How many calories am I burning?

xodreamariexo

Every time I do a cardio machine workout, the calories burned that the machine gives me, my Apple Watch, and MFP are all VERY different. I know none of them are 100% accurate but which should I assume is the closest to the actual amount I burned? MFP is giving me the most with my Apple Watch giving me the least. The Apple Watch also senses I am using the machine and records it as a workout so I assumed it would sync to the machine and have the same calories burned but no. I do adjust the machine settings to my weight and use the heart rate sensors in hopes to get the most accurate amount.

AshHeartsJesus

I always go with the lowest number that way I don't over eat

psychod787

xodreamariexo wrote: »

Every time I do a cardio machine workout, the calories burned that the machine gives me, my Apple Watch, and MFP are all VERY different. I know none of them are 100% accurate but which should I assume is the closest to the actual amount I burned? MFP is giving me the most with my Apple Watch giving me the least. The Apple Watch also senses I am using the machine and records it as a workout so I assumed it would sync to the machine and have the same calories burned but no. I do adjust the machine settings to my weight and use the heart rate sensors in hopes to get the most accurate amount.

The answer is 125 calories.... yeah...
Seriously, pick one and adjust it to the speed of weight loss or gain. Could be maintenance. Exercise is great, but the truest form of a deficit is in the kitchen.

xodreamariexo

AshHeartsJesus wrote: »

I always go with the lowest number that way I don't over eat

Good idea. MOST of the time I don’t eat back my exercise calories unless for some reason it causes me to net less than 1200 which almost never happens so it’s not the biggest deal. I just like to know things lol

sijomial

Not all cardio machines are the same - some are extremely accurate, some are reasonable, some are awful. Even machines of the same type can vary enormously depending on what they are measuring and how they are using that data.

Heartrate - can be reasonable for some people doing some exercise, can be awful for some people (those with poor CV fitess for example and some exercises (weight training and cardio intervals as examples).

MyFitnessPal - based on very varied research and gives averages but has the generic problem of being a gross estimate and not a net calorie estimate, of the hundreds of entries some can be good/bad/under/over. Be wary of those based on feelings (calories don't have feelings!)

Adjusting calorie estimates basing on weight - can be good idea for a weight bearing exercise, can be a bad idea for a non-weight bearing exercise, weight and fitness are often very badly correlated.

There isn't one simple answer unfortunately so I researched each of the machines I used.
Power meter equipped bike - very accurate.
Spinning bike without a power meter - a reasonable but gross calorie estimate.
C2 rowing machine - very reasonable (but adjust for weight if you aren't close to their assumed weight).
Treadmill - verified using a formula for mass moved over distance, most I used were reasonable.
Elliptical - very, very varied depending on brand so used the simple rule "if it seems too good to be true......".

springlering62

I’ve found my watch to be pretty accurate. There’s a drastic difference between calories and distance versus what the gym machines say.

I wouldn’t wait for the watch to “sense” a workout. Hit the button when you start and end. Simple, non-distracting (I’d simply fall off a treadmill if I had to fool with the watch while in motion), aids in accuracy.

Mine doesn’t always detect workouts anyway. I walk to my yoga studio and to the barbell gym. Occasionally it wants to know if I’ve started a workout but 29 times out of a hundred doesn’t detect the walk as a workout. (Makes me wonder if AI has learned my habits by comparing distance, route and speed of those particular walks. )

So if you’re relying on it to detect workouts without starting one on the watch, it’s unreliable.

I would never eat back all my exercise calories regardless of how pleased I am with accuracy. Wiggle room.

ajwindsorii

None of them will accurately tell you how many calories you've burned. Closest is something that can monitor your heart rate. I generally suggest that you don't add calories from working out if your goal is to lose weight as it's almost always overestimated. But if you are losing weight at the expected rate, then you're fine.

Dogmom1978

sijomial wrote: »

Not all cardio machines are the same - some are extremely accurate, some are reasonable, some are awful. Even machines of the same type can vary enormously depending on what they are measuring and how they are using that data.

Heartrate - can be reasonable for some people doing some exercise, can be awful for some people (those with poor CV fitess for example and some exercises (weight training and cardio intervals as examples).

MyFitnessPal - based on very varied research and gives averages but has the generic problem of being a gross estimate and not a net calorie estimate, of the hundreds of entries some can be good/bad/under/over. Be wary of those based on feelings (calories don't have feelings!)

Adjusting calorie estimates basing on weight - can be good idea for a weight bearing exercise, can be a bad idea for a non-weight bearing exercise, weight and fitness are often very badly correlated.

There isn't one simple answer unfortunately so I researched each of the machines I used.
Power meter equipped bike - very accurate.
Spinning bike without a power meter - a reasonable but gross calorie estimate.
C2 rowing machine - very reasonable (but adjust for weight if you aren't close to their assumed weight).
Treadmill - verified using a formula for mass moved over distance, most I used were reasonable.
Elliptical - very, very varied depending on brand so used the simple rule "if it seems too good to be true......".

I also researched this and learned that if you hold on during exercises like using the treadmill or a stair mill, you will burn far fewer calories than the machine assumes as you are not working at the intensity assumed.

I have commercial cardio equipment in my house that allows me to enter my weight; HOWEVER, I subtract 10-20% off of what the machine tells me (depends on the machine, arc trainer I deduct 20%, treadmill, summit trainer, and concept2 I deduct 10%). If I were like the OP and getting 3 different numbers per machine, I would choose the lowest one also to be on the safe side. I would rather underestimate than overestimate and you can always adjust later if you feel particularly hungry or are losing weight too fast via this method.

xodreamariexo

Thanks for tips everyone! I think I'm going to go with the watch calories

xodreamariexo

Bump! Just wondering if anyone has any other opinions

Noreenmarie1234

My watch seems to be the most accurate (and the lowest estimate), so I go with that. The elliptical says I burn 800-1000 for an hour but my watch says 340ish which seems a lot more realistic.

djaxon1

You have to be very , very fit to burn 1000 calories in an hour.
I've tried but 500+ in 35 mins leaves me totally wrecked.

ninerbuff

Don't EAT LESS than 1200 calories and discount exercise calories. That makes too big a deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

dragon_girl26

Of all of those, it's been my experience that my Fitbit watch is usually the most accurate. Cardio machines tend to grossly overestimate (not all, of course,, but the ones I have used definitely do), and my watch is on me the majority of the time to know the most about my activity, and synced to MFP anyway, so..
However, I would agree with the advice of going with the lowest number, so if one is less than your watch, probably better to go with that number instead.

domeofstars

I always just go by the lowest value just to be safe.