MFP Calorie Estimates

mattbryan
mattbryan Posts: 147
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask this, so I apologize if I'm being redundant.

When I go to the gym, I try to always plug in my weight and age in order for the machine I'm using to estimate my Calories burned. However, when I search the same routine or machine within MFP, the estimate of calories burned is almost always twice what the machine says I burned. Personally, I trust the machine more than I do MFP estimates, but I'm not sure why it's consistently higher than the actual machine itself.

Thanks in advance....:)

Replies

  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
    I got a heart rate monitor to judge the amount of calories I burn during a workout. It is awesome!! I have put in my age, weight, and other info.....I only go by that and nothing else. Mine is a Pulsor RS100 I think.....It was over $100 at ****'s but we got it off of Ebay for about $70. That is the best way to go if you want accurate calorie count! :)
  • mattbryan
    mattbryan Posts: 147
    @lauristewart

    How does the heart monitor estimate calories burned? Doesn't the activity involved determine how many calories you burn?
  • almonds1
    almonds1 Posts: 642 Member
    most machines base it on your age, weight and thats it. Some have heart monitors build in to the machine. But I have learned that some time the machine is wrong, well most of the time... They break over time and give mis-readings. Your own monitor can give you a better understanding...YOu are trying to target your heart rate to a "fat burn zone"

    here is a link about target heart rate zones....

    http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/aa022601a.htm
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
    Some HR Monitors does not include calories burned and some do. I made sure the one I bought had that feature. It takes into account how high your heartrate gets and how long you keep it up. When I do only strength training workouts with weights, I don't burn as many calories as I do when I am doing high cardio for a longer period of time. It also tells you the % of fat the calories you have burned is and how long you have stayed w/in your heart rate range. It takes into account your age, weight, and how high your heart rate gets to give you the amount of calories burned. It is awesome!
  • RatBoyGL
    RatBoyGL Posts: 100
    Calories burned is based on heart rate, and nothing more.

    If you have a HR monitor, you can use this web site to calculate the calories burned:

    http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

    What I had been doing was taking the machine, MFP estimate, and this web site, and going with the average.

    Nothing is 100% accurate though IMHO.
  • mattbryan
    mattbryan Posts: 147
    Thanks guys! I'll look into the heart monitor, but I'm needing to watch my budget of late. And since the calories burned indicator is really an estimate (as I know calories consumed are, also), I'll just keep working hard and hopefully watching the lbs and inches fall off! :glasses:
  • RatBoyGL
    RatBoyGL Posts: 100
    Hey Matt,

    Do you happen to have an iPhone 4?

    If so, go to the app store and download Instant Heart Rate Free.

    (Other phones' app stores may have one too.)

    While not ideal for use while working out simultaneously, it is pretty accurate. It uses the phone's flash and camera to detect the pigment changes in your finger's skin. I have used it and manually measured and it is usually no more than 2-3 BPM off either way.

    This can hold you over until you get a "real" HRM.
  • ChrissyinATL
    ChrissyinATL Posts: 23 Member
    Target has a really great Heart Rate Monitor for like $50.
  • mattbryan
    mattbryan Posts: 147
    @ChrissyinATL

    Thanks...I'll check it out! :)
  • mattbryan
    mattbryan Posts: 147
    @RatBoyGL

    No iPhone here...Steve Jobs and I don't get along. I'm an Android junkie. I do have a cool app that will help me, but it requires a separate bluetooth heart monitor to do the monitoring functions.
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
    I have an android, and that target heart rate free app is ON MY PHONE :D Go snag it up Matt!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories