Trusted calorie source

Goldenwoof
Goldenwoof Posts: 535 Member
edited October 4 in Fitness and Exercise
Hiya MFPers,

Do you all trust the calories-burned info on this site for the exercises you do? If not, where do you go for your info? I ask because I just walked my dog for 22 minutes at a 4mph pace, and there was a big difference between what this site said I burned (174 calories) and what the iMapMyRun app on my phone said (126 calories).

Thanks for any input! :)

Replies

  • fionat29
    fionat29 Posts: 717 Member
    Without a heart rate monitor it's impossible to know for sure what the true values are, but the way I look at it, is that if you're logging the exercise and food calories then that's a big step towards actually taking control of your weight. Even if it's not exactly right, it's an approximation. Better than nothing. :bigsmile:
  • Beijos
    Beijos Posts: 22 Member
    I personally do not like to rely on what this site says I have burned. I know what the amount of calories this site says I burned in one hour on the eliptical or treadmill and what the treadmill at the gym says are vastly different. If I know how many calories I burned by the gym equipment or a heart rate monitor than I use those numbers. However, i find this site is a great for all of the other around the house and walking the dog. I would not say that I acutally trust it completely but it gives me a rough estimate. I can also usally guess whether or not this site is over or under the amount of cals burned by how tired or sweaty I am by the end. Either way, I love having the rough estimate. To me, it just doesn't mean that I can go and eat all of my cals back because i am not 100% convinced that that is how many I burned based on this site.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Hiya MFPers,

    Do you all trust the calories-burned info on this site for the exercises you do? If not, where do you go for your info? I ask because I just walked my dog for 22 minutes at a 4mph pace, and there was a big difference between what this site said I burned (174 calories) and what the iMapMyRun app on my phone said (126 calories).

    Thanks for any input! :)

    It really isn't that much of a difference. I know it seems like it, and perhaps if you walked at that pace for an hour or more it would make a bigger difference, but frankly 50 calories plus or minus is nothing compared to a 500 or 1000 calorie a day deficit. Calorie calculations are notoriously inaccurate over all. Without being hooked up to a bunch of monitors it is difficult to know exactly what a person has burned and an acceptable margin of error can be as high as 30%. People here have lost just fine using the numbers from MFP, others have not. A heart rate monitor with a chest strap might be a little more accurate.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    No, I don't trust MFP's default. I wear a heart rate monitor with a chest strap. But, in the example you gave I would always log the lower estimate.
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
    I don't. They're usually very off. I don't log exercise at all unless the machine has a heart rate monitor.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    Three: Heart Rate Monitor. Polar is very trusted around these parts. You can pick up an FT4 or FT7 for not a whole lot of bucks. I have the FT7 and love it.
  • Galina2
    Galina2 Posts: 3
    take a look at the compendium of physical activites!
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    I've gone by what MFP says I burn since I joined in March, and it's worked for me. It might not be the most accurate, but it's working. I'd be afraid of switching to a HRM at this point. :)

    If there are conflicting calorie numbes on foods in the MFP database (maybe I should say "when"), I tend to choose a higher one to be on the safe side. Maybe that way the exercise numbers balance out. :laugh:
This discussion has been closed.

Categories