How do I know FOR SURE how many calories I burn?

JenMarie8781
JenMarie8781 Posts: 377 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When I walk on the treadmill, it displays how many calories I burn but I know it's not accurate because the treadmill does not know how much I weigh or any of that. It's just an average, probably based on people of average weight.... and I am far from average weight. So how do I ACCURATELYcalculate how many calories I burn while walking?
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Replies

  • JenMarie8781
    JenMarie8781 Posts: 377 Member
    Anybody?
  • JenMarie8781
    JenMarie8781 Posts: 377 Member
    *Bump*
  • zephyrzar
    zephyrzar Posts: 23 Member
    I have the Polar FT4F heart rate monitor. Works great on accurately showing me how many calories I have burned. You set your setting with height/weight/age. Other than that you are always going to get some average/guess on how many calories you are burning.
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    Sorry JenMarie- only way to know for sure is to get an HRM. Burn varies so much person to person depending on so many different things. Best to get an HRM with a chest strap so that you know exactly what you're burning.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Heart rate monitor is your best bet.
  • H_82
    H_82 Posts: 418 Member
    Heart Rate monitor......I have the Polar FT60 & love it!
  • Olive32214
    Olive32214 Posts: 467 Member
    I am not an exercise expert but the only way I get a true reading is from my HRM. I got the Polar ft4.
  • georgia98_98
    georgia98_98 Posts: 123 Member
    I have the Polar ft7... it does what i need... I am not a runner, so I didn't need a gps... Hope that helps...
  • Lisa_More
    Lisa_More Posts: 14
    That is a good question!! My is the same way, it doesn't know my weight either. And I have been going by that but never thought about it!!
    I bought me a watch that reads my calories when I am doing the wii, maybe I will use that one for me.
    Maybe you should get one too! It runs between $30 to $60 at Kmart. I got the one in the middle.
    Good luck! And thanks for bringing it up!!! It got me thinking! LOL
  • Marianna05
    Marianna05 Posts: 67 Member
    ok so i have a question now....at my gym I use the elliptical machine and i enter my weight, age and time.. I keep my hands on the sensors so it reads my heart rate..would the calories burned be accurate then?
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    the only way to know FOR SURE is to measure the CO2 you breathe out. I have done this for an exercise study. 99.99% of the time, you can't do that.

    The second best way is a heart rate monitor.

    Don't trust the number on the treadmill. it is notoriously and sometimes wildly inaccurate.
  • billgiersberg
    billgiersberg Posts: 163
    A heart rate monitor might not be in the budget. In that case what I have found is that if you look at all the calories estimators, you might find they are fairly close. MFP has one where you log your exercise:
    Click Exercise, Under cardiovascular click add exercise, click the treadmill and then enter your minutes. Let MFP consider your weight and burn.

    I have an elliptical that does ask for my weight and I find that it and MFP are close enough. They also somewhat agree with another website I use that calculates my burns.

    What I found myself doing was under-estimating my eating calories and over estimating my burns. No wonder I was not losing weight. When I reversed that and started to be more realistic, the weight started coming off. If you are trying to cut it too close by having perfect numbers, I think your progress may be slower than you would like. Just a thought.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    it *might* be accurate, but you're trusting that the manufacturer is correctuly using your input to calculate calories. And studies have shown that those machines notoriously overestimate your calories burned.
    ok so i have a question now....at my gym I use the elliptical machine and i enter my weight, age and time.. I keep my hands on the sensors so it reads my heart rate..would the calories burned be accurate then?
  • Lisa_More
    Lisa_More Posts: 14
    I have noticed that the elliptical I use at the gym gives me a very low number..and when I get off it I feel like I burned twice the amount it gives me! I think I will take my calorie reader there too just to make sure I am getting an accurate read. If the machine can't really be trusted.
    it *might* be accurate, but you're trusting that the manufacturer is correctuly using your input to calculate calories. And studies have shown that those machines notoriously overestimate your calories burned.
    ok so i have a question now....at my gym I use the elliptical machine and i enter my weight, age and time.. I keep my hands on the sensors so it reads my heart rate..would the calories burned be accurate then?
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
    You will never know for sure how much you take in and how much you burn. It's all (quite accurately in some cases) guessed.
  • That1JB
    That1JB Posts: 13
    I have the same question about my new pedometer. I'll repost after my workout. Will my pedometer and elliptical have the same reading?
  • thatsnumberwang
    thatsnumberwang Posts: 398 Member
    You will never know for sure how much you take in and how much you burn. It's all (quite accurately in some cases) guessed.

    This. Contrary to popular belief, HRMs are not a perfect measure of how much you're burning. They're actually quite inaccurate in some cases (e.g., strength training). You can approximate more or less closely, but in the end as long as you're in the right ballpark most of the time, you'll be fine.
  • kodibear123
    kodibear123 Posts: 185 Member
    I have a BodyMedia Fit (Same maker as a BodyBugg):bigsmile: and I love it! It tells me how many calories I burned in a 24 hour period.
  • SirZee
    SirZee Posts: 381
    The military teaches navigation (field navigation that is) to deliberately aim off. For example, I want to get to the crossing of two roads on the map, instead aiming to the intersection, I'll aim half mile to the left, that way when I hit the road I KNOW that i have to turn right for the intersection. Even if my navigation is poor, and I end a quarter mile off from the point I wanted to get to, the intersection is still to the right.

    When in doubt with things like calorie measuring, apply the same principle to "err on the right side". Don't know if the machine is programmed for an average man, average woman, fat man, skinny woman?... no problem. HALF what it says, and record that. At least you know for sure you worked off that many calories. The rest (whatever it may be), chalk it up to the cost of accuracy. Over time, those will be an unexpected bonus, especially when you weigh in at the end of the week and realize that you lost more than you calculated you would :)

    Hope this helps.
  • Darkskinned88
    Darkskinned88 Posts: 1,177 Member
    The military teaches navigation (field navigation that is) to deliberately aim off. For example, I want to get to the crossing of two roads on the map, instead aiming to the intersection, I'll aim half mile to the left, that way when I hit the road I KNOW that i have to turn right for the intersection. Even if my navigation is poor, and I end a quarter mile off from the point I wanted to get to, the intersection is still to the right.

    When in doubt with things like calorie measuring, apply the same principle to "err on the right side". Don't know if the machine is programmed for an average man, average woman, fat man, skinny woman?... no problem. HALF what it says, and record that. At least you know for sure you worked off that many calories. The rest (whatever it may be), chalk it up to the cost of accuracy. Over time, those will be an unexpected bonus, especially when you weigh in at the end of the week and realize that you lost more than you calculated you would :)

    Hope this helps.

    i gotta try this...i think even mpf if giving me a little too much credit for my workouts
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    It's all an estimate, but if you're getting the results you want, it's close enough to right.
  • lungry1980
    lungry1980 Posts: 37
    OK, while we are on this note, what do you like most about your PolarFT60, Polar FT4F, or fit bit??? I cant decide which one to get.

    Thanks!! :happy:
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,364 Member
    OK, while we are on this note, what do you like most about your PolarFT60, Polar FT4F, or fit bit??? I cant decide which one to get.

    Thanks!! :happy:

    nothing. i have the Polar FT7 :)
  • lungry1980
    lungry1980 Posts: 37
    OK, while we are on this note, what do you like most about your PolarFT60, Polar FT4F, or fit bit??? I cant decide which one to get.

    Thanks!! :happy:

    nothing. i have the Polar FT7 :)

    I guess I know which one to NOT buy! Thanks!!!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Accurately? You need a portable oxygen analyzer. They're about $40,000.

    But a $100 HRM will get you pretty close too.
  • kammy92
    kammy92 Posts: 408 Member
    I have a Polar FT4, it was under $60 and it does the job, nothing fancy! I was going by what my elliptical said for awhile and I was GROSSLY overestimating my calories.......it was actually almost half of what the elliptical said!! Bodytronics.com has great prices if you are looking to get an HRM...............:bigsmile:
  • H_82
    H_82 Posts: 418 Member
    OK, while we are on this note, what do you like most about your PolarFT60, Polar FT4F, or fit bit??? I cant decide which one to get.

    Thanks!! :happy:
    For me, I like my FT60. Have had it for almost 2 years now. Has a chest strap, has a test that measures your oxygen intake (to setup prior to using), doesn't beep at me if I'm not "in the zone" haha. It was a little pricey when I got it ($160 I think from ebay), but I've certainly gotten good use out of it!! Well worth it!
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,364 Member
    OK, while we are on this note, what do you like most about your PolarFT60, Polar FT4F, or fit bit??? I cant decide which one to get.

    Thanks!! :happy:

    nothing. i have the Polar FT7 :)

    I guess I know which one to NOT buy! Thanks!!!


    no problem! ill just sit here enjoying the hell out of my awesome FT7 for the both of us :)
  • Crystal817
    Crystal817 Posts: 2,021 Member
    Accurately? You need a portable oxygen analyzer. They're about $40,000.

    Can I buy this off ebay?
  • Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington
    Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington Posts: 51
    This is a very common question! The cardio machines, like a treadmill calculate your caloric expenditure by the information you put into it...not very accurate at all. A heart rate monitor will also calculate your caloric expenditure but will be closer to accuracy since when you set up the watch, you have to input your information and uses the help of your heart rate. But once again, it's just a formula, and the more information is put into the device, the more accurate. However, if you really want to know exactly how your body burns its calories (more specifically, what types of calories, carbs or fat) then I would suggest doing a Exercise Metabolic Assessment. It's measured accurately because you are but on a cardio machine while having an oxygen mask on, so it takes in account your volume of carbon dioxide produced as well as your volume of oxygen consumed, while monitoring your heart rate too. You can go to www.newleaffitness and do a search of locations around you that have this equipment. 

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