Why the differences in cals burned???

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  • BetesBitch
    BetesBitch Posts: 234 Member
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    podometer ? is this a step counter ? If so I know my one doesn't work very well unless I am moving in a forward direction so it may be missing the beat. Also the kinematics of elliptical may burn more calories than walking so even if it is counting the correct number of steps, each step may be harder. I agree normally with the guy who says go with the lowest but in this case I would go with 2 out of 3 because I think you may be counting apples and pairs
    Yes it's a step counter that counts calories burned too. I just wanted something to help me know how many calories i burn from day-to-day and exercise can really vary for me on a day-to-day basis. I am going to test the pedometer walking outside one of these days and see how accurate that may be. For now, I will go with what MFP and my elliptical says.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    A little. I agree using the lower number since your question was asking which to use.

    And, if you run 5 miles you're burning closer to 500 calories. The equation someone provided is great, but simple rules of thumb seem to work for a reason...they are easy to remember. So, walk or run a mile =100 calories. SImple.

    Best of luck. Train hard, eat well, and have fun! Hope this helps.

    Ok, so i used the elliptical for about 5 miles so i've burned 500cals??? I think im misunderstanding......

    You didn't run though. As Mr. Knight pointed out above, the MET of the elliptical is roughly half of running. MET is the metabolic equivalent of task - basically a way of expressing how much energy a task requires. So running requires about twice as much energy as using the elliptical. So if running 5 miles burns 500 calories, going the same distance on the elliptical is roughly half of that.

    ETA- keep in mind the elliptical entry on MFP is very general. It does not even allow for different resistance levels that most ellipticals have. It sound like your elliptical and MFP are using the same equation to figure out the calories burned. I would be leery.
  • _Giselle_
    _Giselle_ Posts: 68
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    HRM is the way to go. It's the most accurate number you can get. Not 100% but closer than an estimate from number of steps taken...
  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
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    MFP is an estimate and so is the machine. I use a HRM and the machines at the gym never correlate with what my HRM says (they are usually reflect higher burns). It's safer to go with the lower number of 160, but if you feel that is too low, use the average of both number (233 cals). If you find you aren't losing weight like you should be, then you know you are miscalculating.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    When I used a HRM I actually burned slightly more calories on the elliptical than the machine said I did. For 30 mins I burn around 300 calories. According to the HRM a burned a lot more on the treadmill than the machine told me. The stepper was wrong though.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    A little. I agree using the lower number since your question was asking which to use.

    And, if you run 5 miles you're burning closer to 500 calories. The equation someone provided is great, but simple rules of thumb seem to work for a reason...they are easy to remember. So, walk or run a mile =100 calories. SImple.

    Best of luck. Train hard, eat well, and have fun! Hope this helps.



    Ok, so i used the elliptical for about 5 miles so i've burned 500cals??? I think im misunderstanding......

    You didn't run though. As Mr. Knight pointed out above, the MET of the elliptical is roughly half of running. MET is the metabolic equivalent of task - basically a way of expressing how much energy a task requires. So running requires about twice as much energy as using the elliptical. So if running 5 miles burns 500 calories, going the same distance on the elliptical is roughly half of that.

    ETA- keep in mind the elliptical entry on MFP is very general. It does not even allow for different resistance levels that most ellipticals have. It sound like your elliptical and MFP are using the same equation to figure out the calories burned. I would be leery.

    I understand the basis of MET but you can't compare like for like here. You can't say that elliptical trainers are half that of running because it depends on the setting you have the trainer set to and how fast. I am sure if I turned the trainer right up and jogged at 4.5 mph the trainer MET would be twice that of my running activity :-)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    A little. I agree using the lower number since your question was asking which to use.

    And, if you run 5 miles you're burning closer to 500 calories. The equation someone provided is great, but simple rules of thumb seem to work for a reason...they are easy to remember. So, walk or run a mile =100 calories. SImple.

    Best of luck. Train hard, eat well, and have fun! Hope this helps.



    Ok, so i used the elliptical for about 5 miles so i've burned 500cals??? I think im misunderstanding......

    You didn't run though. As Mr. Knight pointed out above, the MET of the elliptical is roughly half of running. MET is the metabolic equivalent of task - basically a way of expressing how much energy a task requires. So running requires about twice as much energy as using the elliptical. So if running 5 miles burns 500 calories, going the same distance on the elliptical is roughly half of that.

    ETA- keep in mind the elliptical entry on MFP is very general. It does not even allow for different resistance levels that most ellipticals have. It sound like your elliptical and MFP are using the same equation to figure out the calories burned. I would be leery.

    I understand the basis of MET but you can't compare like for like here. You can't say that elliptical trainers are half that of running because it depends on the setting you have the trainer set to and how fast. I am sure if I turned the trainer right up and jogged at 4.5 mph the trainer MET would be twice that of my running activity :-)

    I understand that it may depend on the intensity, which is why I pointed it out with the MFP entry. I was addressing the fact that she asked if she went 5 miles if she burned 500 calories, which is the general amount for running that distance for the average person (I believe they use 160lb person for "average").

    4.5 MPH on the elliptical is still not a very intense running pace. Perhaps going 4.5 MPH with the resistance cranked up might be closer.

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