MFP vs Garmin watch

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mel_2812
mel_2812 Posts: 66 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,

Looking for some feedback. My weight loss has been stuck for 2-3 weeks now. I'm trying to see where the problem resides (not gaining but not loosing...so it seems like I am eating at a maintenance level).

MFP says I am burning around 700 calories with 1 h cardio (30 minutes treadmill and 30 minutes elliptical). I was eating some of my exercice calories back (try to eat at 1580 calories + half of calories lost from exercising)

I wanted to know if MFP was accurate in regards to calories lost while exercising...I have decided to put on my Garmin watch last Friday. Well, to my surprise, it said that I lost around 350 calories for the same exercises and lenght of exercise. I was wearing a heart monitor and a foot pod but the foot pod wasn't working that night so it might be the reason why the calories lost is on the low side. Should I do an average of calories lost (with the results of MFP and my Garmin) or is my Garmin more accurate, even though my foot pod wasn't working? Your thoughts?

Elliptical, 30 minutes, resistance 5 and speed 5 (on average...if I do the weight loss program from the machine, the resistance and speed is even more!).

Treadmill, speed = 3 mph and incline is 8.

I'm 5'3, 29 years old, 171.8 lbs, average heartbeat while exercising: 155-160 bpm.

I will give my Garmin another try tonight and hopefully my foot pod will cooperate but honestly, 350 calories seems really low...

Obvisouly, if 350 is accurate, I was eating probably more closed to maintenance (1580 + half of 700 caloires = 350)...

Should I just not eat my exercice calories back then? Should I continue to eat some of them (instead of 350, I would eat 125-150 calories back from exercise...so 1580+125 = 1700 calories)?

This is getting confusing!

Replies

  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    From what I have seen with Garmin, I believe the calories they are giving you are the net calories which excludes the calories that you are burning even if you didn't exercise. Are you eating the calories back because you think you should or because you need to?
  • kamalgupta001
    kamalgupta001 Posts: 1 Member
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    My understanding is that outside of a lab environment, calculations based on heart rate data are the most accurate estimates of calorie burn. Even the older Garmin devices are good at estimating calories based on HR data (and the new ones are even better at it). Personally, I would trust the Garmin. Of course, if your HR meter isn't measuring correctly throughout the duration of the activity, that's going to give you pretty skewed results.

    Foot pod data shouldn't make a difference as far as I know.
  • sheehanmilam
    sheehanmilam Posts: 1
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    Your Garmin device is the most accurate due to it measuring your heart rate which is the best way to measure calories burned outside of any sophisticated lab. MFP simply estimates the calories you're burning based on height and weight, which is only part of the equation. If you fell stuck do some research into training in your correct heart rate zone, Jillian Michaels does a good job explaining this and you can probably find it on Youtube. Burning fight takes place at a lower heart rate than one would think so you may be doing cardio that is no the most beneficial. GOOD LUCK AND KEEP IT UP!
  • scribb
    scribb Posts: 3,659 Member
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    I agree with the comments about the Garmin and using the HRM. As long as you log your correct weight and height, I would trust the Garmin
  • mel_2812
    mel_2812 Posts: 66 Member
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    Wow, thanks for your replies!

    20yearsyounger: I use MFP to calculate everything. I use Garmin only to monitor my calories lost and loading my exercice to Garmin Connect. I don't use their diairy (if they have one, I'm not even sure).
    And I am eating some of my calories from exercice back because I think I should. I lost weight in the past (like almost 50 lbs) without eating much and when I started to eat again, I 30 lbs back. I want to do it right this time :)

    anyways, I really thought I was doing more than 350 calories...yikes! That's not a lot of calories lost for an hour.

    I have a Forerunner 210.
  • mel_2812
    mel_2812 Posts: 66 Member
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    Sheehanmilam: Thanks for your input. Yeah, I had a personal trainer before and explained how I should aim at no more than 70% of my MHR (maximal heart rate)...for me, it would be around 130-135 bpm but for some reason, my heartbeat is getting high very quickly when exercising. It always been that way and I've been training for around 4+ years now. I don't feel it though...I can easily go to 180 bpm and will be still fine.

    Staying at under 130-135 heart beat per minute seems just impossible for me, unless I walk very very very slowly.

  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Mel, I used MFP and a heart rate monitor while losing weight as well. I've been using Garmin now for about a month and I was shocked when I first saw the much lower numbers. It all works out now and I love all the reports in Garmin Connect. I log my food on MFP and then it syncs over to Garmin. I look at the Calories In/Out view to make sure I'm not being robbed of calories :) If you find that you are just maintaining, then don't eat back those calories unless you really need to. However, do make sure you consume your goal. Feel free to add me on Garmin Connect as well if we are not connected already. Same username
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    Footpod doesn't aid in calculating calories burned. Just the steps per min you're doing.

    MFP is notorious for overestimating calories burned which is why HRMs are suggested so often. HRMs aren't entirely accurate either but give a more reasonable estimation than MFP.
  • ayalowich
    ayalowich Posts: 242 Member
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    When it comes to exercise, I find MFP to be 15% too high with my running. That is pretty consistent in comparison to my Polar HRM.

    The 700 calories seems very high, but the 350 calories off the Garmin seems similarly low. If you had said 550 it would seem more reasonable. 8-9 calories per minute is how I arrived at that #. Your treadmill effort seems to be more like walking up a steep hill so hard for me to peg. I've never been good about gauging elliptical effort.

    The HR of 155-160 is pretty high if you are keeping at that level throughout.
    mel_2812 wrote: »
    Hello,


  • mel_2812
    mel_2812 Posts: 66 Member
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    Thanks all!

    Well, I looked back in my Garmin report and luckily, I could find my activities from 2 years ago.
    I looked at my gym training session and I was doing 1.5 hours... 1hr was cardio (pretty much what I am doing now) and 30 minutes strenght training.

    My activities are anywhere between 550 and 675 calories burnt.

    I am maybe 5 pounds lighter than I was back then and my bpm is averaging the same...

    I will look at my watch settings again, just to make sure my weight/height/age are correct, and give it another try tonight! :)

    Again, thank you all for your responses!

  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
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    Any device with heart rate monitor is more accurate than MFP. I use my Polar V800 for all my cardio workouts and go with those calories.
    Stef.

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