caloric counting on machines???

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4mricandy
4mricandy Posts: 159 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone tell me why when I use a machine at Gold's (elliptical, bike, treadmill etc) the calories burned are usually around half the calories shown on the myfitnesslog? Which one is correct?

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  • Amo_Angelus
    Amo_Angelus Posts: 604 Member
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    Go with the calories on the machine, the fitness log is just someones best guess.
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    I do not have an HRM and I go with the lower of the 2 just to make sure I am not over estimating (aka, over eating because I have to eat back my calories.)
  • t_rog
    t_rog Posts: 363 Member
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    i've found that MFP grossly overestimates calories. while the machines might not be entirely accurate, they're much closer than this website. so use that!
  • ellekay22
    ellekay22 Posts: 147 Member
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    I've heard too that machines are calibrated to a person who weighs 140 lbs. But I could be wrong.
  • Texas_Southpaw
    Texas_Southpaw Posts: 2 Member
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    I usually go with the lower of the two, for the obvious reasons. I've also noticed that if I don't enter my weight & age on the treadmill, my results are different than what I expect (based on previous results). Not sure if MFP takes weight & age into consideration.
  • davidpm
    davidpm Posts: 208 Member
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    I don't think either can be entirely accurate. If a machine asks for your gender, age, and weight, It'll be much closer but if it's going strictly off of your heart rate and the RPMs on the machine, it's a guess at best.

    I use a HRM (which is awesome because most machines pick it up and you don't have to hold on to the sensors on the machine) and do my own calculation at home.
  • mw010545
    mw010545 Posts: 4 Member
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    If you are using the machines, you need to ensure that you enter your age, weight, and any other info the machine might accept (e.g. sex). If you do not enter this data, do not use the numbers it spits out. If you do, then like the others suggested, use the machine's numbers.
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Neither.

    My experience has been that MFP is VERY generous in the amount of calories I'm awarded. Machines usually over estimate, too - especially if you don't set it to your weight, etc.

    Invest in a HRM if you want a more accurate estimation (note the oxymoron) of how many you burn while you exercise. Even HRM aren't perfect.
  • ambercholtz
    ambercholtz Posts: 84 Member
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    I started going by my treadmill for calorie counting for the most part, there are websites with calorie burn calculators. I have also used them.. The calculators are based on exercise done, body weight, and minutes.

    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

    or many more

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-fitness-calorie-counter
  • trac3
    trac3 Posts: 134 Member
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    If I'm not mistaken, exercise machines (bike, elliptical, stairs, etc) are all estimates based on a 150 lb person, some of them factoring in age, but not sex. I don't bother with the MFP estimations cause they are pretty much so totally off, IMO, and according to my heart rate monitor, and all of the machines at the gym are about 150-200 calories off (too high) , but that is for my stats (40, 5'2.5" and 135 lbs). Climbing stairs is about the most accurate workout for me, based on what the machine is telling me ~ only about 50 calories too low per workout :laugh: I'm guessing you are a lot taller than me, a man, and you weigh a bit more than I do ~ so you may be burning more calories (possibly a lot more) than the machines estimate. Buy or borrow a HRM and let us know what you find out!:happy:

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