Accuracy of cals. burned?

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forefran
forefran Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
I'd like to know what everyone thinks of the accuracy of calories burned during exercise? I realize this is just an estimate, but not sure I believe the calories added to my daily intake... thanks.

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  • meganwojo
    meganwojo Posts: 221 Member
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    it depends on what workout you do. I do an hour of the treadmill everyday. On MFP its under Stair-treadmill ergometer or something along those lines. I walk 4 mph for about 40 mins and run about 5 mph for 20 mins. When i log it in its almost accurate to a tee as what the numbers on my treadmill read. However, if you only walk 2.5 mph and type in 60 mins...its going to give you the same calorie amount i would burn going double the pace. Its tricky. I suggest getting the bug device that they use on Biggest Loser, it actually logs your calories that are burned all day long. You wear it on you. I dont know the price range though. Hope it helps :flowerforyou:
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
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    The body bugg is like $180 at the cheapest and its my understanding that you have to pay a monthly fee to be able to upload the info to the internet.

    Buy a Polar heart rate monitor if you want an accurate count of calorie burn. MFP is off. Way off.
    But if you are just using it as a general idea, and not really interestings in complete accuracy, keep in mind that MFP always says you burn more cals than you do. Well. In my case anyways. I think others have foudn that too.
  • aprildh
    aprildh Posts: 90
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    I have wondered this same thing every day. I do a good workout with my BL DVD's but I have no idea what calories I am burning. It is so frustrating. I wonder if it doesn't affect my weight loss. I try not to eat all my exercise calories because I feel the MFP is way too high. I log it in as circuit training because its the closest, but there is no way to know for sure.:grumble:
  • HMBradley42
    HMBradley42 Posts: 27
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    I wondered the same thing most of the time I use the treadmill and I just use those numbers...
  • tavander
    tavander Posts: 79 Member
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    I borrowed my trainer's body bug for a few months and wow it was about as accurate as you can get. I routinely use my polar f11 heart rate monitor, I'm a long time user :) I usually compare what my HRM says for the exercise I just finished with what myfitnessspal says. I'll er on the side of caution and use the lower burn of the two depending on the activity.
  • meganwojo
    meganwojo Posts: 221 Member
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    wow! i had no idea that bug thing was that expensive...thats ridiculous to pay a monthly fee too! Nevermind then haha...thanks for letting me know. I didnt know there were other products that calculated the calorie burn. what is the Polar heart rate monitor? Can I get it at like a walmart or online?
  • bjs06
    bjs06 Posts: 316 Member
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    Everyone burns calories differently. A 300 lbs woman, doing the same work as a 200lb woman, is going to burn more calories. So that's why I hate using MFP to record everything but I'm sure it comes close enough, it's nice to have some sort of estimate. If I lose the amount of weight I want to lose by my birthday my best friend said she'd buy me a HRM like hers, that counts calories burned and everything so that'll be great if i can do it!.
  • Jesusfollower72
    Jesusfollower72 Posts: 95
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    With the BodyBuggs you can buy a display watch for an extra $99 and then you don't need to upload it because the watch will tell you what you are burning. The monthly fee is about a $100 per year but the food database is pretty sorry compared to this site's food database.
  • lreed
    lreed Posts: 348 Member
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    I bought the polar heart rate monitor for $80 on amazon. LOVE IT!:wink:
  • tavander
    tavander Posts: 79 Member
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    Polar is a pretty well known brand and you should be able to find them easily online. I recommend that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the features available and decide what is important to you via the www.polarusa.com website. I know it seems a little overwhelming at first but you'll catch on quickly. Once you know the model that will work best for you, just search online. I usually find that amazon has the best price. They have a pretty decent life span too and the chest strap on the F11 is really comfy. Happy hunting!
  • meganwojo
    meganwojo Posts: 221 Member
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    thank you!

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