Calories burned - believe the elliptical or HRM?

Does your HRM have your height/weight stats? Your resting HR? I'd probably go with whichever had the most information as I'd think it would be more accurate, but I tend to just use my Fitbit and don't pay attention to anything else.

Depends on your BMI. Gender, Age, Height, Weight all play a roll. I would run with the one who as the most information about you.

Your HRM, assuming that is not only incorporates the personal information of you (gender, height, weight, age...), but also constantly monitors your heart rate during your entire exercise period, likely has the best calculation of the two options.

All cardio machines are programmed for an average person of some certain average build working at the various intensity levels available by the machine for various lengths of time you maintain those intensity levels. (The HRM's measurements are a bit more reliable because they measure your body's reaction to the increased intensity and duration of intensity.) They traditional computing calories burned as being higher than actual when compared to a typically more reliable HRM, but can compute lower than actual if your body build is larger/greater than the average it was programmed for. Furthermore, the cardio machine's calculations will be "off" every time you remove your hands from the sensors for the duration your hands are not in contact.

If it is a machine that reads the transmission of the nearest HRM, it is not reporting the results from the HRM, but using the heart rate reading for its own pre programmed computations of calories burned.

If one only has the cardio machines' computations and not the benefit of a HRM, those calculations are better than having none, but that is not your situation; you have your HRM. If you don't trust your HRM. you should select a different one. If you wish to be on the "safe" side, record the lower reading and only eat those calories back, rather than the calories of the higher reading.

Beyond the point of your question, remember that all calorie computations, burned and consumed) are estimates only.

Calories burned is an estimate. Seemingly identical persons in age, gender, height and weight at the same incline and resistance will burn a different number of calories due to the differing muscle mass of the individuals. The difference is likely too small to make a difference, and yet the difference exists and calories burned remains an estimate.

Calories consumed is also an estimate. Obviously, food measured by volume has a different caloric content when compared pre-cooking volume to post-cooking volume. But also, the degree of cooking varies (i.e. steak cooked rare vs. steak cooked medium vs. steak cooked well-done). Not every fruit or vegetable has the same water content of their like kind -- not every mango, red delicious apple, artichoke, avocado or head of bibb lettuce has the same water/flesh content of every other mango, red delicious apple, artichoke, avocado or head of bibb lettuce. Once again, the difference likely too small to make a difference and yet the difference exists and we rely on databases that give us an estimate.

Good luck on your journey.

What was your heart rate, speed, during those 45-55 mins,? what range, (Moderate/vigorous/very vigorous)?

I was actually just wondering this very thing. My FitBit is always a higher number, which I've always used cuz like others have stated it has more of my info. However I feel like I'm always getting very high numbers. Its awesome if they are accurate...but I'm worried they are too high and if I "eat them back" I won't make progress.

If you had a lot of coffee that day, or were stressed or dehydrated, your HR will have been elevated, but not from exercise.

dbrooks82 wrote: »

I was actually just wondering this very thing. My FitBit is always a higher number, which I've always used cuz like others have stated it has more of my info. However I feel like I'm always getting very high numbers. Its awesome if they are accurate...but I'm worried they are too high and if I "eat them back" I won't make progress.

The only way to know is to try it. Keep good track of the food you eat (including how many calories) and the exercise you do (including how many calories), and your weight. The CI and CO predict how much weight you should lose and how quickly; the scale tells the truth about that, over time. If your CO estimates are too high, the scale will tell you. Give this method a few weeks because a lot of other things will affect your weight, but the trend will be clear.