Calories Burned - Question for all the "Exercise Gurus" out

miabrown66
miabrown66 Posts: 70 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been riding a recumbant bike since I started back on MFP and I have a question about calories burned. My bike shows a much smaller number of calories burned for the type exercise I am doing than MFP does and even on a chart I received from the program I am on. I put all of my information into the bike so it should be showing an accurate account of what I am doing and I am actually putting in a slower time, i.e., <10 mph when I actually did an average of 13-14 mph. Which one is right, the bike or MFP or is it somewhere in between? Thanks,

Replies

  • garysgirl719
    garysgirl719 Posts: 235 Member
    I am sure the answer you are going to hear is to get a heart rate monitor, as that is the most reliable. I can tell you that I have the same problem. MFP estimates the calories burned at almost double what the machine scores it as. I always go with the machine since it is measuring my pulse rate as well as the level of exertion, which MFP can't do. For example, if I am doing 3.0 mph on the treadmill at 10% incline, the calorie burn will be much less than at 50% incline. MFP can't factor that in.
  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
    I always go with what the machine says...MFP is always higher and I prefer to err on the side of caution.
  • pkd1
    pkd1 Posts: 170 Member
    Id go by what your bike says
  • Trishkit
    Trishkit Posts: 290 Member
    From my experience, MFP seems to calculate things a bit too high. I use a HRM to track my calories burned, and it's always lower than MFP's numbers. But maybe that's just me. :-)

    EDIT: Never mind that last bit -- apparently it's not just me!
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