Calories burned: what the elliptical says or what MFP says?
dcmitchell01
Posts: 76 Member
Newbie question: So this morning, I worked out on the elliptical (including putting in my weight/age) at the gym. It told me I burned 378 calories. So.. when I enter 40 minutes on the elliptical on MFP it gives me over 500 calories burned. A big difference! I am just wondering what most people trust more? I know on MFP exercise log there are a variety of things listed, with different intensities. So I am thinking that variability gives a lot of room for error. Are the machines right? What do you guys think?
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Replies
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Did you enter your particulars (age, height, weight) on the elliptical? If not, I'd go with what MFP says. Personally I'd also recommend a heart rate monitor (HRM) for the most accuracy.0
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I did enter age and weight in the elliptical. Yeah, I need to get a HRM, I do know that the elliptical did have a HRM, and said my average HR was 150 (yeah, pretty out of shape ). I will google a calories burned calculator and see what it says.0
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I put all my info in when I am working on a machine as well as I wear a HRM. I find that the machine is always higher by anywhere from 30-100 calories.0
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http://www.calories-calculator.net/Calories_Burned_By_Heart_Rate.html
I got 351 - so it seems I should go with what the elliptical said (378). Given an expected margin of error.0 -
I put all my info in when I am working on a machine as well as I wear a HRM. I find that the machine is always higher by anywhere from 30-100 calories.
that is sort of what I found - 30 over I can live with, 100 - that's a lot.. Do you wear a continuous monitor with a chest strap, or just the one you check intermittently on the wrist?0 -
I'd pick the lower of the two, just because I'd rather underestimate calories burned than overestimate them.0
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Good for you for asking about this! I finally bought a HRM b/c MFP was always beyond out for me. I found a Polar HRM for $50 at Sears. Best investment EVER!0
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Good for you for asking about this! I finally bought a HRM b/c MFP was always beyond out for me. I found a Polar HRM for $50 at Sears. Best investment EVER!
I got a polar too and it was worth the investment for sure. MFP over estimates the calories.0 -
Before I got my HRM, I want by what the elliptical/treadmill said.
I would enter my age, and I would enter my weight as a couple pounds lighter than I was ( I figured it would help the burn be more accurate). After I got my HRM, I did notice that it was off by a good bit.
Example: I burned 750 calories according to the treadmill, but my HRM said I burned 615. So there's a bit of a difference.
So maybe when you do your calorie total, subtract about 20 % from it for a more accurate total?0 -
I find both MFP and the machines at the gym to be very inaccurate for me. So I bought a Polar heart rate monitor to know exactly how things are going. Love it.0
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I wouldn't trust either. I bought an HRM a few weeks ago. My typical workout is 65 minutes on the elliptical targettng a heart rate of 140. I will sprint for 20 seconds whenever my heart rate is lower.
Polar FT4: 540 cals plus or minus 10
Machine: 780 cals plus or minus 30
MFP: 926 cals
I trust the HRM. This certainly explains why my weight loss has been slow, as I eat back exercise calories.0 -
Never trust MFP.
For example last night I did a Zumba class and my HRM told me I burned 370ish calories.
Entered on MFP it tried to give me 1,000.
At the very least I always cut the MFP total in half if I don't happen to have my HRM on .0 -
The machines are calibrated based on averages. Since my size and weight is pretty average, I figure it's accurate enough for my purpose. I don't use MFP's calculation if I have the number from the machines.0
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