Elliptical question

HappinessFreedomForever
HappinessFreedomForever Posts: 62 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So workout day 1, I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical (fat burn workout, resistance ranging between 3 and 1) with my heart rate ranging from 120 to 138 throughout. I covered 4.47 miles. The machine didn't ask me for my weight or height. It displayed the calories burned were 87, which I find very hard to believe. I searched for 30 minutes of elliptical here on MFP, and it was showing me that I burned 440 calories. How many calories did I actually burn? My weight is about 196 lbs, and height is 5 ft 3.75 inches. And how do you calculate this?

Replies

  • abra526
    abra526 Posts: 213 Member
    The most accurate way is to wear a heart rate monitor. The ones with a chest strap are the most accurate. You program in your gender/ht/wt and it will record your heart rate throughout a workout and give a good idea of how many calories you burn. I love mine, and really hate when I forget it and have to work out without it.
    Most cardio machines will have an option to manually put in your ht/wt/age so that it will give you a rough idea of calories burned. All the machines I've been on, I have to hit an "OK" key or something similar. It doesn't just ask automatically. Good luck!
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    You could estimate it like jogging? So ~4.5 miles in 30 minutes is about 9 mph.
  • 1pandabear
    1pandabear Posts: 336 Member
    The machine at the YMCA where I go shows around 300 calories for thirty minutes, and it varies with how fast I move, as well as the resistance setting, but it doesn't take my weight into account.
    As you said, when you simply enter elliptical and the 30 minute time on MFP you will probably get closer to 400 calories automatically assigned. You can correct the calories MFP automatically allocates even when you enter the time, so I correct downward to match the elliptical where I work out, just to be on the safe side when I eat more compensating for the burn.
    But most definitely the calories are not right on the elliptical readout which you have observed; 87 is ridiculous.
    I hope this helps.
  • HappinessFreedomForever
    HappinessFreedomForever Posts: 62 Member
    Thanks y'all. I wonder if the calories were fat calories, if that makes any sense (or am I just asking a stupid question?), since I did the fat burn workout, which is supposed to be slower and harder than the cardio workouts on the elliptical. I manually adjusted the calories to 87 on MFP, but it is so damn hard to believe that I would only burn those many calories in 30 minutes. Also my RPM was ~58. Clearly, I am in a bad shape as I was panting, and those 30 minutes seemed like forever. I know it'll get better with each day though. I feel like even walking 4.47 miles would have burned more than what the elliptical displayed. I'll try putting in my height and weight tomorrow before starting to work out; I know the treadmill has that option; never really checked it on the elliptical, but it's gotta be there! :-)

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