how accurate is the exercise calorie loss on mfp?

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Looloobelle123
Looloobelle123 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I ask this because on my xbox my shape fitness workouts, the calorie count is significantly less than what mfp states...any advice?

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  • craigheon
    craigheon Posts: 167 Member
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    Best way to know is to purchase a HRM (heart rate monitor). I just recently picked up a Polar FT7 for about $75. It's great. I've found that the estimates from MFP are fairly close, but some exercises are way off. It really all depends on your effort you put in, which can affect MFP's estimates. It doesn't know when you give that "extra push", so it is figuring it on a baseline.

    If you are worried about over-eating, make sure you don't eat back ALL of your exercise calories... maybe eat back about half of them. This will allow for the inaccuracies that MFP may provide.

    Hope this helps!
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
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    In my experience the calorie counts on MFP tend to be high, but how high varies from activity to activity. I also don't trust the numbers on equipment like treadmills or bikes. You need to get a heart rate monitor if you want accurate calorie burns for cardio activities.

    For example on this morning's bike ride, MFP suggested 603 calories, my exercise bike said 450 calories and my HRM measured 360 calories. While the HRM might be on the low side, I'd rather under estimate than over estimate the burn.

    If you use the MFP calorie number, many suggest eating only half to two-thirds the calories back to keep your planned deficit.
  • lulavenus
    lulavenus Posts: 14 Member
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    I think they're too high. I'm a figure skater and if MFP is right in telling me how many calories I'm losing ice skating, then I should be as thin as a rake!
  • Abi198111
    Abi198111 Posts: 76 Member
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    MFP wildly overestimates calorie burn. I often see people who log "XXXX burned 500 calories doing 20 minutes of walking, slow pace, 2.0mph". Sorry, but that's ridiculous. I work my *kitten* off on my exercise bike (that has a heart rate monitor built in to the handlebars) and I burn about 150-170 calories in a 30-40 minute session, and that's with an avg. heart rate of 160bpm. I always at least halve mfp's calorie burn, just to be on the safe side. But if you can, invest in a half decent HRM.
  • Looloobelle123
    Looloobelle123 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks for the advice guys. I try not to eat my exercise cals back so hopefully keep on track

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