Elliptical

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genie98
genie98 Posts: 62
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a Nordic Track Elliptical at home that does the heart rate, distance and calories burned. How can I tell if the calories are accurate on MFP or the elliptical? I did 40 mins on the elliptical and it said I burned 700 calories but MFP said 500. Now I do a program that raises and drops the resistance so that may make a difference. Just wondering which calories burned I should go by. Thanks for you help!

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  • jaimejean478
    jaimejean478 Posts: 152 Member
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    Stick closer to MFP, which even estimates on the high end. I did 40 minutes last night on an Arc Trainer (harder elliptical) at intervals and only burned 378 cals - machine said 450ish... MFP said way over 500.
  • PNWriter
    PNWriter Posts: 223 Member
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    I'd stick to the machine if it catalogs your weight.
  • Solat37_Neil
    Solat37_Neil Posts: 379 Member
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    Get an HRM, brilliant tool :wink:
  • AmyBlu12
    AmyBlu12 Posts: 23 Member
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    MFP says to change the amount of calories if you know how many you burned on the machine. I always burn more than what MFP gives me.
  • MsScorpio67
    MsScorpio67 Posts: 91 Member
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    Get an HRM, brilliant tool :wink:


    I would go with this post and say get a hrm. Everybody is different and you may even work harder on one day and easier on another and you may not be able to tell the difference and burn two totally different amounts.
  • jenniferg83
    jenniferg83 Posts: 278 Member
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    i agree, get a HRM with a chest strap! :) you won't regret it
  • laurenstephw
    laurenstephw Posts: 32
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    I'd do the machine because it knows the resistance and speeds you did.
  • Calidaho
    Calidaho Posts: 110 Member
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    I always use the machine number--it is usually lower than MFP. I figure it knows how hard I am working where MFP doesn't.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    700 in 40 minutes sounds is way too high.

    The machines at the gym (and the MFP database) are often incorrect (too high).
  • LilChickPea
    LilChickPea Posts: 122 Member
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    700 in 40 minutes sounds is way too high.

    The machines at the gym (and the MFP database) are often incorrect (too high).

    I definitely agree. I use the elliptical at the gym, with high resistance for over 30 mins ( I weight over 300lbs), and I only burned roughly 230 calories. I typically go with my heart rate monitor. I have a Polar F6 with a chest strap. Its not completely accurate either, but much closer than the machines.

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