Should I trust my treadmill?

skinnyjess00

My usual cardio workout is walking at 2.8-3.0 for 60 minutes at a 10% incline (whew!). My treadmill tells me I have burned 600 calories. Does that sound right? All of the sudden I'm freaked out that I haven't actually burned that much because it sounds like so much.

atlraine

I am curious too!!! I am doing a 'Calorie Destroyer' treadmill workout from a Family Circle magazine article (Dec 08) and it says for a 150lb female, it is supposed to burn 340 calories during a 30 min workout. My treadmill only records 211 calories. What's the scoop on this????? :frown:

rjadams

It really depends on many different factors. Your age, sex weight, level of fitness and amount of effort . A HRM is the best way to see what you are really burning but even that is just an estimate.

My treadmill sometimes over estimates by almost 50 percent and it knows my age and weight other times its closer. it depends on how hard I work out before hand. (that gets my heart rate up closer to what the treadmill thinks it should be)

atlraine

It really depends on many different factors. Your age, sex weight, level of fitness and amount of effort . A HRM is the best way to see what you are really burning but even that is just an estimate.

What is an HRM?

rjadams

HRM Heart Rate Monitor

sweetrevenge

I am curious too!!! I am doing a 'Calorie Destroyer' treadmill workout from a Family Circle magazine article (Dec 08) and it says for a 150lb female, it is supposed to burn 340 calories during a 30 min workout. My treadmill only records 211 calories. What's the scoop on this????? :frown:

340 calories seems like an awful lot for 30 minutes. What exactly do you have to do? how fast? Incline?

erickirb

My usual cardio workout is walking at 2.8-3.0 for 60 minutes at a 10% incline (whew!). My treadmill tells me I have burned 600 calories. Does that sound right? All of the sudden I'm freaked out that I haven't actually burned that much because it sounds like so much.

First off, do you hold onto any part of the treadmill at such a steep a incline? If so your calories are definitely overestimated and you should lower the incline until you no longer need to hold on.

Even if you don't hold on keep in mind that you would have burned at rest. Say your body burns 2 calories per minute (this may or may not be accurate, may be 3 or 1.5) over that 60 minutes you would have burned 120 calories sitting at your desk so the amount of calories extra you should eat would be 480 (600-120). The 160 that the treadmill shows is total calories burned, not extra calories burned through exercise. MFP suggests you eat only the extra calories burned as the other 120 would be taken into account in you daily BMR.

TnTHawkins

HRM is a Heart Rate Monitor. I would highly suggest to get a more accurate level of fitness and calories burned. You can probably find inexpensive ones on amazon.com. The better ones have a strap around the chest.

erickirb

Even with a HRM you will have to back out the calories you would have burned at rest or your actual net calories will be incorrect and if you eat your exercise calories you may overeat your target caloric intake.

richmondhillgal

at a 10 incline, I would think that was pretty accurate. 10 will kick your butt! I'm impressed!

SammyLynn010

Now I'm worried that I have been doing this all wrong. Maybe this is why I didn't lose a single pound this week...arg I'm soo confused!

williams3023

Just an fyi, there was a study done on fitness machines and the calories they say you have burned based on what you actually burn and it was shown that some treadmills overestimate calories by 20%, while some elipticals overestimated calories by 40% now thats scary! HRM is probably your best bet. Not saying anything in your case, it could be correct....

perrim

If it's a newer treadmill where you put in your age, weight, etc then it's probably not that far off. I recently bought a HRM and compared it to what the treadmill and elliptical were telling me at the gym and it was fairly accurate (maybe off by 20 calories or so). The more you weigh, the more calories you will burn. But I do think the HRM is the most accurate way to know calories burned. And whoever mentioned somethng about if you hold on to the sides of the treadmill is dead on. People think they burn so much and hold on the whole time. They're probably burning half what they think!

Azdak

At your weight, and if you DO NOT HOLD ON TO THE HANDRAILS, walking at 3.0 mph and 10% grade for 60 minutes burns about 450 Calories.

Azdak

It really depends on many different factors. Your age, sex weight, level of fitness and amount of effort . A HRM is the best way to see what you are really burning but even that is just an estimate.

My treadmill sometimes over estimates by almost 50 percent and it knows my age and weight other times its closer. it depends on how hard I work out before hand. (that gets my heart rate up closer to what the treadmill thinks it should be)

How do you know your treadmill is overestimating? Are you comparing those numbers to an HRM? How do you know the HRM isn't UNDERESTIMATING?

atlraine

The calorie destroyer has several inclines and running (for me because I am short). If I get a chance I will scan in the program. There are intervals of fast, slow, fast, slow. When I get done with it I am sweating up a storm. It's really helpmed me.

skinnyjess00

I never hold onto the handrails and check my heart rate with the sensors periodically my heart rate averages 165-200 for the entire workout. And yes, 10% incline kicks my butt every single time! I sweat buckets!