MFP calories burned IS ACCURATE! PLEASE stop saying MFP give

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  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    MFP is totally accurate, except for the many cases in which it is not...

    Ha!
  • Bridgetc140
    Bridgetc140 Posts: 405 Member
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    Websites can give you a ballpark at best. I trust my HRM more.

    ^^^^^^THIS!!
  • Bridgetc140
    Bridgetc140 Posts: 405 Member
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    A HRM is not a calorie counter, it's unlikely to be any more accurate than MFP's figures.

    There's really no need to buy a HRM unless you're either medically advised to, or a serious athlete.

    Actually the heart rate monitor does just that..........it monitors your heart rate to give the most accurate reading of how many calories you were burning DUE TO your heart rate. Of course it's more accurate than MFP.
  • michelletyler38
    michelletyler38 Posts: 469 Member
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    It's not accurate for everyone. Someone who weighs 230 won't have the same burn as someone who weighs 180 or 130. The only way to know for sure is to use a heart rate monitor.

    MFP lowers your calories as your weight decreases... When I first started I'd burn 400 c. doing 30 mins on the elliptical. Now I only burn 370.
  • loseit4ever
    loseit4ever Posts: 187 Member
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    I wear BodyMedia and my actual cals burned are always lower than what MFP says. I think it really depends on the person, how hard you are actually working during any given workout, etc. It's a great resource when you don't have another one, and I think it gives a great ballpark, but I think the HRMs and BodyMedia are more personalized and accurate.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    A HRM is not a calorie counter, it's unlikely to be any more accurate than MFP's figures.
    Despite the fact that it takes into account effort expended, height, weight, age and gender?

    Certainly I get far more realistic sounding measurements out of my HRM. Generally they are at least 20% lower than the ones quoted on here, and on the machines at the gym, neither of which take even gender into account, yet alone weight, which has a massive impact on the amount of calories a certain amount of exercise uses.
  • Superdupermom
    Superdupermom Posts: 149
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    It's not accurate for everyone. Someone who weighs 230 won't have the same burn as someone who weighs 180 or 130. The only way to know for sure is to use a heart rate monitor.
    On MFP it does calculate in your weight..you put your weigh ins right? just like any other site it uses your weight and activity to calculate! MFP might not be PERFECT but its pretty accurate for me! just some people tell others in the forum that its not accurate or that MFP gives you too many calories! in some cases maybe..but its a well rounded site and its pretty accurate for me :)
  • Superdupermom
    Superdupermom Posts: 149
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    A HRM is not a calorie counter, it's unlikely to be any more accurate than MFP's figures.
    Despite the fact that it takes into account effort expended, height, weight, age and gender?

    Certainly I get far more realistic sounding measurements out of my HRM. Generally they are at least 20% lower than the ones quoted on here, and on the machines at the gym, neither of which take even gender into account, yet alone weight, which has a massive impact on the amount of calories a certain amount of exercise uses.
    HRM's are probably the most accurate...but for most people its easier to just get near it ya know? I mean look at how many people have lost weight using this website its amazing! My husband wants to get a HRM but im good with just using the website...i dont care about a couple calories burned here or there because I am gonna just keep losing weight either way :) everyone is different in their way to diet!
  • Superdupermom
    Superdupermom Posts: 149
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    I wear BodyMedia and my actual cals burned are always lower than what MFP says. I think it really depends on the person, how hard you are actually working during any given workout, etc. It's a great resource when you don't have another one, and I think it gives a great ballpark, but I think the HRMs and BodyMedia are more personalized and accurate.
    yes exactly well said :)
  • Superdupermom
    Superdupermom Posts: 149
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    Actually, to be frank, it's not an exact science and an HRM actually does not give you a perfect calculation either. That being said my HRM is pretty close with what MFP calculates so when I don't have it on me to use I feel perfectly comfortable using the site.

    And once I finish my complete research and make a million on my new calculation method that is 100% I'll be sure to keep in touch....buahahahaha
    LOLz cool!
  • Superdupermom
    Superdupermom Posts: 149
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    Good answers everyone. You definitely can not depend on MFP to know exactly how many calories you burned because it's going to tell EVERYONE on here the same amount of cals for a selected exercise and than in itself proves it to be incorrect!!
    not really. my husband gets a completely different number than me on the same exercises! MFP is close enough! MFP is awesome and millions of people have lost weight on it...so hell yea im gonna depend on what it says i burned!!! may not be PERFECT but it WORKS!!! :)
  • donicagalek
    donicagalek Posts: 526
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    They take into account age/gender/weight but it's the little things like how aggressively you're doing the exercise that really kills it.

    Take, for example, Jillian Michael's Shred vs. Insanity Fast and Furious. Both could be considered circuit. Both do NOT burn the same calories. No way - No how!

    Take two people of the same age/gender/weight using the same elliptical for the same amount of time. Say they even go at the same speed/intensity. One of them has been using the machine every day for a year and it's the other person's first time using it. They aren't going to be burning the same amount of calories.

    It's accurate, but it isn't. You have to use common sense and not kid yourself. You'll find out if you are when the scale tells you that you've stopped losing weight. Not for a day, not for a week or even two...but when months go by with no weight loss (or god forbid a gain) you'll have to start being honest with yourself.
  • sundance2032
    sundance2032 Posts: 376 Member
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    I always thought housework was counted in the normal starting calories...boy have I been missing out.


    You have to be very careful adding cleaning and normal daily things. It is very ease to over eat if you are eating back those cals. If you do these things daily or every other day it is better to change your daily act level.

    Be very careful
  • JulsDiane
    JulsDiane Posts: 349 Member
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    And the last item that no one seemed to mention that neither the calculators nor an HRM can take into account is the resistance for the activity.....sometimes you exert extra energy, thus burn extra calories, but DO NOT raise your heart rate, therefore an HRM isn't giving you the actual burn either. An HRM is actually designed for HEART health and overall fitness not to calculate calories......

    Like I said, they are both about the same in my personal case but they are not 100% reliable and cannot be.....
  • kblue2007
    kblue2007 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    I have been wondering how accurate the cardio equipment is at the gym....what I get from the machines is much higher than what MFP gives me....so my train of thought was use the machines count, since I put in my weight, instead of MFP because the elliptical accounts for my level of resistance, speed, etc.
    I am super worried that I may be accounting for too many calories???

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