Did I really burn that many calories???

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  • B3Streeter
    B3Streeter Posts: 292 Member
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    I just don't know about this burning calorie business - everybody says MFP overestimates calories but my chest strap HRM ALWAYS gives me more! It depends on how your heart works - if it stays high you will burn more than low. Good workout regardless - well done!

    I agree. Doing 60min. of Cardio on MFP said I burned 544 calories. Once I got a HRM, according to that I am burning anywhere from 700 to 850 calories during an hour of cardio. So for me MFP underestimates. Every person is different I guess.
  • shalynna89
    shalynna89 Posts: 324 Member
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    I bought my HRM about a month in and I have found on something I burned more than what MFP estimated on a few activities I'd burn less. But being bigger does make you burn more. I've seen it in just the past 3 months of me getting in shape. I don't burn as many calories as I use to. The one down fall of losing weight;) when you weigh more you get to eat more and during exercise you burn more calories then you do when you start losing a good amount of weight.

    I do realize HRM's are estimates, but to me I feel like since in detects my heart rate from the chest strap and has me put in my height, weight, finds my BMR before I exercise, its more accurate than the calculators I have used on the web. Alot of calculators I have used will give you the same number of calories burned as anyone in your BMI range- which people could be 40 lbs less than someone else and get the same calories burned. I'm not sure how MFP calculates it though. I only wear my HRM during exercise and not all day long. But I like it to because I can keep track of my heart rate which is its main purpose and track my fitness with it. Another reason I feel its a bit more accurate is the fact that I can do the same workout days in a row and have never gotten the same amount of calories burned- it might be close but never the same numbers. Your body can vary on alot of things from day to day and your Heart rate can be affected by that (what you eat, acttivities you do, stress, ect.) So when I do the same work out two days in a row and my calories may vary 10-50 more or less I just take it as my body is working harder or I'm starting to get use to the exercise if I'm not burning as many calories. This is purely my opinion on HRM's, I love mine and would recommend it to anyone wanting one(Polar Ft40) I think HRM's with chest straps are more accurate than one's without, for the reason that it detects how fast your heart is pumping and then figures how many calories your body, giving the info you put in it, would burn. If your looking at one without a chest strap I'd just go with what MFP tells ya and save up to get on with a chest strap.
  • Lanfear
    Lanfear Posts: 524
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    MFP doesn't overestimate on everything.

    It does on cycling - where MFP was giving me 150cals for a ride, my HRM gives me 90. However on horseriding, MFP was giving around 250-300 cals for an hour - last night my HRM gave me 696 for 70 minutes!!!! So a pretty big difference...

    I think they all help even if they're not 100% accurate, they give you an idea of what you are burning / eating back and it does seem to work :smile:
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    I get 420 calories for an hour of high intensity aerobics on here. I think I'm being cheated!
  • Mcctin65
    Mcctin65 Posts: 507 Member
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    I get 420 calories for an hour of high intensity aerobics on here. I think I'm being cheated!

    I did some research online for Zumba which is high intensity and at around 150 pounds we burn about 500 or so calories as a low or average number. I just backed it off and use 450 as an estimate to be safe.
    Personally, I think if you just stick with your base line calories and work out at least 30 minutes a day, you will be ahead of the game
  • fcrisswell
    fcrisswell Posts: 234 Member
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    LMAO....I just saw the same thing....then thought...where's the "wild sex" category? No that that ever happens anymore LOL.

    (And that's if it lasts fifteen minutes LOL)
  • jen2bhottie
    jen2bhottie Posts: 48 Member
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    MFP tends to overestimate calories burned for those of us who are really overweight, then it evens out in the middle and underestimates for smaller people...as soon as I find the article here I'll post it. But your heart rate does make a difference...if I do 30 minutes on the elliptical, the harder I'm working, the faster my heart rate is going to be. I mean MFP calculator doesn't know if you're going 3.5 mph or 6.5 mph...

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