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Elliptical Accuracy?

Mark Twain

Call me Ishmael.
Joined
Jul 22, 2006
Messages
1,626
I've been hitting the gym a lot lately and the elliptical is my favorite machine for cardio, but I'm concerned that the amount of calories I'm burning isn't accurate. I follow the prompt and enter my weight and age for accuracy sake. Each time the machine says I end up burning a little north of 500 calories, but how accurate is that?
 
Marc, I use one of these: http://www.myzone.org/index.php/how-it-works
 
I purchased it at my gym and have had for a year now. They have tv monitors all over the gym and you can see all of your data on it. I get a daily email with all the info for my workout to include time worked out, how many minutes in each zone and total calories burned. I also purchased the watch that goes with it so when I'm not working out in the gym I can see all the info on my watch. You can log in to the web and see a history of your data as well. I believe I paid somewhere between $75-$100 for it but did not include the watch.
 
Some of the machines in the gym loose calibration especially if they are used often as they are and are not accurate.
 
Here is one of my daily emails from them:
 
MY MYZONE MOVE provided by Drive Health & Fitness
Wed Aug 13 2014 14:48 to 16:00

MEPs: 244 
Duration: 01:12 
Av Effort: 79% 
Calories: 1022 
Av Heart Rate: 145 

00:10 90-100% 40 MEPs 
00:31 80-90% 124 MEPs 
00:21 70-80% 63 MEPs 
00:08 60-70% 16 MEPs 
00:01 50-60% 1 MEPs 
00:01 <50% 

Target Zone: 01:11 (50-100%) 

Registered Belt Number: 0000089005 
 
The amount of calories measured on anything is never accurate. Some sources online say 10-15% less than what the device reads. I usually just go with what the machine says. If I'm burning more than 500 calories I figure it's a good workout and I don't worry about exact counts. Anything less I just watch what I eat during the day more closely.
 
Just use it as a reference for how hard you worked. 500 this week, 550 next... Or keep it consistent no matter the time.
 
It's just a ballpark estimate.  You also have to understand that the more you do of one workout, the more efficient your muscles' going to get at doing that particular workout and less calories it's going to burn.
 
Thanks guys!
 
I will have to invest in a HRM. Before so I think I'll try and get a clearer sense of what my resting metabolic rate is based on my current weight and age. My goal is to lose 1.7 pounds per week, which will hopefully improve my heart and overall health. 
 
Try myfitnesspal app on iphone or android. Works great for those initial pounds.
 
chiefmd said:
Try myfitnesspal app on iphone or android. Works great for those initial pounds.
I would definitely give the free apps a chance before dropping coin on a HRM and chest strap. Go to Harbor Freight and buy a $10 digital scale and weigh out your food portions and log them. Log everything and you will probably be shocked how much you actually eat.

It sounds like you have a plan and a goal, which is great. Losing weight is more about what you eat than how much you exercise. Working out helps out with fitness and health (mental and physical) but can seldom over come a poor diet.
 
Breedy said:
Losing weight is more about what you eat than how much you exercise. Working out helps out with fitness and health (mental and physical) but can seldom over come a poor diet.
I completely agree with your last sentence here. If you combine the two, its a great formula toward better health and weight loss. Nutrition was the critical component that helped me drop 25lbs so far this year (starting in mid December 2013). I would kill myself at the gym, yet ate like crap and never could drop much weight. Several times burning out or getting frustrated because the number would never move. Then started working with a trainer who coached me into understanding how the two things work together, helped me look at veggies differently and stressed the importance of "the journey of health over the destination". What a difference it made for me.

Your goals are reasonable and will add up. Discipline is your friend but don't forget to live. Hang tight, have a solid support system. You'll get there, no worries!
 
Combine all that exercise with alternating keto-paleo diets and watch the pounds melt away. We have got to get used to the idea in this country of eating substantially fewer highly processed carbs.
 
Gern Blansten said:
 
Losing weight is more about what you eat than how much you exercise. Working out helps out with fitness and health (mental and physical) but can seldom over come a poor diet.
I completely agree with your last sentence here. If you combine the two, its a great formula toward better health and weight loss. Nutrition was the critical component that helped me drop 25lbs so far this year (starting in mid December 2013). I would kill myself at the gym, yet ate like crap and never could drop much weight. Several times burning out or getting frustrated because the number would never move. Then started working with a trainer who coached me into understanding how the two things work together, helped me look at veggies differently and stressed the importance of "the journey of health over the destination". What a difference it made for me.

Your goals are reasonable and will add up. Discipline is your friend but don't forget to live. Hang tight, have a solid support system. You'll get there, no worries!
 
 
And fwiw, I don't think the calorie counters, gym specific are at all accurate.
 
I agree, you can eat vegatables until you cannot move and you'll drop weight.  I've recently lost about 20lbs and working on losing more.  Working out 5 days a week and watching my portions.  I'm eating very small portions and at no point other than my cheat day, having meals larger than my fist.  And this is with zero cardio.  I have issues with the balls of my feet (Mortons Neuroma) and I simply cannot pound on them the way I used to.
 
Portion control and food choice....
 
Typical Meal Plan:
 
Breakfast:
2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Bottled 20oz Gatorade
 
Snack:
Carrots
 
Lunch:
Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Turkey  (I eat my largest portion at Lunch instead of Dinner now)
 
Snack:
cauliflower, broccoli
 
On the way to the gym:
Cheesestick
 
Home from gym/dinner:
Vegetables, or salad
 
All the other information here is great. I'm not sure if you have heard of woot.com.  They actually sell different things everyday, and have a lot of exercise stuff on there from time to time. I got a good HRM and chest strap for like $30 a few months ago, seems to work well. If you do go this route just make sure to read reviews somewhere, some of them are not very good. Hope this helps, good luck with the fitness goals.
 
jsm11 said:
 
 

Losing weight is more about what you eat than how much you exercise. Working out helps out with fitness and health (mental and physical) but can seldom over come a poor diet.
I completely agree with your last sentence here. If you combine the two, its a great formula toward better health and weight loss. Nutrition was the critical component that helped me drop 25lbs so far this year (starting in mid December 2013). I would kill myself at the gym, yet ate like crap and never could drop much weight. Several times burning out or getting frustrated because the number would never move. Then started working with a trainer who coached me into understanding how the two things work together, helped me look at veggies differently and stressed the importance of "the journey of health over the destination". What a difference it made for me.

Your goals are reasonable and will add up. Discipline is your friend but don't forget to live. Hang tight, have a solid support system. You'll get there, no worries!
 
 
And fwiw, I don't think the calorie counters, gym specific are at all accurate.
 
I agree, you can eat vegatables until you cannot move and you'll drop weight.  I've recently lost about 20lbs and working on losing more.  Working out 5 days a week and watching my portions.  I'm eating very small portions and at no point other than my cheat day, having meals larger than my fist.  And this is with zero cardio.  I have issues with the balls of my feet (Mortons Neuroma) and I simply cannot pound on them the way I used to.
 
Portion control and food choice....
 
Typical Meal Plan:
 
Breakfast:
2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Bottled 20oz Gatorade
 
Snack:
Carrots
 
Lunch:
Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Turkey  (I eat my largest portion at Lunch instead of Dinner now)
 
Snack:
cauliflower, broccoli
 
On the way to the gym:
Cheesestick
 
Home from gym/dinner:
Vegetables, or salad
 


 
 
How many calories is that?  From what you posted it looks like 1,000 calories and very little protein.  
 
I'd guess ~50g of protein for the whole day. I envy folks who can eat veggies like that. Congrats on the weight loss!
 
I did 4.5 miles and burned 1060 calories today!
 
Diet has also been adjusted to around 2300 calories per day. Amazingly, I can eat up to 2900 to 3300 calories per day and still reach my goal of losing 1.7 pounds per week. 
 
Already beating my goal. One month down and 11 pounds lighter.
 
Best of all no Afib!
 
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