CALORIES BURNED ON MACHING VS. MFP???

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treeselynn78
treeselynn78 Posts: 14 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I normally walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at about 3.5 mph and an incline of 15. The machine says I burn anywhere from 400 to 450 calories but MFP says 247....which is right???

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  • thewalrusisfree
    thewalrusisfree Posts: 55
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    i always go with what the machine says but maybe just because i want to burn more calories :-P
  • chrisrollins1
    chrisrollins1 Posts: 56
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    Obviously, MFP doesn't measure variables in intensity (incline or running hills), so it is a best guess if you have nothing else to go by. If the treadmill calculates calories based on your weight then it's probably pretty close. A heart-rate meter is the only way to really measure calorie burn accurately, but the machines are usually pretty close. Go with that.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    If you hold on, mfp. If you don't hold on, the treadmill.
  • thewalrusisfree
    thewalrusisfree Posts: 55
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    If you hold on, mfp. If you don't hold on, the treadmill.

    like hold onto the bar?
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    An incline of 15 for 30 min? My joints hurt just thinking about that, but if it works for you, good deal.

    As to the difference in calories. Try splitting the difference and see how that works out for you. You can adjust later if need be.
  • treeselynn78
    treeselynn78 Posts: 14 Member
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    Yup. That doesn't bother my knees but that's about the only thing at the gym that doesn't bother them...I can't use the ellptical, bikes or leg weights....stupid knees!

    Thanks for the input!
  • treeselynn78
    treeselynn78 Posts: 14 Member
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    I hold on....if I didn't I'd be laying on the floor! LOL. I know everyone says not to but I'm still doing the work & my arms actually feel oddly like they've been worked out also!
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    An incline of 15?! I would fall straight off that h0 :laugh:

    Ach, my calves hurt just thinking about it....

    I usually trust the treadmills at my gym, but not so much the other machines. Do you feel like you're heavily exerting yourself? If so, that might be right..... I usually gauge it by my level of exertion, but it's still just an estimate. I'll shoot low if I have any doubts.
  • rmalford
    rmalford Posts: 58
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    A useful rule of thumb is 100c/mile pretty much regardless of the speed. The basic work is the distance a body is moved, not how fast. fyi, a bicycle is about half the cal/mile because it is more efficient.

    Sounds like you are going about 1.75 miles so MPF sounds more likely to be close. I've always thought the gyms like to 'reward' you a bit more :)
  • Pedal_Pusher
    Pedal_Pusher Posts: 1,166 Member
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    I normally walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at about 3.5 mph and an incline of 15. The machine says I burn anywhere from 400 to 450 calories but MFP says 247....which is right???

    Why not invest in a Heart Rate Monitor? Totally worth it if you want to have a more precise snapshot of the calories you are burning during exercise.
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
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    I just read an article in Women's Health that most people think they create more of a calorie burn than they actually do. The exercise machines in the gyms are off by quite a bit (according to the article) and that you can't really be sure unless you are measuring your heart rate, etc. like with an HRM and that even HRM's are not completely accurate. I did research on the web by finding several different sites that will give you an estimate of what you burn doing certain exercises and then I went with the lowest one. If you feel your not losing like you think you should - you might try lowering your exercise calories.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    I hold on....if I didn't I'd be laying on the floor! LOL. I know everyone says not to but I'm still doing the work & my arms actually feel oddly like they've been worked out also!

    If you don't hold on, your arms and back will still get a great work out from the pumping motion, and your core is being used to stabilize you. However, you should invest in a HRM.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    The "maching" is going to be closer to actual burn than MFP. It won't be exactly accurate, but it will be closer.

    If I had an incline of 15 I'd be walking backwards on it

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