MFP Elliptical Calories Not Accurate?

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redht0235
redht0235 Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been typing in my weight on the ellipitcal at my gym, and the calories burned is a lot less than the calories burned according to MFP for the same amount of time. Has anyone noticed this?

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  • LauraJo08
    LauraJo08 Posts: 219 Member
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    Well, first of all, it is important to note that elliptical machines and treadmills are notorious for their inaccuracy regarding calorie burning. Actually, they usually overestimate by about 20-50%. Also, the "elliptical exercise" on MFP does not take into account resistance or RPM, so it is bound to be inaccurate. If you want a much more accurate account of calories burned, you might want to invest in a heart rate monitor.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    MFP has no earthly idea how intense your elliptical workout was. In my case, I run my heart rate up to 85% MAX and keep it there for as much of the workout as I can manage, and I find MFP's numbers match both the calculations on the machine and calculations based on average heart rate I've done, so I trust them.

    But if you aren't setting the resistance up and running like you're being chased by rabid weasels, chances are the numbers are lower. If you spend time in the so-called "fat burning" range, MFP's numbers are going to be downright fanciful.

    If your machine asks for weight and age, chances are it has a better (if imperfect) idea of your calorie burn, though of course it has no idea about your fitness level. The most accurate way to estimate cardio is with a heart rate monitor.

    Lacking one, the numbers on the machine are generally going to be pretty close.
  • redht0235
    redht0235 Posts: 3
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    Thank you! I am going to look into heart rate monitors :)
  • Genem30
    Genem30 Posts: 431 Member
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    MFP tells me I'm burning around 1400 calories in an hour on the elliptical, while my Polar FT4 tells me just at 1000. The elliptical machine itself tells me around 925. I've been going by the HRM, but I'm guessing my actual burn is somewhere between the elliptical and HRM. MFP is just way off tho, on almost everything I've plugged into it.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I log the whichever is lower between the machine I am on (elliptical or treadmill) and MFP. MFP tends to be higher on pretty much everything....

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