What calories to belive?

FearlessRobb
FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok i will first explain how a HMR works for the kind i have.
A chest strap messure my heart rate and send out a transmission to what ever can read it. I have a watch that picks it up and the elliptical and machines at the gym pick it up. Ok now my story

I was on my 30 min elliptical at the start of my exercise for the day and the watch and elliptical both were reading my HMRT. They were identical the whole time threw the 30 min. At the end the elliptical said i burned 340 calories. My watch said 372

My problem is what one to belive? they both took the same reading from the same device but give diff numbers.


Also i know its only 30 calories but rem it was the start of the exercise. by the end it was a 200-300 diffrence

Replies

  • foxylady522
    foxylady522 Posts: 80
    I have experienced the same problem. I am curious about what others have to say about this.
  • FearlessRobb
    FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
    i guess no one lmao. Happened again today. i just use the smaller calories so if its the bigger one its just benifiting me with out knowing lol
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
    I know my HRM I had to set it up with my age, height, weight, etc. Not sure which HRM you are using. Did yours require you to enter your stats when you started using it? If so, I would say the HRM is more accurate. I know my gym's ellipticals don't require you to enter your stats, so they are seldom correct.
  • FearlessRobb
    FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
    the ellipticall asks. weight and age and heart rate wanna stay at. the same questions as my watch
  • zlauerMom
    zlauerMom Posts: 183 Member
    I'd go with the elliptical. It knows what you actually did. :smile:
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
    Hrm. Machines are just averaging it out. HRM is actually tracking your beats the whole time.
  • spunkybunny
    spunkybunny Posts: 33 Member
    Personally, I go with what my HRM says...it's tuned to my specifics whereas the elliptical is working from a "general" model of age/weight.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    Just use the lowest figure to be on the safe side. Easiest way if you ask me.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Do you know if the elliptical is taking your heart rate into account? Any elliptical I've ever seen just displays the heart rate for your viewing pleasure but does not use it in its calculation. Go with the HRM.
  • tturley
    tturley Posts: 73 Member
    Actually both are probably wrong..... for you. It's an estimate. There's no way for a calculation to be perfectly accurate because they don't know YOUR efficiency and metabolism. I'd say being off by such a small amount is pretty good.

    I always use this web site. That way I'm consistent, which is the important thing.
    http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm
  • angel7472
    angel7472 Posts: 317 Member
    http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

    I use the above website to calculate my HRM from my elliptical. At the end of the program it will tell me the the average heart rate from my chest strap. I found that my elliptical which is a Sole E35 is off typically anywhere from 20 to 30% in calories expended. I hope this helps.

    Someone beat me to it so there's a few of us that use this site :))
  • BluejayNY
    BluejayNY Posts: 301 Member
    I would either go with the lowest number to be on the safe side or average the two.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    HRMs are notorious for overestimating calorie burn, particularly in people who aren't fairly highly trained. The HRM knows how many times your heart pumped, but it has no idea whatsoever how efficient your cardiovascular system works. It's a roundabout calculation. Heart rate isn't a good proxy for calorie burn during aerobic exercise UNLESS you know your VO2max and can program it into the HRM.

    I'd go with the elliptical if it had you input your height or weight. It's actually aware of the energy you're expending into the system and can give a good estimate based on your height and weight.
  • 777twist
    777twist Posts: 75 Member
    My take is... pick either one. Just stay consistent on which on you pick when logging. The number shouldn't matter that much until you hit some kind of plateau.

    Many people have said that's it's not an exact number... it seems as if most of the numbers we play with on these sites are all pretty much just close or ballpark numbers. So I wouldn't worry about anything to specific until you have issues losing. I can't believe 30cal (even daily) would make that much of a difference.

    That being said, if you do get stuck at a plateau, then you can easily use the lower number or look at your other numbers to see which ones may be estimated too high.
  • FearlessRobb
    FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
    Do you know if the elliptical is taking your heart rate into account? Any elliptical I've ever seen just displays the heart rate for your viewing pleasure but does not use it in its calculation. Go with the HRM.


    i belive it does cause the higher my heart raate is the faster calories go up when heart rate is at like 150 its adding 1 calorie a second just about. when its at 125 its like 1 calorie every 2 seconds speed is the saame just diff heart rates
  • FearlessRobb
    FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
    Actually both are probably wrong..... for you. It's an estimate. There's no way for a calculation to be perfectly accurate because they don't know YOUR efficiency and metabolism. I'd say being off by such a small amount is pretty good.

    I always use this web site. That way I'm consistent, which is the important thing.
    http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

    according to that site i burned only 100 calories???? i dont know if i could belive that
  • FearlessRobb
    FearlessRobb Posts: 249 Member
    HRMs are notorious for overestimating calorie burn, particularly in people who aren't fairly highly trained. The HRM knows how many times your heart pumped, but it has no idea whatsoever how efficient your cardiovascular system works. It's a roundabout calculation. Heart rate isn't a good proxy for calorie burn during aerobic exercise UNLESS you know your VO2max and can program it into the HRM.

    I'd go with the elliptical if it had you input your height or weight. It's actually aware of the energy you're expending into the system and can give a good estimate based on your height and weight.

    thats what ive been doing its the lower number.

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