Calories Burned Seems High?

c_tap77
c_tap77 Posts: 189 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a question for those of you who have been using the site for awhile:

Do the calories burned when entering a particular cardio activity (specifically elliptical for me) seem higher than they should be? Everything I've heard from my fitness-junkie friends indicates that the numbers shown on the machines at the gym are high compared to what you're actually burning. The numbers I'm getting on here are even higher than those!

I'm not entering any exercises on my own: I'm simply searching for them and entering the time only when I logged my activity. My number showed that I burned over 600 calories spending 45 minutes on the elliptical. I'm 200 pounds, and I go at a pretty fast pace when I'm on the elliptical (I'm usually soaked in sweat when I'm done).

Do those of you who have been using the site to track your numbers for awhile find the counts to be accurate? Or would I be better served using a different way to calculate the number of calories burned and entering it manually in the log?

Replies

  • jellybeanmusic
    jellybeanmusic Posts: 161 Member
    I guess it's the average. If you're a small woman, you're not going to burn as much as a big guy. Just use it as a rough idea, or if you have one, use a heart rate monitor to work it out a little closer to the real thing.
  • sarahz5
    sarahz5 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Yes, the numbers given by MFP are notoriously high. The way to get a best estimate is to get a heart rate monitor, but even then, it's just an estimate.

    My friends who use MFP's numbers generally just cut them in half, or keep in mind to only "eat back" half of them. Another option, if your exercise is about the same each week, is to just calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) to include your exercise. Then, when you enter a workout, you can just record it as 1 calorie so MFP doesn't give you extra calories for it.
  • c_tap77
    c_tap77 Posts: 189 Member
    This might be a silly question, but how do you calculate your calories burned using your heart rate? Is there a website or tutorial somewhere that can walk me through it?

    Also do the heart rate watches actually work? What about the armbands that supposedly calculate calories all day long? My parents were going to buy one for me for Christmas, but I don't want them to spend the money if they're as off-base as the numbers on this site!
  • jellybeanmusic
    jellybeanmusic Posts: 161 Member
    The watches also have a band, if you follow the instructions with the watch when setting it up, it'll know your height and weight etc and will then do the maths for you.
  • sarahz5
    sarahz5 Posts: 1,363 Member
    All that kind of equipment is based on what your individual body is doing. They are infinitely more accurate than any number that is calculated for the average person. I love mine! Eventually you will get to know about how much you burn in a given workout so you don't have to wear it every time if you don't want to, but it also helps you to see how hard you are working as a percentage of your maximum heart rate, if you run or cycle it will give you mileage and pace and total time, even maps... there are lots of different opitions.
  • tikkathyme
    tikkathyme Posts: 28 Member
    I've found that a good rule of thumb is that if you're working out at a high intensity, I burn about 10 calories per minute. I have a heart rate monitor and after using it for a couple of months this seems to hold true. Basically if I'm working out hard, sweating, getting short of breath, it's 10 calories a minute. I'm sure it all depends on the individual, but 10cal/minute might be a good place to start.
  • Yaya1976
    Yaya1976 Posts: 357 Member
    The elliptical at my gym last night was on crack. There is no way I burned over 700 calories in 41 minutes. I started roughly 11 minutes before my friend showed up. She burned 338 cal in 30 minutes. Something wasn't right with the machine. So I just added an extra 100 to her 338 and put down 438 for mine. It sucks it's not accurate.

    I never use MFP's numbers. There always wrong. I use the treadmill every time I work out and MFP doesn't account for incline.
  • corys8646
    corys8646 Posts: 41 Member
    I think the elliptical Maunf. and MFP really do a disservice to individuals with how horribly inaccurate they are. Precor has one machine that claims i'm burning 15 cal a min..this is after I enter my weight/age into it. My HRM is about 8 Cal a min, much more accurate.

    In general I calculate calories burned about 8 cals a minute based on my perceived effort. I don't even look at the machine anymore.
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    a HRM with a chest band will give you better "calories burned" numbers than what the machine will give you. Still an estimate and may overestimate in situations like hot yoga...I wear it for every workout, big or small, and it's been a huge help in my weight loss, having one has definitely elevated my exercise to the next level.

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