Should I be worried?

I always enter in the amount of calories burned that it says on the machine. I feel this is more accurate...expecially if it monitors your heart rate. I have an elliptical machine at home and it is much harder than the ones at the gym and the calories burned are much different even between the two. SO, I always go by what the machine says. Others may feel differently. This is just my opinion.

*Kistinbee*

Hi
I had this problem! I work out on my elliptical at home and it is not an expensive one that tells you how many calories you burned so i went off this site at first, for 30 minutes it said like 150calories and iwas working soooo hard i thought that can't be right.

So i bought myself a heart rate monitor! Best thing i ever did! It has a band that goes around your chest and a wristwatch and you type in your height and weight etc and set it going when you start you workout/walk etc and sto it at the end and it tells you how many calories you burned, for 30 minutes on the elliptical i burned..............400 calories!!!! :happy:

I bought it on ebay for about £20.

I really think it depends on the quality of the machine and if you enter the appropriate data. I have been on elliptical machines that I maintain the same RPM on and on one machine it may say that I have burned 500+ calories on it and then I have been on a newer machine (meaning more bells and whistles) and it calculates me burning around 350 for the same RPM, weight, etc.

In the past I have been told and read that the machines are approximately 25-30% off, so whatever it says, you should reduce the amount burned for a more accurate reading. Which makes sense if you look at my comment above 500 vs 350 calories.

To be honest, I would love to think, "Wow, I burned 800 calories in my work out today" but on the otherhand I would HATE to set myself up for a feeling of failure -- with wondering why the weight isn't coming off as quickly as it should - or if you use the net calorie method on the food chart and eat an extra 800 calories to net 1200 when perhaps you should have only had an extra 400 hundred -- well that would be somewhat unintentionally self defeating. Better to err on the side of caution and be suprised if you are dropping more weight than less.

I went to the website and it gave me the exact thing number I get when I am at the gym. On the Manual setting. :bigsmile:

You are right... I am on the treadmill for 60 minutes. I run for 30 minutes and walk with a 5% incline for the remaining 30 minutes - and I got within 4 calories of what the machine says -- however, I will say this is one of the newest treadmills out there -- so my discussion may still be accurate.