exercise calories

nikkicarter13
nikkicarter13 Posts: 231 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
This question is kind of for those with heart rate monitors. How far off is MFP calculations you burned versus what your HRM says? I don't have a HRM (hopefully santa brings me one), but my problem is I log in my calories along with my exercise and most of the time I am still hungry and end up eating a small snack that puts me over my calories for the day.

I workout quite a bit...90-120 minutes a day. I eat back all if not more of my exercise calories. I am trying to just maintain my weight through the holidays and my current calorie limit is 1600.

So I am not sure if my problem is calories in or calories out, but does anyone have any thoughts? The first thing that comes to mind is that I am burning more than MFP calculates and that is why I am hungry.

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Waaaay off, for example yesterday MFP calculated like 1900 when it was closer to 1200...
  • Pril2000
    Pril2000 Posts: 254 Member
    Yeah. I used a formula to convert watts to calories burned for my hour long spin classes and MFP was calculating something close to 600 when I was actually only burning 250 or so because I wasn't producing a lot of watts. I wasn't working as hard as I needed to be burning that many calories. Now I have to set watt goals and enter the calories manually. For some exercises it's closer to accurate.

    I really hope I can get a HRM with my Christmas money. That would be so much easier.
  • brooke0206
    brooke0206 Posts: 255 Member
    I dont have a HRM either but hoping santa brings me one as well :). MPF's calories burned is just a general number. You might have 2 people same gender and same weight doing the same workout for the same amount of time BUT one of them does it with more intensity. That person will obvisouly burn more calories. There is no formula that can calculate it exactally because no one knows the intensity and all of your workouts. I personally try and do all my workouts to my max just to hopefully be a little closer to being right with the numbers MFP gives. Even an HRM isnt 100% accurate BUT its definately pretty close and A LOT closer than the MFP numbers...
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
    So I am not sure if my problem is calories in or calories out, but does anyone have any thoughts? The first thing that comes to mind is that I am burning more than MFP calculates and that is why I am hungry.

    More often that not, MFP's calculations are much much higher than what my HRM says. So you're probably burning less than what MFP's calculator tells you.
  • ladyccp
    ladyccp Posts: 7 Member
    my hrm and mfp are not the same. They are way off sometimes MFP will calculate exercise calories and my hrm is 200 less than that...
  • nikkicarter13
    nikkicarter13 Posts: 231 Member
    Hmmm...then I am completely off. I was actually thinking MFP was lower on its calculations rather than high since I workout a lot and am always hungry. I am going to need to do some more searching and hopes I can figure this out.
  • tjalt
    tjalt Posts: 24 Member
    I agree the MFP is off. My HR monitor always shows WAY less. But when I have my HR monitor on and it's linked up to say the treadmill or elliptical at the gym, the calories burned are almost identical to that of MFP.

    If you are working out 90-120 minutes per day and only eating about 1600 calories there is no way you are eating enough!!! Eat more!!! Especially more protein....and that will control your hunger too :)
  • nikkicarter13
    nikkicarter13 Posts: 231 Member
    I do eat more, I eat my 1600 plus whatever my exercise calories are and most of the time I end up about 100 calories over. Diet has always been my problem in weight loss, I am good at the exercise part, not so much with the diet
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Way off. It's best to use your own hrm.
  • lessjess2
    lessjess2 Posts: 23
    HRMs are awesome! Hope you find one in your stocking!! :)
  • mamaisis09
    mamaisis09 Posts: 143
    When I use my HRM (the two times so far) I've burned from 100-250 calories MORE than MFP calculated (I have a POLAR FT60). Not sure if that is really right or not though, after reading this thread...

    I ran 6 miles in 60 minutes, with a 5 minute warm up and cool down in there and MFP calculated in the 600s for calories burnt, my HRM was exactly 100 calories higher (in the 700s, I don't remember exact numbers).
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