New to MFP

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tcar_2
tcar_2 Posts: 7
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all,

I've been a member of mfp since the first week of December. My fitness goal is 185 pds. I am now at 195. My starting weight was 220 pds but after running for 12 wks my weight stayed at 204 pds. A friend told me that I probably was either eating too much or not enough and introduced me to MFP. Since I joined I lost 8 pds. I am concerned about the accuracy of calories burned when I enter my cardio. When I run on my treadmill it records 336 calories burned when I run 3 miles in 30 minutes, when I enter my cardio on mfp it says I burned over 400 calories. So my question is how accurate are the calculations on MFP. Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks.

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  • skinnygjov
    skinnygjov Posts: 7
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    I suggest getting a very nice heart rate monitor. Mine will tell you your average and max heart rate. Along with total calories burned and minutes in your heart rate zone. Machine calculations aren't as accurate. I good one will set you back about 50 bucks. But worth it. Mine has a the watch and strap that goes around your chest. Very accurate. It also challenges me more. I try not to stop until I hit 500 calories. Hope that helps :) You can add in your own exercise and cals burned to keep it accurate for you.
  • IndyFit52
    IndyFit52 Posts: 18
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    The food totals are generally accurate, especially with the option to review and verify other people's entries. I, like you, however am a bit skeptical of the calorie totals of the exercises. I'll do some research and see what the pros have to say about it. Good question.
  • Larry1369
    Larry1369 Posts: 59
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    If you're not entering your weight on the treadmill, I believe most of them calculate calories for 150lbs.

    You're going to burn a lot more at 204.

    I'm only here a week, but having looked at my totals I believe this site is accurate.
  • tcar_2
    tcar_2 Posts: 7
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    Thanks typing, that makes a lot of sense.
  • tcar_2
    tcar_2 Posts: 7
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    Skinny,

    I think I will purchase the monitor. Thanks for the advice
  • heartfails
    heartfails Posts: 5 Member
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    I suggest getting a very nice heart rate monitor. Mine will tell you your average and max heart rate. Along with total calories burned and minutes in your heart rate zone. Machine calculations aren't as accurate. I good one will set you back about 50 bucks. But worth it. Mine has a the watch and strap that goes around your chest. Very accurate. It also challenges me more. I try not to stop until I hit 500 calories. Hope that helps :) You can add in your own exercise and cals burned to keep it accurate for you.

    What brand of heart rate monitor do you have? That sounds like a really good idea, as I also don't trust the generic calculations, AND I do interval training so my heart rate fluctuates plenty during a work out. Would love to heave some accurate info. Thanks!

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