Accuracy of Exercise Calories Calculations - Running

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roguezebra
roguezebra Posts: 5 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I just ran 4 miles at 11 minute pace. With my weight I get 1200 calories burned on MFP but other sites such as Cool Running and Runners World are less than 600 calories for the same pace, distance and weight. Which is more accurate.?

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  • leb89
    leb89 Posts: 54
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    With my Nike + I ran 5.2 miles at a 10 minute pace and only burned 433 calories. I don't think MFP is very accurate. I would suggest getting heart rate monitor to find out exactly how much you burn.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
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    MFP tends to be really high on calories burned. You'll probably hear this a lot, but best way to know what you burned is to invest in a good HRM.
  • Dhouse
    Dhouse Posts: 4
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    I ran this morning on my treadmill that has a chest attached heart rate monitor and I'm around 120 lbs. My pace is 5.5 to 6/mph and I burned 538 calories in 59 minutes with a five minute cool down. Your maximum heart rate is determined by subtracting your age from 220. I usually stay within my target zone of closer to 75%. So, this can give you an idea of what you are actually burning.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    A good rule of thumb for running is 100 calories per mile run. It's not exact but it works better than the machines or Nike+! The reason it works pretty well is that factors such as how fast you are running are built in. If I'm doing an easy jog, it's going to take me longer to run a mile, for example. So I'm burning less calories per min. of exercise but I'm exercising longer.

    Unfortunately, there are no formulas like that for other sports that really work. I've got some formulas for swimming, biking and weight training, but they are off compared to my HRM while the running "rule of thumb" is not.
  • FabulousFifty
    FabulousFifty Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Here is a good resource to use:

    http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp

    Good luck!:heart:
  • roguezebra
    roguezebra Posts: 5 Member
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    Great feedback and thnk you. . I have a Garmin and will set it for calories. The 100 calories per mle is a nice rule of thumb. Unfortunately, I can eat less than I thought with running on MFP:laugh:
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    Unfortunately, I can eat less than I thought with running on MFP:laugh:
    Tell me about it! :laugh:

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