mapmywalk.com vs myfitnesspal.com calories burned

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wfleming729
wfleming729 Posts: 10 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
i just started using mapmywalk.com on my phone today and it said i walked at 3.5 mph for 33 mins and only burned 126 calories. i logged it into MFP and it said i burned 216 calories...... wth? which one is do i believe to be correct?

Replies

  • theblackbirdtree
    theblackbirdtree Posts: 168
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    It's tough to say.
    The consensus is that MFP is a little overestimated when it comes to caloric burn. Most users suggest using a HRM or timing your average heart rate and calculating your calorie burn that way.

    In my case, I burn much more calories than MFP says after measuring my heart rate.

    http://www.calories-calculator.net/Calories_Burned_By_Heart_Rate.html
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
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    If your phone factors in your age/height/weight then go with your phone...It's really hard to get an accurate count if you're not using a HRM.
  • Moyzilla
    Moyzilla Posts: 106 Member
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    I'd split the difference. My mapmyrun readings are super low, especially since the app update. My heart rate monitor gives me readings closer to MFP but MFP numbers are high for a lot of people. If you're worried about it, go with the lower the number since it's probably better to err on the low side when counting calories, in my opinion.
  • smily_001
    smily_001 Posts: 135 Member
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    These are both just estimated, neither are more than like correct.. A app cannot determine your HR or the effort, or even the type of terrain you ar on and these all contribute to how many cals you actually burn.. If you plan on eating your cals back, I would use the lower of the 2.. If you do plan on eating your cals back I would suggest that you pick up a HR monitor for when you exercise that has a chest band.. Good run/walk though!
  • KatKatatrophic
    KatKatatrophic Posts: 448 Member
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    MFP is waaaay over with their exercises. A lot of people know about this, I don't know who put all the exercises in, but basically 99% of the calories burned are wrong...the ones that are right are the ones where you go to more trusted websites with calories burned and log it in yourself.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    mapmywalk wins the battle of accuracy any time.

    It's familiar with terrain and if you've set it up properly it knows your height, weight, and age just as well as MFP. It can also take your actual speed into account as opposed to MFP's "brisk, moderate, "... etc settings.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    When it judged mine, it was WAY under compared to what my HRM said.\

    Edited to add: When I say "it" I mean mapmyfitness.
  • jzrharv
    jzrharv Posts: 126 Member
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    The usual average value for pedestrian motion (running, walking, skipping, whatever) is 100 Kcal/mile. So for 33 minutes at 3.5 mph, you should have use somewhere around 192 Kcal. I'd use the lower value myself, just to keeps things trending the right way (downward with weight). Of course, if you add other loads (racewalking, for example), you'd drive the caloric use per mile upward.
  • amnski
    amnski Posts: 251 Member
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    mapmywalk wins the battle of accuracy any time.

    It's familiar with terrain and if you've set it up properly it knows your height, weight, and age just as well as MFP. It can also take your actual speed into account as opposed to MFP's "brisk, moderate, "... etc settings.

    I would go with this as well...I found that my HRM matched up more closely to what Endomondo (a similar app) had given me.
  • fitsebtownmama
    fitsebtownmama Posts: 14 Member
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    Wow! I didn't know this... maybe this is why I am not seeing weight loss this week, eating back all of my exercise calories! Ugh. This is frustrating. I am not going to log exercise calories if this is the case.
  • JohnBiggs
    JohnBiggs Posts: 4
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    Hi here is a Map My Walk, which shows calories burned which I believe is more likely to be correct, there is a difference of 70 Cals. I am happy to share the standard walk I take for others to see.
    http://www.mapmywalk.com/courses/511435?workout_id=148034789
    Cheers
    John
  • Kristinapedia
    Kristinapedia Posts: 73 Member
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    I just started using MapMyWAlk because I know am a proud owner of an iPhone, (haha) and MMW definitely differs from MFP. MFP was more than MMW, so I tend to go w/ MMW since it takes into account average speed, elevation (I live in a very hilly area-- north shore of central Long Island)

    I only used MFP last year and it seems accurate, because I was losing 2lbs/week at one point, so we'll see what MMW does for me this year!

    I do not have a HRM, and can't afford one, so I won't be using one.
  • jenns1964
    jenns1964 Posts: 384 Member
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    I used MayMyWalk and my Polar Ft4 for a 51 minute 3.47 mile walk today. MMW says I burned 573 calories while my HRM shows 391. I will go with my HRM as I think it is more accurate. MFP estimates are too high!
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
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    Cell phones just by their nature are inherently inaccurate, just view your walk close up and you'll what I mean
  • juliep1974
    juliep1974 Posts: 222 Member
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    It's different for everybody. I have polar FT7 and it says I burn more in a walk the MFP says I do but a whole lot less than Map My Fitness does. I think going with the lowest estimate is the best suggestion (especially if you eat back some or all of your exercsie calories).
  • MindyBlack
    MindyBlack Posts: 954 Member
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    I lost the bulk of my weight using MFPs calorie burns. I have been using a HRM for over a year now and the burns are pretty darn close to what MFP says.
  • Doodlewhopper
    Doodlewhopper Posts: 1,018 Member
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    If Im going to make the effort to measure & log all my food as accurately as I can, I think it's just as important to try and get the exercise calories right too.

    I take an average of MFP, MapMyRun and Calorie Calc. and use that figure. Some days MFP is pretty close to the Calorie Calc and once, was exactly the same.

    http://www.calories-calculator.net/Calories_Burned_By_Heart_Rate.html

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