How do you calculate calories on an elliptical?

MIM49

I have a new Nordictrack elliptical (E11.9) that I have just started using. Settings are incline 3degrees (it doesn't do zero) and resistance is zero (but my husband who has used a LOT of different ellipticals at a LOT of different gyms says this resistance is a lot more than any elliptical he has ever used and doesn't like it) I push for a total of 30 minutes needing to rest a few minutes about a 5 minutes or so (it takes me 45 min to do 30). I am dripping wet and pounding heart and breathing hard with jelly legs at end. The machine says calorie burn is 175. I feel it must be more than that. There is no input regarding age, sex or weight on the machine. So I have Googled "calculating calorie burn on the elliptical." As you can see, I get a wide range of results. How do you calculate calorie burn and which of these "calculators" would you go with? (MFP says 398 )



http://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-on-elliptical/ --233 asks only weight, time and intensity (low, medium, high)



http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/activity/calculators/elliptical_trainer/result?calculators=/health-fitness/activity/calculators/elliptical_trainer&met=6.5&weightPounds=196&duration=30&activity=&submit.x=52&submit.y=9 --303.38 also asks weight, time, and intensity



http://www.healthstatus.com/perl/calculator.cgi --506 this asks gender, weight, height, and time but does not ask intensity



http://www.livestrong.com/article/502631-how-to-calculate-how-many-calories-you-burn-on-the-elliptical-based-on-weight/ --423: this uses a formula wt x 2.16 = cals burned/30 minutes



http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Calories_Burned.asp --312 this site you pick the level of workout and intensity and then put in your weight



http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp --266 based on weight and time only

TeaBea

I'd use 233 because it's the lowest.

Intensity is how hard the workout was for you. Really fit people burn less. People with more muscle mass burn more, older people burn less, etc.

Many calorie counters give you the "gross" estimate. If you sat around for 1/2 hour you still would have burned calories. Often these BMR (basal metabolic rate) calories are not netted out.

A heart rate monitor with a chest strap would give you a decent estimate because the elliptical is steady state cardio.

mustgetmuscles1

250-300 sounds about right for 30 mins.

jkwolly

I'd get an HRM for something more accurate, as long as it's steady state cardio you're doing!