Elliptical says only 120 calories burned...

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  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Well, I actually find this extremely discouraging. The elliptical feels very difficult to me, and at first I didn't question MFP at all - I think I feel like I worked 400 calories hard, but if 30 minutes of "Is it over yet? Is it over now? Now? Now?" and feeling like I'm going to die, or feeling like I have to quit or I am going to get sick, is really only burning 120 calories, this is not what I want...

    Well, to use as a rule of thumb going forward, anything over 10 calories per minutes is very, very hard to do. A lot of people think they get that level of burn or more, but most of the time, it's over inflated.
  • Sunbrooke
    Sunbrooke Posts: 632 Member
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    Well, I actually find this extremely discouraging. The elliptical feels very difficult to me, and at first I didn't question MFP at all - I think I feel like I worked 400 calories hard, but if 30 minutes of "Is it over yet? Is it over now? Now? Now?" and feeling like I'm going to die, or feeling like I have to quit or I am going to get sick, is really only burning 120 calories, this is not what I want...

    That's how all of my cardio feels. If it doesn't feel like that, then I push harder and increase my rpms or resistance. Are you warming up? You may need to do a longer warm up at a lower intensity. You should break a sweat and get your second wind. Get some work out music that pumps you up and makes you want to mosh. make sure you don't have a full stomach, but get some energy into you before you start and stay hydrated. I usually finish a bottle of water during ine 25 min workout (but i workout on an empty stomach). Even at avg 70 rpms for 25 mins, I only burn around 165 calories and that's according to MFP, but I definitely see and feel results. I usually take a break and walk in the treadmill for a bit and then do another round in the elliptical. My second round always feels much better than my first.
  • fayefayee5
    fayefayee5 Posts: 87 Member
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    Try upping your incline and resistance.

    I do the elliptical for 15-25 mins everyday and set it on incline 11, resistance 8 or 9 and try to stay at least 145 rpms. I ussualy burn about 200 cals in 15 mins and 300 ish if i push through and do 25. My heart rate usually averages 160-175 (yes its high, but im still way overweight)

    Sure im sweating like crazy afterwards but the higher resistance really gives me a good workout.
  • watermelonsugar_
    watermelonsugar_ Posts: 45
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    Neither MFP or cardio machines are ever very accurate with calorie burns. It's more than likely they are both off, substantially.

    If you are very interested in tracking your burns, the only really accurate way to do it is to use an HRM.

    This. I wear my HRM to the gym, and all the machines (even the same types) give me a substantially different reading each time.
  • tskvaughn
    tskvaughn Posts: 114 Member
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    I was looking for a post like this. My recumbent stationary bike monitors my heart rate and I enter my age and weight. Tonight I worked out pretty heavy ( for a 59 year old obese woman) but logged it in MFP as light. MFP said I burned over 1000 calories and the bike computer said 531. I manually entered into MFP what the bike computer said. I also use a Fitbit for step activity, which I don't wear on the biked b/c it really gets off. I checked Fitbit and it gave the burn at 731.
    So yes, I believe that MFP estimated burn is way off.
    Maybe this is why people are gaining or not losing weight when the think they are eating the correct amount of calories. They are way over estimating their burn on exercise activity.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    I am 30, 160 lbs and I burn about 275 calories per 30 minutes when I keep my heart rate between 175-185. If you get your heart rate up a little higher, you will burn more calories in the same amount of time. Try using a hill interval setting and working hard on "flat" and recovering on "hill". That's what I do to keep my hr close to my max for the whole workout.
  • krennie8
    krennie8 Posts: 301 Member
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    i go with what the machine says. I don't end up logging minutes correctly b/c of MFP's differences, so while MFP says 330 for 30 minutes for me, it generally takes me more like 35 minutes to get that burn. (162 lbs, I use a resistance of 11 and keep the rpms at 100-110).
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
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    Mr hrm is actually usually about 40-60 calories behind what the machine reads that I've burned. Hrm = most accurate guesstimate.
  • A_Fit_Mom
    A_Fit_Mom Posts: 602 Member
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    125 is only 1 over what my minimum is for the target heart rate. I try to do an average in the 150's. So that 120 is probably right. I am with the others and suggest a HRM. You can input all your info and get an accurate reading.
  • lwestmill
    lwestmill Posts: 91 Member
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    Well, I actually find this extremely discouraging. The elliptical feels very difficult to me, and at first I didn't question MFP at all - I think I feel like I worked 400 calories hard, but if 30 minutes of "Is it over yet? Is it over now? Now? Now?" and feeling like I'm going to die, or feeling like I have to quit or I am going to get sick, is really only burning 120 calories, this is not what I want...

    If it feels that discouraging, you are fighting this exercise thing. Find a workout that your feel comfortable doing. You may later you will like the Elliptical. It is frustrating to exercise in the beginning of the weight loss journey. Once you form your routine and make it a habit, you won't notice the time so much.

    Also, a big help in working out is music! Buy a ipod or something. Get some good workout tunes going. It really helps! Good luck and don't give up!

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