Are the calories-burned estimates here really low?

cherapple

I did about 75 minutes worth of weight lifting today, and this site says I burned a little over 200 calories. Another website says 400.

When I did ellipticals for over an hour yesterday, the machines said I burned 768 calories. I can't remember the exact number, but this site estimated way less than that.

Yesterday I went with the number on the machines (and I couldn't eat all those calories - I came up over 300 calories short for the day). Today, I'm not sure what to go with. I don't have a heart rate monitor. What do others do?

Thanks.

cherapple

I did about 75 minutes worth of weight lifting today, and this site says I burned a little over 200 calories. Another website says 400.

When I did ellipticals for over an hour yesterday, the machines said I burned 768 calories. I can't remember the exact number, but this site estimated way less than that.

Yesterday I went with the number on the machines (and I couldn't eat all those calories - I came up over 300 calories short for the day). Today, I'm not sure what to go with. I don't have a heart rate monitor. What do others do?

Thanks.

yoginimary

I think a lot of us take about 2/3 of the machines reading. The estimates are usually pretty high.

The weight lifting varies quite a bit based on the amount of rest between sets. When I go to my class, I burn about 400 calories in an hour - I usually working both arms and legs at the same time and this will increase your calorie burn. When we do sit-ups and the like, that doesn't burn that many calories since you are on the ground. If you want calorie burn in your weights routine, add a little cardio every 10 minutes or so - you can do jump squats, burpees, etc.

I think 200 number is closer unless you added cardio.

LokiFae

If I find numerous numbers, I always do an average. Like with the weight lifting, I would put in about 300 calories burned. As far as machines go, sometimes they estimate high, and sometimes they estimate right on, and sometimes they estimate low. The numbers on here are the same way. I figure if you take an average of both numbers, you should be somewhere kind of close.

Phoenix_Rising

I think a lot of us take about 2/3 of the machines reading. The estimates are usually pretty high.

On the elliptical, I notice the same trend. About 2/3 of what the machine registers is what my HRM shows, and that is with me busting my tail, drenched in sweat, really working it hard.

psyknife

Depending on how you lift weights you'll want to use either "weight lifting" or "circuit training" here on MFP.

For weight lifting it's usually more rests between sets... thus your heart rate doesn't stay up as high or as steady.

For circuit training you are moving faster, less rest between sets, and/or use this if doing endurance training w/weights... heart rate gets up higher and remains more steady.

jamerz3294

Actually... for this old, fatty of a fella.... the machines, and the estimates are always LOW! Once I got a HRM, I was very surprised to see how many cals I actually was burning! So go get a HRM, that's the best way to get a more realistic number.:flowerforyou: