Where is the greatest inaccuracy?

I thinK MFP is WAY too generous on calories burned during activities.

For instance, it gives me 275 cals for "45 minutes" of weight lifting. The estimates for snowboarding and motocross are even more ridiculous.

My solution - call myself "lightly active" even though I'm closer to moderately active, and log 45 minutes of weightlifting pretty much no matter what, whether j lift for an hour and a half, 30 minutes, dirt bike for 4 hours, snowboard 20 runs, whatever. I even do it on most off days as sort of a mini refeed.

It seems to be working out.

Well, if I listened to MFP or any other online calculator for my age, weight, gender, daily activity level and allowed for exercise, I would be eating about 600 calories per day LESS than what I've found to be MY calorie level for maintenance.

I've logged food and exercise for over ten years on this site. It underestimates HUGELY for me, and that's if I use all the exercise calories.

I have my daily calorie allowance set based on what I know, not what a computer tells me. I log food as accurately as I possibly can. I still accept that I forget some things and estimate incorrectly on others.

My main guide for whether my numbers are close enough is my body weight.

wolftrucking08 wrote: »

Weeks 1 and 2 should be focus on your diet habits MEASURE AND WEIGH EVERYTHING YOU EAT!!!, add some light walking maybe 1/2 hour or approximately 1/2 mile at a minimum.
Its not just the calories themselves its also the source of your calories. You can into your home profile settings and adjust your goals. I have mine set at 60% protein, carbs 15% fat 25%. It doesn't hurt to get with a nutritionist to set your goals specifically to you.
The default is the government recommended 60% carbs and sugar, 20% fat and 20% protein. You will never loose weight following that.

Also remember you need a minimum of 30 min of cardio exercise like power walking. Remember if your not sweating your not pushing hard enough.

Feel free to friend me if you are serious about loosing weight.

I do not understand this post. Is it in the wrong place? Was someone here asking for advice on how to lose weight?

The default is the government recommended 60% carbs and sugar, 20% fat and 20% protein. You will never loose weight following that

This is not the default (it's 50% carbs -- sugar IS a carb), but either way obviously people can lose weight eating that, many do.

You don't need any specific amount of exercise (although I recommend it, since it's good for health). You certainly don't need "power walking" whatever that is (do you have to loosen your power tie when doing it?). Personally, I like running, although I think doing some strength exercise is important too (for health, muscle maintenance).

Losing weight is not that complicated.

I eat about 1600 cals for weight loss, 60% protein would be 240 g of protein, which would be absurd for me, and not sustainable in any kind of normal, pleasant diet, IMO. Luckily, it's completely unnecessary, as is having a nutritionist set macros for you. Eating a sensible, healthy diet is important for health, but that's more about a variety of things other than macros.

garystrickland357 wrote: »

Today is a good example regarding accuracy of caloric usage. I rode 27 miles today at an average speed of 14.6 mph on a hilly course. I’ve also walked over 13,000 steps. That is being calculated by MFP/Garmin as using about 1400 calories.
There is an accepted generality that cycling burns about 40 Cal per mile so that comes to 1,040 calories. That leaves 360 Calories for the 13,000 steps.
Does that seem reasonably accurate?
(I’m 6’1” and weigh 188 pounds)

Well-it’s not 360 for “steps”. It’s 360 difference between what Garmin says is your TDEE for the day (meaning everything including breathing) minus what mfp thinks you burned for the day (which would include whatever the NEAT is plus whatever Garmin transferred over for rhe bike ride.

I understand that you have a workout entry (for the bike ride) and an adjustment (“steps”) line and they total 1400.

But the workout entry is the workout entry.

The adjustment is whatever Garmin says you burned for the entire day minus what mfp thinks you burned for the entire day.

It’s a little confusing because they put the step count there so it seems like that’s what you’re getting the adjustment for.

I have 26k steps today. My step adjustment is 170 (because that’s the difference between what Garmin thinks I burned and what MFP thinks I burned - which includes my 1630 NEAT plus my run workout that Garmin sent over).

So anyway-point being that you’re asking if 360 is appropriate for that many steps. 360 isn’t what you’re being credited for steps. It’s just the total difference in TDEE between the two systems. Is that appropriate? Depends what else you did all day and what your setting is in mfp (sedentary, lightly active, etc.)

wolftrucking08 wrote: »

Weeks 1 and 2 should be focus on your diet habits MEASURE AND WEIGH EVERYTHING YOU EAT!!!, add some light walking maybe 1/2 hour or approximately 1/2 mile at a minimum.
Its not just the calories themselves its also the source of your calories. You can into your home profile settings and adjust your goals. I have mine set at 60% protein, carbs 15% fat 25%. It doesn't hurt to get with a nutritionist to set your goals specifically to you.
The default is the government recommended 60% carbs and sugar, 20% fat and 20% protein. You will never loose weight following that.

Also remember you need a minimum of 30 min of cardio exercise like power walking. Remember if your not sweating your not pushing hard enough.

Feel free to friend me if you are serious about loosing weight.

Could I have the name of the nutritionist that recommended 60% protein so I know who not to see please? That is way more than you need and just makes for a very expensive diet.

I think excercise calories can be more or less accurate as long as you truly evaluate the amount of effort you are putting in, distance, duration etc and take into account things like your weight and age. People often talk about gym machines being inaccurate but I have found the machines at my gym to be in line with my HRM if I have inputted my age and weight at the start. My gym isn't anything fancy so I am sure a lot of machines have this option and people are just stepping onto them and using the default which is for a 25 year old weighing 160lbs. If you are a 50 year old weighing 125lbs of course it will be off.