Accuracy of Calories Burned
Soccer_Chick
Posts: 204 Member
I use a Polar heart rate monitor every time I exercise, I love the thing and wouldn't want to be without it. I have noticed on these boards what seems to be many times some VERY high calorie burns. For example, "Using a lint roller on my clothing" 30 minutes, 750 calories; or "Shucking corn" 15 minutes 350 calories. I notice also that some folks list general everyday activites as exercise and rack up tons of extra calories in this way.
As an experiment I compared my actual calories burned this morning against what MFP estimates for the same exercise. MFP estimated my calories burned at nearly 200 calories more than what I actually burned using a heart rate monitor. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but if you add it up for the week it can really make a difference. Especially if you are eating up your exercise calories (which I do).
I know that not everyone can afford to purchase a heart rate monitor or may not feel it is an important tool. It has made a world of difference to me. It is very similar to going from estimating how much food you are consuming to then buying a food scale to see what you are REALLY eating. That was eye opening for me and quite helpful.
So, just as a suggestion for consideration...think seriously about using a heart rate monitor. I believe it will help us track our exercise more realistically and help us reach our goals quicker.
As an experiment I compared my actual calories burned this morning against what MFP estimates for the same exercise. MFP estimated my calories burned at nearly 200 calories more than what I actually burned using a heart rate monitor. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but if you add it up for the week it can really make a difference. Especially if you are eating up your exercise calories (which I do).
I know that not everyone can afford to purchase a heart rate monitor or may not feel it is an important tool. It has made a world of difference to me. It is very similar to going from estimating how much food you are consuming to then buying a food scale to see what you are REALLY eating. That was eye opening for me and quite helpful.
So, just as a suggestion for consideration...think seriously about using a heart rate monitor. I believe it will help us track our exercise more realistically and help us reach our goals quicker.
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Replies
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How can I make my hrm tell me how many calories I burned? If some one can send me a message I would be really grateful0
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GREAT to know!! Thank you for this post.0
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I ordered a HRM last week and I'm anxious for it to arrive so I can test the calorie burn against what MFP says I'm burning. After a month, my weight loss has slowed even though I'm still doing the same things. I also am a heavy exerciser and eat every calorie I burn. So......maybe if the calculator for MFP is incorrect, I am over-eating. We shall see!0
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I just used my new Polar on my treadmill workout this morning...and i got 60 LESS calories burned on the HRM than what the treadmill said!! I did the same exact workout out I've been doing so I could see what the difference might be. I can't believe it was that much of a difference.0
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Yeah I use a Polar HRM also. I also noticed it shows more on the MFP calculations, but I only go by my HRM. I don't want to give myself too much leeway & be wrong & gain weight. If MFP is more correct, than that just means I'm doing better than I thought! I got my HRM on sale on Amazon. Love it! But I think I'm addicted to it because I can't stand to workout if I don't have it with me to know just how good I'm doing! Lol0
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MFPs calories burned are extremely far off. It's terrible. If you don't have and can't afford an HRM, I suggest this website: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculators.html
it's the most accurate I have seen. I've compared it with my HRM on several occasions and it's only off up to +- 20 calories.0 -
My hrm gives higher calories burned than mfp, usually by 100 or more. So I always subtract 100 from my hrm. I would rather underestimate than overestimate.0
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How can I make my hrm tell me how many calories I burned? If some one can send me a message I would be really grateful
You may want to look at the manual that came with it. It will also depend on the brand. I know with my HRM that I have to start the stopwatch for it to start calculating calories burned.0 -
I just bough a polar ft7 this morning on Amazon. I really would like to know exactly how much I am burning. I have lost 55 lbs without one, but now that my weight loss is slowing, I think it's going to be a great tool to have.0
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On your HRM, you should be able to personalize it to put in your birthdate, height, weight, resting rate, max rate, etc. Mine has a chest strap which keeps a constant count & sends it to the watch. I don't have much confidence in the HRM's where you just touch with your finger. But that's just my opinion.0
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My Polar HRM sometimes gives me less calories than MFP says for the same exercises, but sometimes my HRM gives me way more calories than MFP. So it really depends on the type of exercise and how intense you do it, how high your heart rate is and for how long. HRM isn't perfect either, but a lot more accurate than MFP or fitness machines.0
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I use a bodybugg - and see the same thing. My calories burned for doing certain exercises are WAY over what MFP has, because I might have done a fast pace and hills. And some days it's way under, because I was a slug and walked my miles at a slow pace and had no elevation.
I think anyone looking for an accurate burn should do either an HRM or a BodyBugg (BodyMedia FIT, same thing) to get the best data that will take your personal 'configuration' into consideration!0 -
I AGREE. I LOVE my HRM too! sometimes I can burn more calories doing the same exact exercise for the same amount of time (maybe I had more energy due to coffee?) so it is important to me to use the HRM and get a more accurate number of calories burned. I also weigh everything I eat. HAHA my scale & HRM are my best friends! I think it's great that you want to share this with everyone! THx ♥0
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I like that MFP encourages people who before did nothing as in the way of fitness to see what even doing house work for a certain amount of time can do for them. I do think though that those who did the same work at the same pace BEFORE they joined MFP logging this type of info incorrectly could be as you pointed out detrimental. Especially if the calories burned are that overestimated and the person is eating back their calories. Hopefully if someone is having this problem or not where they want to be in their goals this post will give them an idea of how a HRM can help.
Thank you for crunching the numbers on this one! I am thinking about getting a HRM myself and although I am measuring my food via measuring cups would love a food scale!0 -
I think for some things it is way over, but for most things(like bike riding) it seems pretty spot on.
I know it's only an estimate though which is why i don't eat back every last bit of calories i've burned.
Basic intelligence tells you that doing your grocery shopping and counting that as a daily exercise isn't going to cut it...Losing weight doesn't have to be an exact science.
Wish i could afford an HRM..but for now i shall hope for the best!0 -
MFPs calories burned are extremely far off. .
I wouldn't go so far as to generalize that this is the case all the time for everyone. I have compared my running and biking and for me the HRM and MFP are spot on. But for hiking MFP gives me more. So even for the same person it may be different for different activities. I guess I am somewhat different than everyone on here who loves their HRM. I rarely use mine but have found it useful to do the comparison between MFP and HRM for various activites. Between the IPod, my Garmin 405, cell phone etc etc I just feel too 'wired up' to add the HRM. Also everyone needs to be aware that HRM's do NOT actually measure calorie burn. They measure heart rate and then use that via a formula to ESTIMATE your calorie burn. So even the HRM's may not be accurate especially if you are on beta blocker drugs that slow your heart rate etc.0 -
If your HRM does not do calories, you can use some online tools to find out. This one seems pretty good:How can I make my hrm tell me how many calories I burned? If some one can send me a message I would be really grateful
http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm0 -
I suppose everyone tracks things differently, but I too find MFP high on their estimations. I only count exercise of going to gym (as this is above my normal stuff), and I only count cardio not strength. MFP says 30 mins on elliptical trainer is 550 calories. If I do it at 70rpm and say avg resistance of 16 (out of 25) the machine tells me around 400, if I set resistance at 22 and keep above 65rpm I get about 500 cals. If I do one of the pre-set programs on the machines its usually under 400 calories. I'm aiming to get to 550 in under 30 mins and getting closer to that each time lol.
Well I guess, as I heard in another thread, use whatever method works for you. If someone is logging at higher rates and its keeping them motivated, getting fit, etc then that's fine. If someones over estimating, "eating their exercise calories" and then not losing despite wanting to and their diary saying they have enough deficit, then its time to reexamine.
What model Polar heart rate monitor is it? I have one I bought 15 years ago when I used to gym a lot before, that only does heart rate with min and max alarms, no cal burn stuff.0 -
Even if you're eating your extra calories from what MFP calculates your burned calories to be, as long as you're still coming in at your net calorie goal, everything should be ok. Because in reality we do burn calories showering/grooming, cooking, cleaning, walking to the car/printer/bathroom, etc. I agree those things shouldn't be tracked as "exercise" unless you did like a major spring cleaning type thing - something out of the norm. You could do an extra exercise like jumping jacks and not "count" it if you're afraid you might miscalculate.0
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I think for some things it is way over, but for most things(like bike riding) it seems pretty spot on.
I know it's only an estimate though which is why i don't eat back every last bit of calories i've burned.
Basic intelligence tells you that doing your grocery shopping and counting that as a daily exercise isn't going to cut it...Losing weight doesn't have to be an exact science.
Wish i could afford an HRM..but for now i shall hope for the best!
Give this site a try, it's almost as accurate as my HRM(Polar ): http://www.healthstatus.com/calculators.html0 -
I ordered a HRM last week and I'm anxious for it to arrive so I can test the calorie burn against what MFP says I'm burning. After a month, my weight loss has slowed even though I'm still doing the same things. I also am a heavy exerciser and eat every calorie I burn. So......maybe if the calculator for MFP is incorrect, I am over-eating. We shall see!
This is the great thing (another one) - the HRM measures your exertion level. The more fit you become ..... the fewer calories you burn. You will not burn the same calories all the time.
I used to see a calorie burn of 300 for a 2 mile Leslie Sansone video - now it's more like 225.0 -
The only way to accurately calculate how many calories you've burned is by using a HRM during workout. I can't afford a Polar or Bodybugg but they are the best. Mine's a cheap one from Lidl's but it does the job just fine. You just need to input your age, height, and weight and it does the rest. Ignore all the crap about training zones as according to Jillian Michaels they're antiquated and a load of crap. Because of what she said the only thing I look at mine for is the cals burned at the end of a session. Oh and the total time too if I can ever figure out how to record both things at once. (not read instructions).0
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I AGREE. I LOVE my HRM too! sometimes I can burn more calories doing the same exact exercise for the same amount of time (maybe I had more energy due to coffee?) so it is important to me to use the HRM and get a more accurate number of calories burned. I also weigh everything I eat. HAHA my scale & HRM are my best friends! I think it's great that you want to share this with everyone! THx ♥
You just hit on the major weakness of a heart rate monitor. See, heart rate is not really a good indication of calories burned on it's own, but that's what HRM's use to estimate calories burned. You have a cup of coffee, the caffeine elevates your heart rate, and now the HRM thinks you're burning more calories than you actually are. I never rely on just one source for a calorie burn, I'll compare the HRM, the machine if I'm doing cardio, and MFP, and generally use an average of the numbers.
Unless you're hooked up to a calorimeter, it's impossible to know exactly what you burn, the closest you can get is an estimate. Just like it's impossible to know exactly how many calories you eat, you know the numbers on nutrition labels? They are estimates and averages, as it's impossible to nail down an exact number. That's why I never sweat variances of one or two hundred calories either way.
Just like you can use 4 different websites to calculate body fat percentage and get 4 different numbers, or even go to 2 different fitness professionals to measure it and still get 2 different numbers. Exact is impossible in the real world.0 -
I use a bodybugg - and see the same thing. My calories burned for doing certain exercises are WAY over what MFP has, because I might have done a fast pace and hills. And some days it's way under, because I was a slug and walked my miles at a slow pace and had no elevation.
I think anyone looking for an accurate burn should do either an HRM or a BodyBugg (BodyMedia FIT, same thing) to get the best data that will take your personal 'configuration' into consideration!
I used a BodyMedia FIT for a time, but it's uncomfortable and shows through my clothes. I bought a Fitbit, compared the results to my BM FIT, and found them virtually identical. Fitbit syncs wirelessly every time I'm close to my computer--it never needs a manual sync and needs just 15 minutes charging every week. It displays my current calories burned, steps walked, miles walked and general activity level right on the device without an additional display. I LOVE Fitbit's site for tracking as well, and unlike BodyBugg and BM FIT, Fitbit's site is FREE! Fitbit's food database isn't the greatest, which is why I have this account here. I track my calories here, then transfer totals to the Fitbit site. I track everything else--exercise, sleep, and weight, there.
Fitbit is just $99, as opposed to the $240 I paid for my BM FIT and the additional display. No monthly fee as opposed to $6 ~ $12 monthly fee. I can't recommend it highly enough.
I do agree that MFP's calorie burn numbers are almost comically high. But the normal things you do ARE exercise and should be counted as such. In fact, one recent study showed that the best way to lose weight is to increase what they call NonExercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). Monitoring non-exercise calorie output really does call for a device of some kind.0 -
You just hit on the major weakness of a heart rate monitor. See, heart rate is not really a good indication of calories burned on it's own, but that's what HRM's use to estimate calories burned. You have a cup of coffee, the caffeine elevates your heart rate, and now the HRM thinks you're burning more calories than you actually are. I never rely on just one source for a calorie burn, I'll compare the HRM, the machine if I'm doing cardio, and MFP, and generally use an average of the numbers.
Unless you're hooked up to a calorimeter, it's impossible to know exactly what you burn, the closest you can get is an estimate. Just like it's impossible to know exactly how many calories you eat, you know the numbers on nutrition labels? They are estimates and averages, as it's impossible to nail down an exact number. That's why I never sweat variances of one or two hundred calories either way.
Just like you can use 4 different websites to calculate body fat percentage and get 4 different numbers, or even go to 2 different fitness professionals to measure it and still get 2 different numbers. Exact is impossible in the real world.
Good post. Everyone should read what you just wrote.
Just as it's easy to earn extra calories by using over-estimations with MFP, it's easy to earn extra calories by taking a diet pill or drinking a cup of coffee before using a heart rate monitor to measure your exercise. Heart rate monitors also don't take muscle activation into account. This is especially important when lifting weights. The best thing anyone can do is to give and take a little bit with their estimations until they find that point where they're losing/gaining a little depending on their goals.0 -
The amount of calories you burn doing anything is completely subjective. I do think MFP is high but it is comparable to the equipment at the gym that measures your heart rate. Too me it's like a scale. step on 3 and you will get different results. find what you are comfortable with and stick with it.0
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My HRM always says i burned WAY more than MFP does... lol.. so mine is the opposite of you... I just log half of what I burn on my diary..id rather under eat than over eat0
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