed I burned 315 calories...... the machine said I burned 520!! thats over 200 calories difference!!! I always assumed there could be a difference in the amount of calories, but I was a bit shocked that it was this much. I vow to never work out again without my HR monitor. I have seriously just been schooled here!!

    Since I started using MFP in January, I have always tried leaving a bit of a "buffer" when I log my meals to offset the fact that the calories listed in the database could be off. I have steadily been losing about a pound a week, which I am more than fine with, but there were weeks where I thought I should have lost 2, considering how much surplus calories I would end up with at the end of the week.

    Has anyone else experienced this??

    Do you by any chance hold onto the treadmill when you incline walk???????????

    That absolutely wipes out calorie count!!!

    Of course the treadmill won't know whether you're holding on or not.

    If you do hold on, read this...
    http://walking.about.com/od/treadmillworkouts/a/treadmillhold.htm
    ... and stop it! :wink:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    This is the exact topic I was wondering about. I had logged a 4.4 mile hike I had done as 440 calories burned, but in reality, we were out bird watching/hiking over a 3.5 hour period in which we walked 4.4 miles.. My "normal" caloric burn if was at home or work would be 70 to 90 calories per hour = 280 calories, so was the 4.4 miles of walking only worth 440 - 280 = 160 calories? Not a lot of benefit for a good walk!

    Yes, because if it took you that long to cover that distance then you were going real slow for parts of it and stopping frequently, so you never had your heart rate elevated to an aerobic state for any length of time, therefore it was barely exercise. You do get credit for getting out there and enjoying your day, but you don't get to eat back a ton of extra calories for it. The 160 extra is probably about right.
  • jane77
    jane77 Posts: 489
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    ? backing out maintainance calories what about the new and mystery of the after burn calories won't this new thought change what you would really need to back out?
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Do you by any chance hold onto the treadmill when you incline walk???????????

    That absolutely wipes out calorie count!!!

    Of course the treadmill won't know whether you're holding on or not.

    If you do hold on, read this...
    http://walking.about.com/od/treadmillworkouts/a/treadmillhold.htm
    ... and stop it! :wink:

    GREAT link!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    ? backing out maintainance calories what about the new and mystery of the after burn calories won't this new thought change what you would really need to back out?

    If you are weight lifting (heavy) then yes, you WILL burn more at rest with increased muscle mass, but for cardio, you are right back to where you started within minutes of finishing your workout. In fact, the more "in shape" you are, the quicker your HR should return to its resting rate.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    Do you by any chance hold onto the treadmill when you incline walk???????????

    That absolutely wipes out calorie count!!!

    Of course the treadmill won't know whether you're holding on or not.

    If you do hold on, read this...
    http://walking.about.com/od/treadmillworkouts/a/treadmillhold.htm
    ... and stop it! :wink:

    GREAT link!

    It is isn't it. I'd love to print some copies and hand them to some people at my gym... :huh:
  • Lizzgeorge77
    Lizzgeorge77 Posts: 52 Member
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    I just figured this out today and it makes total sense! I've been plugging in every calorie burned onto MFP without deducting what I would have been burning anyway just lying around. If you insert the number your HRM gives you directly into MFP, then you are over-counting the calories burned - because the HRM (and the machines for that matter) are givign you the TOTAL calories you burned while working out - not the net amount burned above and beyond what you would have burned sitting on the couch. So if you burn 60 calories an hour at rest (which is already incorporated into MFP data for each day), then you should always deduct 60 calories for every hour you work out before reporting burned calories.
  • FlashBang
    FlashBang Posts: 136
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    I just reconcile all the numbers with my scale.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    ? backing out maintainance calories what about the new and mystery of the after burn calories won't this new thought change what you would really need to back out?

    With strength training you could probably get away with not backing them out as the after burn is much higher than with cardio. With Cardio the after burn is small and short.
  • jantenor
    jantenor Posts: 3 Member
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    Ok then - no more birdwatching for me!!! I definately felt like I walked 4.4 miles! Now I want to try that route again with my heart rate monitor on and see how many calories above normal it was. I've always had the philosophy that walking 3 miles is walking 3 miles. If you do it in an hour it's the same amount of "work" as doing it in 2 hours. In Physics the definition of mechanical work is the amount of energy transferred by a force acting through a distance. It doesn't have anything to do with time. Your body is the force. Energy would be the calories burned.

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