MFP says I shoulda burned 386 calories-only burned 233??

ewitmerhmc
ewitmerhmc Posts: 4
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
So I don't know if my elliptical is off? But I just worked out on it for 30 minutes at about 65 RMP and end distance of over 6 miles. It said I only burned 233 calories. Then I go on MFP and put it in my exercises and it says I shoulda burnt 386! thats a big difference! and it throws me off because then I don't know how much to eat back?! I think if anything the elliptical may be wrong. I got it for free from the hotel I work for because the heart rate monitor wasn't working. (also i don't feel like the resistance works either) And I'm sure whatever my heart rate is when I work out is a big factor in how much you burn.. If anyone works out on an elliptical and hits the same or close to the numbers I do could you tell me if around 240 is correct? thank you!!

-Erin

Replies

  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    Both are just an estimate and have a margin for error - I would go with the lower number since you're eating it back just to be on the safe side. Or perhaps an average between the two.
  • ewitmerhmc
    ewitmerhmc Posts: 4
    very good idea!!! thank you! I will keep that in mind from now on! :D
  • jmach002
    jmach002 Posts: 113 Member
    neither one will be completely accurate. calories burned while exercising is a formula based on your bodyweight and heart rate achieve by working out. if you want a more accurate calorie count i would recommend and heart rate monitor with a chest strap. the one i have is by polar and is by far the best thing i have bought for the gym ever! great for working in heart rate zones and really knowing how hard you are pushing while working out . also you can base your cardiovascular fitness on it too.
  • hackett1171
    hackett1171 Posts: 33
    yes both are just estimates and the equipment is set up as a computer that is programed for the input only and calculates the output based on that....I don't go by what the equipment says.... i go by how I feel and my own exhaustion at the end of the work out
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Respectfully, it should be all but impossible to go six miles in 30 minutes on the ellitpical.
  • hapoo100
    hapoo100 Posts: 926 Member
    different weights burn at different rates. did you enter your weight into the eliptical?
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    Go with the lower number however both as others have said are just estimates.

    I can't afford a decent HRM right now so I use MFP numbers but I put in less time than I've actually done. For example, if I did 45 minutes I'll enter 30 to get a better calorie burn amount and enter it as a tad lower in intensity than I think I'm doing.
  • ewitmerhmc
    ewitmerhmc Posts: 4
    @arc918
    seriously? i thought it was kinda high as well but I don't know, thats what it said! LMFAO so basically the whole machine is full of wrongness hahaha I'm going to just cover the whole screen cause its screwing with my head! thanks for letting me know that it's unattainable though :)
  • HappyinSunnyColorado
    HappyinSunnyColorado Posts: 7
    MFP is always high for calories - in my experience (sometimes twice as high). Gym equipment also tends to be high, although lower than MFP. You will get the most accurate calories using a Polar heart rate monitor set up with all your personal and fitness data. If you don't want to use a HRM, then I would use the lower number and still not eat back all your calories. Good luck!!
  • nfgchick79
    nfgchick79 Posts: 89 Member
    I just bought a heart rate monitor and have found that MFP overestimates greatly how many calories I burned. For example I did Spin, TRX and Zumba classes for 2 hours the other night. My HRM said I burned 600 calories and MFP told me I burned over 800 which is WAY off. I'm glad I hadn't been eating ALL of my exercise calories back. I love my HRM because I can look at it and see how hard I am working and get a more accurate idea of how many calories I burned.
  • ewitmerhmc
    ewitmerhmc Posts: 4
    I just bought a heart rate monitor and have found that MFP overestimates greatly how many calories I burned. For example I did Spin, TRX and Zumba classes for 2 hours the other night. My HRM said I burned 600 calories and MFP told me I burned over 800 which is WAY off. I'm glad I hadn't been eating ALL of my exercise calories back. I love my HRM because I can look at it and see how hard I am working and get a more accurate idea of how many calories I burned.

    Does the HRM go on your upper arm? or can you put it around your wrist like a watch? I'm getting a fit bit tonight, would that be helpful in calculating cardiovascular exercises? or just everyday activity?
  • methodless
    methodless Posts: 62
    I use the elliptical all the time. I'm not sure what level of resistance you're putting it at, nor do I know if yours is more efficient than what I have seen. (I have seen MANY that lie way upwards).

    But based on what I have seen from peeking at the stats of people around me, 233 in 30 for a female is very typical of what I see.
    386 in 30 is certainly not impossible, but it would put you in the upper 1-2% of what I have seen being done. I'm inclined to trust the machine on this one - especially if your RPM is 65.
  • bethelcheryl
    bethelcheryl Posts: 199 Member
    The ellipticals at my gym usually say I burn about 230-250 in 30 minutes. Once I burned 268 and was thrilled. I have been going by what the machine says, not MFP
  • Graciecny
    Graciecny Posts: 302 Member
    I'm a slug on the elliptical, but here is what I have found recently (this is for the Lifestyle elliptical). I am 190 pounds, give or take a bit, and doing 30 minutes at just under 4mph (remember, slug) on the hill program, level 10, I get nearly 300 calories burned. Keep in mind I am way out of shape, so this activity really gets my ticker clocking some miles. I have always found MFP to be high for the elliptical, whether going by the machine or with HRM - I don't know if I'm just not rocking it like I should be, but I always go with the lower value. I eat my calories back, and I'd rather underestimate burn than overestimate.

    Good luck figuring it out!

    ETA: Holy crap on the 6 miles! I can't imagine the pace I'd have to clock to get that into a 30 minute session.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Buy a heart rate monitor.....way more accurate. I burn double what my treadmill says but less than mfp estimates.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    I just bought a heart rate monitor and have found that MFP overestimates greatly how many calories I burned. For example I did Spin, TRX and Zumba classes for 2 hours the other night. My HRM said I burned 600 calories and MFP told me I burned over 800 which is WAY off. I'm glad I hadn't been eating ALL of my exercise calories back. I love my HRM because I can look at it and see how hard I am working and get a more accurate idea of how many calories I burned.

    Does the HRM go on your upper arm? or can you put it around your wrist like a watch? I'm getting a fit bit tonight, would that be helpful in calculating cardiovascular exercises? or just everyday activity?

    Heartrate monitors come in 2 styles - one is just a watch with a part you have to 'touch' every now and then to take your heartrate (kind of like how you touch that part of the machine to take your heartrate) and the other is a watch but it comes with a strap you wear around your chest under the bottom of your bra, that kind takes your heartrate continuously during your workout so that you don't have to do anything, it just does it automatically. HRM's are only meant to be used during your workout. The device that you wear on your upper arm would be something like the BodyBugg or BodyMediaFit device, those use different methods to estimate calories and are meant to be worn all day long to get your estimate for the entire day. FitBit is a whole different thing, mainly a really nice pedometer that attempts to also estimate calories, some people really love it and others find it's not right for them. Just depends on your personal experience I guess.
  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
    Respectfully, it should be all but impossible to go six miles in 30 minutes on the ellitpical.

    Agreed. I haul butt at a high resistance and I still only do about 9 min miles.
  • magoch
    magoch Posts: 134

    I'm getting a fit bit tonight, would that be helpful in calculating cardiovascular exercises? or just everyday activity?

    The fitbit is better for calculating daily activity. It does calculate the difference between activity levels when you're working out (e.g. lightly active, very active...) -- it generally overestimates compared to my HRM, but not nearly as much as some of the MFP database entries.
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