Please don't make fun of me, but.....lol

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luckiarmywife
luckiarmywife Posts: 39
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, so I go to the gym and so my thing on the elliptical. I never enter my weight on the machine bc, honestly, Im afraid someone would see how much I weigh, or I would stare at it too long.....causing me to go non stop till I passed out...lolol ANYHOW....when I get on here to log my time and what I did, it calculates this amount of calories that I burned, when Im not sure how the number says that....

Example: I did 30 min on the elliptical and it said I burned roughing 260 calories. This is without putting in my age or weight. SO, my question is, if I was to enter it, would it match what fitnesspal is telling me? Hope your following me here! Any advice would be great! Thanks!
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Replies

  • sparklesammy
    sparklesammy Posts: 465 Member
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    you can check the database for elliptical, put in 30 mins and see what it says for your weight (which it has stored).

    The only way to know for sure is with a hrm with your weight programmed in, but they are expensive (worth it though).

    I completely understand why you would want to put your weight in the machine at the gym, i would be selfconscious about that too. and as well as that, its a total faff having to imput things, when its easier to just press quick start : )
  • jsharp29
    jsharp29 Posts: 7
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    I think it would be more accurate if you enter your weight. All things being equal (time, speed, etc), the more you weigh, the more calories you burn.
  • yaddayaddayadda
    yaddayaddayadda Posts: 430 Member
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    I would look at both of them and go with the better number!!
  • idahogirl71
    idahogirl71 Posts: 1,110 Member
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    If you did you profile info on MFP and entered your weight it has it stored and will figure the calories burned by using that information. Most of the calories burned on this site are accurate, though I have encountered a few that are off. The machine itself would be more accurate and a heart rate monitor would be the most accurate. If you want to compare just enter your info in the machine at the gym one time and then compare it to MFP. You don't have to do it everyday if it bothers you to do so.
  • Just1forMe
    Just1forMe Posts: 624 Member
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    The calories MFP tells you that you have burned for a certain activity is based on your data (weight etc) so it should be fairly accurate for you. Just put your weight into the elliptical and cover it with your hand :) It doesn't stay on there the whole time you work out, does it?? Don't sweat it....no one is watching to see what you weigh, and if they are, they are pretty sad, so who cares?
  • Charli666
    Charli666 Posts: 407
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    i'd go with the lower number, because that way the extra is a bonus!!

    get a HRM, that way you can accurately calculate
  • tam120
    tam120 Posts: 444 Member
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    I think the machines at the gym default to 150 lbs, so the reading you're getting there is probably what the average cals a 150 lb person would burn.
  • chelsifina
    chelsifina Posts: 346 Member
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    Not a silly question at all!!!! Good for you for wanting accuracy and more knowledge about your body!
    Sadly, the machines at the gym are notorious for overestimating calories burned, so who knows. Your best bet is to get a HR monitor that calculates calories burned for you. I have found that the MFP estimates are under what I actually burn. For the meantime, enter in your weight on the machine and maybe enter the number between the machine estimate and the mfp estimate. good luck on your journey!
  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,071 Member
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    I would look at both of them and go with the better number!!

    I actually do the opposite as a "better safe than sorry" kind of thing :)
  • chelsifina
    chelsifina Posts: 346 Member
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    oh, by the way walmart.com has great prices on HR monitors. The belt is included with the watch, and you can get one for as little as 50 bucks. Its definitely worth the investment!
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    The only problem with MFP numbers is that if you vary your intensity, It can't track the numbers accurately. I would just put in your weight in the machine. Most people at the gym are more concerned with their own workouts, than what you weigh. I wouldn't worry about it.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    I don't think you should be embarrassed at all. Why care what anyone thinks? And truth be known, very few people are really concerned with your weight in a negative way.

    And the few that are... why would you care what they think?
  • CoastieGMWife
    CoastieGMWife Posts: 63
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    I'm not too sure how much of a difference it will have. I have put in my weight and age and the ellipticals I use have the HRM in the handles. After my workout the cals burned on the machine are almost always lower than what MFP puts in. I always change it to reflect the lower number. If anything the extra calories burned are a hidden bonus!
  • Imthatg1rl
    Imthatg1rl Posts: 109
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    Input your weight next time. I promise no one is watching :)
  • ❤B☩❤
    ❤B☩❤ Posts: 634
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    I don't think you should be embarrassed at all. Why care what anyone thinks? And truth be known, very few people are really concerned with your weight in a negative way.

    And the few that are... why would you care what they think?

    ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! This is YOUR journey...let them deal with their own....but most of all, ENJOY! :drinker:
  • luckiarmywife
    luckiarmywife Posts: 39
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    Oh my goodness, thanks for the input! Im gonna start putting my weight into account in the machines at the gym. This is a pretty state of the art fitness center bc its on post here at Ft Lewis. There are a few reasons that make me shy to put my weight into the machine. For one, sometimes the hubby, who is active duty Army for 7 years and is built like Zeus, goes with me. He doesn't know how much I weigh. And if you ask him, he will tell you Im a size 6 and 130 lbs...bahahhaa...he is a sweety! Also, I go with "friends" who are significatly thinner then I am. Im just kinda shy about it, but in all honesty, I don't care what they think. When I put in my weight, its really gonna benefit me to know really what I worked off, calorie wise mainly bc thats what helps me when logging my food.

    So, the elliptical at the gym, is like a 15000 dollar elliptical with t.v.'s and all the fancy stuff on them. Im not sure what its base weight is for determining calories burned. I usually do between 30-45 minutes, at a incline of 7 and resistance of 4. It usually tells me when Im done that I have burned between 260 calories and 300. So, that being said, since Im 225 lbs...I bet I have actually burned A LOT more then that. However, I like the girls idea of leaving it that way bc it could just actually benefit me...thats smart. Especially since I would like to lose 2-3 lbs a week, God willing. Thank you all for your answers! I appreciate it! Sarah
  • CoastieGMWife
    CoastieGMWife Posts: 63
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    You can do it! Working out at base gyms can be intimidating, but its all worth it in the end. :)
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    Put your weight in, no one cares!!

    I spent so much time waiting for no one to be around so I could plunk in the numbers that I could have doubled my workout :laugh:

    One time I said it out loud!! ONE HUNDRED SIXTY EIGHT!.......as I typed it in. The guy next to me :huh: the girl on the other side :flowerforyou: that's all:wink:

    It was FREEING.........no one cares about YOUR number, they care about THEIR numbers!!

    Same thing with working out...................go for it and lift those weights. No one was born doing it, they all had to learn.

    Shoulda seen me doing a one legged hoppity thing with a medicine ball at the gym the other day with my trainer...........got a few:huh: and then saw someone else copying me!!:smokin:
  • keithkcreal1
    keithkcreal1 Posts: 2
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    Why are you afraid that someone would see your weight?? Someone might pass by and say " Hey, you're fat!!" If they do, just say "Congrats!!! You're not blind." Just saying, that is why you are at the gym to improve upon it. Nothing to be ashamed of. Really.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    OH AND your a lovely young woman. Sixty pounds may seem daunting, but I have see double that lost on here with normal women. Check out my friend Tamtastic..............Tami lost 135+ pounds all on her own. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!:flowerforyou:

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