Exercise Diary

mistey6

Hi All! - I am new to counting calories and have a question for all of you. When it comes to exerciseing and entering my exercise time why do the calories burned on myfitnesspal never match what the machine tells me? For example: 30 minutes on an ellipitical trainer machine tells me 136 calories burned; fitnesspal 300+ calories burned???? Two items to note - the machine never asks me my weight, and fitnesspal never asks me the resistance I used. Any help or clarification would be appreciated.

concordancia

Both sources are guesstimating. If the machine monitors your heart rate, it may be more accurate.

If you want exact numbers, you will have to get a heart rate monitor.

Personally, I use the lower number, so that rounding errors are in my favor if eat back all the calories!

Synapze

Personally i use whatever gives me the lesser.

syrklc

Hi All! - I am new to counting calories and have a question for all of you. When it comes to exerciseing and entering my exercise time why do the calories burned on myfitnesspal never match what the machine tells me? For example: 30 minutes on an ellipitical trainer machine tells me 136 calories burned; fitnesspal 300+ calories burned???? Two items to note - the machine never asks me my weight, and fitnesspal never asks me the resistance I used. Any help or clarification would be appreciated.

MFP has some inflated numbers. I always take the lesser number. Keep up the good work and Welcome..

taso42

Both are estimates. Use whatever methods you have at your disposal to try to get the best estimate possible, or switch to a TDEE-based approach that has exercise all rolled in from the outset.

IronPlayground

Both are estimates. Use whatever methods you have at your disposal to try to get the best estimate possible, or switch to a TDEE-based approach that has exercise all rolled in from the outset.

^This is a much more accurate way. Trying to determine calories burned whether from the machine or through MFP is extremely inaccurate.