did you really burn that many calories?

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Replies

  • GoMizzou99
    GoMizzou99 Posts: 512 Member
    Use a HRM and figure it out accurately...no problemo
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    I have a heart rate monitor but I never use it to track calories, mostly because it told me a 4 mile run burned 650 calories, while my running tracker app told me it was 370. While I'm pretty unfit I don't think I was working THAT hard. Shame though, I would have enjoyed those 600 extra calories!
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
    I lost 800 calories in 10 minutes--I burned a pizza in the oven. :happy:

    Reported for abuse!!! :-P
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    I follow my HRM too. This morning I brisk walk/jogged on trails with elevation and burned (according to my HRM) close to 1000 calories. The activity lasted an hour and 15 minutes.

    Even if the HRM inflates or is not very accurate (but I think it is) and I shave off 200 cals, it's still leaves a substantial amount of calories burned. Dinner will be good!
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
    I use my fitbit and turn on the neg count. So if MFP over inflates my calories it fixes it.

    with your fitbit, there is no need to log your exercise. just let them sync.
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    Oh my gosh does this ever chap my *kitten*. I see people post that they burned 1700 + calories in 70 minutes. Um, that's around 25 calories A MINUTE. Right. No, I just don't believe it and I shake my head and hope they aren't eatin' 'em back.
  • superwalrus417
    superwalrus417 Posts: 12 Member
    Lol at the people who "burned 300 calories cleaning"...
  • mrswine
    mrswine Posts: 263 Member
    I expected the MFP numbers to be inflated and set myself up for a little disappointment about my burns when I got my HRM. Surprisingly, though, MFP consistently calculated my calories correctly (usually within 20 cals of my HRM). I find I typically burn about 10 calories per minute doing my high intensity workouts and can easily burn 1000 calories in about 80 minutes doing an advanced Turbofire DVD.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    I burn less than 100 calories per mile. It is all up to how much weight you are carrying. The more you weigh the more you burn. But the longer you exercise-the more your body adjusts and becomes more efficient- and burns will get lower.

    if people want to inflate burns-they are only lying to themselves-doesn't affect me
  • mariahk35
    mariahk35 Posts: 37
    I don't worry if it is correct or not. I never eat back those calories. I just stick to my limits and enter my exercisers just to keep myself in line. And to make sure I am doing something everyday.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    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.

    Weight is a big factor in calorie burn and not accounted for in your rule of thumb.

    I use the Runners World estimate of:

    .63 * weight = calories per mile. (use .30 for walking)

    This works out to be 144 cals per mile for me now. A 3.1 mile workout, according to my treadmill (with HR), is about 500 cals. The difference is probably associated with the 1% incline I run at.

    But it's close enough to be confirmed by two methods.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single
  • JenniTheVeggie
    JenniTheVeggie Posts: 2,474 Member
    I don't count them anymore. I always change my calories burned to 2. ("1 calories burned" bothered me because it said "1 calorieS" that makes sense, right? 1 isn't plural, blah blah blah)

    ANYWAYS....I basically listen to my body. Some days I'm more hungry and therefore I go "over". Just as long as I make smart choices (my smart choices might be different to others).

    I hope this helps...probably not though.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    This will make me seem like a b!tch, but I've actually unfriended someone who overinflated their calories ALL THE TIME. I asked her about it, and she was all, oh yeah, I really did spend six straight hours climbing stairs with boxes in my hands. Day after day after day. It was cluttering up my newsfeed, she was delusional, and I was too annoyed by it for my own good.

    For myself, I always under report the times/speed of my workout, just to be on the safe side. But this chick, I wish her all the luck in the world. Her facepalm moment is gonna hurt pretty bad.

    We must have had the same friend. I had a friend who would report 4 digit calorie burns for cleaning the house. And she was petite. She consistently had calorie burns that were 900+ without ever having left the house. Cleaning, running after the children were petty much her only form of exercise.
  • angelasmithhenderson
    angelasmithhenderson Posts: 23 Member
    lol
  • StephConey
    StephConey Posts: 18
    I lost 800 calories in 10 minutes--I burned a pizza in the oven. :happy:


    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • iheartmy1dog
    iheartmy1dog Posts: 207
    I'm not sure how accurate it is but when I compare it to calculators online it seems pretty close, for me anyway. But there are a lot of days I burn over 1000cal... It's from multiple things tho(kayaking 2hrs, and elliptical 90mins). I wasn't eating back calories but that's gotten me into trouble health wise so I'm starting to try to so I'm not at a deficit in nutrients anymore
  • jetlag
    jetlag Posts: 800 Member
    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.
  • ddoeren84
    ddoeren84 Posts: 30
    In general people worry way too much about what each other are doing, especially if it isn't hurting anyone.

    It would be nice if MFP's estimates were more accurate but they're not and there doesn't even seem to be a consensus about how far off they are.

    I guess I'll just start eating about half of my calories burned back or logging only half my exercise so I don't screw myself by eating too many calories back.
  • debra6590
    debra6590 Posts: 25 Member
    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.

    Third that!

    Fourth that
  • grggmrtn
    grggmrtn Posts: 171 Member
    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.

    Third that!

    Fourth that

    And fifth.

    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.

    And I KNOW that even though my HRM says I burn about 800 cals doing my hour of mountainbiking during the week, that it's definitely not far from the truth, since I push myself damn hard!

    Sorry, I might be getting defensive here. I just know that I'm the first one to freak about seeing me burn 1800 calories in a day (and have doublechecked the numbers over and over and over...) during my "on" days, but I know I've worked for every single one of them.
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
    .
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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.