How accurate are mfp's exercise numbers?

fat2fab4life
fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
edited September 30 in Fitness and Exercise
I would like to know if anyone uses the mfp database for calculating calories burned, eats those calories back and actually loses weight? I really don't want to hear anything about hrm's i just want to know the answer to the question above please and thanks in advance =)
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Replies

  • dayzeerock
    dayzeerock Posts: 918 Member
    From what I have found, they are really high on exercise cals...I don't trust them at all.
  • AmyJo54915
    AmyJo54915 Posts: 103
    I'm hoping mfp is pretty accurate, cause that's what I go by. I don't know about eating calories back, as I never do.
  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
    I found them high too after I started using a HRM.
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
    that's what i figured that they were too high i just wanted to be sure before i ate them all back and gained weight for overeating you know
  • kris22011
    kris22011 Posts: 6
    I create my own exercises evn if they are already on there just so I can put in my own numbers
  • jenn2me
    jenn2me Posts: 5 Member
    I use them and have still lost weight, but I have only been at this for a short while :)
  • cnewyou
    cnewyou Posts: 40
    I, too have found them high after starting to use that thing you didn't want to talk about.:smooched:
  • Hourglass25
    Hourglass25 Posts: 340 Member
    Just eat about half of them back.
  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
    Too high, on most exercise numbers, I dont trust that.
  • Michellerw1
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
    Generally I find them a little high, BUT it is just an estimate and depends on your body weight and a host of other factors. Even HRMs are not as accurate as we think. Alot of times, I just search the internet for "calories burned running" or whatever I was doing, and average the different findings I see.
  • TTops76
    TTops76 Posts: 116
    They're high
  • brit49
    brit49 Posts: 461 Member
    I, too have found them high after starting to use that thing you didn't want to talk about.:smooched:










    I wanted to mention that too, because I check it with that.
  • Amo_Angelus
    Amo_Angelus Posts: 604 Member
    I use MFP calorie and always eat them back and am still loosing weight. Then again, the majority of my excercise is dog walking, which I put down, but my dad tell me that means for when you take a stroll and you stop start and throw thing, wherea my 25 minute walk just now was half jogging and half walking, we only stopped twice and I know from my GPS I walk at 3.5mph nrmally, when I have my dog with me it' more like 4 and the dog walking on here is only 3.0 so it doesn't really matter if it's over etimating the calories burnt becaue it' alo underestimating what I'm doing.
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
    Sometimes high, sometimes low.

    I trust in my HRM...more accurate than a machine or mfp database. Investing in one was a great way to eat some of those exercise cals without being worried :drinker:
  • cspence2270
    cspence2270 Posts: 229 Member
    I lost weight using MFP's numbers but I was not eating back those calories. I now have a heart rate monitor that I wear when I work out and MFP's calories are high. If you use them only eat back part of them.
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
    thank u for those who answered my question...
  • kmtetour
    kmtetour Posts: 300 Member
    lol, for me it's low compared to my HRM, unless it's cleaning or something (seriously, 2 hours of cleaning, 900 calories?! doubtful)
  • pjgjnfl
    pjgjnfl Posts: 45 Member
    I would like to know if anyone uses the mfp database for calculating calories burned, eats those calories back and actually loses weight? I really don't want to hear anything about hrm's i just want to know the answer to the question above please and thanks in advance =)

    Yes. Simple answer.

    You have to be "real" and look for the occasional one that's out of whack, but for most exercises I've seen... it's right on.

    I've lost nearly 23 pounds so far.. .and it's working for me.
  • Rockindreamer
    Rockindreamer Posts: 78
    LOL why the opposition to response about HRM's? The reason most have turned to an HRM is because the calorie counts in the database here are not accurate at all and give misleading information that causes overeating.

    The calories they list are not correct. usually much higher than actual calories burned.
  • myanko
    myanko Posts: 36 Member
    I have been using a HRM (garmin forerunner) and the calories are pretty close for walking, jogging and cycling...most of the time they are within 20-30 calories for those exercises. For me, most days I try not to eat back my calories burned, but rather keep it at 1200 for the day. Since May I have lost 20 lbs. Good Luck!
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
    I would like to know if anyone uses the mfp database for calculating calories burned, eats those calories back and actually loses weight? I really don't want to hear anything about hrm's i just want to know the answer to the question above please and thanks in advance =)

    Yes. Simple answer.

    You have to be "real" and look for the occasional one that's out of whack, but for most exercises I've seen... it's right on.

    I've lost nearly 23 pounds so far.. .and it's working for me.

    very helpful, thank u!
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
    I have been using a HRM (garmin forerunner) and the calories are pretty close for walking, jogging and cycling...most of the time they are within 20-30 calories for those exercises. For me, most days I try not to eat back my calories burned, but rather keep it at 1200 for the day. Since May I have lost 20 lbs. Good Luck!

    congrats on your loss and thank u for your help!
  • fat2fab4life
    fat2fab4life Posts: 253 Member
    LOL why the opposition to response about HRM's? The reason most have turned to an HRM is because the calorie counts in the database here are not accurate at all and give misleading information that causes overeating.

    The calories they list are not correct. usually much higher than actual calories burned.

    b/c the hrm i did purchase is totally incorrect and I am currently a single mom unemployed looking for work so I cannot go out and buy a new hrm so if someone responds and tells me to just purchase one they have wasted my time b/c no money for that right now. thank u for ur input =) very helpful
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
    I don't agree that they are "usually much higher". I agree more on the sometimes too high, sometimes too low. Once you have a good sense of how hard you have to work to achieve a certain burn, you'll know if you agree with the MFP number of not. Like for example, I know an hour of "light" exercise for me is around 250-300, "moderate" is around 400-500, and "intense" is 580-700.

    The accuracy of the MFP number depends on how the person is built and how hard they are working.

    I have eaten back my exercise calories based on the MFP numbers and it's worked amazingly well for me.
  • cpfmrp
    cpfmrp Posts: 18 Member
    Try this calorie calculator.

    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc It's Awesome!!!
  • kburns0709
    kburns0709 Posts: 297 Member
    i think theyre a little high, but i have been eating some or most of them back and ive lost weight consistently and healthily
  • ivansmomma
    ivansmomma Posts: 500
    I use other sources, such as my Calorie King book and other calorie-counting websites. If they're close to MFP, I'll use them. If not, I'll figure them out myself. I do eat back some of them, but not all
  • klamont9
    klamont9 Posts: 59
    People, it all depends on how "hard" you workout. So for some, MFP will be too high, for others, it will be right on. I purchased a Timex HRM and found MFP to be pretty close for me.
  • complejo
    complejo Posts: 36
    For me they tend to be high. Even compared to the machines in the gym. The machines in the gym will tell me one number and MFP will give me more if I just enter time, so I always go with the lowest number. With walking I've tried different things, using adidas micoach and also a calculator online and I found both to be lower than what MFP gave me so I just put an average of 100 calories a mile when I walk.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    It depends. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. :wink:

    The more specific it is, the closer to accurate it will be. "Elliptical?" Not going to be accurate, because there's no way to differentiate between going at 3mph or 7mph, at high resistance or low resistance. "Running 6mph" is probably pretty accurate, although it could vary depending on where you're running (on a flat track, or a hilly street?).

    I've used the calories burned on here, and had great success. Sometimes I use numbers from a gym machine, and sometimes from Runkeeper where I track my runs, since it will be based on my pace, distance and incline.
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