My Fitness Pal OVER-estimating calories burned?

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  • musicandarts
    musicandarts Posts: 187 Member
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    It doesn't matter much. I use the calorie count from my treadmill as stated. Everything else, I discount a bit. Please remember that calorie estimates are always estimates. This applies to foods as well. You will lose weight even if you use MFP estimates.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    musicandarts wrote: »
    You will lose weight even if you use MFP estimates.

    Unfortunately, that's just not the case. There are a LOT of people on MFP who are over-estimating their way right out of a deficit and into a surplus.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    I think it overwstimates. As I'm interested incals and duration I calculate net calories using METs and/or experience and then chose a random cardio activity that gives me the same number for the correct duration. That works for me. That I today logged a type of walking for 37 mins of circuit doesn't matter. I add a note of what I did and am happy my stats look ok.

    @yirara , why not enter the correct exercise but change the calories to the correct number? You don't have to use the default calorie burn.
  • OrangeBabelfish
    OrangeBabelfish Posts: 67 Member
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    HRM is good for steady cardio but if you're like me, with tachycardia, an HRM would also majorly overestimate my effort. Gym machines seem to be based on a 150lb average. I tend to just log it but not eat all the calories back. It may overestimate my running but I go crazy on the elliptical and MFP has that as a low burn. So swings and roundabouts. No one piece of equipment is infallible.
  • JennieMaeK
    JennieMaeK Posts: 474 Member
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    I don't have a heart rate monitor, yet, but I find the treadmill at my gym is way over what MFP says. I generally don't eat back my calories, so I'm not concerned about what it says. I've ordered a heart rate monitor so I'll see once I get that.
  • Terryb99
    Terryb99 Posts: 23 Member
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    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    HRMs don't work that way - heck, they'll give you different numbers for the same level of exertion depending on the temperature outside! :smile:
    Use with caution....

    I find my FT7 to be remarkably consistent. Number of minutes vs calories burned it reports

    But heck, what do I know. I have only lost 9 pounds this month doing it the way I do.

    I tried exercise only for the first 10 days this month. That was not doing it alone. So I logged back into MFP to log food, exercise, everything, and it is working.

    Like I said it is a benchmark FOR ME. I am concentrating on calories in and calories out, based on MFP calculations from my food diary, Fitbit and FT7 inputs.







  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,554 Member
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    blankiefinder wrote: »

    @yirara , why not enter the correct exercise but change the calories to the correct number? You don't have to use the default calorie burn.

    Because then I have to do the sums each time as the duration differs greatly. As long as my weight stays the same I just enter the time in the appropriate walking type and get what I think is a good calorie estimate and the correct duration.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Yes, most machines, including MFP, overestimate calories burned.
    And since most weight loss happens from controlling calories in, rather than burning them off,
    it's better to ignore exercise calories anyway (at least most of the time; if you're really hungry
    at the end of the day once in a while, have 1/3 to 1/2 of them for a snack).

    Think of exercise as a bonus toward weight loss, and an improvement for your health overall.
    (That's what my doctor* & dietician told me, and when I follow their advice I lose weight.)

    *an endocrinologist specializing in weight loss issues
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    I always underestimate what calories I've burned (if I ran for 2 hours I'll say I walked for 2 hours on MFP) and then I only eat half.
  • karenrich77
    karenrich77 Posts: 292 Member
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    I only log mine for my own records, I cut the cal burn in half if necessary
  • Whittedo
    Whittedo Posts: 352 Member
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    JennieMaeK wrote: »
    I don't have a heart rate monitor, yet, but I find the treadmill at my gym is way over what MFP says. I generally don't eat back my calories, so I'm not concerned about what it says. I've ordered a heart rate monitor so I'll see once I get that.

    I started using a Polar M400 Sport Watch coupled with an H6 HRM strap and have found that for me MFP was underestimating my calorie burn. No wonder I was losing so much weight because I was also following the 1/2 back guideline. Interestingly sometimes the HRM is over what the elliptical states and other days it is under.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Some MFP estimates will be high, some will be low, some will be pretty close.
    Walking and running should be pretty reasonable - cross check against some of the online calculators.

    Some machines will be high, some will be low and some can be the most accurate you can get if they measure power.

    HRMs can be fairly accurate if used for the correct exercise but will give random results if used for interval training or resistance training. But subject to outside influences (heat, dehydration - and a new one for me, blood donation!).

    Use a bit of common sense and it really isn't that difficult to get a feel for what is and isn't reasonably accurate.

  • mynameisoliverqueen
    mynameisoliverqueen Posts: 63 Member
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    Not just MFP that over estimates! I have seen some exercise cycles claim over 1000 calories burnt for an hour use! My elliptical trainer only shows 220 calories at 110 pulse for half hour at 25KPH! I would always urge on the lower figure & eat less to be certain!
  • jenmd2015
    jenmd2015 Posts: 4
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    Did you order a fit bit with or without heart rate monitor, if you have one with a monitor it will show your calories more accurately.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    It's pretty close for me. By the time I consider that I weight trained and didn't log it, I've always lost weight eating back the calories.
  • notfromarizona
    notfromarizona Posts: 53 Member
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    I put in a weight about 25 to 30 lbs less than me at the machines at the gym and use the amount it tells me I burn then.
  • steffenson
    steffenson Posts: 312 Member
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    I log my exercise (so I have a record of it) but change the calories to '1' and use the TDEE method for calculating how much I should be eating.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    jenmd2015 wrote: »
    Did you order a fit bit with or without heart rate monitor, if you have one with a monitor it will show your calories more accurately.

    I really want to meet the HRM marketing guy and kick him repeatedly. A device with a HRM embedded does not equate to more accurate caloric burn.
  • Sophiasmomma
    Sophiasmomma Posts: 155 Member
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    JessieLMay wrote: »
    I think some things are over like the cleaning, however, I have noticed that what mfp has is consistant with what I get from heart rate.

    same for me. Sometimes its only off by a few calories!!

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Sophiasmomma wrote: »
    JessieLMay wrote: »
    I think some things are over like the cleaning, however, I have noticed that what mfp has is consistant with what I get from heart rate.

    same for me. Sometimes its only off by a few calories!!

    And that tells you.....what?

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