Exercise and calories burned? Help please :)

[DustQueen]

I've posted this in the calorie counting section but also thought I'd ask you guys
I've just started calorie counting and I'm having trouble working out my exercise calories, the gym machines say one thing MFP says another and if I use my average HR to calculate it I get a different number again :S
I found a HRM calculator online that works out calories from your weight, sex, and duration of exercise using your av HR. I thought this would be the most accurate way but I don't want to calculate too much and overeat :S
Any thoughts would be appreciated thanks

 

[LittleSis]

Hi DustQueen... If you have your own h.r.m. use that.. If your wearing it whilst exercising it's going to give you the most accurate read out.

 

[DustQueen]

Hi DustQueen... If you have your own h.r.m. use that.. If your wearing it whilst exercising it's going to give you the most accurate read out.

I've been using mostly stationary bikes and treadmills at the gym and taking my HR from them every minute or two, I've been more or less going full on until I fall off the machine and they give the same HR to within 10-15
As I'm really unfit, was almost bed bound for a year with health problems it seems the figures indicated by HR and online calculator which are higher than the machine values would be more accurate than the machine that has no idea how unfit I am and that I was red/purple and dripping in sweat lol

 

[DustQueen]

I found this
http://www.triathlontrainingblog.co...urned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/
That seems to calculate calories from weight age sex and HR and seemed to give the same calories for my bike work as MFP estimated for very vigorous and I was giving it all I had

 

[great things]

use your HRM as this is the most accurate. machines are not very accurate at all. also focus on your metabolic rate. work out what it is and what you need to do to loose weight.

 

[MartinD]

Hi there

Im afraid there is no simple solution. HRM are not accurate - they make assumptions. Why dont they work - well heart rate doenst correspond to calories. You work muscles to use calories - so when I run im using quite a few muscles but when I weight train perhaps doing bicep curls I can get similar heart rate readings (which feeds the HRM) but bicep curls just work a few small muscles using far fewer calories. Plus each manufacturer uses a algorithm which estimates from data - age, gender ETC.., the likely calories burned. To compound this there is the EPOC effect - in essence oxygen debt from certain types of exercise which are higher in intensity will burn more calories in the subsequent recovery usuually the next 18-36 hours e.g my 45 min kettlebell workout is 500cals but Im then burn another 190 cals with my bodies recovery.

So I suggest stick with a tool you can use (I like this one Exercise Calories Burned Calculator) be consistent and perhaps from a exercise journal and food diary learn and see how your body responds.

I see you have a cat in a hat - i have a dog in a cone recovering from her op. She's sulking mainly....

 

[DustQueen]

Hi there

Im afraid there is no simple solution. HRM are not accurate - they make assumptions. Why dont they work - well heart rate doenst correspond to calories. You work muscles to use calories - so when I run im using quite a few muscles but when I weight train perhaps doing bicep curls I can get similar heart rate readings (which feeds the HRM) but bicep curls just work a few small muscles using far fewer calories. Plus each manufacturer uses a algorithm which estimates from data - age, gender ETC.., the likely calories burned. To compound this there is the EPOC effect - in essence oxygen debt from certain types of exercise which are higher in intensity will burn more calories in the subsequent recovery usuually the next 18-36 hours e.g my 45 min kettlebell workout is 500cals but Im then burn another 190 cals with my bodies recovery.

So I suggest stick with a tool you can use (I like this one Exercise Calories Burned Calculator) be consistent and perhaps from a exercise journal and food diary learn and see how your body responds.

I see you have a cat in a hat - i have a dog in a cone recovering from her op. She's sulking mainly....

Thanks Martin
That's really interesting thanks for all the info I will check out that link thanks
Yes poor puss and her cone of shame they don't like it do they? hope your dog is ok