Not losing weight? This might be why...

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softsculptor
softsculptor Posts: 102
in Fitness and Exercise
Research shows that certain exercise machines overestimate calories burned. The elliptical is the worst offender with an overestimation of up to 42%!

You can meticulously log your food, but if you are overestimating calories burned, you are bound to plateau. I am 100% convinced this is what caused my last plateau.

I spend, for instance, an hour on that thing during my workouts and in the end, it says I've burned 800 calories. Even though I have it on max resistance, I KNOW this is too good to be true as I am going at a pace that allows me to read while exercising.

Now I subtract 42% from all my elliptical calories and am successfully losing weight.

Worthwhile articles:

http://www.everyfit.com/2011/03/08/true-or-false-elliptical-machines-overestimate-your-calorie-burn

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/exercise-calorie-counters-work/story?id=9966500#.UDImBdAe5UM
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Replies

  • gmichaelguy
    gmichaelguy Posts: 123 Member
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    Best bet: buy your own heart rate monitor and use it and ignore the machine.
  • postrockandcats
    postrockandcats Posts: 1,145 Member
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    Those machines are famously high with their burn numbers! Some of them are okay, but I don't trust them. :)
  • dr3wman
    dr3wman Posts: 205
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    Yea I wouldn't trust the numbers machines give you. Then again, I don't trust HRMs either haha
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I also found the displayed calories on both elliptical and treadmill to be seriously over the number on my HRM. I trust the HRM's algorithm for calculating my personal calories burned much more than the gym equipment.
    I also see that MFP calorie numbers are way over for me. For a Jazzercise session MFP will give me 700 calories, but my HRM is more in the neighborhood of 350! If I based my food intake on machines or MFP I'd never have a calorie deficit!! I might even gain rather than lose.
    (Others have found the displays they saw were under what their HRM gave them.)
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    I have never trusted the calories burned numbers coming from any of those machines!
  • remediosa
    remediosa Posts: 1 Member
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    Thanks so much for posting this!
  • Killing_Perfection
    Killing_Perfection Posts: 79 Member
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    Very, very true. We have an elliptical at home and that thing, despite taking age/height/weight, actually says I burn 800 kcal in just 30 minutes. Right. High intensity and all, that's just ridiculous.... MFP gives me less than 300, which is a lot more accurate....
  • cunninjd
    cunninjd Posts: 17
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    Very useful post. I am suspicious of any exercise that burns 800-900 calories an hour. Almost nothing is that good and if it was, I wouldn't be able to do it!
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
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    Very good point, which is why I think I'm going to invest in one of those fit bits.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    I personally do not even try to estimate calories burned with exercise. I do an exercise regime based on my goals and adjust calorie intake based on what is happening on the scale\calipers\mirror\tape measure
  • chicago_dad
    chicago_dad Posts: 357
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    HRM + simple equation = closer to real calorie expenditure.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/207640-how-to-calculate-calories-burned-with-a-formula/
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
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    Best bet: buy your own heart rate monitor and use it and ignore the machine.

    This is what I do. Thanks for sharing this.
  • brownm33
    brownm33 Posts: 44 Member
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    The heart rate monitor I bought is the best! I'm doing Insanity and burning between 300-400 calories a workout (somedays less and somedays more).
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
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    MFP also rates about double of my HRM.
  • Julienetan
    Julienetan Posts: 44
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    It all my maid's fault. She always made delicious breakfast and dinner.
  • captnemo44
    captnemo44 Posts: 82 Member
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    I use my heart rate moniter and love it!
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
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    i think they way overestimate too. But for some of us, a dependable HRM is simply not an option. I just make sure to never eat back more than 15-25% of my exercise calories that they do give me credit for and it's worked for me so far.
  • naples89
    naples89 Posts: 33 Member
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    Which is why you shouldnt be eating exercise calories back anyway, its counterproductive.
  • AddA2UDE
    AddA2UDE Posts: 382
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    Apparently, this is a topic of high interest to those who have a picture of a cat in their profile.
  • EatClenTrenHard
    EatClenTrenHard Posts: 339 Member
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    Which is why you shouldnt be eating exercise calories back anyway, its counterproductive.

    strong this.

    everything else is broscience
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