Treadmill calorie counters- reasonably accurate?

Hi Kate,

I'm guessing it depends on the quality of the treadmill. I'm guessing that gym quality treadmills (those that cost $3K-$4K), would be reasonably accurate after programming in your age, weight, etc into them.

For me, my apartment complex's treadmills are reasonably accurate. After reading online that many can be off, I only eat back 1/2 of my exercise calories. Doing so has allowed me to lose at about the rate I set out to lose.

My advice is if you are worried that you may be eating too much, only eat 1/2 of the exercise calories. Also, listen to your body. If you are still hungry at the end of the day, go ahead and eat another 100 calories. If you are losing weight, keep at it.

As for your "I gained 3 lbs last week". I'm guessing it had nothing to do with eating back your exercise calories (as you've done so during the prior 3 weeks and you lost weight). I'm guessing you either underestimated somethings you ate during the week, or you ate some foods that were high in sodium a day or two before weighing yourself and you've retained water, or you could be approaching that time of the month when women tend to gain a few lbs.

I did a comparison between what the treadmill said I burned and what my HRM said and the difference was negligible. Please don't hold on to the sides of the treadmill while using it, as you'll miss out on any benfit gained by exercising.

But I have to hold on for the machine to take my heart rate. This is how it adjusts the incline. Would your recommend putting in my own settings instead of doing the 'heart rate monitored cardio? I guess my concern is that this leaves more room for a less effective workout...

I see. I recommend every now and then putting your hands on the handles to get a heart rate. Please refrain from holding on to the machine the entire time. I agree with the above poster. Buy your own HRM (they are $50-$100) and adjust the incline (or speed) yourself.

Hello to all of you gym-knowledgeable folks out there. I have a question about the treadmills at the gym.

My husband and I started going to the gym several weeks ago. I have been walking 40 min. on the treadmill each time I visit the gym, and once my stamina has improved slightly, I am excited to start circuit training & weightlifting, etc.

My question is about the treadmills at the gym. I use the "cardio" setting- they ask you to put in your age, weight, pick a speed, and then the incline adjusts according to your heart rate.

1. Is the 'calories burned' figure on treadmills reasonably accurate? I usually eat back most of my exercise calories, but this could be counterproductive if the numbers aren't accurate. Some days on the treadmill, I burn 300 calories in 40 minutes on the "cardio" setting. Other days, at the same speed, I burn 500. Granted, the incline varies greatly on these days based on my heart rate. (I also have a LOT to lose, mind you.)

2. Is the incline information accurate? I noticed the last few times that I was at the gym that the incline was going up, up, up, but I couldn't tell a huge difference in the way the treadmill felt. For example, at an incline of 11, I was working hard--- but it was very doable. All of a sudden, it jumped to 12, I felt the WHOLE MACHINE adjust, and I felt like I was holding on for dear life, the incline was so steep! I'm sure, as with most technology, there is room for error. But do those things tend to be riddled with kinks? If my 'calories burned' is based on a high incline, and the machine is in fact not inclined--- it would seem that the numbers would be way out of whack?

So I guess--- thoughts on 'gym quality' treadmills?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts--- I have been dieting, eating enough calories to lose 1.5 lbs per week, and getting lots of exercise. After a 3lb weight gain this week, I found myself thinking hard & evaluating all the aspects of this diet/exercise regimen...

Katie

Here is what you need to know:

1. A commercial-quality treadmill calorie count should be pretty accurate for walking, as long as--yes, I'll say it again--you don't hold on to the handrails. The equations that predict calorie expenditure for walking are simple and well-tested. For walking, the calorie count on a treadmill will likely be as accurate as any indirect method can be--and likely more accurate than a HRM (esp since many/most people don't have their HRMs set up correctly). I'll explain the discrepancy in calorie readings later in my comment.

2. I can't really explain your experience with the incline without more detail. I think you may have misread something on the console, but I can't say for sure.

3. The reason for the discrepancy in your total calorie burn for the workout is that the workload is changing because of your heart rate. The treadmill bases its calorie estimate on the ACTUAL work being performed (that's why it is more accurate). It is changing the intensity based on your heart rate. Anything that might affect your heart rate on a given day (heat, caffeine, fatigue, illness, etc) will cause the treadmill to vary the workload. The speed at which your heart rate increases that day will affect how the treadmill varies the workload. And, as the duration of the workload increases, the heart rate starts to drift upward even with no increase in workload. This is a phenomenon called cardiovascular drift. When the treadmill senses your heart rate going up, it lowers the intensity of the workload. The end result is that the quality of your workout steadily declines (and calories burned as well) because the treadmill is lowering the workload. For that reason, I STRONGLY recommend NOT using any heart rate interactive programs. They are likely to calculate the wrong target heart rate for you to begin with, and then, as I said, the quality of the workout will decrease the longer you are working out. Random hill programs are fine, as long as the changes are not driven by changes in heart rate.

4. If you get away from the heart rate interactive programs, then you don't have to worry about grabbing the handrails. Problem solved.

5. If you want to see a heart rate display on the console, then a heart rate monitor might be useful -- just for the chest strap transmitter. However, if you are exercising primarily by walking on a treadmill, a heart rate monitor most likely WILL NOT improve the accuracy of your calorie count--it is much more likely it will be less accurate.