Friend me if you don't lie about your exercise cals

karmcl
karmcl Posts: 8 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
Is it me, or do people give themselves WAY too much calorie credit for exercise on MFP? I'm an avid runner. I run between 8 & 9 minute miles, and average around 30 miles/week. I give myself credit for about -100 calories per mile. It drives me crazy to read about people claiming to burn 300 calories on a 3.5 mph lesiurely walk, or 700 calories during 30 minues on an elliptical. If it were that easy, I wouldn't run so fast. Thanks for letting me rant. Now please friend me and tell me to stop eating crap. My diary is open to my friends. :blush:
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Replies

  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    The MFP database vastly overestimates calories.
    But larger people could burn that much with an HRM for comparison.
    And what difference does it make to you if they're "lying" or not?
    It only affects them and their progress, not you and yours.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    People generally aren't intentionally lying - they are using MFP's (inaccurate) database, without knowing any better.

    And burns depend on a lot of factors. I'd burn more running a mile than you, because I weigh more.

    All calorie burning is estimation.
  • veganbettie
    veganbettie Posts: 701 Member
    huh. that's sort of distrusting, but I get your point....

    I use my garmin to track my calories....so while it may be an overestimate, I trust it pretty well.
  • palwithme
    palwithme Posts: 860 Member
    I have no idea how many calories I am burning. I just type in the minutes. MFP spits out a number. I don't think it is correct because I'm not losing the correct amount of weight for it to be so. This is why I don't eat back my exercise calories.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    Unless you’re working out in a bomb calorimeter, it is all an estimate. Obviously, if they’re over-estimating, their fat loss with be slower (if at all). Also, under-estimating can lead to under-eating. I recommend tracking your measurements and weights and seeing how your effort is working. If it is working for you, then keep on keeping on. If not, then tweak things.

    BTW, when I was tracking, I also used 100 calories per mile (but then I was moving over 200 lbs that mile).
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE!!!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    How do you know that you're burning exactly 100 calories/mile when you run? Or are you LYING?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I don't even do exercise calories - except to log it as 2 calories so I can just have a record of the activity.

    I think most people like to believe they are burning far far far more calories than they actually are. What do you mean my 3 minute walk to the kitchen didn't burn 75 calories? Jerk.
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    I just use the database, and don't take the number too seriously. I'm logging to have the log.
  • karmcl
    karmcl Posts: 8 Member
    sofaking6 wrote: »
    How do you know that you're burning exactly 100 calories/mile when you run? Or are you LYING?

    I probably burn more. I'm being conservative. I never thought people could get so mad at me over a little MFP post. I guess "lie" was a bad word to choose. But maybe if somone reads this, they'll look at their exercise log and it'll help them out to not overestimate.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    It does not bother me the slightest whether people are over or underestimating their calorie burn. I cheer them for doing something instead of nothing. If they overestimate they will have trouble losing weight and that is not my problem. Being active is superb and for that everyone who posts sports activities should in my humble opinion be cheered.
    Stef.
  • bobafet79
    bobafet79 Posts: 12 Member
    I always put my runs into RunKeeper who then update MFP, doing a 5k run in just under 30 mins is about 600 calories for me and I'm about 17stone, I don't eat back all my cals anyway as trying to lose weight!
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited February 2015
    I like to game the cardio machines to see what kind of ridiculous calorie burns I can get them to claim. o:) My record is 913 kcal in 45 minutes of stationary bike. (For comparison purposes, that is roughly a fourteen mile run for me.)
  • ZebsterBC
    ZebsterBC Posts: 198 Member
    Many of us know that the calories are incorrect and we simply don't care. I guess we can't send you friend requests. ;)
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    I have apps that send the "burns" to MFP. A lot of times they are extremely exaggerated. I don't have the time or the care to go in and fix them so I just leave them.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    edited February 2015
    Ha! People burn a boat-load of calories here. I figure about 100 cals a mile.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    MFP says I burned 261 kcal going 4.5 mph for 20 minutes. I get faster, stronger, and lighter eating back most or all of my exercise calories to maintain my goal deficit. MFP's estimates are usually close for me to HRMs and machines for a walk/run. If you need to ignore a large percentage of your burn to lose weight, consider if you're logging your intake accurately, i.e. w/ a food scale.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    People generally aren't intentionally lying - they are using MFP's (inaccurate) database, without knowing any better.

    Or using an HRM inappropriately, or use a Fitbit (or similar) to measure things that they're not designed to measure.

    Lots of ways to be inaccurate, none to be accurate.
  • briebee7
    briebee7 Posts: 224 Member
    edited February 2015
    OP what you have to realize is that most people are using their best estimate at the calorie burn. And to be honest most are using their best guess at calories consumed as well. People aren't trying to be deceptive. They either know they are estimates and adjust accordingly or they won't loose weight and thus make the appropriate adjustments down the line.

    I mean even your "100 cal per mile" is en estimate. Runner's world gives a base estimate of .63xbody weight = calorie per mile. For me that would be in the 86 calorie per mile range. MFP gives me closer to 110-120 per mile range. I know this and honestly don't care.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I use the TDEE method but alternate high and low calorie days depending on my workout. At one point I had my MFP set to sedentary so it gave me a goal of 1490 and on my weightlifting days I routinely logged "strength training" as 610 calories for an hour. I might not have actually burned those calories exercising but they are what got me to my calorie goal.

    Bottom line, don't assume you know how every user uses MFP. You very well may be wrong.
  • chaitrex
    chaitrex Posts: 94 Member
    I'm using MyDailyBurn and it told I burned 400 calories yesterday in 30 minutes. I do not trust! MFP specifically seems to give whole lot of credit to cardio...I've never understood how "yoga" is a one intensity fits all calorie burner. I don't know what kind of yoga y'all are doing, but I sweat and shake my *kitten* off in there-it's definitely more than 140 calories per hour or whatever crap they say.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I'm a liar. I mark all mine as 1 calorie burned.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I don't count them at all.
  • Khukhullatus
    Khukhullatus Posts: 361 Member
    I don't tend to eat back my calories, so it can give me 10 calories or 10,000 and it really wouldn't affect me.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    tumblr_likhwsApCo1qawdgd.gif

    I don't log exercise calories at all.
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
    I don't pay attention to the calories my friends claim to burn. I'm just here for the entertainment, not to be annoyed by a number that friends put down. I mean, they're exercising, right? That's good enough for me.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    I find that the way MFP posts your burns on your wall can be confusing because it lists (cut and pasted from one of my friends' walls...) burned 605 calories doing 80 minutes of cardio exercises, including "Treadmill With Incline" but you don't know what else was included. They might have done something even harder as part of the workout, and without going all the way into their exercise diary, you would never know.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    1st, her estimate is pretty close - prohealth.com calculator says 129lb person running a 9 min mile burns about 96 kcal.

    Also says that at my weight, walking at a 3 mph pace for the same 9 mins burns 76 kcal. At that pace, you'd only burn 30 kcal, but then your < 1/2 the person I am ( in size ).

    So, I have to spend ~ 26% longer at my slower pace to match kcal burn.

    ________________________________________________________________________________________

    I try to do enough cardio to burn 440+ kcal each day I work out. I punch the pertinent data into the treadmill, and let it tell me how many I actually burn for my session.

    At my age and size, thats currently about 30-35 mins on an alternating grade and speed program that varies from 4-7% incline and 2.6-3.1 mph.

    Also keeps my heart rate between 130-150 bpm, which is near ideal for my age ( 44 ).

    And, I have steadily been exceeding my weekly goal/estimated loss rate.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________

    You cant just look at the value reported, you have to look at duration vs intensity, and also size of the individual.

  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    About the only number I can trust when running is what the HRM's tell me. I've had 3 different ones tell me pretty much similar burn rates, about 175 per mile. I'm 6'2" and 230 pounds.

    When logging anything else though...like HIIT bodyweight routines I am starting to do now, I think those burns are logged pretty damn high. I log them in MyFitnessPal and so far the 36 minute Week 1 Ladder routines in the You Are Your Own Gym 1st Class level workouts I have been doing (logged as Calisthenics) are reporting 612 calories burned per session. They are tough, I am dripping some sweat at the end, yes. But I'm just not sure I burned nearly the same amount as running over 3 miles...
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    I like to lie about my calorie burns. I probably lie about my caloric intake, too. But then again, I am completely cognizant that it's my problem when I'm not losing weight. :D
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