Calculating calorie burn

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AnnieeR
AnnieeR Posts: 229
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all. Out of curiosity, when you enter your exercise for the day, do you use the calculation that MFP does or do you get it elsewhere? I tend not to enter my weight into the treadmill at the gym and given that I'm quite heavy it therefore may be under estimating, but the MFP estimation is often a good 100 calories different. I tried another online calculator the other day and it came up a bit over the treadmill estimate but still below the MFP estimate.... Obviously I prefer the MFP number, LOL!

As an example, today the treadmill said that after 45 mins of combining walking at 6KPH (some at a 3% incline) and jogging at 8.5KPH I'd burned a smidge over 250 calories. When I entered it all here it gave me 389 calories....

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  • Phatdaddymike
    Phatdaddymike Posts: 74
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    I have used both...the TM total and MFP but theyve been pretty close. Ive also used a calculator on Coolrunning.com when i run and its been pretty close as well so im not sure why yours are off....good luck!!
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
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    Someone on here said they use three different sites to get the calories burned, average the three and subtract 10%. From what they say, it's fairly accurate when compared to a HRM (once they got one). Either that or invest in a HRM and never have to guess!
  • staps065
    staps065 Posts: 837 Member
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    You'd probably be safer with the lower number, but I too find it a bit confusing. Throw in my HRM and then I have three numbers to compare! Some machines (I.e. Elliptical and Treadmill) show more than my HRM but way less than MFP. A stationary bike shows way less than my HRM or MFP! Confusing, I know....

    I assume (and you know what happens when you assume) that the machine can be accurate versus MFP because the machine takes into account your age and weight where MFP does not. You have to be careful you don't hold onto the machine (treadmill) or offset your weight (elliptical) as that can really throw off the exertion and calorie calculation.

    I tend to stick to the lower number, that way I don't over-eat. Just my thoughts. :smile:
  • valleyp
    valleyp Posts: 49
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    A friend recently watched a news type tv show that tested the accuracy of different gym equipment, at different gyms, against a high quality HRM and found that all the machines tested calculated calories burned were higher than the HRM calculation. The lowest was over by 14% and the highest was over by 38%. That being said, we tend to underestimate how many calories we take in but over estimate how many we've burned, so personally, I try to err on the side of caution. For example, I work out at Curves using the Smart Program and the computer is supposed to be pretty accurate. But inbetween using each of the machines you are jogging in place or doing aerobic moves, etc, on a recovery board and I don't think those movements are calculated into the computer, so I don't give myself any additional calorie allowance for that. Also, someone who is heavier is going to burn more calories doing the exact same movements than someone who weighs less. If you are not programming your weight, etc into the exercise machine you are using then the results could be from the last person who used the machine who weighs less and you aren't even coming close to your true results. The guess work is frustrating sometimes, I know. Your best bet for accuracy might be to invest in a HRM.

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