Treadmill WAY off on calorie count?

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C4r4W4de
C4r4W4de Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I recently got a new treadmill and while I'd like to think I burned 600 calories this morning, I HIGHLY doubt that is even close to accurate. How "off" are these machines? A friend of mine said I probably didn't actually burn that many at the time, but it could average out throughout the rest of the day since my metabolic rate would have increased due to the exercise. Can anybody confirm this? I wonder if the same is true for the exercise calorie count here on My Fitness Pal, which also seems fairly exaggerated.

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  • rompers16
    rompers16 Posts: 5,404 Member
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    I know the longer the stay on mine, the bigger difference I see from it to my HRM, but max so far is only 40 calories more, so not bad.
  • C4r4W4de
    C4r4W4de Posts: 27 Member
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    So, what sort of device does everybody recommend to try to get an accurate measure?
  • C4r4W4de
    C4r4W4de Posts: 27 Member
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    BUMP
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Machines are notorious for being off on the calorie count.

    You need a heart rate monitor with a chest strap for the most accurate measurement. But - it's still not going to be 100% perfect/correct. You should take all calorie counts with a grain of salt.

    I have a Polar FT4 and I recommend it.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    When I was significantly heavier, the treadmill was underestimating my burn. Even when I got my HRM, the treadmill would link with it, but since it didn't allow me to enter height and weight, it was still underestimating. As I've lost weight and become fitter though, it now overestimates quite significantly. Last night, my HRM said 411 and the treadmill (reading my HR mind you!) said 549 I think. Quite a big difference!
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    Last summer, I was visiting my sister and used her treadmill while I was there. The calorie counter was showing something like around DOUBLE the number of calories burned that my own treadmill shows for a similar workout (same time/pace). It really depends on the machine. I have a Polar FT4 HRM and it shows fewer calories burned than my treadmill displays, but it's not usually a huge difference when I do about 3 miles. I'll definitely be taking it with me the next time I visit her.

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