Exercise calories

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shaysavvy
shaysavvy Posts: 6
in Food and Nutrition
My machine tells me that I burn way less calories than myfitnesspal calculates. Myfitnesspal says I burn about 530 calories on the elliptical in an hour and my machine says 164 calories. I don't know what to believe. I don't really believe either. My machine also likes to tell me I'm going 200 mph which I know is obviously not accurate. Any advice? I feel as if I'm burning more than just 160 but not 530.

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  • CrazyVulcanLover
    CrazyVulcanLover Posts: 23
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    Are you making sure you set your weight into your exercise machine when you program it each time?

    Most gym machines are pre-set for a 150 pound person. Naturally if you weigh more than that...you also burn more than that? MFP knows what you weigh so everything is based on your weight.
  • shaysavvy
    shaysavvy Posts: 6
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    My machine doesn't seem to have that setting. Hmm maybe it just isn't a very good quality so it is misleading me.
  • hoosierstace
    hoosierstace Posts: 3 Member
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    530 is probably close for an hour. I've used an elliptical for almost 10 years with a heart rate monitor, and on average I burn between 7-10 calories per minute.
  • shaysavvy
    shaysavvy Posts: 6
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    Thanks! This helps settle my doubts.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,080 Member
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    Since it really depends on your intensity for the ENTIRE hour, you will get varying numbers when inputting 60 minutes at high intensity. You probably did more like 30 at high and 30 at moderate, or somewhere in between.

    Why don't you use something in the middle, like 300 for an hour. That's pretty typical for an in-shape 18 year old who doesn't have much weight to lose.


    Or grab three different numbers from three different sources and use the average of the three.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
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    I also use an elliptical and have a Bodymedia armband. I burn about 350 for the hour and I am NOT 18, gosh, I wish. :wink: So I'm betting you're a bit lower than me, around the middle of the two estimates, as others have said. 300ish.

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