Properly estimating calories -- best way?

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lilylight
lilylight Posts: 128 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I took a 3-hour hike this weekend, one that involved going up and down a lot of hills. MFP tells me that this burned a little over 1400 calories! That seems like a really high estimate to me. On the other hand, it's estimate for 45 mins of Pilates seems surprisingly low!

What would be the best investment for keeping proper track of calories burned -- a Fitbit or a HRM? I just read the post about how to buy a good HRM... I don't know if I want to wear some kind of chest strap while exercising! Or should I just trust MFP??! What do you think?!

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  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    A fitbit is great for regular activity (note I said activity, not "exercise). It tracks very reliably. A HRM with chest strap works well for cardio work (biking, hiking, aerobics etc)

    And no, I would not "trust" MFP, activity is grossly overestimated in most cases. I have a Polar FT7 HRM with a flexible chest strap, I don't even notice it.
  • acontos13
    acontos13 Posts: 26 Member
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    So, I took a 3-hour hike this weekend, one that involved going up and down a lot of hills. MFP tells me that this burned a little over 1400 calories! That seems like a really high estimate to me. On the other hand, it's estimate for 45 mins of Pilates seems surprisingly low!

    What would be the best investment for keeping proper track of calories burned -- a Fitbit or a HRM? I just read the post about how to buy a good HRM... I don't know if I want to wear some kind of chest strap while exercising! Or should I just trust MFP??! What do you think?!


    I use both a HRM and a fitbit. I agree the fitbit is great for regular activity, but not exercise. I have a Polar FT60 and I LOVE it!!!! It helps keep me on track with how much I'm burning and how much time I should spend in different heart rate zones to achieve my goals. I didn't like the strap at first either but after 2 or 3 uses I dont realize its even there most of the time. It's amazing how big the difference is between the calories it says I'm burning compared to the cardio equipment at the gym. The cardio equipment almost doubles what I'm actually burning.
  • xoFlo
    xoFlo Posts: 28 Member
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    MFP also calculated overly high calorie burn for me. I now have a Polar F4 HRM and love it. The HRM purchase, which I put off for quite a while, has really helped motivate me during exercise. It is fun to watch the calories add up, or see the heart rate go up and down depending on effort. The chest strap does sometimes annoy, but it's worth it, and really not much worse than a bra. I only wear it when "working out" including hiking, cycling, swimming and circuit training. Circuit training and strength exercises generally burn much fewer calories than aerobic cardio exercise in the same amount of time.
    The HRM approach works well for me. Good luck with whatever you decide.

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