Can I trust technology?!

GoingSlightlyMad
GoingSlightlyMad Posts: 190 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone!
The title pretty much says it all... -well maybe not.
At the gym there's a stationary bike I use, which requests my age and weight and after the workout returns the kilocalories I've burned. Since it uses that information, I guess the number it shows is accurate.
But the treadmill, for example, doesn't ask for that data, and neither does the stationary bike I have at home. So I was wondering, how accurate is the number these machines return? When I log the exercise I usually round down (if the bike says I burned 559 kilocalories, I'll log 500), but still it concerns me.
It is a stupid question, but I am curious.

Replies

  • Sutnak
    Sutnak Posts: 227 Member
    Not really accurate at all. Sorry.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Not a stupid question at all, but one that gets asked fairly regularly.

    The machines will all approximate based on how much energy you put into them, the use of height, weight, age etc is to help it provide a better approximation, but it's still just an approximation. It doesn't take account of how efficient you are, and a hos of other factors.

    To get to the key question, of how much of the calorie expenditure to account for, consistency is the key. Any method that you use will have errors, and as long as you're consistent you can tweak how you deal with it as your other metrics change. So if you're losing faster than planned then for some reason you have a bigger deficit than intended, and vice versa.

    There is no 100% reliable method for measuring your energy expenditure, at least not without a considerable amount of lab support. Some people will come along and advocate a heart rate monitor, but they've got their own weaknesses, you can just be better assured that it's taking a measurement that's perhaps a bit more meaningful. I don't use mine for calorie expenditure, it's a training tool for me.

    So I'd suggest that you continue doing what you're doing. If you need to tweak a bit, then do so.
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    Not a stupid question at all, but one that gets asked fairly regularly.

    The machines will all approximate based on how much energy you put into them, the use of height, weight, age etc is to help it provide a better approximation, but it's still just an approximation. It doesn't take account of how efficient you are, and a hos of other factors.

    To get to the key question, of how much of the calorie expenditure to account for, consistency is the key. Any method that you use will have errors, and as long as you're consistent you can tweak how you deal with it as your other metrics change. So if you're losing faster than planned then for some reason you have a bigger deficit than intended, and vice versa.

    There is no 100% reliable method for measuring your energy expenditure, at least not without a considerable amount of lab support. Some people will come along and advocate a heart rate monitor, but they've got their own weaknesses, you can just be better assured that it's taking a measurement that's perhaps a bit more meaningful. I don't use mine for calorie expenditure, it's a training tool for me.

    So I'd suggest that you continue doing what you're doing. If you need to tweak a bit, then do so.

    excellent,well thought out response.kudos.

    to the OP, i would ask staff members at the gym how to input your data.most modern machines can be programmed with individual data.
    for your home bike, input your stats into any of the numerous online calorie burn trackers,
    i use livestrong.com and compendium of physical activities.you can work out a fairly accurate guide from there.
    my gym also has its own website that does all the above.maybe yours does to?

    ultimately, i never rely 100% on these figures but they are handy for net calorie deficit.
    i only eat back max 25% of exercise cals burned,so i have a huge margin of error for success.
    have lost over 20kg in 4 months calculating this way.

    g luck.

  • mmerry5
    mmerry5 Posts: 69 Member
    I use my treadmill nearly every day. There is no way to enter my height or weight into mine either. I also have a Fitbit flex fitness tracker that does take sex, age, height and weight into account for calorie burns. My treadmill shows nearly double what my Fitbit says after my run/walk. Not accurate for me at all. However I am a petite, 50 year old woman at maintenance, 110lbs give or take. I think the treadmill I have is set up to count calories for a male maybe 150 lbs. Seems like I read that somewhere in my paperwork? So anyway, guess it depends on your stats as to whether or not it might be accurate. It would obviously be more accurate for some and less for others based on their actual stats, if that makes sense? Like others said, might be more accurate to get a Heart Rate Monitor or Fitness tracker.
  • GoingSlightlyMad
    GoingSlightlyMad Posts: 190 Member
    Ugh, that's what I feared. Too bad I can't afford a Heart Rate Monitor right now, I guess I'll just have to keep estimating.
    Thank you all for replying! :smiley:
  • DvlDwnInGA
    DvlDwnInGA Posts: 368 Member
    edited October 2014
    I like taking my heart rate while I am set at my working pace on a machine. I don't use their programmed workouts that are on the machine, I set my machine to run in manual mode and then set my machine to get my heart rate into the zone that I want it to work and I try to stay at that pace to keep my heart rate up the entire workout. If you want to get an idea for your burn there are plenty of online calculators that will do this. Here is just an example.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

    Use your finger and check your heart rate for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. I like to try to keep mine up in the 140 range for my age.
  • GoingSlightlyMad
    GoingSlightlyMad Posts: 190 Member
    DvlDwnInGA wrote: »
    I like taking my heart rate while I am set at my working pace on a machine. I don't use their programmed workouts that are on the machine, I set my machine to run in manual mode and then set my machine to get my heart rate into the zone that I want it to work and I try to stay at that pace to keep my heart rate up the entire workout. If you want to get an idea for your burn there are plenty of online calculators that will do this. Here is just an example.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

    Use your finger and check your heart rate for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. I like to try to keep mine up in the 140 range for my age.

    Thank you! Looks useful :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    Gym equipment readouts aren't very reliable. These machines are use 100's of hours a week and NEVER get calibrated. You can go from one machine to the next (same exact brand and model) and end up getting different read outs in the end.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

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