Accuracy

aleycat1
aleycat1 Posts: 18 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone have a thought about how accurate the readouts are on exercise machines? I'm giving myself credit for those calories so I can have a little more to eat! Thoughts??

Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    They aren't accurate. I'd say eat around 50-75% of them... I'd personally shoot for 50%.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    It depends on the machine. If it's asking you for gender, age and weight, it'll give you the burn for the average person of your gender, age and weight. That may or may not be the same as what you burn doing that activity for that intensity and duration. If it doesn't ask you for those things it might be even more inaccurate for you. I'd suggest entering only 50% of what the machine says to be safe. The other option would be to get a heart rate monitor which should be a little more accurate.
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    Not accurate for me at all. 8 miles on an elliptical in 60 min at 18-20 resistance (20 is the max), the machine shows that I burn around 1,200-1,300 calories but my HRM shows only in 700 range. I usually record less than 600 and eat back maybe around 400-500 of that. All these numbers with my age, height, and weight entered into the machine.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    A lot are TERRIBLY inaccurate. Some of the cycles, especially, seem to give inflated numbers.
  • aleycat1
    aleycat1 Posts: 18 Member
    Oh no!!! Maybe that's why I'm not losing weight like I should.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    This morning the elliptical gave me 700 calories for 1 hr, my Activity monitor gave me 454, I go by my activity monitor.
  • mclelis
    mclelis Posts: 26 Member
    Just try not eating the calories back and see if that helps
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    How many calories are you burning, and how many are you eating back??
  • aleycat1
    aleycat1 Posts: 18 Member
    I typically do 45 min of cardio which the machines I do say is about 540 calories and I put 500 into MFP. I end each day using every single calorie alloted. Which includes the 500. If I workout. I do this 3-4 x a week
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    You have to take in less than you burn to loose weight. You will maintain your present weight or gain if the equipment is over estimating your calorie burn.
  • aleycat1
    aleycat1 Posts: 18 Member
    I'm definitely not doing this right. I thought that the number mfp gave me plus any exercise would be the number I need each week to lose 1 pd. Since I can't get an accurate number for calories burned this is going to be soo much harder. I work out to get extra calories so I can have a treat at the end of the day. :(
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
    edited July 2015
    You can still do that, just keep in mind that those exercise calories from machines or MFP are estimates and won't be 100% accurate. To make up for any inaccuracies, I agree with other posters on eating back 50-75% of those calories, most of the time (eating them all back every once in awhile is good for sanity sometimes too!). If you aren't finding the weight coming off after a month or so of eating back all of your exercise calories, it's a good sign that something is off in the numbers somewhere (either inaccurate food or inaccurate exercise calories).

    Good luck!
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    The machines have ulterior goal to grossly overestimate the calories - they want to show you "look how many calories you burn on our equipment! We are better than XXXX".

    Additionally, you have to keep in mind other inaccuracies and try to eliminate the ones under your control: do you weight and measure all your foods? If you dont, that would be a more important issue to address than machines inaccuracies.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    You can do it without weight measuring your food if you're just honest about how much you eat, and count every calorie. Also do you move around a lot during the day. Do you track your activity away from the gym. Scales are great if you're eating at home all the time, but honestly how many people actually eat all their meals at home?
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Depends on the machine some are a lot better than others.
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    You can do it without weight measuring your food if you're just honest about how much you eat, and count every calorie...

    Yes, you can, just not as effective. I could bet money that most of us would not estimate correctly 1 serving of spaghetti, or steak, or beans, or cereal, or baby back ribs - anything. I mean, you can think that you are honest about how much you eat, but it wouldn't be accurate as with the scale. Ultimately, you can go by your weight over time - if you are losing, then, obviously, you are at a deficit - but it's neither effective or accurate

    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    ... but honestly how many people actually eat all their meals at home?

    I do. The last time I ate out was in May, when my son visited.


  • aleycat1
    aleycat1 Posts: 18 Member
    This thread has been really helpful. I'm going to keep exercising and will take 25% off the readout number and see if that will help. I have stated weighing my food but I do eat out frequently so there's alot of guessing. Its really hard. I just want to lose 10lbs!! Thanks to all
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    MasterVal wrote: »
    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    You can do it without weight measuring your food if you're just honest about how much you eat, and count every calorie...

    Yes, you can, just not as effective. I could bet money that most of us would not estimate correctly 1 serving of spaghetti, or steak, or beans, or cereal, or baby back ribs - anything. I mean, you can think that you are honest about how much you eat, but it wouldn't be accurate as with the scale. Ultimately, you can go by your weight over time - if you are losing, then, obviously, you are at a deficit - but it's neither effective or accurate

    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    ... but honestly how many people actually eat all their meals at home?

    I do. The last time I ate out was in May, when my son visited.


    I was able to loose weight before joining MFP didn't count any calories, just started doing that about 6 months ago, didn't change anything with my diet, just joined a gym and started really exercising and not just going through the motions. That was over 2 years ago, able to maintain my weight, recently got a scale and found out I was over estimating my calories. Now this will not work for everyone, just like you may eat all your meals at home, everyone doesn't. That's why I stated, be honest about what you eat.

  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    aleycat1 wrote: »
    This thread has been really helpful. I'm going to keep exercising and will take 25% off the readout number and see if that will help. I have stated weighing my food but I do eat out frequently so there's alot of guessing. Its really hard. I just want to lose 10lbs!! Thanks to all

    A lot of people are against these, but getting a HRM really helped me. I got one that I'm able to see my heart rate when doing cardio. (that's what I meant by going through the motions) I would get my heart rate up to 80%, in the beginning could only hold it there for 5 mins, now I can do 60 mins or more.

  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    aleycat1 wrote: »
    This thread has been really helpful. I'm going to keep exercising and will take 25% off the readout number and see if that will help. I have stated weighing my food but I do eat out frequently so there's alot of guessing. Its really hard. I just want to lose 10lbs!! Thanks to all

    A lot of people are against these, but getting a HRM really helped me. I got one that I'm able to see my heart rate when doing cardio. (that's what I meant by going through the motions) I would get my heart rate up to 80%, in the beginning could only hold it there for 5 mins, now I can do 60 mins or more.

    I would second that - a dedicated HRM is invaluable for cardio workouts.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    aleycat1 wrote: »
    This thread has been really helpful. I'm going to keep exercising and will take 25% off the readout number and see if that will help. I have stated weighing my food but I do eat out frequently so there's alot of guessing. Its really hard. I just want to lose 10lbs!! Thanks to all

    The last 10 pounds are always the hardest. You have to be pretty dedicated. The difference in exercise calories should help some.

    If you're used to eating every calorie you have available in MFP then I'd recommend only entering the amount of calories you plan to eat and not entering all of them and then planning to only eat a percentage.

    One thing to consider, though. Rather than focus on losing 10 more pounds, you might look into body recomposition. Rather than losing weight (a combination of fat, muscle and water) add strength training to your routine and more of your loss will be from fat. Your weight won't change much but you'll get firmer and smaller and that's what most of us really want when we think "10 pounds".
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    Those machines calculations are awful. They tell you that your body burns more so that you'll use their machine and not a competitors machine. Start with half of what the machine says.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    BTW when I said see my heart rate, I meant on the equipment's display, it also controls the level/resistance/incline to keep it there, all I have to do is control my speed.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    aleycat1 wrote: »
    This thread has been really helpful. I'm going to keep exercising and will take 25% off the readout number and see if that will help. I have stated weighing my food but I do eat out frequently so there's alot of guessing. Its really hard. I just want to lose 10lbs!! Thanks to all

    You can look up the calories at meals at chain restaurants. I plan everything ahead of time. We went to Red Robin, and I got the one thing that had less than 500 cal on the whole menu! LOL.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Every study has shown these to be wildly inaccurate - as much as 100% inflation. If you fall in the median height and weight the accuracy will increase, based on the algorithms used.

    If you're doing steady state cardo and have a smart phone, the Polar H7 is a great investment and cool motivator.
  • RichardBenson99
    RichardBenson99 Posts: 1 Member
    Personally, I don't input ANY of the calories I burn during exercise. I try to keep my daily input under my target input regardless of my exercise level, and consider my exercise to be a bonus. You just have to find out what works for you.



    I was never the sort of person to count calories, but using MFP and becoming adept at weighing my food and estimating my portions has worked for me.

    35 lbs. lost since Christmas!
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