This much is obvious!

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Leola2011
Leola2011 Posts: 192
in Fitness and Exercise
As I read through the forums and people's logs, one thing has become painfully obvious to me: Some of these "calories burned" posts are a gross overestimation and is clearly lulling folks into a huge false sense of security. I get that all of these numbers are approximations and shouldn't be etched in stone as hard facts, but..........

Do I dare suggest to someone, "Look, I'm not saying you CAN'T burn 800 calories doing 45 minutes of Zumba, but it's probably not a good idea to eat all those calories back because you probably only earned about half."

I compare what my HRM says with what MFP says for the same workouts and sometimes the two are close and sometimes they are light years apart! I could never believe that I'd actually burned 647 calories doing much of anything in only 20 minutes (at least not at my fitness level and that of some others similar to me). Doing so would mean that I'd have to LAST the entire 20 minutes and, if I could do that, then my other numbers wouldn't be what they are.

I think that my HRM was probably one of the single best investments I've made thus far regarding my lifestyle change. It helps keep me honest and not get my head all gassed up thinking I can eat much more than I should.

Replies

  • Greenwellj
    Greenwellj Posts: 45
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    I agree. I keep my calories at 1200 and don't add any for my exercise. That is probably ok if you are maintaining but not if you are trying to lose.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
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    I totally agree. I am a walker and I would never eat back all the calories that are added to my total. The bike riding calories that are listed are truly over what I believe to be even close.
  • bdreilly
    bdreilly Posts: 21
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    I did Zumba for an hour but only put 50 minutes, I also don't eat back all of my calories. I don't think that it is right estimation either.
  • 6heatherb6
    6heatherb6 Posts: 469 Member
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    Me too...I keep just under my calories for weight loss and don't count exercise...it's just a bonus!
    Good no you for putting this up!!
    I recommend EVERYONE takes the time to check calories too....read labels and check web sites...there is sooooo much variation in what MFP says is in some foods....like boiled potatoes from 80 to 280!!! Don't pick the lowest calorie stated!! There are many other sites you can check info and then add it to this one.
    :flowerforyou:
  • lwhitman4
    lwhitman4 Posts: 144 Member
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    Agreed. I take it all with a grain of salt. But I always eat my exercise cals because I love food, not because I think I 'earned' them. good observation and way to put it out there.
  • jaylu
    jaylu Posts: 158
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    a heart rate monitor is the only way to go with cals burned! your own hrm is tailored to your age, gender and weight.
  • Leola2011
    Leola2011 Posts: 192
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    I actually enjoy eating most of my calories back. But where would I be if I had the wrong idea of how much of my calories I truly burned? So far, it's working for me. And I get the science behind it. The calorie counter on this site seems to assume that a person has worked straight through a program and staying within range the entire time. But my HRM accounts for the difference when my heart rate is 113 vs 156.

    I just laughed to myself because, how CLEAN would my house be if my heart rate was at 145 the entire time?! I'm pretty sure if I cleaned like that, my husband would say, "Uh, you mind peeing in this cup?"

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