CALORIES ?

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aehartley
aehartley Posts: 269 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When you all work out at the gym which number do you put into your fitness pal. I usually notice a significent diffrence in the number that MyFitness Pal privides and the number on the gym equipment. I don't know what to do ?

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you don't have a HRM (heart rate monitor) go with the lowest estimate between the machine and MFP.
  • hostile17
    hostile17 Posts: 54 Member
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    The gym equipment is more trustworthy, as it's normally based upon your weight and heart rate.

    I would also go with whatever's lower. The Fitness Pal estimates are insanely highly. Not sure I trust gym machines entirely.

    I tried MFP's method of eating my exercise calories and put on weight last week. :)
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    Its way to variable to try to go off someone elses, but mine is almost right on with the machines. I put in my weight and such too.
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
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    I would recommend a site called Fitclick to calculate your calories burned, at least for strength training. It actually calculates calories burned by your sets, reps and weight used, and has hundreds of exercises listed. I find it to be much more accurate than the one-workout-fits-all count that MFP gives you. Of course, a HRM is the best thing to use, but if you don't have one, try Fitclick.

    http://www.fitclick.com/calories_burned
  • Lisa__Michelle
    Lisa__Michelle Posts: 845 Member
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    That is why I bought an HRM like a month ago because neither one is going to be accurate. However, I think the closest you will get without an HRM will be the machine if they ask you for your weight and such.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I would recommend a site called Fitclick to calculate your calories burned, at least for strength training. It actually calculates calories burned by your sets, reps and weight used, and has hundreds of exercises listed. I find it to be much more accurate than the one-workout-fits-all count that MFP gives you. Of course, a HRM is the best thing to use, but if you don't have one, try Fitclick.

    http://www.fitclick.com/calories_burned

    Does this site take you strength into consideration?

    If not I would not trust it either, I know if I can bench 250lbs and I use 100lbs, I would burn much less than someone who has a max of 120 and lifted the same weight for the same number of reps.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    That is why I bought an HRM like a month ago because neither one is going to be accurate. However, I think the closest you will get without an HRM will be the machine if they ask you for your weight and such.

    MFP takes more than, or at least the same as, the machine into consideration. MFP uses, age, weight, height, gender, etc.
  • EHuntRN
    EHuntRN Posts: 320 Member
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    I notice that MFP is always closer to my HRM that the machines are...which is weird...Thats why I got a HRM...and my trainer says that while eating calories back is good...maybe dont eat them all back..just half!!!
  • aehartley
    aehartley Posts: 269 Member
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    I really think I have noticed that the my fitness pals are insane and I am not sure which to use. Which is why I have been using the gym equpiments. I really didn't know if that was part of my platue problem...

    I have been working out really hard, Going to the gym twice a day 5 days a week and once a day 2 days a week. I have lost weight but now I am at a palatue and it is getting really frusterating. I feel like I burn a ton of calories, and I am suppose to be eating 1200 before working out... and most days I never get to 1200 with the extra calories burned from exercise - I MOST definitally do not. my trainer has been working with me because I have never been a big eater so eating more has actually been a real struggle. I do eat high protin, low fat, low carb because it has seemed to work until now. I just feel stuck and I really want to loose some more weight.
  • jkohan
    jkohan Posts: 184 Member
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    FYI--the machines do NOT take your weight or age into consideration, even if they ask you for it. It's still a straight formula setting for calories burned based upon length of time and what level you have the machine set at.

    The ONLY reason the machine will ask you for your weight and age is to tell you if the HR it reads from you is in the cardio or fat burning range...it does NOT take that consideration into account giving you the calorie read-out.

    Hate to burst the bubble, but I see people saying that over and over and it's not true.
  • nyctraveler
    nyctraveler Posts: 305 Member
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    I would recommend a site called Fitclick to calculate your calories burned, at least for strength training. It actually calculates calories burned by your sets, reps and weight used, and has hundreds of exercises listed. I find it to be much more accurate than the one-workout-fits-all count that MFP gives you. Of course, a HRM is the best thing to use, but if you don't have one, try Fitclick.

    http://www.fitclick.com/calories_burned

    Was not able to find a function for cardio where it takes resistance into account. I do my elliptical on resistance 10 at 130 strides/ minute and know that's a lot more vigorous than people i see reading magazines on machines next to me so I am not burning 304 calories an hour like it says - i burn that in about 25 min
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    I really think I have noticed that the my fitness pals are insane and I am not sure which to use. Which is why I have been using the gym equpiments. I really didn't know if that was part of my platue problem...

    I have been working out really hard, Going to the gym twice a day 5 days a week and once a day 2 days a week. I have lost weight but now I am at a palatue and it is getting really frusterating. I feel like I burn a ton of calories, and I am suppose to be eating 1200 before working out... and most days I never get to 1200 with the extra calories burned from exercise - I MOST definitally do not. my trainer has been working with me because I have never been a big eater so eating more has actually been a real struggle. I do eat high protin, low fat, low carb because it has seemed to work until now. I just feel stuck and I really want to loose some more weight.

    You very well may be overtrained. That is counter productive to progress as much as being under trained. Your body needs at least a day of rest in a week, probably more if you are working out 2 times per day. People will say eat more because your body may be in starvation mode, but it is just as likely because you are not eating that many calories, that you need to eat more so your body when it rests can repair and strengthen your muscles. That may have more to do with micro-nutrients than macro nutrients (vitamins and minerals versus carbs, fat, protein). Eat more high quality food no going over your net calories, and you will find you will not only get better at your workouts, but you will probably start to lose weight again. Also, check your measurements, they may help more than just weight.
  • aehartley
    aehartley Posts: 269 Member
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    .
    [/quote]

    That may have more to do with micro-nutrients than macro nutrients (vitamins and minerals versus carbs, fat, protein). Eat more high quality food no going over your net calories, and you will find you will not only get better at your workouts, but you will probably start to lose weight again. Also, check your measurements, they may help more than just weight.
    [/quote]

    I have always been an athlete and the one thing I can say about the human body is; it dose not forget. I have taken years off training, and went back to it with ease, and so I have been working with the micro and macro, adding Protin powders and condrotine to after workout snacks and I do eat 6 times a day, just small meals space about 3 hours apart. I only consume about 20 grams of fat a day, maybe I need to reevalueate the plan and see what it up -

    Thanks A
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
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    I would recommend a site called Fitclick to calculate your calories burned, at least for strength training. It actually calculates calories burned by your sets, reps and weight used, and has hundreds of exercises listed. I find it to be much more accurate than the one-workout-fits-all count that MFP gives you. Of course, a HRM is the best thing to use, but if you don't have one, try Fitclick.

    http://www.fitclick.com/calories_burned

    Was not able to find a function for cardio where it takes resistance into account. I do my elliptical on resistance 10 at 130 strides/ minute and know that's a lot more vigorous than people i see reading magazines on machines next to me so I am not burning 304 calories an hour like it says - i burn that in about 25 min
    Sorry, I use it to get a more accurate count of the calories I burn doing weight training. I know for some cardio exercises it has different levels for heart rate. Like I said, a heart rate monitor would be the most accurate way to count calories burned. Sorry it didn't seem to help you out!
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
    Options
    I would recommend a site called Fitclick to calculate your calories burned, at least for strength training. It actually calculates calories burned by your sets, reps and weight used, and has hundreds of exercises listed. I find it to be much more accurate than the one-workout-fits-all count that MFP gives you. Of course, a HRM is the best thing to use, but if you don't have one, try Fitclick.

    http://www.fitclick.com/calories_burned

    Does this site take you strength into consideration?

    If not I would not trust it either, I know if I can bench 250lbs and I use 100lbs, I would burn much less than someone who has a max of 120 and lifted the same weight for the same number of reps.
    No, it doesn't ask for your 1 rep max for bench presses, or anything like that. I believe it to be far more accurate than MFP for strength training. MFP gives the same calorie burn whether you're doing exercises like crunches or ab training, that don't really burn a lot of calories, or heavy squats, deadlifts and leg presses, which burn a lot more calories. I do tend to eat back most (not all) of my exercise calories and still continue to lose fat, so it can't be too far off. It was just a suggestion, so if you don't like it or trust it, that's fine. I just know it seems to be working for me so far.
  • Bridgetc140
    Bridgetc140 Posts: 405 Member
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    I just bought a heart monitor last week and the MFP was very accurate. MFP calculated my workout at 417 and my HRM read 419. I couldn't believe how accurate it was. That was with one workout (Cardio), but with another workout the MFP was about 50 calories shy of what I actually burned and that was a strength workout.
  • aehartley
    aehartley Posts: 269 Member
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    what is the monitor thing and how can it help... I have no idea what poeple are talking about with these things ?
  • hostile17
    hostile17 Posts: 54 Member
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    My machine reckons I burnt off 365 calories on the crosstrainer today, whereas MFP reckons 550. That's quite some difference.

    Either way, it's trying to game the system I feel... trying to eat more based upon suspect numbers. It's why I don't agree with the whole execise calories being automatically taken into account on MFP.

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