DO NOT RELY ON ACCURACY OF MFP CALS BURNED

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Dunkelheit666
Dunkelheit666 Posts: 223 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I keep seeing people surprised by the fact that their HRM says they burned less than the cals burned on the site. It’s pretty logical if you think about it:

This site cannot tell how "INTENSE" you are working out. For instance if I select circuit training, one person might burn 400 in half an hour, another might burn way more or less. The only way to get an accurate cals burned # is w/ an HRM.

If you haven’t bought one yet, you can trick the system by deducting 200-300 cals off your burned amount (unless you work out very intensely) or you can select loose two pounds vs 1 lb per week. That way you will be about 500 or so under regardless.


I hope this helps! Not being critical, but i keep seeing the same convo over and over.
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Replies

  • Angie__1MR
    Angie__1MR Posts: 388 Member
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    i keep seeing the same convo over and over.

    ditto.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    No big deal. Your body has the final say. Listen to it.
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
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    what I've taken to doing is assuming the cals MFP says I burned on strength training are generally correct +/-. and for my treadmill work I adjust the time until it tells me the same or as close to it as I can get to the cals burned that the treadmill says. And I never eat back all of my cals burned - usually just enough to come back up over BMR. Seems to be working so far.
  • Dunkelheit666
    Dunkelheit666 Posts: 223 Member
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    No big deal. Your body has the final say. Listen to it.

    My body speaks Portuguese which i dont understand.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    HRM aren't always correct either. If used correctly and you are at the right fitness level they can be fairly accurate, but if not they can be wildly off.
  • laurenaphelps
    laurenaphelps Posts: 22
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    I totally agree! You did not burn 100 calories by vacuuming!!
    I bought a heart rate monitor recently and I'm shocked at how few calories I burn. It's a little sad, but at least I know the truth!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    EVERYTHING is an estimation - your BMR, your TDEE, the calories you eat (regardless of how closely you log) and your calories burned. Even heart rate monitors are estimates.
  • Mama_Jag
    Mama_Jag Posts: 474 Member
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    HRMs are still set up based on formulas for the info entered. If your body is not the "normal", those counts will be off, too.
  • Dunkelheit666
    Dunkelheit666 Posts: 223 Member
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    I totally agree! You did not burn 100 calories by vacuuming!!
    I bought a heart rate monitor recently and I'm shocked at how few calories I burn. It's a little sad, but at least I know the truth!

    I'm honestly not trying to be a pervo, but sex i think is severely underestimated. Old men might only burn 84 cals and hour, but im far more "enthusiastic" than an old guy
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    EVERYTHING is an estimation - your BMR, your TDEE, the calories you eat (regardless of how closely you log) and your calories burned. Even heart rate monitors are estimates.

    ^^^^More people need to realize this.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
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    I totally agree! You did not burn 100 calories by vacuuming!!
    I bought a heart rate monitor recently and I'm shocked at how few calories I burn. It's a little sad, but at least I know the truth!

    I'm honestly not trying to be a pervo, but sex i think is severely underestimated. Old men might only burn 84 cals and hour, but im far more "enthusiastic" than an old guy


    Everyone loves a tryer! :P
  • Dunkelheit666
    Dunkelheit666 Posts: 223 Member
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    EVERYTHING is an estimation - your BMR, your TDEE, the calories you eat (regardless of how closely you log) and your calories burned. Even heart rate monitors are estimates.

    ^^^^More people need to realize this.

    Perhaps, but i think that HRM's are still waaaaay more accurate than the totals given on the site simply because the site has no way of knowing how intensely you work out no?
  • casperuk
    casperuk Posts: 195 Member
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    I go the opposite way. MFP might say a walk I have done has burned 100 cals. My HRM says 250.

    I always go for the lower amount. Just to be safe.
  • annie786
    annie786 Posts: 27 Member
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    Does it really matter how many calories you burned exactly…. I personally think that, it is great that you worked out for 30-60 minutes and were moving… you know you did the best to your abilities, and that’s what really counts in the long run, when the results being to show. It’s the same for food- sometimes we can’t find our exact food on MFP, but we go with approximate… This place is not 100% accurate, but does help to see your pattern in food and exercise. Cheers:smile:
  • Dunkelheit666
    Dunkelheit666 Posts: 223 Member
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    Does it really matter how many calories you burned exactly…. I personally think that, it is great that you worked out for 30-60 minutes and were moving… you know you did the best to your abilities, and that’s what really counts in the long run, when the results being to show. It’s the same for food- sometimes we can’t find our exact food on MFP, but we go with approximate… This place is not 100% accurate, but does help to see your pattern in food and exercise. Cheers:smile:

    uuuuh yea it matters.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    EVERYTHING is an estimation - your BMR, your TDEE, the calories you eat (regardless of how closely you log) and your calories burned. Even heart rate monitors are estimates.

    ^^^^More people need to realize this.

    Perhaps, but i think that HRM's are still waaaaay more accurate than the totals given on the site simply because the site has no way of knowing how intensely you work out no?

    Yeah, the HRM is probably more accurate.
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    EVERYTHING is an estimation - your BMR, your TDEE, the calories you eat (regardless of how closely you log) and your calories burned. Even heart rate monitors are estimates.
    Actually you can get tested to know a much closer guess. It's still not perfect but much much closer.
    They measure your breathing compared to heart rate and you can do it for BMR and your heart rate zones. I got tested for both and since using my HRM with those parameters, and upping my calorie intake from what MFP says, I've lost more weight.
  • SHHitsKaty
    SHHitsKaty Posts: 301
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    Until I get my HRM I ordered, I have been going off of whatever machine I'm on says I've burned and even then, it's always a different number than what MFP would say if I put the same time in on here. I know neither are probably dead on, so I just assume that it's either a little lower or possibly a little higher than what I have entered.
  • tracypk
    tracypk Posts: 233 Member
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    EVERYTHING is an estimation - your BMR, your TDEE, the calories you eat (regardless of how closely you log) and your calories burned. Even heart rate monitors are estimates.
    This. I have found the numbers given to me are not working for me to lose weight. I get to adjust them based on my results.
  • jjpavio
    jjpavio Posts: 24 Member
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    I agree with Annie. I cut in half whatever calories the site says I have burned. For me, the goal is to track that I HAVE EXERCISED, rather than track the calories burned by exercising. So I guess it depends on what your goal is -is it to track an increase in movement or track calories burned in relation to calories consumed?

    That said - hurray to everyone for getting moving! That is one hurdle I struggle with, so I applaud everyone who does so, regardless of the goal behind it.

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