Can I trust my treadmill?

vivideloquence
vivideloquence Posts: 41 Member
edited December 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I know that the MFP calorie calculations are rather higher than what one actually burns working out, but what about my treadmill? How accurate are the calories-burnt information on exercise machines?

Replies

  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
    I think the one I use is pretty spot on because it takes my heart rate, but I would also like to know
  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
    As a general rule... per my HRM I still burn less than the machine says, but it is still WAY more accurate then MFP... For me personally, it is about 50 calories higher then my HRM says after a half hr work out
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I think the one I use is pretty spot on because it takes my heart rate, but I would also like to know

    If it takes your heart rate, write it down at intervals and try to figure out how high your heart rate is for given periods of time (15 minutes at 140, 10 minutes at 130, etc). There are lots of "how many calories did I burn" web sites that use basically the same calculation as a heart rate monitor would, and you can get a pretty decent estimate of calorie burn.

    I found that, for me, on the elliptical (my go-to cardio monster), MFP is pretty darned close.
  • lc971
    lc971 Posts: 104 Member
    I do 30 minutes at 3.5 mph, with slight incline and my treadmill gives me 200 calories. MFP gives me 154 calories. I use the MFP, just in case.
  • vivideloquence
    vivideloquence Posts: 41 Member
    I do 30 minutes at 3.5 mph, with slight incline and my treadmill gives me 200 calories. MFP gives me 154 calories. I use the MFP, just in case.

    Oh man... I do about 40 mins at 2.2 mph and my treadmill says its 200 cals burned... hmm
  • CaseyP1207
    CaseyP1207 Posts: 148 Member
    Only trust a HRM!!! I just invested only $49 for one and couldn't believe how far off ellipticals and treadmills were.
  • Gizziemoto
    Gizziemoto Posts: 430 Member
    Do not trust the treadmill. First it does not have all of your information need and second mine tells me my heart rate is 168! I am walking at 3 mph, 0 incline. I am on medication and my heart cannot get that high without causing me to have chest pain.

    For best accuracy, buy a HRM. I did.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    http://42.195km.net/e/treadsim/

    I use this website because the screen on mine is broken =(
  • vivideloquence
    vivideloquence Posts: 41 Member
    I would like to buy an HRM but I currently don't have the extra money and I probably won't any time soon. :( So, just trying to get by and guesstimate for now I guess.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    I do 30 minutes at 3.5 mph, with slight incline and my treadmill gives me 200 calories. MFP gives me 154 calories. I use the MFP, just in case.

    I hope you weight way less that me =/ I go about 3 mph for 30 minutes and a website I use and MFP all say about 320. The website I use, I adjust my weight every time I get on.
  • vivideloquence
    vivideloquence Posts: 41 Member
    http://42.195km.net/e/treadsim/

    I use this website because the screen on mine is broken =(

    Thanks! I'll take a look at this
  • vivideloquence
    vivideloquence Posts: 41 Member
    I do 30 minutes at 3.5 mph, with slight incline and my treadmill gives me 200 calories. MFP gives me 154 calories. I use the MFP, just in case.

    I hope you weight way less that me =/ I go about 3 mph for 30 minutes and a website I use and MFP all say about 320. The website I use, I adjust my weight every time I get on.

    I weigh about 165 lbs. What website do you use?
  • lc971
    lc971 Posts: 104 Member
    I do 30 minutes at 3.5 mph, with slight incline and my treadmill gives me 200 calories. MFP gives me 154 calories. I use the MFP, just in case.

    I hope you weight way less that me =/ I go about 3 mph for 30 minutes and a website I use and MFP all say about 320. The website I use, I adjust my weight every time I get on.
    I'm currently at 176 lbs. I lose about a pound a week. I'm just pleased I get on the damn thing. :))
  • Erindipitous
    Erindipitous Posts: 1,234 Member
    I think the one I use is pretty spot on because it takes my heart rate, but I would also like to know

    If your hands are on the sensor for the whole workout. (Edited to clarify: It might only be accurate if you keep your hands on the sensors for the whole workout.. Otherwise, there is a lot of time where it'll assume your heart is still at the same rate when it could have raised or lowered)

    I use a HRM, and I've compared it to the treadmill only to find that the treadmill was over-calculating by 150-200 in an hour session.
  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
    I think the one I use is pretty spot on because it takes my heart rate, but I would also like to know

    If your hands are on the sensor for the whole workout. (Edited to clarify: It might only be accurate if you keep your hands on the sensors for the whole workout.. Otherwise, there is a lot of time where it'll assume your heart is still at the same rate when it could have raised or lowered)

    I use a HRM, and I've compared it to the treadmill only to find that the treadmill was over-calculating by 150-200 in an hour session.
    Sorry, yes they are. It beeps if you take them off until you put them back on. Lol, so save for a few seconds every 10 or so mins (when I take a drink of water) they are in the sensors the entire time
  • Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington
    Fit4lifestlouisbethpennington Posts: 51
    Whether you are using MFP, what the treadmill says, or a heart rate monitor, it uses a formula-base calculation to tell you how many calories you are burning. The more information you have to put into it, the more accurate it will be to you. However, if you really want to know how many calories YOU specifically burn and at different heart rates, I would suggest getting a Metabolic Assessment done. You can go to www.mewleaffitness.com to find a testing location near you.
  • frootcat
    frootcat Posts: 194 Member
    As others have said, it depends on how much information the machine has. Mine takes weight for sure but I can't remember if I input anything else. I did the calculations from this website-- http://www.livestrong.com/article/111930-calculate-calories-burned/ --and compared them to what my treadmill said, and they were very close-- and much higher than what MFP said. MFP can't really account for the fact that you're maybe going 3.2 MPH and at a 2% incline though... you'd just have to enter it as 3 MPH and forget about the incline, where you can gain extra burn.
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