Calories burned?

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stickkop
stickkop Posts: 24 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I did an hour of cardio in the gym today evenly split between running at 7 & 7.5 mph and high intensity elliptical (actually arc trainer). The machines put my calorie burn at over 900 for session while the app has me at approx 600. While I assume the truth is somewhere in between and I would never eat all of them back I am wondering which is more accurate the machines (assuming you enter your weight) or the app?

Replies

  • engodwin
    engodwin Posts: 516 Member
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    Heart rate monitor?

    I know that's not what you asked but I find neither (the app nor the machines) are very reliable/accurate. I would choose the lower burn and only eat back a portion (if any).
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I'd choose the app myself. I'd also eat most of them back lol
  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
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    The app is rediculously high for long term activities like cycling.

    I will get 600 calories of burn per Garmin VivoActive using cadence, speed, and HRM inputs. Map My Ride will give me 1400 calories or so.

    My Fitness App calorie burn numbers are inflated.
  • elfpsych1
    elfpsych1 Posts: 2 Member
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    The app just informed me that 20 min jog at 8kph would burn me 712 kcal. Happy, happy days! The lying machines in the gym tell me that i only burn maybe 150-200, if they feel generous. Something dodgy is going on with this app or my ability to use it...
  • JoshuaMcAllister
    JoshuaMcAllister Posts: 500 Member
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    elfpsych1 wrote: »
    The app just informed me that 20 min jog at 8kph would burn me 712 kcal. Happy, happy days! The lying machines in the gym tell me that i only burn maybe 150-200, if they feel generous. Something dodgy is going on with this app or my ability to use it...

    This is an error. You calorie burn will be lucky to be half of the 712kcal the app is claiming you burned. Its far more likely to be that of the machine but even then its just an estimate and likely to be exaggerated.
  • elfpsych1
    elfpsych1 Posts: 2 Member
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    JoshuaMcAllister wrote: »
    elfpsych1 wrote: »
    The app just informed me that 20 min jog at 8kph would burn me 712 kcal. Happy, happy days! The lying machines in the gym tell me that i only burn maybe 150-200, if they feel generous. Something dodgy is going on with this app or my ability to use it...

    This is an error. You calorie burn will be lucky to be half of the 712kcal the app is claiming you burned. Its far more likely to be that of the machine but even then its just an estimate and likely to be exaggerated.

    Thank you for the reply. I gathered it was an error, as i rarely get off the treadmill after 45 mins with much more than 300 cals... but the app is giving me crazy calorie counts for all activities i checked - e.g. roller blading for 30 mins is something crazy like 900 cals (i mean, you wouldn't even break a sweat in that time. ..) i don't think I will be using this app to check calories burned. Which is a shame, as it would be useful.
  • inglysh731
    inglysh731 Posts: 42 Member
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    Today's ride in calories, MFP vs a powertap (thingy that measures watts at the rear hub).

    324 minutes total, 90.9 miles, 17.7mph average

    MFP calories - 4840

    Powertap calories - 2697

    I generally eat all the calories back that my power tap says I burn... because it's an actual measurement of work performed.

    If I went by MFP, I'd only eat back about 50% and monitor/adjust depending on the results.

    As for other machines, kind of the same deal... I'd use the machine consistently, catalog results and make adjustments accordingly.
    Watching sodium would be important here due to the effects it has on weight fluctuations.
  • mel35645
    mel35645 Posts: 267 Member
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    I'm a newbie to all of this but I would use the lower if the two just to be on the safe side.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited March 2016
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    How bout just adjusting your caloric intake to your weight loss or gain on a weekly/bi weekly average?

    Much more accurate than any machine, MFP, or HRM are known to be inaccurate.

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