Exercise calories don't add up...

sundaysurf
sundaysurf Posts: 72 Member
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
I don't know which one is accurate but I thought I would share with everyone. I have been wearing my BodyMedia arm band for two weeks. I have noticed a big difference with the calories I burn that are reported from my BodyMedia and the MFP database.

Sorry I tried to insert an EXCEL spreadsheet. It did not work.

The two are totally different. I tend to think that the BodyMedia is correct since it is always on my body and knows what I am doing. Here it is:

Pilates for 1 hour - MFP=149 BodyMedia= 198
Step Aerobic for 1 hour - MFP=508 BodyMedia=330
Spinning for 1 hour - MFP=418 BodyMedia=222
Group Power for 1 hour - MFP=479 BodyMedia=243

After comparing the two...I will not be eating all my exercise calories.

Replies

  • rascal21
    rascal21 Posts: 29 Member
    Well, MFP is just a best guesstimate, how far off is it?
  • javamom
    javamom Posts: 309
    I find the MFP database to be high compared to my HRM.
  • ColeyCannoli
    ColeyCannoli Posts: 147
    I've noticed this too! It bugs me. I mean, it probably still helps some people to eat the extra calories (cause its still probably less then eating whatever you want all day and you make better health choice) so there's nothing wrong with it. But I just found that MFP over-estimates my calories by a lot. Sometimes even by 200+ calories. Guess it's all trial and error. Something doesn't work, switch it up.
  • Ceria
    Ceria Posts: 46 Member
    I would trust the body media. I also have the armband and it is a more accurate measure of what YOUR body is doing. MFP is more of an average of some one that is your height a weight performing that same activity. What is does not account for is the amout of effort your actual body puts into the exercise. Mine body bug reads the same exercise differently on different days because of how much effort I put into the excercise. So I would rely on the body media.
  • jpmajors
    jpmajors Posts: 53
    Yes the MFP is just a best guess most likely and average. you HRM will give you the best results. Some of the cardio machines in the gym will also give a different count sometimes. Just depends how the machine figures it. when you report you exercise you can change the Calories burnt.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    MFP is always only going to be a guess, if you have your own measurements, why not just add your own exercises and use these calories. Problem solved!
  • Sparksfly
    Sparksfly Posts: 470 Member
    I support any method that uses your heart rate to calculate stats for calories burned.

    Think of it this way....

    One day I used the elliptical for 35 minutes and had an average heart rate of 160. MFP said I burned 400 calories.

    Two days later I used the elliptical for 35 minutes and had an average HR of 130. MFP said I STILL burned 400 calories during that time.

    If the calorie counter you are using doesn't account for the difficulty of your workout, then it isn't accurate enough.
  • lkkyer
    lkkyer Posts: 38 Member
    Glad I saw this thread! I told someone yesterday I don't eat all my exercise calories because I didn't trust what the cardio equipment at the gym said. All these people posted after me about how you MUST eat all your exercise calories or your body would go into starvation mode. They totally missed the point that you may be eating calories you are NOT burning. I felt like I said something wrong. As long as I'm not hungry and continue to lose weight, I'll continue to eat the way I am!
  • rks6902
    rks6902 Posts: 29 Member
    I too do not go by MFPs calories. I did the elliptical at the gym this morning and according to the machine burned 195 calories, but MFP said I burned 532.

    I just manually changed it to 195 calories, If in doubt, you can just take an average from the multiple calorie burned calculators found on the internet.

    I am thinking of buying a BodyBugg or a similar device but am holding off due to cost and want to see if it is worth it from other users.
  • p_nutprincess
    p_nutprincess Posts: 25 Member
    Yeah, I keep track of my own calories. Read as many muscle magazines as you can, and you'll get a general idea of how many you are burning, depending on the exercise and the intensity. For example, I take a boxing class quite frequently, and if I enter in 1 hr on MFP, it claims that I burned 600 calories. I know that's not accurate, since there are periods of rest during the class, so I estimate it's about 400 or so that I actually burned. You have to remember, these entries are made by people just like us who are also estimating, so there is always room for error.
  • Nomomush
    Nomomush Posts: 582 Member
    MFP is definitely just an estimate. Having a heart rate monitor that takes into account your height and weight will provide you a more accurate calories urned. Also, not everyone puts in the same level of effort on the same workout...the same person can put in different efforts on different days in the same workout too. So...HRM is the way to go to get a more accurate calories burned.
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