Calories Burned Through Exercise?

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jenniferb_00
jenniferb_00 Posts: 81
in Health and Weight Loss
So i know MFP estimates the calories one would burn if they put in the length of time they spent exercising, but the numbers seem kind of high. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to how accurate these numbers are, because honestly they seem to good to be true.

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  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Generally overestimated.

    I use a HRM and a fitbit to help determine my calorie burns.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
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    Generally overestimated.

    I use a HRM and a fitbit to help determine my calorie burns.

    ^^This. Before I had my HRM and Fitbit, I would log my exercise routine in 3 different websites and take the average of the three.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/Calories.html seems to be the one that most closely and consistently matches my HRM reads for cardio workouts.
  • janicelo1971
    janicelo1971 Posts: 823 Member
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    I agree...I assume I burned about a third of the calories it says...for example I played tennis yesterday from 8-11:30, however just logged in one hour as its not professional tennis and it just causal and there was NO way I burned what it estimated....I have to wonder what people are thinking when they say they burn 1000 calories doing casual exercise...doesn't seem possible
  • serenere
    serenere Posts: 70 Member
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    Any cardio activity (but running and walking for which I have a fitbit zip) I log it under "high intensity/medium intensity (general)/low intensity aerobics. I asked my coach at the gym and he suggested this system to evaluate my intensity (which can be different depending on your commitment or efforts even while doing the same routine)

    low intensity: I could sing while doing it

    general/medium: I could talk while doing it

    high intensity: I was unable to do all the above

    I hope it helped. :)
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    And for "exercises" such as cleaning, cooking, standing, or gardening, MFP drastically overestimates how many calories the average person burns. Those activities part of my regular daily activity and I do not log them.

    For exercise machines at the gym, I use the calorie count from the machine. The ones at the gym seem to be fairly accurate. Home equipment tends to be optimistic.

    For running, I track them with GPS and have a good idea of my pace and distance. The calculations from MFP seem to be good for these exercises if you have good data (accurate distance, time, and pace). There are some apps that automatically do it too and sync with MFP.

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