Are MFPs calorie burn estimations fairly accurate?

pbandbananas1996
pbandbananas1996 Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So yesterday I was way more active than I usually am. I did running/walking intervals on the treadmill for 20 minutes, elliptical for 15 minutes (worked up quite a sweat) and then ended up walking over 13,000 steps (7 miles) throughout the day, not to mention dancing for a couple hours when my friends and I went to a party. Apparently I burned over 400 calories doing all this, but would you guys go with what MFP is saying or guess lower?

Replies

  • Jeyradan
    Jeyradan Posts: 164 Member
    In general, MyFitnessPal tends to overestimate calorie burn - but depending on your stats, to be honest, 400 calories doesn't seem horrifically wrong for that amount of exercise. I'm *tiny* (5'2", under 110 lbs) and I'm pretty sure the app would (probably inaccurately) log about that much for *me*, so it doesn't sound like it would be that far off for you.

    The general rule people use is to eat back only a fraction of your exercise calories (many say half; some do a bit more or a bit less). Up to you!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    MFP calories generally overestimate

    But 13000 steps, 15 mins elliptical and some dancing (ignore treadmill it's counted in steps) 400 cals isn't a bad estimate dependent on what you've set your activity level to begin with
  • Vegplotter
    Vegplotter Posts: 265 Member
    edited September 2016
    I'd say MFP wildly over estimates. When you go on a calorie controlled diet your metabolism goes right down in order that your body can function on a low calorie input. The exercise you do is the way you lose weight.
    My guess is that the maths on exercise calories was not checked on slimmers but those who aren't on a diet (and who by definition will have a much higher metabolic rate)
    So I'd suggest being cautious. I've found that it's a good idea to eat a LITTLE more on days when i exercise a LOT more, because this seems to help to raise my metabolic rate and I find I often lose weight well on that day and the next, even though my activity and calorie intake go back to par.
    Good luck!
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    I usually eat all of my exercise calories. I've found it pretty accurate for me. But I've heard people say it is not. So maybe check for yourself.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,615 Member
    Are MFPs calorie burn estimations fairly accurate?

    Yes .... IF you estimate low. Select the "slow" or "light" workout options even if you feel like you had a really good, hard workout.

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