did you really burn that many calories?

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  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
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    .
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
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    I know the calories are over-inflated on MFP, but I want a log of what I actually did. My only other option would be to cut my exercise times/distances in half to get a more accurate amount, but I choose to log what I did and then only eat back half the calories or less (generally closer to 1/3). That seems to work for me.

    Excellent advice !
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
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    Does anyone else find that some of the numbers for calories burned seems inflated? I see people posting that they burned 700 calories running 3 miles. Well, the general rule of thumb is that you burn 100 calories per mile ran. Or I'll see a post that someone burned 1200 calories cleaning. I wouldn't even count cleaning. But maybe i'm not giving myself enough credit for my exercise. thoughts.

    I could them roughly at 50-70%, the formula without vo2max & heart rate are abysmal as far as accuracy goes... and gets worse if its not steady state cardio.

    (Also consider though-- 100 calories per mile ran at a NORMAL weight, someone 100 lbs over weight going 3 miles even walking is going to burn considerably more.)
  • bernied262
    bernied262 Posts: 882 Member
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    I rely on my HRM. MFP and exercise machines are usually overly generous with calories burned compared to my HRM. The difference can be as much as 200-300 calories depending on the activity and duration.

    The same. I rely on my HRM exclusively.

    Same here :)

    I am currnetly doing a program that lasts 12 weeks, 5 nights a week a different program for each session. On week one, the first session of the week, I burnt 771 cals. Week 11, same work out, i burned 522. The intensity was the same (although the weight si was lifting were a bit higher), I assume the cals burn has dropped as I have lost a bot more weight and my heart is working more efficiently.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    i don't eat my exercise calories back, so it really doesn't matter to me. if I did eat my calories back, I would only eat half, just in case those numbers are over estimated!
  • jo69
    jo69 Posts: 78 Member
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    When in doubt I pull up other calorie burn calculators to see if there numbers are close to what MFP.... There some doubts here definitley...
  • Rarity2013
    Rarity2013 Posts: 196 Member
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    I think this is the inherent danger in the statement "eat back your exercise calories". It turns the calorie burn into a voucher to eat what you're craving and some people will always abuse that. The theory of eating back exercise calories is based on refuelling the body, not being a get out of jail free card.
  • RedheadHen
    RedheadHen Posts: 249 Member
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    I totally rely on my HRM. Yeah I have a FB, but on actual workouts, I do log the workout according to my HRM. I have found that the HRM is the BEST way to measure calories. For ME the ones here on MFP are over inflated. I am short. It takes a lot for me to burn what little I burn! I know there at taller and heavier folks out there that would burn twice or 3 times as much as I do doing the same workout. Or walking the same distance. Everyone is different and thus they burn calories differently. Not everyone has a HRM. Although I'd suggest everyone save up to get one! Do I get frustrated with those who have hours to workout? Do I get envious of those who can burn big numbers? Sure. But I don't have hours to workout and I just don't burn tons of calories working out. That's just life. I do log some cleaning. If it's a big scrub down. Like wiping up the floors on my hands and knees instead of moping. I don't log the daily cleaning chores I do because I did them daily before I tried to lose weight. But I do count the bigger cleaning jobs that I do say once a month. I also count weeding and yard work. I don't do them daily. And you bet I counted stuff when I moved into my house! I also try to not eat back my exercise calories daily. I save them for the weekends. LOL!

    But honestly, we are all different. We burn differently. Our bodies are different. We all don't look the same at the same weight. So, yes some folks can burn that much. I never will! Ha!
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    thank you but when I say 108 minutes that mean 1 hour and 8 minutes. But if what I do is working for ME whats the big deal. If I put what my HRM says and Its not true then why am i almost to my goal weight. Not trying to be rude here but if I put in my diary something thats not true then it only hurts me

    It would make a huge difference if you were using MFP's numbers because an hour and 8 minutes is 68 minutes not 108 minutes. No big deal if it works for you.
    Ive watched my watch..lol and when it gets to 60 it doesnt go to 61. I always change MFP calories anyway to reflect my HRM.
    Your watch goes from 59 to 100 because it's actually changing from 59 minutes to 1 hr 00 minutes. The "108" you see on your watch in not actually 108 minutes. It's 1:08, as in 1 hr 08 minutes...equivalent to 68 minutes.

    Please tell me that there's some kind of miscommunication or misunderstanding here. Because I really, REALLY hope that you're actually that stupid. :frown:
    Thanks yeah im that stupid. So stupid that ive been doing this wrong the whole time I have been a member and look what its done for me. Thank you all for pionting this out to me. So glad you all were her to save me. No,I will continue to do it as I have always done because it works for me. I am busting my but doing c25k and walking on my other days to be more healthy and all I get is your doing it wrong..No good job or wow 46lbs gone. Thanks again for your support

    Don't get pissy with people who are all correct in pointing out your mistake. I'm quite sure you meant to say 1:08, because, no matter who you are, 108 minutes is never going to be the same as 1:08. Ever. It's why god invented punctuation.

    Oh MAi

    this post really exists?

    LMFAO

    wow- someone seriously didn't do well in kindergarten. I'm sorry for your life.

    While I do eat back some of my calories... I always tend to underestimate my burn- it's just way safer than over estimating. I also tend not log menial tasks like walking the long *kitten* parking lot up the flight of stairs to my desk- or the 2 hours I spend standing at my part time job. Just not worth it.

    Those who over-inflated- are delusional- and have no concept of what's going on and are the first to complain they aren't getting results. It's wildly amusing.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Btw, I burn 100 cal running a km (not a mile), and I burn about 500 cals per hour doing other activities (weights, for example), according to my HRM.

    There's another inaccuracy being recorded. A HRM is not meant for weights and will give over inflated numbers. Once again don't care but people get hung up on what their HRM is recording as being the gospel truth when in reality HRM's have very limited use as a measure of calorie burn. The can totally give a false sense of of how great you're doing if used incorrectly.
  • missveeoh
    missveeoh Posts: 90 Member
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    This app tends to exaggerate calories burned during zumba and elliptical.
    I plug in my weight into the elliptical machine and after an hour it usually says around 430 or so
    But the app will say 670 per hour. I just change it since 400 seems more accurate. But Im still skeptical lol
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
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    I used a HRM for a while for all the different classes I do to get an idea of more accurate calories. 45 mins of spin for example burned off about 350 calories, yet I see people logging that as 500. A Zumba class, for an hour, burns off around 300 calories, but I've seen an hour of Zumba logged as 600. I guess if you're really overweight then it's possible.

    When I use the gym I usually use the calorie burn the machines give me. When I used my HRM I actually found I was burning more calories on the treadmill and the cross trainer than the machine gave me.

    I"m not sure how you classify 'really overweight.' If 30 pounds qualifies, then I own it. But those spin class and zumba numbers would be VERY low for me. If I'm going to haul my butt to the gym it's so I can sweat my butt off for 60 minutes, and I wouldn't do it for a 300 calorie burn. My FT4 gives me anywhere from 600-900 for an hour of spin or zumba. But like I said, I bust my butt to earn that. If I didn't give 100% effort, I could certainly burn less. Not all spin or zumba classes are the same either. An endurance spin class burns less than a speed or hills class. A hip-hop focused Zumba class burns more than Aqua Zumba or one more based on Latin moves class - at least for me.

    And a heart rate monitor based on your own body stats will always be more accurate than a machine at the gym that doesn't know anything about you.
  • timesinfinityplus2
    timesinfinityplus2 Posts: 57 Member
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    I use a Bodymedia device. Sometimes I burn 400 calories during an hour long workout, sometimes I burn 700 calories during an hour long workout. I am 6'4" and (currently) 281 pounds. I started at 337 pounds and I eat until I am at a 1000-1500 calorie deficit each day. I have lost weight every week except one (which I stayed the same weight). So I am pretty sure people CAN burn 700 calories in an hour.

    Now, if you're using MFP or other methods to determine, it is all a guess. Get a Bodymedia. My wife and I have been using them religiously while logging our food here and we've both lost weight steadily each week.
  • spottedkathy
    spottedkathy Posts: 196 Member
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    I don't worry too much if other people want to delude themselves about their exercise. Just sit back and wait for their post saying they're doing everything right but they aren't losing any weight. Most often those who post those huge burns are only looking for a way to justify overeating.

    Agree 100%
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    nope,,, i burn over 1000 a day
  • kjoy_
    kjoy_ Posts: 316 Member
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    MFP says that for my 5k time i burned 400 calories. wore a HRM for my first official race and only burned 244 for the 5k. MFP greatly inflates calories for my height/weight at least
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    MFP says that for my 5k time i burned 400 calories. wore a HRM for my first official race and only burned 244 for the 5k. MFP greatly inflates calories for my height/weight at least

    And be aware a poorly setup HRM or one without the options or good formula's can vastly under-estimate your calorie burn too. Actually for women, even if setup with a good one.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study

    But you can test it.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is
  • grggmrtn
    grggmrtn Posts: 171 Member
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    Btw, I burn 100 cal running a km (not a mile), and I burn about 500 cals per hour doing other activities (weights, for example), according to my HRM.

    There's another inaccuracy being recorded. A HRM is not meant for weights and will give over inflated numbers. Once again don't care but people get hung up on what their HRM is recording as being the gospel truth when in reality HRM's have very limited use as a measure of calorie burn. The can totally give a false sense of of how great you're doing if used incorrectly.

    Not really a false sense of how great I'm doing at all - I'm not logging my calories during my lifts to eat them BACK, I'm doing it to benchmark myself. I don't have a fitbit or fuelband, but I DO have an iPhone and a BT HRM. I work with what I got. Gospel truth? I doubt it can be found in ANY piece of technology, which are based on algorythms and estimates, while the body, and FOOD is MUCH more complicated. It's all to be taken with a healthy grain of salt.

    The numbers may be overinflated, but they're overinflated in a consistent way - my burns on DL day are a lot better than OHP day...
  • NOLA_Meg
    NOLA_Meg Posts: 194 Member
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    NO. I don't really trust the calorie burns that are listed on here. It says for me an hour of Zumba is 800 calories, uhh I'm sweaty but I doubt I've burned close to that. This is why I try not to eat back my exercise calories, otherwise I do believe I would be going over what I'm supposed to eat!

    I've logged 800 calories doing Zumba according to my HRM. It just depends on the person....
  • supremelady
    supremelady Posts: 211 Member
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    Nothing is wrong with MFP calories burned numbers. I'm sure there are plenty of people on here who have only used those numbers and have lost weight. I have compared MFP calories burned to other online calculators and there is no real big difference. In fact sometime MFP numbers are lower.

    Like i said before threads like these and post that say the numbers are overestimated can confuse somebody who is new or somebody with limited resources.

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