elliptical. is it possible for me to burn THIS many cals?

Options
applepie157
applepie157 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I am a female, 210 lbs., completed my first real week of exercise/better eating. Tonight I did 1/2 hour on my elliptical. I got to 3 minutes and I felt like I was going to die.. but I kept on, went a little slower/backwards/faster and somehow made it the 30 minutes. But it says I burned 400 calories.. is this possible???? thanks!
«1

Replies

  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    Options
    Without having expert knowledge of the machine, how it works, if it works and various other factors it's kinda impossible to answer. As an example I wear a HRM to do Zumba, I did a 70 min class, didn't stop once, was out of breath half way through and near dripping with sweat and burned around 600 cals, I'm 234lbs. So it's possible your machine could be a little off? MFP says I would burn 1100, nearly double, I trust my HRM more!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Options
    It is possible. I burn just over 300 per half hour, going at it full on, at 133Ibs.
  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    Options
    Wow, sounds like I need to get an elliptical!! :D
  • OkamiLavande
    OkamiLavande Posts: 336 Member
    Options
    I love my elliptical. Best investment I ever made. Mine is of the compact variety that fits into small spaces really well.

    Yes it is possible to burn that many calories using the elliptical if you go balls to the wall in a sense. Go hard, you burn a ton of calories on it and it builds up your aerobic respiration which helped me work up to running. I can now run thanks to the elliptical which is something I haven't done since I was like 8.

    It all depends on how intensely you workout.
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
    Options
    The reading on machines is notorious for over estimating. The best thing to do is buy an HRM for an accurate reading, or if eating back your cals burnt then use a lesser percentage. However saying all of that it does still seem to be one of the machines that offers high burns.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    At 132lb my HRM says I burn about 250cals in 30 minutes at moderate intensity, so it doesn't sound that far off to me.
  • franktowery
    franktowery Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Way to go and to stick to it! 30 mins of cardio is very good! Don't get caught up on the numbers the machines spit out. Use it as a guide. Keep up the good work.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    Options
    Do you happen to know what your heart rate was for the duration of the exercise session? On an elliptical, in 30 mins at hr 150 I burn close to 200 calories, but at hr 180 I burn around 400. Invest in a HRM to get the most accurate guess of your burns.
  • applepie157
    applepie157 Posts: 5
    Options
    Thank you to everyone who replied! I will invest in a heart rate monitor. It seemed to be a LOT of calories burned to me.. but what do I know? I wasn't going very fast ... when my legs hurt really bad, I slowed down, didn't pay attention to my speed... went backwards, slowed, sped up.. the worst was the burn in my legs.. but I know that's a good thing!

    Thanks for the encouragement!
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Options
    Do you happen to know what your heart rate was for the duration of the exercise session? On an elliptical, in 30 mins at hr 150 I burn close to 200 calories, but at hr 180 I burn around 400. Invest in a HRM to get the most accurate guess of your burns.


    Yep, depends on intensity. I always tend to workout at around 75-90% of my max, according to my HRM.
  • darkrider42
    darkrider42 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Options
    A person's weight has quite an effect on the number of calories burned as well. At around 200 pounds, you will burn quite a bit more than someone that weighs only 100 pounds. And me weighing in at around 300 will burn significantly more than you. So 400 does not sound unreasonable at all. :smile:

    And keep up the great work!! You will get stronger the more you do it and will be able to push yourself harder with less perceived effort! In the beginning, the strength gains will come pretty quickly...even though they might not feel like they are :smile:, but they are!

    Dave
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Options
    Hi, I am a female, 210 lbs., completed my first real week of exercise/better eating. Tonight I did 1/2 hour on my elliptical. I got to 3 minutes and I felt like I was going to die.. but I kept on, went a little slower/backwards/faster and somehow made it the 30 minutes. But it says I burned 400 calories.. is this possible???? thanks!

    Judging from your status as a newbie and your description of the workout, I would put your effort at 5-6 METs. At your weight, that would put your calorie burn for this workout at about 280-300.
  • Edmond_Dantes
    Edmond_Dantes Posts: 185 Member
    Options
    The reading on machines is notorious for over estimating. The best thing to do is buy an HRM for an accurate reading, or if eating back your cals burnt then use a lesser percentage. However saying all of that it does still seem to be one of the machines that offers high burns.

    I believe this statement is spot on. I would trust a HRM much more than the machine.

    If you think about it, the machine maker has a conflict of interest in estimating calories expended. The more they say you burn, the more likely you are to use or even buy the machine. They would never give you an underestimate or you'd think the machine was a waste of time.

    That being said, depending on you exertion, weight, etc, it is possible to burn 300 calls in 30 min, just pretty darn strenuous.

    Personally, I use the readout of calories to gauge my progress and step it up from week to week to beat my prior calorie records.
  • scrapjen
    scrapjen Posts: 387 Member
    Options
    Did the elliptical ask for your weight? Some do ... that, your fitness level, even if you are male/female can all play a part in your calorie burn. Unfortunately, it is all estimates. I can input my weight on my elliptical, and it is supposedly tracking heart rate as I hold onto the handles. Speed and resistance will change the burn too. I usually stay around 6mph, mid (level 8) intensity and the machine says I burn 200 calories in 20 minutes/2miles. My Fitbit estimates around 170, but my HRM (PolarFT4) always comes in low at 130-150. I have been doing these quick elliptical sessions for several years now, so perhaps my body has adapted and I don't get the burn I once did.

    I do try not to eat back all my exercise calories, as it is so hard to know as everything is such an estimate!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    If you were on a treadmill, you'd need to jog at 4.6 mph for 30 at your weight to burn 405 calories.

    And that's likely within 4% of accurate.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

    The problem with ellipticals is there are no good studies on calorie burn related to HR or even watts produced, because there are too many variables, and even outside the setting variables, there is how you do it personally.

    It's why even the above very accurate formula for walking/running loses accuracy outside those ranges or inclines - your personal way of doing it can start to vary too much from an average.

    So if you could jog that fast for that long, then yes, easily accomplished. If not a chance in the world - then unlikely.

    It's really not that hard to hit high calorie counts. In fact some HRM's lacking in vital stats start underestimating badly when you become fit but still have weight to lose.
  • teachn77
    teachn77 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    Hello,

    You're definitely in the ballpark. I was on the elliptical for an hr yesterday and the machine said 650 calories burned, but my heartrate monitor had me at 522 (I'm around 240lb). It seems that the machine has a higher burn so I wear my Polar heart rate monitor so I can keep more accurate tabs on my exercise.

    Either way, know that you did awesome because the elliptical is not easy in the beginning!. Great job pushing out 30 minutes. I use to be excited when I made it to 5 minutes, lol...but it does get easier.
  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
    Options
    I do the elliptical for 30 minutes at least twice per day. The machine usually tells me I burn in the 150 range...when I plug my BodyMedia Fit Armband in, I'm usually in the 320-350 range. I trust my on body monitoring more than the elliptical's general calculation. Either way...GREAT BURN!
  • fairygirlpie9
    fairygirlpie9 Posts: 288 Member
    Options
    I do the elliptical for about an hour, 3-4 times a week. The amount MFP gives is actually slightly lower than my Jawbone UP band. 596 vs 630 and I don't factor in the extra weights I carry while working out.
    I weight 146 lbs so its perfectly likely that you burnt that amount and maybe even more but I do agree that a HRM would be the best way to work out your expenditure.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Options
    But it says I burned 400 calories.. is this possible???? thanks!

    No.

    Not until you're much more fit.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,725 Member
    Options
    Be warned that the MFP numbers for the elliptical are inflated. My typical workout is 65 minutes on the elliptical targeting a heart rate of 140-150. According to my HRM I burn around 500. The machine says around 750, and MFP says 926.

Categories