input of burned calories

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stang41992
stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys!
I was curious what you all do in this situation. When I use an elliptical, I typically burn 430 calories in a half hour (the machine tells me this) but when I input elliptical, MFP says I burned 300. Should I go with what MPF says or go with what the machine tells me? I never know whether or not to trust the machine.
Thanks!

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  • PureAndHealthy
    PureAndHealthy Posts: 539
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    Do you enter age and weight into the machine?
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
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    It just asks for weight, not age.
  • cassandra1220
    cassandra1220 Posts: 284 Member
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    I don't think that either are truly accurate. I just use their totals as "estimates". I think if you want an absolute reading, you would have to invest in a HR monitor or Body Bugg. Just know that you are burning calories and that is a good thing!
  • ahickman
    ahickman Posts: 13
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    I go with the mechine, cause only you know how fast you were going and such. plus if you go backward on it then you burn a little more then normal so go with it.
  • PureAndHealthy
    PureAndHealthy Posts: 539
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    I'd go with the machine just because it measures how vigorously you're working out... but yeah... heart monitors are the most accurate.
  • PedalHound
    PedalHound Posts: 1,625 Member
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    I'm a personal trainer and I have always told clients to take the machine readings with a HUGE grain of salt. Weight is a very small part of the picture here. Gender and age are also factors but even with these variables you don't get a hugely accurate reading. I would err on the side of using the lower estimate because I have never seen a gym machine read UNDER what an accurate heart rate monitor gives. Sometimes they can be off as much as 300 calories in an hour. A decent heart rate monitor is around $100 and you can frequently find them used from people who bought them and never bothered with them. It's a fabulous investment because you can tailor your nutrition so much more specifically when you know what you're actually burning through exercise.

    Hope that helps!
  • kaylou
    kaylou Posts: 375 Member
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    Hey guys!
    I was curious what you all do in this situation. When I use an elliptical, I typically burn 430 calories in a half hour (the machine tells me this) but when I input elliptical, MFP says I burned 300. Should I go with what MPF says or go with what the machine tells me? I never know whether or not to trust the machine.
    Thanks!
    I would not believe the machine. I use my HRM now but for the first few months I went by the maching...it was almost double what I was actually burning...no wonder I wasn't losing as fast as I should have:noway:
    I would go for the MFP for now...but maybe ask santa for the HRM....I love mine!!
  • hwhitney
    hwhitney Posts: 1
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    I would suggest getting a heart rate monitor - there are some good products for about $100. You input your own personal information, and they even have fit tests so you can further calibrate the monitor. These tools tell you exactly how much YOU burn. The numbers on the machine are only estimates for people in your age range at your weight.

    The machine number is usually a bit higher than what you've actually burned!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    I always try to over estimate my consumed calories, and under estimate my work out calories. Since human's don't come with a fuel gage like a car all we're doing on any of this is estimating...even the HRM.

    Go with the lower number.

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