caloric counting on machines???

4mricandy

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?

Amo_Angelus

Go with the calories on the machine, the fitness log is just someones best guess.

ladybg81

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

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

I've heard too that machines are calibrated to a person who weighs 140 lbs. But I could be wrong.

Texas_Southpaw

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

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

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

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

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

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: