Things that make you go...Hmmmm....(outrageous calorie burn)

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Replies

  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
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  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    I always use my hrm to track my cals. MFP has never really been accurate. It's frustrating in a way to be "in shape" these days compared to when I weighed a lot more and it took a lot more to complete the same activities. Right now I am doing insanity. According to the beginning video and books you can burn 600-700 calories per workout. I rarely break 300.

    Running tho for me doesn't burn as much as doing a circuit type workout involving burpees, frog jumps, some weights, etc. I burn more doing those things b/c I can get my heart rate higher, longer. Running just isn't my thing I guess.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Back when I used to mountain bike, I weighed about 185 and used an HRM. Most of my rides were 2-3 hours in length, and I would always see 4 digits on the watch when I was finished. I believed I burned between 500 and 800 calories in an hour and had an average heart rate of 75-80% of my max HR.

    The reason why I don't believe that people burn 1000+ calories in an hour is because it takes a LOT of work and a LONG time to be able to build up the endurance to sustain such intense efforts over long periods of time. Yes, if you are heavier, you will burn more calories, but by the time you're able to actually exert yourself over a period of more than 10 minutes, you're going to have lost a lot of weight, or you're doing it wrong (considering people on here are usually trying to lose weight).

    It took me 3-4 years of hard mountain biking to get to the point where I could ride a single speed mountain bike up and down a 200m tall escarpment for hours at a time and push myself every minute on those rides. No one is going to go from being a fat *kitten*, sitting on a couch, to suddenly busting their butt at a high heart rate for over an hour and blow 2000 calories doing so, multiple times a week. Even if someone managed to pull it off, that's how you kill yourself.

    Ever heard of a heart attack? Read up on how they're triggered.
  • you wouldn't burn 120 calories in that amount of time at your size. I'd invest in a better HRM or do a VO2 max correction.
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
    I wonder about that too. When I was able to walk, I would walk for 2 miles at about a 17 mins mile. For the 2 miles I only burned approx. 250 cals. according to my hrm watch. When I was using an elliptical I would burn about 300 cals in about 45 mins of going at a good clip. I can't workout right now, but when I can, I will clock it with my mio watch. And the sad part is that it takes so long to burn 100 cals, and eat something small like a yogurt burns those 100 cals. :noway:
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    I had a friend who would post

    ***** burned 3200 calories doing 8 hours of walking. because that's how much he felt he walked during the day and he would eat back his calories, he wouldn't listen so I deleted him!
  • Ginnyesq
    Ginnyesq Posts: 109
    Based on distance and time, MFP generally hugely overestimates the calories I burn walking or jogging. If I know the route and that I went 2 miles at a 3 mph pace based on the time it took, MFP generally gives me several hundred calories over what my HRM says. I just stopped tracking excercise because I found it frustrating and I don't eat calories back.
  • MoniqueB79
    MoniqueB79 Posts: 17 Member
    Youare not the culprit, Christina! LOL :O) I saw someone post carloies burned for croqueting.... WTHeck!?! Rediculous! LOL
  • perfectingpatti
    perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
    The reason why I don't believe that people burn 1000+ calories in an hour is because it takes a LOT of work and a LONG time to be able to build up the endurance to sustain such intense efforts over long periods of time.

    Then you should come to Houston and attend one of bigced's hardcore spin class. He'll show you how it's done.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    "Why am I not losing weight" and when I said maybe her burns weren't accurate she told me she had a spreadsheet so it had to be accurate....

    Ok. If that works for you fine. But just because it's on a spreadsheet doesn't make it right. I feel bad saying anything but really? Don't dismiss out of hand the possibility that you have an accounting error going on.

    Bwahahahahaha! :laugh:
  • Bankman1989
    Bankman1989 Posts: 1,116 Member
    I'm not defensive. I just don't think a 1,000 calories an hour constitutes a big burn unless you weigh 100-120 lbs.It just AMAZES me every time I see a discussion about this lame subject. I will defend anyone who actually is doing the work. I have also caught people lying about their workouts.

    Maybe you are missing my point which is WHO REALLY CARES OR KNOWS WHAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY DOES? We can't tell by pics hell we don't even know if it's actually THEIR PICS!!

    I have no reason to be defensive. I teach 6 days a week mornings and evenings. When I post a burn I could care less what anyone else thinks. In fact I encourage anyone to come to my class and see how you feel afterwards..lol

    And it wasn't being defensive
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I had a friend who would log "studying" and no I don't think it was a PE class. Hilarious!!
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
    So what IS the most accurate way to measure calorie burn? I just started using a Polar FT4 HRM, because I was doubting the values on MFP. Is this even close to being accurate?
  • sarahisme18
    sarahisme18 Posts: 574 Member
    Great job with your post about accurate calorie estimates OP!! I wish you nothing but success in all your fitness and health goals. :flowerforyou:


    :laugh: Benevolent overseers again?
  • MoniqueB79
    MoniqueB79 Posts: 17 Member
    One of my friends logs over 2000 calorie sometimes, but it's usually after a spin class.

    See now that I could find slightly unbelievable! LOL Unless its a 2 hour class or so!
  • Ivian_
    Ivian_ Posts: 276 Member
    I've been on HB's and Cal's spreadsheet, and I've seen the numbers. I've also read the type of things they do at the gym and for how long and it's EXHAUSTING just reading it. I don't doubt they've burned what they've logged, honestly. I usually don't go on calorie burn police and don't really comment unless my opinion and thoughts are asked for. I, myself have had some intense burns after what some might not consider "gym" exercises like swimming, or rock climbing or mountain biking. I think one time doing an hour of Zumba at my gym, I burned like 9xx calories. I have an HRM and never go by the amounts MFP suggests. Along with my HRM, I tend to make note of what the machine tells me, if I'm on a treadmill or other cardio equipment and compare to my HRM. At the end of the day, it's still an estimate.

    Check out this article.
    http://www.wired.com/playbook/2012/08/fitness-trackers/
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    At my current weight (and I use a HRM) I can burn 1,000 calories in 90 minutes working hard. I have burned 10-plus calories a minute at times. But, no, you don't burn a ton in 5 minutes walking to the mailbox.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
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    I care... I always care.
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    I had a friend who would post

    ***** burned 3200 calories doing 8 hours of walking. because that's how much he felt he walked during the day and he would eat back his calories, he wouldn't listen so I deleted him!

    I have friends like that too lol. It's almost sad.
  • MoniqueB79
    MoniqueB79 Posts: 17 Member
    I'm not defensive. I just don't think a 1,000 calories an hour constitutes a big burn unless you weigh 100-120 lbs.It just AMAZES me every time I see a discussion about this lame subject. I will defend anyone who actually is doing the work. I have also caught people lying about their workouts.

    Maybe you are missing my point which is WHO REALLY CARES OR KNOWS WHAT SOMEONE ACTUALLY DOES? We can't tell by pics hell we don't even know if it's actually THEIR PICS!!

    I have no reason to be defensive. I teach 6 days a week mornings and evenings. When I post a burn I could care less what anyone else thinks. In fact I encourage anyone to come to my class and see how you feel afterwards..lol

    And it wasn't being defensive

    Yeah - I dont care what people think about my burns either. I just wish that people weren't so naive (in my humble opinion) about how much work goes into getting a good burn. My calorie posts are for my information...and use a HRM and LOVE it.,,,I use my HRM to let me know if my current workout was a good as my last. I am always trying to improve. ;O)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Well I don't trust the MFP estimates at all, but if they used a HRM or fitbit or something then I'd believe it.

    For people who are not fit (such as beginners) HRM will not necessarily give an accurate read.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Sometimes, I blame the MFP calculator. I use rock-climbing as my main exercise of choice. Usually, I am at the gym for at least 2 hours rock climbing. If I log those 2 hours though, MFP says I burned between 1500 calories or more. Doubting this, I usually shave off 30 minutes to account for the time I spend on the ground, but it still seems too much.

    If I were to assume that MFP was giving me a completely accurate burn, I would be eating a lot. I'm looking into buying a HRM so that I can get a better idea of what I burned during a workout.

    I guess, what I'm saying is that they may just be taking MFP's numbers for face value and assume they are spot on.

    I haven't yet done it with an HRM (the watch is so cumbersome), but you DO burn a pretty incredible amount of calories doing things like rock climbing, bouldering, and/or swimming.
  • MoniqueB79
    MoniqueB79 Posts: 17 Member
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    Have you been waiting all day to post that picture? Jelly of who?? Someone who is logging 300 calories for croqueting and not losing a single lb? Not so much! Thanks for the concern though! lol
  • RachelSRoach1
    RachelSRoach1 Posts: 435 Member
    absolutely!! When I add exercise I purposefully make it less than I really did because I don't have an HRM thus cannot be accurate.

    What I am the most paranoid about however is the calories for some foods. For example popcorn. When I looked it up I couldn't believe the calories on movie theater butter were so low so I didn't eat much after that because I was convinced it was lying lol
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Sometimes, I blame the MFP calculator. I use rock-climbing as my main exercise of choice. Usually, I am at the gym for at least 2 hours rock climbing. If I log those 2 hours though, MFP says I burned between 1500 calories or more. Doubting this, I usually shave off 30 minutes to account for the time I spend on the ground, but it still seems too much.

    If I were to assume that MFP was giving me a completely accurate burn, I would be eating a lot. I'm looking into buying a HRM so that I can get a better idea of what I burned during a workout.

    I guess, what I'm saying is that they may just be taking MFP's numbers for face value and assume they are spot on.

    I haven't yet done it with an HRM (the watch is so cumbersome), but you DO burn a pretty incredible amount of calories doing things like rock climbing, bouldering, and/or swimming.

    I hook it around my sports bra strap and it doesn't bother me. I HATE wearing it on my wrist.
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
    Haha I have a couple folks on my FL like this. I just find it easier to not comment on it
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
    I think it depends on the activity/weight. If you are a 300 lb person doing 2 hours of Zumba a day, yeah, you'll get 2000 calories burned. I weigh 153 and don't usually get that in a week...but I never exercise 2 hours a day.

    I posted a thread on this a while back, asking how on earth people were always getting 1000+ calorie burns. Some people work out A LOT. Some people lie and log "cleaning" as 800 calories. Some of those people are losing weight. Some are not.

    At the end of the day, you know what's for real. If you don't think you burned 700 calories you probably didn't even if MFP says you did. It says I burn that in p90x...yeah, not so much.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Sometimes, I blame the MFP calculator. I use rock-climbing as my main exercise of choice. Usually, I am at the gym for at least 2 hours rock climbing. If I log those 2 hours though, MFP says I burned between 1500 calories or more. Doubting this, I usually shave off 30 minutes to account for the time I spend on the ground, but it still seems too much.

    If I were to assume that MFP was giving me a completely accurate burn, I would be eating a lot. I'm looking into buying a HRM so that I can get a better idea of what I burned during a workout.

    I guess, what I'm saying is that they may just be taking MFP's numbers for face value and assume they are spot on.

    I haven't yet done it with an HRM (the watch is so cumbersome), but you DO burn a pretty incredible amount of calories doing things like rock climbing, bouldering, and/or swimming.

    I hook it around my sports bra strap and it doesn't bother me. I HATE wearing it on my wrist.

    Does that do it as accurately?! I would love to start wearing it like that because it drives me crazy on my wrist, too!
  • Fat2Fit145
    Fat2Fit145 Posts: 385 Member
    Have you ever seen someone post an outrageous calorie burn on MFP and think to yourself that is unFREAKINGbelieveable!!! No really… unbelievable. I know it’s none of my business…ppl can sabotage their own lifestyle changes…but being someone who is still 260lbs even after losing 70lbs…I know how much work goes into burning 10-15 calories a minute!!! It’s not easy…at ALL! Sometimes after I do a HIIT workout I am blinded by sweat with my heart rate WAY out the zone and come to find out I only burned 120 calories in 20 minutes…and you want to tell me you burned 90 cals walking to your mailbox for 5 minutes? I think not!!!

    Sometimes I just get so annoyed when someone posts a ridiculous exercise…then it’s even more annoying when they wonder why they are NOT losing weight. Really!?!?!

    OK…I'm done ranting…I shall dismount my soapbox now! :O)

    DISCLAIMER: I am in no way trying to be mean… I know that there are some folks that just don’t know any better… like me in the beginning....but this really bugs me and when I have mentioned it to a couple Pals they blew it off and then the next week complained about not losing. So….


    ummm.... MFP pal does the calulations, soooo u shouldnt be ranting on the person so much, but probably on the inaccurate calculation of MFP.....HMMM!.... and i dont think it should bother you dat much, IF and IF they wanna 'make' it up, they are only fooling themselves. You knw what you are doing so focus on you. All the best!
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
    I log some pretty big burns, but I use a heart rate monitor for accuracy. I also haven't weighted myself in over a month, I am basing my success on how my clothes fit (which is much much better). So my weight doesn't change on here and I have big burns. Most of my friends on here know that I don't own a scale anymore and they know I use a HRM so I don't worry about it.