Calorie Accuracy On Treadmills?

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summ99
summ99 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, I've been wondering for a while about the accuracy of treadmill calorie counts? Also this is pretty off topic but what are your thoughts on oatmeal? What's a filling but calorie-safe serving for you?

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  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Inaccurate - always overestimates cals burned. I do Keto, Primal Blueprint, so no oatmeal.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Depends on treadmill and whether programmable plus the basic formulaic accuracy ...generally I'd take 50% of burn

    Porridge? What does the serving size say? I used to like a huge bowl then with moderation learned to be satisfied with a small bowl of about 30g made with water plus honey and banana and coffee ..but I prefer egg, cheese, ham and toast
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    A follow-up question. WHY are they traditionally so high over actual burn and how do we know they're high?
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    The treadmills I use are pretty much on point once I am able to input my age and weight
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    It depends on the treadmill. My first gym's treadmills were wildly inaccurate, but the treadmills at my next gym were fairly consistent with my Fitbit.

    As for why some are so inaccurate? I have no idea.

    As for oats? I eat 40 grams. That's slightly less than 1/2 cup. I usually eat it with 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and either 3/4 cup of plain yogurt or a scoop of protein powder.
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
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    Treadmills can vary quite a bit. Depends both on if you have weight inputted correctly (i.e. changed from default), what method they are using for calories, and if the treadmill is calibrated correctly.

    There are pretty good estimations for running energy expenditure out there. It just costs a certain amount of energy to move the body over a mile of ground. If you use that and multiply by the distance that should get you into the ball park. Only variable left is treadmill calibration, but that's likely to be off by no more than 5%.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    L_Master wrote: »
    Treadmills can vary quite a bit. Depends both on if you have weight inputted correctly (i.e. changed from default), what method they are using for calories, and if the treadmill is calibrated correctly.

    There are pretty good estimations for running energy expenditure out there. It just costs a certain amount of energy to move the body over a mile of ground. If you use that and multiply by the distance that should get you into the ball park. Only variable left is treadmill calibration, but that's likely to be off by no more than 5%.

    Most estimates of energy expenditure for running and walking--whether from resource tables, web calculators, or commercial treadmills--are all derived from the energy prediction equations published by the American College of Sports Medicine. The speed on commercial treadmills is controlled by sensors and electronics--they are calibrated at the factory and cannot be "calibrated" in the field (nor do they need to be).

    You do need to input weight in order to get an accurate calorie readout. One brand I know (Life Fitness) will not display a calorie readout unless you input your weight.

    Some things that can affect accuracy: one would possibly be belt wear; but usually that results in a larger amp draw, not a big change in speed accuracy. The other would be the amount of cushioning in the deck. A more "bouncy" deck would probably allow one to run slightly faster, thus overestimating calorie burn a little compared to ground running.

    Bottom line: if you enter weight and don't hold on to the handrails, treadmills should be pretty accurate for walking and about 10-15% overestimated for running, esp at speeds greater than 6.5 mph.
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
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    Azdak wrote: »
    L_Master wrote: »
    Treadmills can vary quite a bit. Depends both on if you have weight inputted correctly (i.e. changed from default), what method they are using for calories, and if the treadmill is calibrated correctly.

    There are pretty good estimations for running energy expenditure out there. It just costs a certain amount of energy to move the body over a mile of ground. If you use that and multiply by the distance that should get you into the ball park. Only variable left is treadmill calibration, but that's likely to be off by no more than 5%.

    Most estimates of energy expenditure for running and walking--whether from resource tables, web calculators, or commercial treadmills--are all derived from the energy prediction equations published by the American College of Sports Medicine. The speed on commercial treadmills is controlled by sensors and electronics--they are calibrated at the factory and cannot be "calibrated" in the field (nor do they need to be).

    You do need to input weight in order to get an accurate calorie readout. One brand I know (Life Fitness) will not display a calorie readout unless you input your weight.

    Some things that can affect accuracy: one would possibly be belt wear; but usually that results in a larger amp draw, not a big change in speed accuracy. The other would be the amount of cushioning in the deck. A more "bouncy" deck would probably allow one to run slightly faster, thus overestimating calorie burn a little compared to ground running.

    Bottom line: if you enter weight and don't hold on to the handrails, treadmills should be pretty accurate for walking and about 10-15% overestimated for running, esp at speeds greater than 6.5 mph.

    Agree with most stuff.

    Bolded part was my bad, calibrated is not the right word. Belt accuracy varies quite a bit on treadmills, though usually not drastically. Worst I've ever seen in a decent commercial treadmill is about 5% off. Even if you run crazy hard for an hour that's likely only 50 calories difference or less, so not enough to really throw off your calorie targets.

    Definitely makes a difference on workouts though. There is one treadmill in my gym I can hope on and do a 4M tempo at 5:30 pace no problem, and another where the same 4M tempo feels challenging at 5:50 pace. For training that's a massive difference, for calories it's not a huge deal unless you're looking for scientific precision.

  • parfia
    parfia Posts: 184 Member
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    [quote="

    Definitely makes a difference on workouts though. There is one treadmill in my gym I can hope on and do a 4M tempo at 5:30 pace no problem, and another where the same 4M tempo feels challenging at 5:50 pace. For training that's a massive difference, for calories it's not a huge deal unless you're looking for scientific precision.
    [/quote]

    Random - Does this mean when training that it is a good idea to try and stick to the same treadmill?
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I never trust the treadmill's calorie count. I actually never even look at it. I use a heart rate monitor if I want a calorie count for steady state cardio. My treadmill doesn't ask for any stats (age, weight, sex), so it gives the same calorie burn to everyone. No way that's accurate.

    As for oatmeal, I always use the quaker instant packets. So I eat one packet. But that's not usually the whole meal (unless it's a snack). I might mix some trail mix into it or add peanut butter. Or I eat something else on the side.
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
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    parfia wrote: »
    [quote="

    Definitely makes a difference on workouts though. There is one treadmill in my gym I can hope on and do a 4M tempo at 5:30 pace no problem, and another where the same 4M tempo feels challenging at 5:50 pace. For training that's a massive difference, for calories it's not a huge deal unless you're looking for scientific precision.

    Random - Does this mean when training that it is a good idea to try and stick to the same treadmill?[/quote]

    Unless your OCD about paces you don't necessarily have to.

    Most running ought to be done by perceived effort. So if you normally do a hard 5M run at 8:00 pace and you get on a treadmill and feel like 8:00 pace is just cruising along, then just start upping the pace until you find the desired intensity. Or lowering it if the treadmill feels too difficult.

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