exercise calorie counts

annastasia76
annastasia76 Posts: 123 Member
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
are the calorie counts on this site fairly accurate?? for a 30 minute work out on my elliptical, the machine says that I only burned 100 calories but the calorie count on this site says it's over 400 calories. I know my elliptical is not accurate because no mater how hard or easy I work out it just does a constant count, It also does not take my heart rate accuratly either. But at the same time I don't know if the calorie amounts here are correct either.

I also have been doing alot of work digging, shoveling, and weeding with a hoe lately and I enter all that it but the amounts seem to high to me.

I would like to get one of those heart rate things that can accurately account for how much calories you are burning but I don't know what they are called and I don't think I could afford it right now

Replies

  • lunglady
    lunglady Posts: 526 Member
    Don;t get me started on those damn heart rate monitors again........:explode:
  • sineadmm
    sineadmm Posts: 190
    400 sounds about right.
    See here:
    http://www.exercise-equipment-review.org/elliptical-trainers/how-many-calories-does-elliptical-trainer-burn
  • annastasia76
    annastasia76 Posts: 123 Member
    great thank you
  • bettersusan
    bettersusan Posts: 240 Member
    If you are doing an epiltical for 30 minutes, you are burning WAY more than 100 calories! It's usually more like 290-300. I use one at least 3X a week.
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
    Keep in mind the MFP knows how much you weigh, so while it can't know your heart rate it is more accurate than the machine that just ticks away the same for a 100lb woman and a 300lb man.
  • InIt2WinIt
    InIt2WinIt Posts: 68
    Yes, I definitely agree that your elliptical is way off target. When I work out for 30 mins on the elliptical I burn almost 400 cal, so you might want to see if it can be re-callibrated or something.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    the numbers on this site are wildly inaccurate. They might be right on for one person and 50% off for another. I would use these as a very VERY rough guide, nothing else.
  • Lovemylife67
    Lovemylife67 Posts: 19 Member
    Does the website about the excercise equipment talk about the Gazelle? It would be interesting to know how long I have to use it for it to be effective.
  • Ang8178
    Ang8178 Posts: 308
    I just got a Heart Rate Monitor that tells me how many calories I burn. Today I used it on the eliptical for the first time and it said I was burning close to 400 calories in 30 mins. I too was going by the machine at the gym and for the past few weeks I've burned alot more that what I've been adding. You have to be burning more than 100 calories. Turns out I was eatting way way under my calorie goal and didn't know it, after 3 weeks I had a break down of sorts! I'm not kidding at all, yesterday I felt like I was going to die! :laugh:

    Anyway, yeah, the site is or can be off and is a rough estamate. A HRM would help you out, but they are pricey. $50-$400.
  • stacyoct19
    stacyoct19 Posts: 187 Member
    where do you get this HRM?
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I don't use the calorie counts on this site,but elliptical counts are among the most inaccurate. That is because there is no common design of movement--all ellipticals/cross trainers are a little different--there is no way that one can design a common table or formula that is applicable to everyone.

    So you must use the calorie count from the display on the machine--questionable for any machine other than newer Life Fitness models--or a heart rate monitor, which is still a rough estimate, but at least will be more consistent for you.
  • Ang8178
    Ang8178 Posts: 308
    Stacy, HRM's can be bought anywhere, I got mine at the PX, but they probably sell them at any sporting goods store, maybe even wal-mart or target. I wanted my the same day I was starting to think about it, so I picked mine up at a store, but if you shop online you will have a larger selection and price range to choose from. Amazon.com has quite a few.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    Be sure to get the HRM with a strap. The ones you put your finger on throughout the workout are not accurate enough.

    The machines at my gym (both of them) all ask for my weight and base the calories on that. They don't use the HR calculations even though they'll tell me my HR if I put my hands on the HRM pads.

    I have a formula I use based on my average HR in a workout. I don't always wear a HRM, but I do a lot of the same workouts plus I have a good sense of what my HR was based on my RPE (real perceived effort). So I plug the number into my spreadsheet and make sure whatever MFP says is close to that even if I have to fake MFP by picking a different time interval or intensity level.

    When I first started using my HRM, I found that the machines at the gym were wildly over-estimating my calories for pretty much every activity but running, where they were wildly under-estimating them. As I got fitter, the machines became more accurate, but I still don't trust them.
  • stacyoct19
    stacyoct19 Posts: 187 Member
    i wonder if the Iphone has an HRM app??? I know they have pedometers and things like that... that would rock!!!
  • annastasia76
    annastasia76 Posts: 123 Member
    maybe this is a stupid question but I'm searching amazon and best buy for heart rate monitors, do they automatically tell me the calories burned or do I have to do some sort of math to figure it out?? So far none of them have mentioned that they keep track of calories burned, or I'm missing something.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    All the ones I had tell me how many calories. It's one of the display options. You do have to set it up first -- it will ask you how old you are, how much you weigh, etc. But once it's set up, it just tells you.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    yeah, most good hrms give you calorie count automatically. Like the rebok ones, and the polar ones all do.
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