Calories burned exaggerations

Lady_Bane
Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
edited December 22 in Health and Weight Loss
You guys can't keep going off the numbers in MFP, nor what your elliptical/spin/treadmills say. If you went on the elliptical for an hour, as I do (level 17/20), and it says you burned 1200 calories...chances are you most likely did half. In the end isn't it better to underestimate it and NOT eat back those hard earned calories. Just sayin'....

Edit: I am talking about people who are of a lower weight body type who cannot possibly burn a bazillion calories doing 20 squats...sorry for the confusion.
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Replies

  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    I think if you don't have an HRM, it's ok to go with the estimate for a while and see if it works. If it doesn't work, adjust.
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I'll admit I use the elliptical numbers. However the one I use allows me to enter my height, weight and age and then I subtract 100 from it. Weight training, I don't really even count whatever numbers it spurs out I just know to eat a bit more. It's worked well for me. Still interested in getting a HRM but haven't decided yet. Yes I agree though, I've seen some numbers that have my chin drop and shake my head. Hey whatever floats your boat, but if your stuck in a month still with no loss this is where I'd be looking at first.
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    The ellipticals I use are almost exactly spot-on compared to my HRM. That's around 80% resistance nearly as fast as I can go for an hour. If you've got pools of sweat under the machine when you're done, it's probably accurate.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol
    I've never seen anything quite that extreme, but yes, the "estimates" aren't very reliable.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol
    Well yeah, some of them are pretty obviously wrong. I do use the estimates for my exercise because I only do dumb stuff like walking and hula hooping, which doesn't burn a whole lot anyway. If you're doing the elliptical and so forth, it can make a bigger difference.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol

    If someone is overweight, out of shape, and just starting a workout program, they could be burning 600 in 30.

    How does it hurt you?
  • chrystee
    chrystee Posts: 295 Member
    You guys can't keep going off the numbers in MFP, nor what your elliptical/spin/treadmills say. If you went on the elliptical for an hour, as I do (level 17/20), and it says you burned 1200 calories...chances are you most likely did half. In the end isn't it better to underestimate it and NOT eat back those hard earned calories. Just sayin'....

    I agree. I only burn about half of the machines or MFP tell me.
  • stopdangerpi
    stopdangerpi Posts: 34
    I've seen people say they burned 1,000 calories for an hour of Zumba. That's impossible. Plus, an hour long zumba class includes warm up and warm downs. You need to RUN 10/mph for an hour to burn that.
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol

    If someone is overweight, out of shape, and just starting a workout program, they could be burning 600 in 30.

    How does it hurt you?

    ^^^ This.

    You go with your method. Leave other people to theirs. If it's working for them, why does it matter to you? And if it stops working for them, they'll likely change what they're doing, and again, it shouldn't matter to you.
  • plbrown81
    plbrown81 Posts: 32 Member
    I like to use the treadmill at my gym's calorie estimations. I feel like they're on the low end, but it gives me a more realistic expectation. Walking at 3.8 mph for 1 hour = 260 calories. So at 30 minutes, it's 130. And I figure most people who are walking for 30 minutes probably aren't going at that brisk of a pace unless they're serious.

    Hell, I ran 3.5 miles, walked another mile on an incline above that for a total of 1 hour and broke about 550 calories according to the treadmill. Given they have a 10% margin of error, I COULD have gone over 600. Or I could have gone about 500. It's nicer to be realistic about things..
  • xafricanqueen07x
    xafricanqueen07x Posts: 98 Member
    The important question is why are YOU so concerned? If you know whats working for you..then you should keep doing what works for you. But to put a whole post up because you "see" people on MFP putting what you deem "exaggerated" calorie burnt amounts is a bit sad. How do you know they aren't using HRMs?, How do you know that they don't weigh more than you? Everyone is different, learn to use constructive criticism or hold your tongue.
  • Taneil27
    Taneil27 Posts: 253
    Well like today for example I was on an elliptical machine and it said I burned 250, so I just rounded it down to 200. I would really love to get a HRM to know forsure......
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol

    If someone is overweight, out of shape, and just starting a workout program, they could be burning 600 in 30.

    How does it hurt you?

    The people I refer to are around my body weight and it does not hurt me, its when they ask why they are not getting anywhere.
  • weetabix34
    weetabix34 Posts: 14
    erm dont wanna upset u but just been on a health status website and they calculate calories burned during exercise based on your weight and from the calculation i did mfp is bang on.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
    It also depends on how overweight you are. The more weight you have to lose, the more you'll burn compared to someone who doesn't have as much.

    I have a co-worker that was upset because I was burning more calories than her doing cardio for the same length of time. I was burning 100+ more calories per session than she was. She'd also already lost 80 some pounds at that point, I hadn't.
  • weetabix34
    weetabix34 Posts: 14
    www.healthstatus.com
  • sculptandtone
    sculptandtone Posts: 300 Member
    This is my pet peeve. In general, the machines are easily 30-50% out of whack and so is MFP. It's not just a little bit. a LOT. I have a hard enough time sticking with diet and exercise without having false burn numbers giving me disappointment. But, honestly, when I have said similar things, most people don't really want to hear it. Some just really want to believe they burned 1200 calories, even if they didn't.
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
    I have seen where someone burned more calories than me doing something, but if they are significantly heavier than me, than I can see how that may be right. I just usually go by what the machine I am on tells me since it calculates according to my weight..but I rarely eat back exercise calories anyway.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol

    You do know that someone that weighs more is going to burn significantly more calories doing the same thing as you do, right? I guess if there is any benefit to being larger - we burn more doing the same things you do.
  • tempestrising
    tempestrising Posts: 41
    This is so true.When I imputed my cardio & it can back w/ such
    a high number for calories burned, I admit I was a bit skeptical.
    Most of the calories burned it gives I believe is over what it should be.
  • holley75
    holley75 Posts: 44 Member
    I don't have a HRM and use the database for my workout calories. I typically walk fast( used a video to determin it was 4 mph) for 35-45 minutes. It calculates around 300-350. I also live in fl and it is hot as all get out. Do you think I should be using a different number?
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol

    If someone is overweight, out of shape, and just starting a workout program, they could be burning 600 in 30.

    How does it hurt you?

    Highly unlikely, in my opinion. 10 calories/minute is what most people MAX at. That's fit people, so obese people will burn more. But double? 20 calories/minute? I'd say maybe 15, and that's being generous.

    It doesn't hurt us the readers, it hurts the dieter. The MFP plan of 'adding back' exercise doesn't leave you much room for deficit, especially if you're smallish and use BMR as your floor instead of 1200. Then you get people who don't understand why they have to do so much math and why they're not losing. And it sucks for them.
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    The important question is why are YOU so concerned? If you know whats working for you..then you should keep doing what works for you. But to put a whole post up because you "see" people on MFP putting what you deem "exaggerated" calorie burnt amounts is a bit sad. How do you know they aren't using HRMs?, How do you know that they don't way more than you? Everyone is different, learn to use constructive criticism or hold your tongue.

    EYE (needed to spell it that way for mrs sassytude over here) am NOT concerned, I am merely making a statement about people who are sad when they are not making progress, so maybe they can look at this possible reason why.

    I do not know why some of you are slamming on the defense when I am not attacking anyone. I'm not obsessed with what you guys are doing, what I'm doing IS working for me, and good for me, but I was merely pointing something out. Some of you act like I am in angst over what others are doing...take a chill pill. WOOSAH
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    All depends on the particular person. I use an HRM, and I have a very high calorie burn because I have a high heart rate. Just sitting down my heart rate is between 90-100. Just a genetic thing. So to each his own, because we all burn differently.
  • Jewels_Ka
    Jewels_Ka Posts: 67 Member
    I must say, that my eliptical does not even go to level 17/20 so i work out on 10/10 doing interval trainig. I also wear my HR monitor watch and band with personal settings updated all the time. I must say what ever my eliptical shows so does my watch give ot take 10-20 cals. So i am prettu sure you can totally lose 1200 cals in an hr, all based on level of intensity, # of strides per hr. incline and heart rate.
    Just think if an average person burns 300 cals per hr just slow walking 2-2.5 mph then if you work 4 times the pase and intensity its pretty accurate. Again give or take 50-100 cals.
  • mary70
    mary70 Posts: 47 Member
    If you notice the posts on the news feed, it gives you a TOTAL calories burned from any exercises you enter that day, and only puts the one you entered first on the feed.

    For example, if I burn 131 calories walking my dog, 300 calories doing the elliptical, and 800 calories doing my boot camp session, it will say I burned 1231 walking my dog.

    I questioned this several times when I first joined because I was like "HUH??, that's not what I entered for walking my dog!".
  • LisaMom2Lucas
    LisaMom2Lucas Posts: 26
    I've seen people say they burned 1,000 calories for an hour of Zumba. That's impossible. Plus, an hour long zumba class includes warm up and warm downs. You need to RUN 10/mph for an hour to burn that.

    I haven't seen 1000 cals for zumba but I had been using what MFP gave me (595 calories in one hour) and I always thought that was a little excessive.. today used a heart rate monitor w/ chest strap and showed I burned almost 700.

    I do think the #s it gives me for my elliptical are out of this world.. can't wait to use the HRM for that to find out.
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
    I've seen people say they burned 1,000 calories for an hour of Zumba. That's impossible. Plus, an hour long zumba class includes warm up and warm downs. You need to RUN 10/mph for an hour to burn that.

    I agree with this but some people actually do burn that much. I used to get very frustrated with a girl i knew because she would say she burned 1,000 cal and she never would break a sweat while i would be busting my butt and burn 600. we both had hrm's and she would actually burn that grrrr for me !!! Mfp is way off what i do with my hrm!
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
    HRMs are a different story, I agree...its the people that say they burned 600 calories walking for 30 minutes and Im like...WHAAAATTT?!! Lol

    If someone is overweight, out of shape, and just starting a workout program, they could be burning 600 in 30.

    How does it hurt you?

    So if you feel this way and they are asking you...tell them. You are not helping them by not telling them if they are exaggerating their calories burned.



    The people I refer to are around my body weight and it does not hurt me, its when they ask why they are not getting anywhere.
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