Calories Burned on the Elliptical VS what MFP says? Help Ple

Does the machine have a Heart Rate Monitor? If you take several HR measurements throughout your workout, you can google for some conversions where you enter your resting rate vs your elevated rate with you age & weight to determine a more accurate burn.

I did this a while back and have been using that conversion (which was close but just below MFP's number) for my workouts. Sorry - i don't remember which site i used exactly though... maybe some other users will be able to help with that?

I use a HR monitor almost every time I work out, and I do a lot of elliptical, the number on the machine is always depressingly low, 30-40% low, for me too. My fitness pal's number is just about 10% too high, so I just subtract 5 minutes from how long I did, and use the number in MFP.

Here is an example: If I do 45 minutes, the machine might say 245, MFP says nearly 500, so I enter 40 minutes, so then it adds it as about 430, which is close to what my HR monitor says

Hope this helps!

I used to hit about 300 calories burnt when I was doing 7 miles at a time in a 30 minute session, so I think it really depends on the machine. You can get cheap HRM's on amazon (uk) for about a tenner a go.

I can't tell you what you burn, but I can give you a reference point at least. I weigh about 170 and I'm 5'6", when I wear my heart rate monitor on the elliptical, my heart rate is usually between 160-180, but averaging closer to the 160/170 over all. I usually burn at least 10 calories/minute when working at that intensity. Since you keep your heart rate lower, you might burn less but since you are taller and heavier (and also male) you could easily burn what I burn or more at your intensity.

Its really hard to guess what the actual burn is because a workout at mostly 135 will have a much lower burn than a heart rate of 150 for the 30-45 mins. I would keep averaging the numbers because I think that 150 does sound a bit low. I know from personal experience that MFP and the machines always overestimate my calorie burns based on my polar FT7 heart rate monitor.

Try a site like this where you can input specific data. It will get you close to accurate info, in my humble opinion. Best of luck!!

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/

Of course everyone is different - but just as an example: I used my elliptical for 30 minutes last night. The machine showed a calorie burn of 167 calories. My HRM showed 219. I checked mfp just to see what it said, and it showed 449 calories. Mfp is really high for some people but not others.

Of course everyone is different - but just as an example: I used my elliptical for 30 minutes last night. The machine showed a calorie burn of 167 calories. My HRM showed 219. I checked mfp just to see what it said, and it showed 449 calories. Mfp is really high for some people but not others.

I think this is especially true for ellipticals because it can vary so much depending on the resistance level and how fast you go. I aim to get about 10cals a minute, but on slower days I can easily do less and on higher energy days I've been able to burn a bit more!

It's hard without a heart rate monitor...everyone is different. It's weird, though, that the machines are giving such low numbers...generally they are 20-30% higher than an accurate calorie burn. You should probably assume ~100 cals burned/10 minutes of strenuous exercise. That's what I've always heard.

I think MFP is high for the elliptical. It gives no place for resistance, miles, or speed. So someone doing the elliptical for 30 minutes @ 3.5mph is going to show the same calories burned as someone doing it @ 6.0mph, not to mention both could be doing it at a different resistance level. HRM would be the best, but I don't have one right now either. Sometimes I look @ the walking @ 4mph for the time I did the elliptical, just as a reference for the calories burned, if I did the elliptical @ 4mph. Good luck.

My husband is 6'0" and 185 and his HRM says he burns about 215-250 going 3-4 mph with the incline on.

I am shorter and weight more than you do, but I wear an HRM when on the elliptical and I usually burn about 250 in 30 mintues going an average speed of 2.5-3 mph and the incline off.

MFP's numbers are always drastically higher than my HRM for any exercise for me so I never use their's. Got an HRM on Amazon for about $50.

the best and most accurate way to measure how many cals you burn is to wear a heart rate monitor. you can purchase one online around $60 www.bodytronics.com (polar ft4 is a good one)...you can also go to www.caloriesperhour.com to get a good estimate...it will ask for your weight, age, &sex to determine how many cals burned for a particular activity. the cals burned according to fitness equipment are just estimates and varies between equipment. the most accurate would be on a treadmill, then a bike, step machine, then eliptical. the cals are determined based on a formula...the one for the treadmill has been around the longest. they become more accurate if they ask for you age, sex, and weight. unfortunately, studies have shown that the calories equipment determines a person burns can be up to 30% more than what is actually burned, which can hamper our weight loss either by causing us to eat too many cals if you eat back your exercise cals or not burning enough cals to create a deficit.
hope this makes sense for you!
best wishes on your journey

I go off of what MFP says, not that it matters much to me, I rarely eat back my exercise calories.