Am I really burning the calories the treadmill says?

christine918

Just curious, I've been running for about 10 months now. When I run on the treadmill, I run the first mile at around 7.2 mph, I don't even start sweating until I've ran 2 miles. I really don't ever breathe hard unless I'm doing sprint intervals. So I wonder am I really burning the amount of calories that the treadmill reads or am I wrecking my diet by eating too many "exercise calories"? If so, what can I do to burn more calories?

Arienna

The only way to truly know how many calories you burn is to use a HRM, and I believe I read in someone else's post that if it's not at least $50 USD then it's probably not that reliable.

FrenchMob

Here we go with "HRM is gospel" again. Read my blog: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/RVachon71/view/the-hrm-debate-15153

The counters on the machines, especially the ones that don't ask you your weight, are not that accurate, but just a general guideline, just like the a HRM (Polar F6 for example). The only real way to know how much you are burning is to get a RMR and/or Vo2 max test done.

By the way, congrats to you if you can run that speed and not get drained right away. Wish I was that speed and stamina, but I'm just starting.

Azdak

The energy cost of activities like running is relatively fixed. It's the same no matter who is doing it. The difference in "perceived exertion" is due to the fitness level of the person doing the activity, and the difference in calories burned depends on the weight of the person. You could have three different people who weigh the same run at 7.2 mph. A less fit person might find it very difficult, a more fit person find it challenging but doable, and the very fit person find it easy--but all three will burn roughly the same number of calories.

According to your race results, your 5K pace is somewhere in the 8.5 mph category, so 7.2 on the treadmill should seem relatively easy. That doesn't change the caloric expenditure of the activity.

Second question: is the machine accurate? Depends. According the the ACSM metabolic equations, at 7.2 mph and a weight of 146 (I estimated that from your ticker), you are burning about 800 Calories per hour. That's roughly what your treadmill display should be reading. That number is most likely an overestimation, but that's not the fault of the treadmill display.

Running on a treadmill with no incline is a little easier than running outdoors, and the ACSM equations probably overestimate Calorie burn at speeds above 6.5 mph. So your treadmill number--assuming it matches the number I gave you earlier--is probably about 10% too high.

christine918

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question!

Iceprincessk25

Actually, I find that for me, the number on the machine is a lot lower than what my HRM says......so go figure.