Technogym accuracy

tachyon_master
tachyon_master Posts: 226 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This is actually starting to cause me some concern and I wonder if I've been undereating in order to compensate...

My gym basically contains up to date Technogym cardio equipment. Treadmills, bikes, cross-trainers, ellipticals etc. I don't use the default values and always, always enter my own age and weight before my workout.

I'd read so much information online about the calorie estimates on these machines being so inaccurate in terms of overestimating, it was almost like an information overload. So in order to compensate for the apparent overestimation of calories that the Technogym machines give out at the end of the workout, I basically just assumed 50% would be a good estimate and let it be.

And that was fine for a while during my weightloss, except now I'm trying to find my maintenance calories, and I'm really struggling with it (still losing). And I wonder if it's because I'm actually underestimating the calorie burn from the Technogym machines? I normally use the cross-trainer, treadmill and bike if that makes a difference...

Are these machines really overestimating by 50% if you put in your correct age and weight? Because that can add up to really significant calorie burn underestimation.

I would appreciate any informed scientific advice here. I'm a scientist, so happy to read research articles if someone can post them.

Replies

  • Kgholli
    Kgholli Posts: 27
    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

    I used this site to check the calorie burn of my Treadmill and it worked out about the same as what my treddie was telling me.

    I was getting a completely different amount from MFP. From what I've read if you enter you weight into the machine it tends to be closer, but I suppose the only way to truly tell is though a HRM, but I've also read that these can be wrong as well.

    I know this isn't what your really looking for, but it might help.:smile:
  • sullycc
    sullycc Posts: 37 Member
    I can't be of any help but I am curious if anyone has the answer! I compare the machines against MFP and my HRM, my HRM always comes in lower and these are the numbers I log in my exercise diary. However, I have also read that the HRM calories are not necessarily accurate, therefore, I am interested in the responses here!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Just keep upping your calories until you find your maintenance level. It's probably higher than you think.

    50% incaccuracy does not mean it'll be excatly 50% under for everyone, it could be anywhere between 50% under and 50% over for any given individual. So you could try eating back 65% of your exercise calories, if you're still losing eat back 75%, then keep upping it. Also, if you're looking for a maintenance calorie number, you need to consider your net calories as well, because the MFP method net calories are set at a deficit, i.e. the amount you should be netting for maintenance will be higher too.

    bear in mind that MFP frequently underestimates people's calories, for example it says I'll maintain at 1500 cals/day... I actually maintain around 1900-2000 cals/day, and 1500 cals/day is actually quite an aggressive deficit. So if you're still losing at what MFP says you should be maintaining at, this could be the explanation.
  • tachyon_master
    tachyon_master Posts: 226 Member
    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

    I used this site to check the calorie burn of my Treadmill and it worked out about the same as what my treddie was telling me.

    I was getting a completely different amount from MFP. From what I've read if you enter you weight into the machine it tends to be closer, but I suppose the only way to truly tell is though a HRM, but I've also read that these can be wrong as well.

    I know this isn't what your really looking for, but it might help.:smile:

    See, if I put in running at 12.5km/h it comes up with a value of 60% of what that same website gives for walking at 12.5km/h. Seriously? I thought it was well established that running burned more calories than walking due to the gait etc. required.

    Interesting.
  • xampx
    xampx Posts: 323 Member
    I wear a HRM now, not that I do much cardio anymore, but when I do, I find that some machines are way over estimating, and some are underestimating. But never by 50%, more like 10-20%.

    I'd suggest a HRM. My Polar FT4 works with the machines at my gym but they are Precor.
  • tachyon_master
    tachyon_master Posts: 226 Member
    Just keep upping your calories until you find your maintenance level. It's probably higher than you think.

    50% incaccuracy does not mean it'll be excatly 50% under for everyone, it could be anywhere between 50% under and 50% over for any given individual. So you could try eating back 65% of your exercise calories, if you're still losing eat back 75%, then keep upping it. Also, if you're looking for a maintenance calorie number, you need to consider your net calories as well, because the MFP method net calories are set at a deficit, i.e. the amount you should be netting for maintenance will be higher too.

    bear in mind that MFP frequently underestimates people's calories, for example it says I'll maintain at 1500 cals/day... I actually maintain around 1900-2000 cals/day, and 1500 cals/day is actually quite an aggressive deficit. So if you're still losing at what MFP says you should be maintaining at, this could be the explanation.

    Possibly. I mean it had me on 1200 to lose. And has me on only 1330 to maintain. Yes, seriously.

    So I've got Technogym telling me I'm burning ~1200+ a day (depending on the day). Adding an extra 600 calories is one thing. Adding an extra 1200 calories is something totally different. I'm scared to up it, because I'm actually happy with my weight and body fat % right now. I want to maintain where I am. And if I lose anymore, I do fear I will be treading into seriously underweight territory.
  • timberowl
    timberowl Posts: 331 Member
    The calorie counts are completely bogus in my experience. I always enter my age and weight too. I have a BodyMedia arm band, and when it's telling me (it connects to my phone via bluetooth) I've burned 100 calories, the elliptical is usually saying about 200+, lol.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Just keep upping your calories until you find your maintenance level. It's probably higher than you think.

    50% incaccuracy does not mean it'll be excatly 50% under for everyone, it could be anywhere between 50% under and 50% over for any given individual. So you could try eating back 65% of your exercise calories, if you're still losing eat back 75%, then keep upping it. Also, if you're looking for a maintenance calorie number, you need to consider your net calories as well, because the MFP method net calories are set at a deficit, i.e. the amount you should be netting for maintenance will be higher too.

    bear in mind that MFP frequently underestimates people's calories, for example it says I'll maintain at 1500 cals/day... I actually maintain around 1900-2000 cals/day, and 1500 cals/day is actually quite an aggressive deficit. So if you're still losing at what MFP says you should be maintaining at, this could be the explanation.

    Possibly. I mean it had me on 1200 to lose. And has me on only 1330 to maintain. Yes, seriously.

    So I've got Technogym telling me I'm burning ~1200+ a day (depending on the day). Adding an extra 600 calories is one thing. Adding an extra 1200 calories is something totally different. I'm scared to up it, because I'm actually happy with my weight and body fat % right now. I want to maintain where I am. And if I lose anymore, I do fear I will be treading into seriously underweight territory.

    best thing would be to slowly increase your calories until you hit the number that you maintain your weight at. Also, track inches measurements, because sometimes upping calories will result in water weight gains, so you think you're above maintenance when you might actually still be below it. Fat gain happens slowly and somewhere on your body inch measurements will be creeping up too, even if you gain weight it is not necessarily fat... so a weight gain without any gains in inches is not a fat gain, so nothing to stress about.

    So don't fear accidentally going over maintenance for a week or two while you try to find where your maintenance calories are, because a) fat gain happens slowly and b) if you do gain fat, you can always drop your calories for a couple of weeks to lose it again, then go back to maintenance. Once you know where your maintenance is, you're really in control.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Both "calories in" and "calories out" are always going to be a massive 'fudge' - so if you've got a regular routine, best bet is probably as above to monitor it in periods of weeks, slowly changing your calories until it balances.
  • tachyon_master
    tachyon_master Posts: 226 Member
    Just keep upping your calories until you find your maintenance level. It's probably higher than you think.

    50% incaccuracy does not mean it'll be excatly 50% under for everyone, it could be anywhere between 50% under and 50% over for any given individual. So you could try eating back 65% of your exercise calories, if you're still losing eat back 75%, then keep upping it. Also, if you're looking for a maintenance calorie number, you need to consider your net calories as well, because the MFP method net calories are set at a deficit, i.e. the amount you should be netting for maintenance will be higher too.

    bear in mind that MFP frequently underestimates people's calories, for example it says I'll maintain at 1500 cals/day... I actually maintain around 1900-2000 cals/day, and 1500 cals/day is actually quite an aggressive deficit. So if you're still losing at what MFP says you should be maintaining at, this could be the explanation.

    Possibly. I mean it had me on 1200 to lose. And has me on only 1330 to maintain. Yes, seriously.

    So I've got Technogym telling me I'm burning ~1200+ a day (depending on the day). Adding an extra 600 calories is one thing. Adding an extra 1200 calories is something totally different. I'm scared to up it, because I'm actually happy with my weight and body fat % right now. I want to maintain where I am. And if I lose anymore, I do fear I will be treading into seriously underweight territory.

    best thing would be to slowly increase your calories until you hit the number that you maintain your weight at. Also, track inches measurements, because sometimes upping calories will result in water weight gains, so you think you're above maintenance when you might actually still be below it. Fat gain happens slowly and somewhere on your body inch measurements will be creeping up too, even if you gain weight it is not necessarily fat... so a weight gain without any gains in inches is not a fat gain, so nothing to stress about.

    So don't fear accidentally going over maintenance for a week or two while you try to find where your maintenance calories are, because a) fat gain happens slowly and b) if you do gain fat, you can always drop your calories for a couple of weeks to lose it again, then go back to maintenance. Once you know where your maintenance is, you're really in control.

    I tried this. And it's part of the problem. I thought I'd found my maintenance, but it turned out to just be a plateau. An extended one for about 3-4 weeks. And then I dropped again, and kept dropping.

    How are you meant to tell the difference between a plateau and actual maintenance?
  • ElliInJapan
    ElliInJapan Posts: 286 Member
    Why not use a few online calculators for your TDEE, take an average and start from there? I get the impression that you tend to underestimate the calories you need and perhaps it's more difficult / will take more time if you slowly increase the % in the exercise calories.

    As for whether you're really in maintenance, the only thing you can do is to keep taking measurements so that you see what the trend is.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Just keep upping your calories until you find your maintenance level. It's probably higher than you think.

    50% incaccuracy does not mean it'll be excatly 50% under for everyone, it could be anywhere between 50% under and 50% over for any given individual. So you could try eating back 65% of your exercise calories, if you're still losing eat back 75%, then keep upping it. Also, if you're looking for a maintenance calorie number, you need to consider your net calories as well, because the MFP method net calories are set at a deficit, i.e. the amount you should be netting for maintenance will be higher too.

    bear in mind that MFP frequently underestimates people's calories, for example it says I'll maintain at 1500 cals/day... I actually maintain around 1900-2000 cals/day, and 1500 cals/day is actually quite an aggressive deficit. So if you're still losing at what MFP says you should be maintaining at, this could be the explanation.

    Possibly. I mean it had me on 1200 to lose. And has me on only 1330 to maintain. Yes, seriously.

    So I've got Technogym telling me I'm burning ~1200+ a day (depending on the day). Adding an extra 600 calories is one thing. Adding an extra 1200 calories is something totally different. I'm scared to up it, because I'm actually happy with my weight and body fat % right now. I want to maintain where I am. And if I lose anymore, I do fear I will be treading into seriously underweight territory.

    best thing would be to slowly increase your calories until you hit the number that you maintain your weight at. Also, track inches measurements, because sometimes upping calories will result in water weight gains, so you think you're above maintenance when you might actually still be below it. Fat gain happens slowly and somewhere on your body inch measurements will be creeping up too, even if you gain weight it is not necessarily fat... so a weight gain without any gains in inches is not a fat gain, so nothing to stress about.

    So don't fear accidentally going over maintenance for a week or two while you try to find where your maintenance calories are, because a) fat gain happens slowly and b) if you do gain fat, you can always drop your calories for a couple of weeks to lose it again, then go back to maintenance. Once you know where your maintenance is, you're really in control.

    I tried this. And it's part of the problem. I thought I'd found my maintenance, but it turned out to just be a plateau. An extended one for about 3-4 weeks. And then I dropped again, and kept dropping.

    How are you meant to tell the difference between a plateau and actual maintenance?

    maintenance is where your weight stays the same. if your weight stayed the same then started dropping again after a while and kept on dropping, then you were maintaining for that time, but you're not currently at maintenance and you need to up your calories again, i.e. add 100 and see if you stay at maintenance, if you're still losing add another 100.... keep going until you get to a point where your weight stays the same. If your weight started dropping again after maintaining for 4 weeks, it's probably that your metabolism was a bit slow before, then it sped up. Or you started being more active and didn't realise it (a change in routine that made you walk more maybe?) Up your calories again and you should find that you're maintaning again. And any time you start losing weight again when you don't want to, up your calories a little.

    plateau and maintenance are the same, although it's called a plateau if it happens when you don't want it to.

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