Calories: Gym vs MFP

TerrorMayor
TerrorMayor Posts: 18
in Health and Weight Loss
When I go to the gym, the elliptical machine says I lose about 75 calories at a pace of 4.1 mph for 20 minutes. I'm moving pretty fast, and I'm definitely feeling the burn, so 75 calories kind of sounds low? On a different machine on the same settings it says I lose close to double, around 150 calories. HOWEVER, on MFP, It says I lose around 310?!

I'm wondering if MFP is more accurate, because it calculates the exercise for a person of my stature.
Or if it the machine is more accurate.

Basically my essential question is which has the most accurate calorie burner? The Gym or MFP?

Thanks in advance guys,
-Bri

Replies

  • buda12345
    buda12345 Posts: 142 Member
    With steady state cardio I figure I burn about 10 Cals/Minute and with HIIT 20 Cals/Min
  • Live4theLift
    Live4theLift Posts: 329
    If the machines are like the ones at my gym they have a sticker on them that say "Calories based on adult male x weight x height" then you have to go into the setting and change them for yourself. However i never changed the setting but i entered it into MFP as the same number. I dont want to think i burned more calories than i actually did.
  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
    Can always be difficult to be precise. I log the machine cals. Doing the same exercises on different machines seems to be fairly close. In the end, its just a number. I don't put a whole lot of stock in it and just use some judgement on the actual numbers. Generally I stay under on the MFP calories for this reason...and I am full anyway.
  • nhradeuce
    nhradeuce Posts: 168 Member
    With steady state cardio I figure I burn about 10 Cals/Minute and with HIIT 20 Cals/Min
    This sounds pretty close. I know that (depending on your weight) running a mile burns around 80-100 calories. At a 4 mph pace that would pretty close to your 75 calories the machine says.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
    After looking at many different sites...I have found the calories burned at MFP to be high for the given exercise.

    60 minutes on an elliptical at a moderate pace/moderate resistance according to many different sites is about 600 cals/hr.

    You'd need to wear an HRM and record it for your session to get more accurate numbers.
  • EllaIsNotEnchanted
    EllaIsNotEnchanted Posts: 226 Member
    what can fix your question is get a HRM.
  • StrongAndHealthyMommy
    StrongAndHealthyMommy Posts: 1,255 Member
    After looking at many different sites...I have found the calories burned at MFP to be high for the given exercise.

    60 minutes on an elliptical at a moderate pace/moderate resistance according to many different sites is about 600 cals/hr.

    You'd need to wear an HRM and record it for your session to get more accurate numbers.

    this....







    last time I used an elliptical, the machine said that I burned 212... while my HRM said 114 (for 10 minutes)
  • raeganjayne15
    raeganjayne15 Posts: 55
    Invest in a HRM. My morning walk/run is usually only 2/3 rds of what endomondo/MFP calculate it at
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member


    You'd need to wear an HRM and record it for your session to get more accurate numbers.

    This.
  • MouseTmom
    MouseTmom Posts: 201 Member
    I think MFP figures calories way high. Because of this, I usually only eat back about 1/2 of my exercise calories
  • TerrorMayor
    TerrorMayor Posts: 18
    Thanks guys! I'll just keep logging the lower end of the two; if I do burn more calories, it wouldn't hurt LOL

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