So how many calories AM I burning during my workout?

A heart rate monitor is your best bet !!!

400 doesn't sound high - why would you assume that?

Is the machine asking for your weight? Does it record your power output (watts)?
If yes then it could well be a reasonable estimate.

The make/model of elliptical would help.
For example I use a Cybex ARC Trainer and found online how they created their own calorie tables by testing a cross section of people using it whilst hooked up to gas analysers - so I have more confidence the estimates are somewhat believable.
At least as believable as using a HRM which has far more variable accuracy than many people seem to think.

If 400 seems you high to you based on ____, then what number would you consider reasonable?

OtakuMusician wrote: »

Meanwhile, MFP suggests 750 calories. Not even going to bother with that one, haha.

Be very wary of entries in the MFP database with no measurement of distance, speed or perceived exertion - they are pretty pointless except for giving you a heading to log under!
If I were you I would log under the category of "Elliptical" but overwrite the 750 with whatever the machine tells you.

OtakuMusician wrote: »

My boyfriend simply suggested that may be an overestimation. He suggested 200 at most for an hour work out. Maybe that's why I've been so discouraged.

Does your boyfriend have reputable qualifications in this area? A degree in exercise physiology, or something? Perhaps he managed a study on calorific expenditure? No?

Health Harvard Publications gives a range of 270-400 calories, depending on the user's weight per half hour.

Someone may assert something in a confident voice... and still be wrong.

Yes. I understand that you asked for a second opinion. My point is, develop a bit of a *kitten* detector. Every time someone declares something like this to you, think: "what are their qualifications in this area?"

The moment your friends and family and their acquaintances discover you are trying to lose weight, it turns out everyone is an armchair personal trainer or dietician, desperate to give you suggestions, many of them potentially hazardous to your health, and the remainder damaging to your morale.

(Visible pregnancy is similar; I once had a road safety instructor give me earnest instructions on how to tell a surgeon to best perform a potential caesarean section.)

Start considering people's credibility first off.

Otherwise, you're going to spend a lot of time googling the supposed benefits of apple cider vinegar.

allyphoe wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

a leisurely walk for an hour at 3.5mph would give you almost 200 cals.
I assume you were working a lot harder than that on the elliptical.

I'm guessing you're tall. As an average-height woman, 3.5mph (a 17 minute mile) is "I'm in great shape, intentionally trying to walk fast, and can't string two words together without a gap in between." 4.0mph (a 15 minute mile) is a speed I can't sustain for more than a mile, and I need a pace person to get there, even when I've been diligently increasing my walking pace for a year; my legs just don't move that fast at a walk.

For comparison, I can get wattage-based calorie counts from an elliptical of 600+ per hour at a pace I can sustain for an hour.

@allyphoe

No I'm not tall (5'9") and don't think I'm a fast walker at all. A fraction under 4mph is my normal walking speed in town for part of my daily commute, not walking for exercise. 3.5mph is leisurely for me.
My colleague is 5'6" and walks everywhere at almost 5mph comfortably, not sweating or puffed out. He's fit but not super fit - his little legs do go like pistons though!