gym machines UNDER reporting calorie burn??

happyfit11
happyfit11 Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
I had always heard that gym machines tend to over report how many calories you burned. . .but I just got a heart rate monitor (polar ft40) and I've found that i'm burning way more calories (according to my hrm) than what the machines are telling me. Especially the treadmill. Is this normal?
Last time I ran on the treadmill, both my hrm and the machine had the same heart rate number -but my hrm reported I burned 460 calories, while the treadmill reported 260. That's a huge difference! I don't know if I should use the lower number when eating -because I really don't want to eat over my calorie limit. Not knowing how many calories I've actually burned is frustrating.

Replies

  • cass89
    cass89 Posts: 198 Member
    i think your HRM would be more accurate as it knows your weight and height. i dont trust eh machines at all
  • MADDIESMOMMY6611
    MADDIESMOMMY6611 Posts: 140 Member
    This is why I don't want to get one lol I'm afraid it will say something different and I'll change my eating habits and gain weight. If whatever you were doing before was working then don't change too much.
  • clobercow
    clobercow Posts: 337 Member
    It's probably a good idea to underestimate exercise and over estimate food intake.
  • pantsdailyon
    pantsdailyon Posts: 173 Member
    The gym machines underreport compared to what MFP calculates, too. My money is on the HRM.
  • NicoleLauren17
    NicoleLauren17 Posts: 31 Member
    My HRM is exactly the same. I even have the same one. I started going by it and eating more, and I didn't lose any weight. When I went back to going by the machines my weight loss started again. I don't understand why there's such a difference between the HRM and the machines, but I don't even use the HRM anymore. =[
  • toshie333
    toshie333 Posts: 295 Member
    Me too. Usually about 80 cal higher on hem than machine in 20 min. I was thinking of getting a polar. I have been eating ex cals displayed my by hrm. It's a cheaper one than polar but has chest strap and I lost 3 lb last week -not sire this week yet.
    I would eat hrm
    Cals cause the machine could be based on anyone of any weight x height and gender. Will only give the average. Does your polar have a fitness test? I think it does. You wOnt get more accurate than that. Just check the results are realistic numbers for the vo2 max figure.
    I would say go with hrm. Give it a few weeks fir your body to adjust. Try get a body fat reading too. You can measure that instead of weight if you go to gym
    Alot. Add me if you
    Like - we seem to be similar age. Poss similar stats.
  • rahrahrita
    rahrahrita Posts: 225 Member
    Do you enter your height and weight in the gym machines? The default settings will definitely be wrong on the gym machines, so go by your HRM.
  • DesignGuy
    DesignGuy Posts: 457 Member
    My HRM (Polar F7) is what I use. I've found exercise machines to be all over the place. And I always try to underestimate my exercise cals.
  • Maurice1966
    Maurice1966 Posts: 419 Member
    I'm no expert but there is some very interesting information in the message boards about HRMs overstating by up to 30% for women in particular. Check it out - search "adjusting HRM" might help.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I've noticed that some machines will just pick up the reading from my heart rate monitor so that could be why they have the same reading. I won't even have my hands on the sensor and it will read whatever my monitor reads. And also, I usually burn more than the machine says too, as long as I'm actually putting in a good workout!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Check the VO2max setting on your HRM. It can have a huge impact on the calorie burn.

    Use this calculator to get an estimate for an appropriate VO2max.
    http://www.brianmac.co.uk/vo2maxnd.htm


    ....I feel like I am becoming a crusader for this answer. I apologize to anyone who has seen me post it a bunch of times.
  • Maurice1966
    Maurice1966 Posts: 419 Member
    check out this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/548645-setup-polar-hrm-for-more-accurate-calorie-burn-for-known-bmr?hl=HRM+settings&page=6#posts-7757423
  • Carim007
    Carim007 Posts: 45 Member
    Happyfit11 is absolutely right ... !!!

    For the sake of the argument, we are dealing with gym machines with accept age, weight, height, sex as inputs and do have sensors for heart rate monitoring ...

    Even if you fine tune your settings ( thanks to heybales ) the 30% - 35% percentage difference between gym machines and HRM remains ... Both for genders ...

    Even if it is much wiser to stick to the lowest result given by the gym machine, it is disturbing not to have a proper explanation about these huge differences ... And frustating to have invested in a useless piece of equipment : a HRM ...!!!
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
    Don't take any notice of what most gym equipment or MFP tells you for Calorie burn.
    Also, make sure to wet the contacts on your heart strap before using it and it is fairly firm against your body, but not uncomfortably tight.
    If you get jumps in your readings it'll give you inaccurate burn rates.
    HRM in the end will give you a more accurate than gym equipment or MFP.
  • JonesJennings
    JonesJennings Posts: 59 Member
    Given that everyone is different, the machines (gym and HRM) offer at best an aproximation. I think the exact number of cals isn't so important as the trends. As long as you are consistent with which type of measurement you use, you can build in an adjustment based on your results. Say for example you follow the HRM and eat exactly the number of cals that it suggests, then find that you are not losing any weight, you can then start to build in an adjustment to your calculations, like perhaps subtracting 5% or 10% from the numbers it suggests.

    In my opinion, it's always better to work backwards from the variable that you are really interested in (weight or size), using the other variables as indicators of trends rather than specific numbers. That way you avoid the potential frustration of, "I've eaten 2800, and burned 3000, why havn't I lost weight!?".
  • rolyh
    rolyh Posts: 51 Member
    Check the VO2max setting on your HRM. It can have a huge impact on the calorie burn.

    Use this calculator to get an estimate for an appropriate VO2max.
    http://www.brianmac.co.uk/vo2maxnd.htm


    ....I feel like I am becoming a crusader for this answer. I apologize to anyone who has seen me post it a bunch of times.
    First time I have seen it, thanks for it
  • AHoggins
    AHoggins Posts: 46 Member
    Do you put your age and weight into the machine? I have an FT40 watch and my watch has all my details stored which the exercise machine that I use doesn't. Hope that makes sense.

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