Elliptical calories burned

momtimesone
momtimesone Posts: 85 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
My supportive sister bought me a brand new elliptical for Christmas and after putting it together I could not help but hop on. I am a bit confused though it has a calories burned monitor and a thing on it where it reads your heart rate when you touch the sensor . I managed for 30 mins and the total burn was 410 calories which is fairly close to what MFP states. My question is I had my HRM on my wrist the whole time and it was turned on during the workout. After I checked the machines calories burned I checked my wristband and it said I only burned 100 calories. Which should I listen too? I have a sportline wristwatch that measures miles,heart rate,calories burned and minutes It knows my weight,age,height and steps. I want to make sure I am burning enough calories and this machine was great I sweated buckets have not done that in so long it felt great.

Replies

  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Do you usually record your calories burned based on your HRM reading? If so, I would say go with that. I usually use MFP's reading myself, but I do not have an HRM. You should be burning more calories on the elliptical than normal walking. It also depends on how you use the elliptical. If it is the kind that has a stationary grip for your hands, then you would not burn as many calories as you might if you swung your arms back and forth while using it. Hope that helps.
  • momtimesone
    momtimesone Posts: 85 Member
    Its one where you pump your arms back and forth,I will go by my HRM just to be on the safe side an extra 100 calories burned on this day is always a good thing and working up a good sweat means I sweat out the sodium just in case :) thanks for the response
  • Ashlea82
    Ashlea82 Posts: 191
    is your hrm only a wrist band? or does it have a chest strap also? if your using a wrist band only hrm its almost useless..
    also do you input your weight into your ellipticals hrm?
  • toabetterlifestyle
    toabetterlifestyle Posts: 230
    30 minutes and 100 calories burned on the elliptical is not a lot though... i normally burn at least 250 in that time going only a moderate pace. Both seem odd to me...either you were going slow and burned 100 or going hella fast and burned 400.
  • NinjaMonkey201
    NinjaMonkey201 Posts: 123
    A lot of HRM will "clash" with an exercise machine. Check your HRM book, and it should say in there. If your HRM is too close to another HRM it won't function properly.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,338 Member
    That is a huge difference - 100 seems awfully low, but 400 seems very high also.

    However I have an elliptical at home - a budget one but it measures calories, distance speed etc. I know for me that 20 minutes at home will give me about 82cals, and at the gym I will get around 220 for the same time and effort. MFP says around 156 so I use that for now - I don't yet have a HRM.
  • sheshe32
    sheshe32 Posts: 195 Member
    In 30 mins I burn 330. I am just under 300lbs though. I think it depends on your weight. Does your HR monitor take that into account?
  • chiera88
    chiera88 Posts: 155
    if your monitor is only a wristband, it isn't very accurate. the machine is closer but i'd go with mfp, it probably told you 300ish. i had the reverse happen when the machine said 100 unlike the website but i later got a monitor with a chest strap and it was 300ish...
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
    It depends on your weight and fitness level. I weigh about 135 and in 25 minutes the other day my HRM stated I burned 175 calories on the elliptical on a resistance on 12
  • Aprillsmith
    Aprillsmith Posts: 81
    In 30 mins I burn 330. I am just under 300lbs though. I think it depends on your weight. Does your HR monitor take that into account?

    Same here! I'm 228 lbs and in 30 min I burn at least 350 cal. But thats also because I'm going at 7-9 resistance and a pump it pace (bep song I keep on repeat lol) and my heart rate is about at 160 {according to the machine}.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    The more accurate device would have you input weight and age and sex, at a minimum.
    Machine may totally be using tables on avg's, and HR given is not used in calculations.

    Your HRM, if really a wrist only band, is probably inaccurate, and it also can be more accurate if you enter in weight, age, sex.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Same here! I'm 228 lbs and in 30 min I burn at least 350 cal. But thats also because I'm going at 7-9 resistance and a pump it pace (bep song I keep on repeat lol) and my heart rate is about at 160 {according to the machine}.

    At that high HR, I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't actually burning more. Probably closer to 500.
  • Aprillsmith
    Aprillsmith Posts: 81
    Same here! I'm 228 lbs and in 30 min I burn at least 350 cal. But thats also because I'm going at 7-9 resistance and a pump it pace (bep song I keep on repeat lol) and my heart rate is about at 160 {according to the machine}.

    At that high HR, I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't actually burning more. Probably closer to 500.

    Yeah the lowest my heartrate goes in a session is about 154. I usually spend an hour on the elliptical and burn about 800 cal. It's my absolute favorite machine.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    it varies as many have said. It depends on how intense you were pushing it on the machine. I am 136 and i don't think i have gone over 200 cals in a 40 min workout. I don't go intense on it as of yet and only use up to resistance #3. My HRM is a mio and i found that it showed ALOT lower then mfp numbers and i go by my HRM. I found i wasn't loosing weight in the beginning b/c i was going by mfp's numbers and they were too high, i was eating back too many exercise calories! now that i use my HRM numbers, i am actually starting to see the numbers slowly disappear...
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