How inaccurate is the calories burned calculator on here

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Replies

  • brunette_gurl_66
    brunette_gurl_66 Posts: 48 Member
    D= MFP over calculates?? great... just great =P Its all I have..I don't use a HRM.

    Darnn

    Don't worry about it. You'll be just fine. No one needs a super accurate calorie count to lose weight, and no one needs to spend $100 to get a calorie burn count that's off by 20%. Watch your diet to lose weight, work out to improve your physique and you're going to do well.

    agree!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I would say depending on the person between 50% to 99%.
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
    I have a cheap Aldi heart rate monitor, and wear it for all my exercise, with running on a treadmill it is spot one with the treadmill software, and within 10 to 20 calories of MFP, walking out doors I’ve nothing to judge it by so I go with the HRM and MFP. When I cycle I’ve an online calculator, plus wind resistance calculator and of course and Strava, and Myfitnesspal .

    The online calculator seems to be giving me the same numbers as MFP, what throws it all out of whack is the affect of wind. Taking into account wind using the wind resistance calculator and the reading from my heart rate monitor and MFP is 50% out.

    So I’d say until you know better, rely on the numbers MFP gives you, but if you are not losing weight, first I’d say buy a set of food scales, and weigh your food, if that doesn’t work, then adjust your exercise calories down by 10% for a month. Still not losing weight, buy a Heart rate monitor.

    If after all that you’re still not losing weight, well then you are a special snowflake and normal rules do not apply.
  • trouble_72
    trouble_72 Posts: 29 Member
    It's my impression that mfp includes basal metabolism in it's calories burned figure, reporting total calories burned instead of net. I divide the burned figure by two so I'm only eating back part of the net burn. For me mfp gives a large overestimate, so it's interesting to see all the people who say they see an underestimate.
  • Angie_1991
    Angie_1991 Posts: 447 Member
    It is working for me...I try not to question those things that help and work......
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
    Using MFP worked pretty well for me with a few caveats. If I had a reading from a machine, I used it instead as most of my treadmill workouts are interval training with lots of incline, so there's no way MFP can calculate. Also, I tried to be conservative on the intensity using what I knew about my treadmill burns. For example, if I did a 20 minute DVD and was not as "out of breath" or sweaty as my treadmill workout, I made sure to choose something that showed a lower calorie burn.

    For things such as "shopping," I cut the time in half as I know I was pausing to look at items and not walking/carrying items for the whole time. Hint: I use "Circuit Training" for Jillian Michaels Interval training, "Low Impact Aerobics" for most aerobic type DVDs, and "Calesthenics" for most strength training DVD's, and it seems pretty reasonable.

    Also, while in weight loss mode, I only ate back about 1/2 to 3/4 of my exercise calories just to make up for potentially over-logging exercise and under-logging on food.
  • sgv0918
    sgv0918 Posts: 851 Member
    I used it in the beginning always. Now I use it for outside activities etc and use the machines reading at the gym for that. It worked for me. Might be off but I'm down pounds :)
  • bowseramanda
    bowseramanda Posts: 58 Member
    Thank you for this! I got my JM videos in the mail yesterday and did day 1 of the 30d shred. I logged as 24 min circuit training (262) but because it was day 1, I was just getting used to what they were doing and I didn't have any hand weights so I just did the motions I actually cut it in half just to be safe. Once I get weights I think I will log 200. and I will consider getting a HRM. I also do not eat back my exercise calories unless it is for a little something to get me through.... a small handful of grapes is way better than potato chips, right :-)
  • 76nicky
    76nicky Posts: 19
    i just tried out map my ride as i do my exercise on a stationary bike and it says way more calories burned than on here lol i think i will eventually invest in a hrm but only been eating healthy and exercising for just over 2 weeks now and i have lost 4.7 ( i have a lot of weight to shift and only joined mfp friday just gone so this weight loss doesn't reflect on here) so what im doing for now is working so i will stick with it
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
    I don't have an HRM - sometimes it feels like the caloric estimate on MFP is a little high, so I manually change it to about 1/2. It's not that complicated.
  • clk49
    clk49 Posts: 1
    Though I've only been using this great little app a few weeks, I do love it and I'm losing 1-1/2 to 2x my goal per week. I try to overestimate calorie intake and underestimate calorie burn, and sometimes use other calorie calculators online to find the most accurate estimate. I do attempt to end the day by leaving a few calories on the table.
  • gabbyfemiu
    gabbyfemiu Posts: 1
    The Heart Rate Monitor is the most reliable source on calculating the amount of calories burnt per workout.

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