calorie counter/machine

lq022
lq022 Posts: 232 Member
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
I recently bought one of those pedometers/calorie counters/ heart rate gadgets ... granted, it was fairly cheap .. only $20 .. i couldnt bring myself to pay $100 for one ... but anyways .. I used it tonight while I was on the eliptical machine...and i got very different results; oh, and mind you, i was hauling *kitten* on this thing, not just going on a leisurely pace:

PEDOMETER/CALORIE COUNTER: 2 MILES/ 337 CALORIES
ELIPTICAL MACHINE: 4 MILES/ 475 CALORIES


.... VERY big difference.... Now, what im guessing is that the miles on the eliptical is correct, but the calories on the calorite counter is correct since I programed my weight into it .... Anyone have a similar problem, or does someone know which is "more correct"???

THANKS!

Replies

  • Shaitan
    Shaitan Posts: 10
    The pedometer may not be picking up the number of strides you are making. Have you tried counting the number of steps on both and comparing them? That may be the best bet.
  • absolament
    absolament Posts: 278 Member
    The $100 investment is worth getting a more accurate reading. I paid $70 for a heart rate monitor/calorie counter at Target. The New Balance N4 (NB N4). I don't use it all the time, only when I start a new exercise or when I lose enough weight to update the HRM settings. It helps me know what my body burns. In fact, sometimes I can estimate what I think I burned and compare it to the monitor, and sure enough, I'm pretty close. Having one will help you learn your body's rhythm and also keep you from overexerting yourself.
  • Jen325xi
    Jen325xi Posts: 2
    I recently bought a Polar heart rate monitor and was shocked at the difference between what it said and what the machines said. I knew the machines were off so I always subtracted 100 calories off what the machines said for all my workouts. However, they were more off than that. For example, I did intervals on the elliptical for 50 minutes and the machine said I burned 710. My heart rate monitor said I burned 517 and my heart rate stayed in the 150 -170 zone for the whole time (my max is 183). It was a little depressing at first, but now I'm glad I know for sure.
  • tamcleveland
    tamcleveland Posts: 1 Member
    The machines at the gym are never correct. They are calibrated based on the height and weight of the average MAN. Therefore, I would say even a $20 machine would be more accurate than the machines at the gym because you set your height, weight and sex- all of which factor into how many calories you've burned. The gym machines are always WRONG unless you are an average sized man.
    :smile:
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