*ATTN exercise calorie eaters*

loseit4ever12
loseit4ever12 Posts: 53
in Health and Weight Loss
Whats your method?

Do you use the calorie burn estimate number from a HRM, fitbit, exercise machine, MFP's site, or use an average?

Do you use one of the above ways to guesstimate your calorie burn and subtract some? If so how much do you subtract? (half, 100 cals, a %) or

Do you just pick a device to use as the "thruthful burn" and log them all and eat them all??


I want to just simply pick a method and use it. I bought a Polar FT4 but the burn seems HIGH. The gym machines and MFP also seem high, but they are lower than my HRM.

Replies

  • raisingemilyjune
    raisingemilyjune Posts: 181
    I use a Polar FT7 HRM and my burn on my HRM is way lower than the machines and depending on the exercise, higher or lower than MFP. I also update mine every 5lbs lost with a new weight.
  • happy_vegan
    happy_vegan Posts: 200 Member
    HRM. everything on MFP is like crazy high calorie burn. Like biking - 600 calories an hour? in your dreams unless you're lance armstrong.
  • raisingemilyjune
    raisingemilyjune Posts: 181
    HRM. everything on MFP is like crazy high calorie burn. Like biking - 600 calories an hour? in your dreams unless you're lance armstrong.

    My fiance road bikes and will burn significantly more then that in an hour of hard cycling.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I have a Polar FT60 and I eat back 85% of my calories burned leaving 15% for error....... Has worked pretty well for me so far..... Best of Luck
  • WrathfulKatherine
    WrathfulKatherine Posts: 7 Member
    I wear a Polar HRM while on an elliptical machine. After 40 minutes, the elliptical says I've burned 400 calories and my HRM says I've burned about 325. I use the HRM calorie count just to be on the conservative side. Also I usually eat back about half the calories I've burned. I've lost 8 lbs in 4 weeks, although 7 of those lbs lost were in the first 2 weeks.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    I use the MFP numbers for things like dancing and walking and the game numbers for my Wii exercise games. I did compare the numbers on other sites, and found them reasonable. I do underestimate the time for on going activities, so I might only put in 90 minutes or a whole night of dancing because I stop between songs, or 90 minutes for a whole day of sailing because I am not constantly hauling on lines.
  • Babeskeez
    Babeskeez Posts: 606 Member
    I use my HRM.
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
    I use a Fitbit for overall TDEE estimation, so I pretty much go with that. Before that, I put in what the machine said I burned as my burn for the whole gym trip. I figured what it overestimated I made up with the lifting. Worked well for me :)
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
    I have a Polar FT60 and I eat back 85% of my calories burned leaving 15% for error....... Has worked pretty well for me so far..... Best of Luck

    No lie! Congrats! :D
  • Mommy4812
    Mommy4812 Posts: 649 Member
    I would think that an HRM with a chest strap is the most accurate. That's what I go by and it's working.
  • VanessaHeartsMasr
    VanessaHeartsMasr Posts: 727
    I have a Polar FT60 and I eat back 85% of my calories burned leaving 15% for error....... Has worked pretty well for me so far..... Best of Luck

    K, now I absolutely know which HRM I'm going to be purchasing in the near future. Lol. Ed, you are my hero.
  • walkinon_sunshine
    walkinon_sunshine Posts: 36
    I use the numbers on MFP but I don't always eat the calories back, I only do that if:
    a) I'm hungry. Truly. And then I'll eat sumthing healthy or,
    b) It's a treat night.

    Works for me so far ;)
  • ricklperry
    ricklperry Posts: 67
    I use what the machine says minus 25% or for things like walking I use mfp number minus 50%. If I stop losing weight ill buy an hrm.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I have a Polar FT60 and I eat back 85% of my calories burned leaving 15% for error....... Has worked pretty well for me so far..... Best of Luck

    I have a Polar FT7, and I do pretty much ^^^ This
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I have an HR I use but have had it so long I pretty much know my calorie burns. That said, I don't worry too much about being exact for all go this? Ball park is good enough for most stuff.
  • MouseTmom
    MouseTmom Posts: 201 Member
    I use MFP to do figure exercise calories but I believe it is high for instance my exercise bike shows I burned 57 calories and MFP shows abut 120. I usually try to eat about 1/2 of my calories back.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    When I was doing it that way I used my HRM.

    Ever since switching to TDEE-based approach, I question why I ever did it the MFP way in the first place. It's so much easier this way, and I never have to worry about charging the damn HRM.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    I have a Polar FT 60 and I use those numbers for logging exercise. I eat back most or all of my calories burned and have consistently lost weight.
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
    My HRM registers usually alore more then what the machines say so i go with wthat that sais :)
    The machines are just an estimate based on if you were doing said activity flat out for a set period. HRM's goes by your Heart Rate which is a better judge of how many calories you'd likely have burned to sustain that energy.

    For instance i did 21mins at around 5-6mph on a 5degree+ incline of Treadmill including 5X1min jogs thrown in every couple of mins, my avg HR was around 165 and the machine/MFP said i'd have burned around 210 wheras' my HR monitor registers 500

    as for MFP gestimates, they are usually pretty low compared to me but i have a naturally high heart rate being very overweight.

    as my weight drops i would only assume that my HR will and the numbers will be closer. as for eating calories back, well i'm not worried about that atm, i have plenty of fuel to burn off, when i'm hungry or aching i replenish food supplies.
    Trying to keep it simple, eat at what MFP suggests for what i want to achieve and so far i've exceded what i should

    Pretty sure all these you need to do this and that, out ancestors never woulda worried about all of that, they just ate high energy foods when they could and worked really hard.
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    When I was doing it that way I used my HRM.

    Ever since switching to TDEE-based approach, I question why I ever did it the MFP way in the first place. It's so much easier this way, and I never have to worry about charging the damn HRM.
    Ditto to this, except the HRM-charging part.
  • loseit4ever12
    loseit4ever12 Posts: 53
    My HRM has a higher estimate than MFP and the machines which is why I am asking. I do however have a high resting HR and I am 211 pounds. I am usually in the 170/180 range when working out.
  • vlmay1955
    vlmay1955 Posts: 100 Member
    I have always just used the "canned" numbers from exercise machines (if they allow me to input my weight) or MFP, etc. What do you use or how do you calculate calories burned using your heart rate? My natural heart rate is very low because I usually do 1 - 2 hours cardio work daily (when I had my routine physical a couple weeks ago, my resting heart rate in the AM before eating anything or drinking any coffee was 40 BPM) and I have a heck of a time getting it up to what is supposedly 85% for my age group.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I have an HR I use but have had it so long I pretty much know my calorie burns. That said, I don't worry too much about being exact for all go this? Ball park is good enough for most stuff.

    Pretty much this. I just run. My HRM, the treadmill (if I'm not outside), mfp and a bunch of other calculators are all pretty much the same (give or take). I usually just put in what mfp gives me cause I'm lazy like that and I really have better things to stress about than 50-75-100 calories here and there. I generally eat my calories-not always on the day I earned them though. I eat to run, not run to eat-although I have enjoyed many a naughty treat after a long run (gotta do something to fill that 1000+ calorie hole).
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    I am a fitbit user, I usually eat half of my calories back if I am hungery. If not I don't worry about having a larger deficit as I only have MFP set at -500 calories a day, and so it gives me room to add to the deficit without getting into trouble.
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 811 Member
    I use my fitbit and my HRM! :)
  • Pepper2185
    Pepper2185 Posts: 994 Member
    I have a Polar FT60 and I eat back 85% of my calories burned leaving 15% for error....... Has worked pretty well for me so far..... Best of Luck

    Same with me.

    Also: three cheers for you, Ed :drinker:

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