MyFitnessPal overestimates workout calories?

Workout4Health
Workout4Health Posts: 447 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just asking why MFP overestimates a lot of exercise such as the elliptical. Although the elliptical has many benefits, I highly doubt I'm burning even close to 900 calories in an hour. Just questioning what the point of overestimating is or if it wasn't intentional.

Replies

  • Unknown
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  • ashbarretto4
    ashbarretto4 Posts: 10
    I've found it overestimate slightly too. That's why I only ever go to the gym where I can use machines and record what i've actually burnt. That way, my diary is always accurate. Also, I usually end up doing double what MFP thinks so it makes you feel good too :)
  • skittle316
    skittle316 Posts: 128 Member
    Everything is added by users. Unless you have a heart rate monitor, you won't really know.
    Just log it in yourself, that's what i do when the walking stats aren't right.
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
    Not sure why it is off, but at least we know that it is. We can adjust our personal calorie burns to account for it. I think that is why most of us will only eat back 50 - 75% of our burned calories. Keep in mind that everyone burns at a different rate. It isn't perfection, but it is a great tool.
  • OllyJ_79
    OllyJ_79 Posts: 126 Member
    The majority of calorie readings, gym machines etc, are given in gross amounts, that is the amount of calories burnt during exercise, plus your BMR calories, that you would have burnt anyway, by just being alive. The values on MFP are also in gross amounts from my experience, and that tends to skew the figures upwards.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/articles/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn.aspx

    For example if I ran at 7mph for 60 minutes, I would burn around 790 calories doing the actual exercise, and another 84 being alive, which I would have burnt just laying in bed. The gross amount would be 874, but I'd only want to log the net value for weight loss purposes, as I've already accounted for the daily BMR calories in my allowance for the day.

    There is a converter here that makes things easier.
    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn-conversion-calculator.aspx
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Bear in mind that being overweight can also dramatically increase the calorie burn on exercise where you support your body-weight such as the elliptical. A fat person who is trained and fit and has strong muscles can burn a shocking amount of calories.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Number 1 it doesn't over estimate for everyone.

    There is an algorithim that works it out based on your stats. I always ate back my exercise calories and it didn't stop me from losing the weight I wanted.

    It's not based on effort you can add "effort" to a mathmatical equation.

    It is not user entered.

    HRM are estimates too...

    Machines over estimate too...they use a similar equation...and actually makers of machines have admitted that they purposefully over estimate sometimes as much as 50%.

    If you use fitnessblender.com it usually has an estimated burn as well but because you can't enter your stats there it gives a range.

    When I do 20min HIIT work out It says I burn between 158-264 calories...that is because it doesn't know if I am male, female or my age or my weight etc.

    Suggestion is to eat back 50-75% of those recorded by MFP and tweek as necessary.
  • jbse26
    jbse26 Posts: 39 Member
    At the end of the day all calorie counts, for calories in, calories burned, TDEE and so on are just estimates based on averages. For example each apple we eat is different and each of us is slightly different. but unless the counts are way out, then it is not worth getting het up about. I have to say although there are lots of posts on here saying how high the calorie count is on MFP, it gives me less calories for walking than any other walking calculator i have used, so I suppose it is swings and roundabouts.Also I agree with net and gross distinction- i burn around 70 cals an hour just lying around!. As a practical suggestion for you a lot of people say they only eat a maximum of half their exercise calories back.
  • gsnow597
    gsnow597 Posts: 36 Member
    I track my exercise through Endomondo. Endo must be worst becasue I enter the same amount of jogging distance to MFP and MFP is about 100 cals burned less than Endo!?!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Calories for the elliptical are way off for me. My typical workout is 65 minutes on the elliptical targeting a heart rate of 140-150. According to my HRM I burn a little over 500. The machine itself says around 750. MFP database says 926. I go with the more conservative HRM number.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    Number 1 it doesn't over estimate for everyone.

    There is an algorithim that works it out based on your stats. I always ate back my exercise calories and it didn't stop me from losing the weight I wanted.

    It's not based on effort you can add "effort" to a mathmatical equation.

    It is not user entered.

    HRM are estimates too...

    Machines over estimate too...they use a similar equation...and actually makers of machines have admitted that they purposefully over estimate sometimes as much as 50%.

    If you use fitnessblender.com it usually has an estimated burn as well but because you can't enter your stats there it gives a range.

    When I do 20min HIIT work out It says I burn between 158-264 calories...that is because it doesn't know if I am male, female or my age or my weight etc.

    Suggestion is to eat back 50-75% of those recorded by MFP and tweek as necessary.
    This.

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