is mfp wrong??
Replies
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By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
That really depends. I always eat back my exercise calories and eat to my net goal...that is the way MFP is set up. I'm not maintaining, I'm losing about 1.5 Lbs per week. If I didn't eat back my exercise calories, my net calories would be below my BMR...eating to BMR is necessary for overall organ function. I would agree that if you're active or very active and set up that way then you wouldn't eat them back...but I think most people who eat them back are set up as sedentary and then they go run a few miles or something, which is outside of their profile. In that case, it makes absolute sense to log exercise calories and eat them back.0 -
Get an HRM if you are so concerned :P0
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Anything you use for exercise calories whether HRM, machine totals at the gym, or online calculators isn't going be exactly accurate. I've read so many posts here from people urging others to always eat them back versus the other side who never eat them back.
I for one have had success eating them back. I don't wear an HRM, I rely either on machine totals or MFP estimates. I would say those numbers must be close to accurate for me as I have lost weight steadily.
If you try eating them back (whatever method you use to estimate the calories burned) and plateau, you may want to eat only half of them or none of them back. If it ends up working well for you, as it did me, then eat them if you want to.0 -
No, that's not how MFP works. When you set up, following MFP's instructions, your activity level does not include any planned exercise, but just your normal daily activities associated with work & home life. That is why you're supposed to log exercise and eat those calories. A lot of people choose to customise their goal by working out their TDEE including all exercise, but this is a different method from the one that MFP uses.By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
OP - MFP's exercise calorie estimations can be fairly inaccurate. For the most part, I've found that MFP underestimates most of my calorie burns (at least when compared to my heart rate monitor). Other people find that MFP overestimates. If you are following MFP's method though (and haven't customised your goal based on TDEE) then you would want to at least eat some of those calories back, as you will of course be burning something during exercise. The best thing to do is choose what proportion you're going to eat back, do this for a few weeks, and see if you lose as expected. If not, you can adjust your intake.0 -
I don't get why people make it so complicated. I do what mfp suggests and I lose. I start thinking my way is better, I gain. The exercise estimates and my hrm are never further than 70 cal apart. This site works. Trust it for a while and see.0
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I don't get why people make it so complicated.
MFP is unique in that it expects you to eat back exercise calories because the model it uses doesn't include it.
This complicates things rather horrendously because pretty much every TDEE tool outside of MFP will include an exercise factor.
I agree with you that people who use MFP to estimate their intake (in other words, those of you who do not customize your intake values) should just follow MFP and monitor results and adjust.
But the above is why people are complicating it. This is especially true when someone using MFP's default settings goes to talk to their trainer or their RD/etc. The people who are unfamiliar with MFP's mechanics will always say "don't eat back exercise calories" because outside of MFP, that's the correct answer.0 -
I don't understand the tdee thing or many of the other abbreviations people use here. I just put in my weight, set it to sedentary and that I want to lose 2 lbs a week. Bam, loss.I don't get why people make it so complicated.
MFP is unique in that it expects you to eat back exercise calories because the model it uses doesn't include it.
This complicates things rather horrendously because pretty much every TDEE tool outside of MFP will include an exercise factor.
I agree with you that people who use MFP to estimate their intake (in other words, those of you who do not customize your intake values) should just follow MFP and monitor results and adjust.
But the above is why people are complicating it. This is especially true when someone using MFP's default settings goes to talk to their trainer or their RD/etc. The people who are unfamiliar with MFP's mechanics will always say "don't eat back exercise calories" because outside of MFP, that's the correct answer.0 -
bump0
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Meh, sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong. I think it pretty much evens out.
If I think that a calorie burn was overestimated, I might eat some but not all of the extra calories MFP assigns me. Just my way of keeping things simple.0 -
There was a recent study that showed even good heart rate monitors can be off by a very large percentage, especially for women.
At this point I record the exercise and put 1 calorie burned.
Then if I feel like I need to eat some back I do it and deal with MFP thinking I went over on calories. I just don't trust my HRM, much less any website to tell me what I burned.0 -
Personally, I don't think that the calories burned per minute of exercise at that intensity are wrong in MFP, but I have found that my perceptions of how long I was doing something and the intensity at which I was doing it were wrong. I found that out by using my bodymedia fit. I would wear it and it would say 15 minutes of intense cardio, 20 minutes of moderate cardio but to me all 45 minutes of my zumba class felt intense. So I was thinking 45 minutes, but in reality it was 30-35 with transitions and breaks and stuff. And not all of it was as intense as I "thought/felt" it was. So when I put in the real numbers from my bodymedia, my calories with the bodymedia were always spot on with MFP and my weight loss. It wasn't the estimates of calories burned but my misconceptions of the time and intensity I was logging. So now when I log exercise, I put in 60-75% of the time I think I did it to account for those rests/transitions/breaks/collapses on the floor.0
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I would look at them as raw numbers. If you do, say 300 Cal worth of exercise today and 315 the next you can see that you did more. Does it matter that is should have been slightly different numbers? Not to me. I really just look at totals and make sure the numbers are good for ME. Does that make sense?iv been reading a few people saying the mfp calories arnt right and the exercise trackers calories are far off,is this right ? should i stop logging in my exercise? thankyou
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The food calories seem correct or damn close. I use Calorie King to determine calories and a kitchen scale to determine ounces and I found that MFP does a very good job hitting calories correctly. As for calories burned? I am not so sure since everyone is different. I use it as a gauge. I just know I need to get in an hour of exercise 5-6 days a week, but if weight loss is your goal, diet is 80% of the equation.0
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I don't think anyone is necessarily wrong. If you put active on MFP and include what you normally exercise then you can't go back and add in those same exercises everyday to your calories. If you only include your normal lifestyle in the goal and then add in what you are doing in excess of normal you then would need to consume those extra calories.
I use the tdee method so that I don't have to bother with entering anything but food. There are several tdee calculators available through an outside search. As far as how accurate each item is, the food is pretty accurate. Not sure on exercise but if you do it correctly it should be fairly accurate.0 -
By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
Please ignore the quoted text, it is incorrect.
Please ignore IronSmasher if you want to succeed. Results speak for themselves.0 -
It is often wrong because MFP can't measure the intensity of your workout. My advice is to look around online for calculations that may give you better a better estimation. When in doubt, round down! It's likely that you're underestimating your caloric intake by either missing something during the day or not getting the portion size quite right.0
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By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
this is the way i see it as well0 -
I've lost 211 pounds in 11 months on MFP without exercising more then my normal routine. The nutrition side of MFP is great and it works. Everybodies weight and metabolism is different. If you walk 30 minutes a day and you're losing the weight you want to lose keep it up, If you want to lose more weight add additional exercise regimin. Being consistent is the answer to getting fit. The MFP tools are as good as anybody elses, and nobody is going to be able to nail it !00%. In the end being consistent is the only way to gauge your success.
I stopped eating refined charbohydrates, sugar, and most saturated fats. The weight has just melted off of me at a very fast pace. I got up to 440 pounds, and I'm at 206 pounds now. Using any weight loss tool like MFP helps you stay focussed. It's primarily mental not physical. Get the mind right and the body will follow.0 -
iv been reading a few people saying the mfp calories arnt right and the exercise trackers calories are far off,is this right ? should i stop logging in my exercise? thankyou
With food sometimes it can be off, I mean if you are using some generic thing like 'piece of fruit' without factoring in the weight/amount then yes it is only an estimate. Things like flour for example, if measured by the gram will be more accurate.
With exercise, there's no way to truly tell how many calories YOUR body is going to burn when you exercise. MFP could possibly be over or underestimating the calories you've burned during a workout. That's why many people only eat back half their exercise calories. If you use a HRM you will be much closer, but I don't think you'll ever be 100% accurate.0 -
This whole thing is not an exact science, and once you accept that, it's so much easier 0
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I don't log my exercise calories but I do log the exercise. I just have a specific calorie goal I am aiming for and know that it isn't too much or too little - I've accidentally eaten too little and seen the results of doing that; and you know what eating too much does to you.0
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By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
AGREED!0 -
Most are accurate, but some are very wrong. If you're using an UPC, they are usually quite accurate. But when in doubt, I double check the nutritional information in two ways. I look at other, similar foods here on MFP. And I use another calorie source online.
I have caught a lot of errors.
But after a weeks, you should be able to general idea what most foods contain (roughly). If it seems too good to be true (e.g. high protein content) on the MFP database, it probably is.0 -
Wrong or right...I'm not gonna pick apart something that has worked very well for me. First time in 15 years I have been able to lose the weight and keep it off.0
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I think it kind of depends on what you do for exercise. For example, if I go run outside and average a 10 min mile, I am probably burning more calories than MFP says because I am running up hills, into the wind, etc. If I average a 10 min mile on a flat treadmill, I am probably burning fewer calories than MFP says. I usually run outside about half the time so I figure if I always enter MFP calorie estimates, it all works out.
For swimming, I just try to underestimate by always putting that I am swimming freestyle light/moderate effort even when I am doing sprints, swimming butterfly, etc. I figure it's better to have the calories lower rather than higher since I do tend to eat back some of my exercise calories.0 -
Many times the calories listed on/in MFP are WAY off. Remember the nutritional contents/counts have
been added by people like us. If we knew, we wouldn't be here.
When you find Sirloin Tip Roast listed at 150 calories for 6 ounces, There's a Huge Problem!
Red meat is about 60 calories an ounce. Thusly 6 ounces is closer to 360 calories.
This information I got from the person considered to be North America's most revered expert on
the subject of nutritional counts of foods.
Just realize it's a guideline more than anything. And it's the daily logging that makes the difference.
Consistency is the key.
Keeping track of what we eat and how much we exercise is something many of us have never done.
We're losing weight and toning up because we have had a general change of habits/lifestyle.0 -
By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
Thank you, thank you, thank you....I totally agree. I also think that if you eat less than 1000 calories you will be sabotaging your weight loss eventually.0 -
I'm wondering this too...especially about how many calories I should be eating it seems that when you let mfp work it out for you it says we should eat 1200 calories a day no matter what weight and how many pounds you want to lose (that's without putting exercise in)...is this correct?...0
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By and large, MFP's calories are correct.
I have a real issue with counting exercise calories, though - especially with how they are "added back in" to your daily target. When you create your MFP profile and tell it your stats AND your exercise level (sedentary, active, etc), you have already "built in" your exercise calories to your daily target. To go and then do what you said you were going to do anyway, and earn bonus calories for it seems particularly stupid. It negates the entire point of MFP, which is fat loss because if you follow that logic you will only maintain.
My advice: NEVER EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES.
Happy New Year.
Thank you, thank you, thank you....I totally agree. I also think that if you eat less than 1000 calories you will be sabotaging your weight loss eventually.
Errr... not necessarily true. You set up an activity level yes - but if you set yourself to sedentary then you go and do a bunch of exercise you should add that. If you set yourself up to be active, and you are active, then no you wouldn't count the extra calories. Some people prefer to set themselves up as sedentary and then count the additional exercise calories.
Eating exercise calories back has worked for many many people on this site.0 -
This is incorrect. If it was built in then it would not give them back to you in the counter. You have to NET a certain amount and you will not get enough calories or nutrients if you are not eating what you should be. Unless you are very overweight, then you have to eat back those calories.0
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