How accurate is MFP's excersise calorie listings?

dottiestlottiest2015
dottiestlottiest2015 Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
The amount of calories burned during an excersise differs massively between MFP and the bike that I do it on. Bearing in mind that MFP has my personal details such as height and weight and the other doesn't, which is likely to be more accurate?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited December 2015
    Either or neither.

    Indoor trainer or cycling outside using a power meter?
    Is your (indoor) bike giving you your power output (watts for instance)?

    For cycling your height isn't really at all relevant.

    Weight is virtually irrelevant for indoor cycling unless you are standing cycling.
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    I use an elliptical machine and use the calories from there instead of what MFP says. I feel like the calories are inflated.
  • dottiestlottiest2015
    dottiestlottiest2015 Posts: 45 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Either or neither.

    Indoor trainer or cycling outside using a power meter?
    Is your (indoor) bike giving you your power output (watts for instance)?

    For cycling your height isn't really at all relevant.

    Weight is virtually irrelevant for indoor cycling unless you are standing cycling.


    I use an indoor bike, a cross trainer and a treadmill.

  • dottiestlottiest2015
    dottiestlottiest2015 Posts: 45 Member
    I also swim. A lot.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If they give you power reading in watts would use their calorie estimates but with caveat it's worth "calibrating yourself".
    Running is a very standard activity and running calculators should give you a reasonable estimate.
    So if you can "only" burn 500 cals in an hour of running and your machines or MFP database gives you loads more for the same duration then be sceptical.

    Can't help with swimming as my version of swimming is also called not quite drowning and burns a load of calories for very little distance.....

    Overall though consistency wins out over accuracy - if you get the results you expect over a matter of weeks then carry on, if not then make adjustments.
  • dottiestlottiest2015
    dottiestlottiest2015 Posts: 45 Member
    Thank you!
  • IvyRose8
    IvyRose8 Posts: 25 Member
    Sometimes I'm certain that MFP's calorie estimates for exercise are just numbers that they've pulled out of thin air. "Um... 317 an hour! That's sounds good! Let's put that down."

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