Accuracy of MFP exercise calories?

eamaiorano
eamaiorano Posts: 9
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
I've been trying really hard lately to track all of my exercise calories but i find some of the numbers really hard to believe. I tend to bake a lot but when i enter the amount of hours i spend baking the totals are in the 900s. But then when i go to the gym and compare the calories burned on the elliptical and treadmill for the same amount of time entered into MFP, the numbers on the machines are a lot higher.
Can anyone tell me how accurate they actually are? Im really confused as to what to believe and I'm trying really hard to eat the proper amount of calories.

thanks :)

Replies

  • Maggie_Pie1
    Maggie_Pie1 Posts: 322 Member
    I dont' think any of them are 100 percent accurate... I just take the lowest of all the guesstimates if I'm not wearing my bodymediafit thingy.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    They are all estimates. For some people doing certain workouts, they are dead on. For others, they are way off. You can take the average of them if you want, or take the lowest to be conservative in your estimates.
  • eamaiorano
    eamaiorano Posts: 9
    yeah that makes sense. I just don't want to underestimate too much because I'm trying to start eating the right amount of calories. Ive been restricting calories way too much for the past 2 years and all its done is damage.
  • rockerbabyy
    rockerbabyy Posts: 2,258 Member
    when using my HRM numbers, MFPs are anywhere from 10-400 calories higher. there have been a couple exercises where MFP was lower, but i cant remember what they were right now.
  • renocyclist
    renocyclist Posts: 3 Member
    I find the MFP exercise calories very generous. I religiously work out with an HRM and use the calories from my Polar HRM.
  • Mynue_Jeens
    Mynue_Jeens Posts: 98 Member
    Keep in mind the machines in the gym are also inaccurate, often up to 40% off. A Heart Rate Monitor will be your best friend if you want to know exact amounts but for me I choose to guesstimate based on the MFP #'s and generally lower them by a few.
  • minadee
    minadee Posts: 44 Member
    I find the MFP exercise calories very generous. I religiously work out with an HRM and use the calories from my Polar HRM.

    ^^Agreed. I use a bodymedia fit.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    They are ballpark estimates at best. Take with a grain of salt. You can cross-reference with other calculators, e.g., http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php .

    A heart rate monitor is your best bet, but even those are just estimates.

    As long as your methods are consistent, you can use some trial and error to dial in your numbers, and you will be smooth sailing, even with the estimates.
  • ahealthy4u
    ahealthy4u Posts: 442 Member
    They are all estimates. For some people doing certain workouts, they are dead on. For others, they are way off. You can take the average of them if you want, or take the lowest to be conservative in your estimates.

    They are all estimates everyone is diffrent and it goes up and down with your weight and how long nothing is set in stone and 100%. I know I am doing something when I can see the results and see my clothes falling off or getting tighter
  • fightingautism
    fightingautism Posts: 84
    The variance is one reason I prefer to weigh every 2-3 days. I feel that over time I can compare my food diary and exercise & determine from that what is working and what is not. As an example, I lose better when I'm not eating all my carbs but eating more protein. Knowing this I can tweak my menus to get optimal results & avoid plateaus.
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