is this site realistic

stunninS12

I like this site for the support and it keeps me motivated by checking in, but my question is how reliable is the calorie count of the food, and calorie count for the exercise . For example I went for a walk/jog (wog) and went to log it into my exercise diary, but who is to say how many calories I burned., or if I was going 5.5 mph. I guess I just wish that more people were concerned with what they ear and what amount of exercise they did and not so much on the numbers

blf20

My experience is that the food calorie counts are pretty good. For instance, at the beginning, I always checked the count in MFP with the counts on the side of the package. The majority are spot on. The beauty of MFP is the huge database of foods so that there's no excuse not to know what is going in one's mouth. While I've had less experience on the varied exercise, I would imagine that if the counts were off, the Community would certainly say so.
Best of luck with your journey

AnninStPaul

An HRM will give you a more accurate picture of calorie burn; they're under $100 on Amazon.

mmapags

Like almost every site of this kind, it is based on averages. That being said, it's reasonable accurate. If you want to get more accurate for something like the walk/jog you mentioned, get a heart rate monitor. It will not be accurate for strength training like weight lifting but is will be for any cardio workouts.

smantha32

It might not be 100% accurate..but for me, it just gives me an idea of where I am.

For instance, It's too easy to go to a restaurant and grab a salad and feel like I'm eating healthy, and then wonder why the scale won't move down.

When I log what I eat, even if it's not 100% accurate, I stay within a certain range. If I don't log, I tend to grossly underestimate the calories I'm consuming.

usernamejoe

I use the tracker for estimates. But to be honest, I work out to feel good and sweat. I know what I'm doing in the gym is making me stronger and healthier... to each it's own. I don't use the numbers on here as the holy grail

Shadom

Try a heart rate monitor. I just got one and it's working out fine. It does help to know that you are getting somewhere.

Railr0aderTony

No kidding, YOU SHOULD ASK FOR YOUR MONEY BACK. Ohh thats right its free and has helped thousands of people.

LorinaLynn

I use a site like runkeeper or mapmyrun to map out where I go when running or walking the dog, and time myself. Those sites give a calorie estimate, too.

I have a HRM, but I mostly bought it for the stopwatch function (it was cheap) and to be honest, I trust MFP's calorie counts more than the ones that gives me. Other HRMs are probably better. Because I highly doubt I only burned 450 calories running 11 miles in two hours.

krazyforyou

Like you I was depending on acurate counts for exercise by using the database. Then I bought a Mio HRM and use it only for calorie burns. Bought it at Academy for around 50.00.

shorty35565

I like this site for the support and it keeps me motivated by checking in, but my question is how reliable is the calorie count of the food, and calorie count for the exercise . For example I went for a walk/jog (wog) and went to log it into my exercise diary, but who is to say how many calories I burned., or if I was going 5.5 mph. I guess I just wish that more people were concerned with what they ear and what amount of exercise they did and not so much on the numbers

I always double check the nutr facts w/ the ones on here b4 I add my food. So i know the ones I use are correct. & I have an HRM, so I put mine burn in manually now.

TanyaCurtis

Yeah, MFP definitely over estimates, and is all over the place. If u really wanna know forsure, and most accurately, buy a HRM. I bought the PolarFT40, Love it!

Linbo93

Regarding the food logging, i find that even if I can't find what I need, I can just add it myself and keep it accurate. Over time, you build up your favorites and meals and logging gets faster and faster, while still remaining accurate.

As for fitness, I never go off of what this site says. I use my bodymedia fit device.

Before I had that device, I never logged my fitness in. I use this site primarily to hold myself accountable. And for that reason alone, it's a great tool!

IronmanPanda

For some reason there are food entries that are way off and yet people confirm it as being correct.
I usually cross reference the food entries with nutritiondata.com to make sure its correct before using it.

Also the calorie burn estimates are a little off but until you get a HRM it puts you in the ballpark.

388gigi

I joined MFP beginning of 2011. I'm pretty sure the first 12 months on here, my logging wasn't very accurate at all.

I now have an HRM (best purchase ever!) and try to be as accurate as possible with the food. I weigh mostly everything, I do a lot of research, I cross check and I double check! Sometimes I become a little bit too obsessive over it and I get anxious when I can't log accurately or when I am out of routine...which is when I try to relax and pull back a bit!

It's probably never going to 100% perfect, but the more we stick to it and the more we learn, the better and more accurate it will become. Either way, I think this site is really beneficial if you use it properly. Especially the community side of it :-)

alikrorp225

I use MFP as my primary source for keeping track of things. However, I use a free app called sportstracker to track my walking. I put in my height and weight and start my workout. It keeps track of my speed and how many miles I go and then gives me my calorie burn. I then put that number into MFP. I'm planning on getting a HRM as well, because you can plug it into your phone and it works with sportstracker. Even without a HRM, I'm loving using both of these apps together. It's been great!

honeysprinkles

double check whatever you add in your diary, you can edit anything that isn't correct. weigh and measure your portions, buy a heart rate monitor, use mfp to track. It's as accurate as you are.

Christine1110

I think for the most part the food calories are close....but logging exercise is going to be off for most of us. I love this site, and it has helped me lose 98 pounds going from a Obese BMI to normal.

MrsSamB

For example I went for a walk/jog (wog) and went to log it into my exercise diary, but who is to say how many calories I burned., or if I was going 5.5 mph.

By doing a little bit of mathematics (manipulating the 'distance= rate x time' formula), you can figure out your rate and distance. This will give you a more accurate count for your calories.

blessings,
sam

wendyjo3

An HRM will give you a more accurate picture of calorie burn; they're under $100 on Amazon.

This.

CynthiasChoice

StunninS12 - I'd like to know too. Today I was doing some pretty intense gardening - digging holes, squatting, dragging pots around, etc. and when I used the gardening entry on MFP's exercise page, it said I burned over 600 calories in two hours. I don't think so! I'm sore and all, but 600?

I need to use a heart rate monitor, because I just don't think MFP takes into consideration what kind of shape you're in. If a sedentary person gets out and walks a mile in 20 minutes, he's going to burn a lot more calories than someone who's in great shape doing the same 20 min. mile.