Calorie accuracy for cardio machine.

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AnilAnhirode
AnilAnhirode Posts: 20 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Before a weight lifting session, I do a bit of cardio as a warm up. I feel like the 'calories burned' is a little too high on the elliptical.

Obviously it's inaccurate becuase these machines don't monitor your heart rate while your exercising.

For me (27, 205lbs, bf% 20-25)

Elliptical
Time: 15 min
Calories Burned: 220!
Enter body info: Yes
Remarks: Not challenging

Cylcing
- 15 minutes
- 105 calories
- No
- Gets my heart rate up, some sweating

Rowing
- 10 minutes
- 105 cal
- No
- Can be challenging if I'm trying to beat a my best time.

Stair climber
- 10 minutes
- 75cal
- Yes
- Gets heart rate up, moderately challenging.

The big take away, 220 calories from the elliptical? 15 minutes of non challenging cardio?!

Should log any of these numbers in my diary? Or is some estimate better than no estimate?

Replies

  • R1rainbows
    R1rainbows Posts: 129 Member
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    Machines are always far too generous, before I had a good HRM(which is still only an estimate just a closer to truth estimate) I used to count half the calories the machine "gave" me and then I didn't eat them back to be safe lol. This worked for me when I first started and hopefully can work for you too!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Ellipticals tend to be inaccurate because they may have a unique movement that doesn't have a common efficiency ratio from one model to another and manufactures aren't going to invest a load of money in laboratory trials to come up with a unique calorie table. Unlike running and cycling as examples which have a known and fairly narrow range of efficiency.

    There is also the marketing pressure to show a high number to encourage the gullible to think their machine is more effective at burning calories than their competitors.
    HR might be a better or at least reasonable guide for some people doing some exercises but calories and heartbeats have no direct correlation.

    If you feel it's unrealistic then reduce the number you log.

    Yes an educated estimate based on experience is far better than no estimate as zero is guaranteed to be wrong.
    100 cals for 15 mins doesn't sound at all unreasonable for moderate cardio.

    PS
    If your cycle measures power (watts) there is absolutely no need to enter your stats. Converting power to a net energy estimate is very accurate.
    If your rower is a Concept2 it assumes 175lbs as your weight but they have a calorie calculator online where you can adjust the estimate for your weight.
  • Samantharavenclaw84
    Samantharavenclaw84 Posts: 161 Member
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    The treadmill I use at the gym is always 50-100 calories off one way or the other when compared to my Fitbit. I enter my weight into the treadmill. There is a heart monitor clip to use but I haven't ever used it. Since I got my Fitbit I just go by that but before I had it I took off 100 from whatever the treadmill said.

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