Actual exercise calories burned? Machine vs myfitnesspal?

Usually the ones at the gym don't take into account your weight, but, on the other hand, they know just how hard you're working, so it's a hard one to call. Quite a number of these sites and machines are quite inaccurate. Probably neither are completely accurate.

You need a HRM to get the best reading, but between the machine and MFP, I'd go with the machine, MFP is very innacurate in my opinion........says you're burning way more than you really are.......

I'd like to know the answer to this as well because I get different numbers too. I usually go with the calories burned on the machine but I put in my weight and age in the machine. I also adjust the levels of resistance throughout the workout so I figured the machine would be a bit more accurate than MFP. When I log my exercise I'll just decrease the minutes in MFP until it shows calories burned that's close to what the machine said. Hope this helps

Definitely get an HRM, I tested mine against the stairmaster and the treadmill and both were wrong.

I myself have noticed that MFP is alwaysa little higher then what the machines say. Truthfully though I don't think either are completely and 100% accurate. It is more of an average I would think...

What I have been doing is logging in a few mins less of exercise time on MFP. I do this mainly because I am scared that it isn't accurate and that I will end up eating back too many calories...

MFP, gym machines and HRM's all have varying degrees of inaccuracy! Nothing is going to tell you exactly what you burn, just like food labels aren't 100% either!

If the machine asks me for my weight and age I tend to use that number (by changing the calories burned not by adjusting the minutes worked out), if not I tend to use the number on MFP becasue it is normally lower. I also don't usually eat back all of my excercise calories I usually leave about 20-25% for error in calories out but also calories in!! Haven't purcashed a HRm yet and not sure I am going to - I've come this far without one!

As with most things this is about trial and error - what works for someone else may not work for you! Chose one log it and give it a couple of weeks if it works great if not change it up. This journey is as much about learning about your body to help you keep the weight off as it is getting it off!

Good luck! :drinker:

i invested in a heart rate monitor watch which includes a calorie counter. You wear a strap around your chest which relays the info to your watch. The amount of calories burnt depends on your heart rate. I have found this is the most accurate way of finding out how many calories you have burnt.

HRM all the way! I got a polar FT4 and found out I was actually burning a lot more calories then the machines and MFP said. I am 6'4 - and I am pretty sure the stats on here doesn't take that into account. And the machines only asked for my weight and age.

If you are serious about losing the other 50 lbs - I'd say invest in the HRM! I got mine for 89 bucks at Academy Sports... Walmart has a sportsline one for like 55.

i invested in a heart rate monitor watch which includes a calorie counter. You wear a strap around your chest which relays the info to your watch. The amount of calories burnt depends on your heart rate. I have found this is the most accurate way of finding out how many calories you have burnt.

^^^BUMP

All you need is your heart rate, and you can plug the info in here:

http://www.calories-calculator.net/Calories_Burned_By_Heart_Rate.html

Of course a HRM is the best way to go, however I would use the machines at the gym for calories burned......I have found MFP to either be more or less on some things.

The machines at the gym ask for your current weight so that number should be more accurate...good luck to you

Assuming that the machines in the gym have the ability to put in your weight, and sometimes your age, go with the numbers on the gym machine. If it just gives a calorie readout, then the gym is probably somewhat more accurate as it will take into account actual work done on the machine ... especially if you do things like programs or change the resistance/speed/inclines/etc. frequently while working out. For example, and this is just an example, say you go into the gym and just sit on the cycle for 30 minutes watching ESPN instead of actually pedaling the thing. The gym's cycle is going to show 0 calories burned whereas MFP is likely to give you credit for 150-300 calories if you say that you "cycled" for 30 minutes. One of the assumptions that MFP seems to make is that you were in your "zone" for efficient burn and one of the things that I've found is that, especially when you are just starting off in exercise, you rarely get in your "zone" for enough time during the workout to hit the MFP suggested numbers ... although, the more that exercise, the better endurance you have and the more you start to step up your game and are able to get into that zone. By the way, don't let the statements about "zone" suggest that exercise without being in the zone isn't good. Most activity, especially most activity that makes you sweat, is a good thing no matter whether you are at peak efficiency or not.

Of course, the best thing for figuring our your true burn is a heart rate monitor. It will take into account things like weight, height, etc. AND will also check in on your heart which gives a truer idea of how many calories you are really burning. One of the things that I was able to find out is that certain activities where I thought I was burning calories tended to yield less calories than I was estimating, while others, for the same time and similar feeling effort, yielded more calorie burn. That helped me do a better job of using my time in the gym and outside of the gym with exercise. To some extent, the HRM is same as the food scale ... it's a great friend in helping you do a better job of "estimating" and that, in the long run, is great for taking off the weight.

I use the machines where I can enter my weight, but they aren't as accurate as when I wear my HRM. It's programmed specifically for my age, weight, resting HR and is, I believe, a lot more accurate than any of the machines at the gym.
I purchased mine at ****'s Sporting Goods for a relatively low $$. It seems to do the job well, and I don't have to guess anymore. Good luck!!

Be Inspired! It's ALL in the Attitude!

HRM all the way. If I input my age and weight into the carido machine than its a little bit closer to my HRM monitor, but its still not as accurate. The carido machine also over estimates my heart rate.

I don't know how accurate my method is, but I use a Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor and I start it when I start working out and then when I stop I only log the amount of time i was in the "zone." I feel I am being more fair to myself since the zone is where you wanna be to burn the fat. I have never tested it against a treadmill or anything, but I trust this brand heart rate monitor and I always round down to be safe.