Understanding MapMyWalk discrepancies

jjsutherland68
jjsutherland68 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I've been using MMW for a few weeks now, and for the most part like it - especially the route mapping & height profile. However I've noticed a couple of things re: calorie burn which I'm struggling to understand:
1) MMW seems to read high re: calorie burn compared to MyFitnessPal
Can anyone confirm if MMW takes account of height gain/lost on a walk which would contribute to a higher calorie burn?
(I have ensured I update my weight in MMW each week along with MFP)
2) MMW has a "walking" and a "hiking" activity. Hiking seems to record significantly higher calorie burn for the same walk (same distance, speed and height gain) but I can't find any info on what distinguishes a "walk" from a "hike" in MMW. Does it assume rough ground (more effort and slower speeds)? Does it assume you are carrying backpack? (additional weight means greater effort)

Currently I simply adjust the calorie burn down to the MFP value for the same duration/speed and I'm happy with that, just curious if anyone can explain the difference...

Replies

  • Aroesner
    Aroesner Posts: 5 Member
    I'm shocked that no one has replied to this question because I am having the same difficulties understanding as you are.
    Today I went for a "3.0 moderate, walking a dog" walk for 42 minutes and when I entered that into mfp, it was over 100 calories lower than mmw...... so i am thinking that mmw is including the hills and what not... HMMMMMM.

    Me, personally, I always just lower my exercise number anyway so I don't over eat and if I do, then I know I burned some calories that I didn't submit. HAHA
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Just my thought process: Hiking would be outdoors, in the woods or some other uneven sort of terrain. You'd have to work a little harder to navigate the terrain that walking thru a neighborhood or down the street. Though I don't think the burn would be significantly higher.

    I use MMW for the GPS tracking but I delete the calories. They are higher according to MMW than Fitbit, and I prefer to use the more conservative approach.
  • Jenny775
    Jenny775 Posts: 108 Member
    In my opinion the only way you're going to get an accurate calorie burn is with a heart rate monitor. I use MMW as well with my monitor and the calorie burn reported by MMW has been pretty on target.

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