Elliptical calorie count too low?

RyanneRose
RyanneRose Posts: 128 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I mean, I know it's not going to be exact, but it seems very low. And then I put in the workout on MFP and that one seems high? I did 45 minutes on the elliptical going at a good pace. I'm 5'8", 217lbs. MFP said I burned 649, the machine itself says I only burned 145. So for today I just took an average of the two because I don't know what it should be.
I can't afford a decent HRM right now, so telling me to get one isn't going to help me for the moment. I can get one next month. I'm really just wondering which number you think might be closer to the real one, or...maybe I should just keep taking the average.

Replies

  • julialla
    julialla Posts: 232 Member
    145 does not seem right, but 649 seems high in my opinion for the elliptical. I would round down to a 400-500 calories burn instead to be on the safe side!
  • Birddog6424
    Birddog6424 Posts: 29 Member
    If you can maintain a speed of approximately 65 to 75 rotations per minute on a resistance setting of two to four, that would be about 100 calories per ten minutes.

    So simple math. 450 calories in 45 minutes.
  • sorryfrench
    sorryfrench Posts: 163 Member
    Well, my elliptical (& MFP) tells me I burn between 400-500 cals in 30 minutes, but in reality (according to HRM) I burn little more than 200!
  • HikeThatMountain
    HikeThatMountain Posts: 102
    Hiya,

    First a question, what's an HRM?

    Second question, were you able to enter your weight/sex before beginning on the elliptical?

    I agree with both of you, one appears too low, the other too high, so maybe until an average is the safe way to go? :)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    The average is actually probably pretty close. For your size I would say 400, 500 tops for 45mins. It all depends on your intensity which we have no way of knowing. If you're going hard and averaging 150-160 heart rate then my numbers are probably good.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    Hiya,

    First a question, what's an HRM?

    440

    Heart rate Monitor,. this is a polar heart rate monitor for women and it will measure your heart rate and your caloric burn specific to you.
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    Both the elliptical at my gym and MFP say around 500 calories for an hour, and that's not far off if your heart rate is up the whole time, but I think it's way too much for a moderate effort. My guess is around 200 - 300 per hour for light to moderate effort.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I mean, I know it's not going to be exact, but it seems very low. And then I put in the workout on MFP and that one seems high? I did 45 minutes on the elliptical going at a good pace. I'm 5'8", 217lbs. MFP said I burned 649, the machine itself says I only burned 145. So for today I just took an average of the two because I don't know what it should be.
    I can't afford a decent HRM right now, so telling me to get one isn't going to help me for the moment. I can get one next month. I'm really just wondering which number you think might be closer to the real one, or...maybe I should just keep taking the average.
    For your height and weight, you definitely burned more than 145! It can depend on how hard you are working and your resistance level, but if your hearts pumping and you're sweating, I'd estimate around 10cals/min and just adjust it myself when logging it.
  • RyanneRose
    RyanneRose Posts: 128 Member
    I didn't enter anything into the machine...I need to find the booklet to figure out how. I've only had it about a week, and my husband set it up. I know how to start it, choose a workout intensity, set a time limit etc. The workout was one that kind of goes up a slope, down and then up again (resistance-wise). Heart rate was definitely up the whole time, and I wasn't just cruisin', it kicked my butt. Since the average I used seems to be about what you all seem to agree might be in reasonable range, I'll just continue to use that average for now.
    Side-note: that HRM pictured is the one I'm hoping to get next month! Anyone have a personal review on it? Might as well ask.
  • mamosh81
    mamosh81 Posts: 409 Member
    I didn't enter anything into the machine...I need to find the booklet to figure out how. I've only had it about a week, and my husband set it up. I know how to start it, choose a workout intensity, set a time limit etc. The workout was one that kind of goes up a slope, down and then up again (resistance-wise). Heart rate was definitely up the whole time, and I wasn't just cruisin', it kicked my butt. Since the average I used seems to be about what you all seem to agree might be in reasonable range, I'll just continue to use that average for now.
    Side-note: that HRM pictured is the one I'm hoping to get next month! Anyone have a personal review on it? Might as well ask.

    yeah defenetly need to enter your stats and also crosstrainer are really hard to calculate because you can burn up to 700 cal and hour or as little as 200-300 an hour it all depends on your resistence, incline, do you use the handles and many other factors try to keep short sessions and do heavy interval training seems to work the best for me and i burn the most cal then strolling for 1 hour =)
  • HikeThatMountain
    HikeThatMountain Posts: 102
    Hiya,

    First a question, what's an HRM?

    440

    Heart rate Monitor,. this is a polar heart rate monitor for women and it will measure your heart rate and your caloric burn specific to you.




    Awsome, thank you! My technical skills are limited to my Nike+, which manages to keep me fairly motivated, but this is quite interesting.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I didn't enter anything into the machine...I need to find the booklet to figure out how. I've only had it about a week, and my husband set it up. I know how to start it, choose a workout intensity, set a time limit etc. The workout was one that kind of goes up a slope, down and then up again (resistance-wise). Heart rate was definitely up the whole time, and I wasn't just cruisin', it kicked my butt. Since the average I used seems to be about what you all seem to agree might be in reasonable range, I'll just continue to use that average for now.
    Side-note: that HRM pictured is the one I'm hoping to get next month! Anyone have a personal review on it? Might as well ask.
    I've used the polar ft7 and ft4 and I absolutely recommend either! It's 100% worth the money in my opinion!
  • RyanneRose
    RyanneRose Posts: 128 Member
    I've used the polar ft7 and ft4 and I absolutely recommend either! It's 100% worth the money in my opinion!
    Awesome, thanks :)
    I looked through the booklet that came with the machine, but there doesn't seem to be an option to enter any of my own info. I'll keep looking, but it doesn't seem to be an option.

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