How many calories am I really burning?
 

Okay, well I walk on my treadmill every day. It is not a junky one. It also tells the calories burned. I walk up hil at 8% grade for half of the time and then slowly lower it.
So lets say it says at the end that I burned 350 calories. Then I go to Fitday and record it. There isn't a way to punch in that you walked uphill or anything of the sort. So If you push in 45 min of walking it gives you a way lower calorie burned count. It is agravating. Is the treadmill wrong? or is it just Fitday?

:cry:I'm also up a pound for some uknown reason. UGH!
I only have been off coffee for two days though. So maybe it will help.
It is very tough walking past the coffee pot in the mornings.

Hi,
Yes, I have the same frustration with fitday, but they do give you calories burned for lifestyle and basal. That helps :yay: :yay: As for coffee, do you drink decaff or are you one of those who thinks why bother if the cafeine isn't there? It might be worth a try if its the flavor you miss. Good Luck :)

Its just Fitday. I do basically the same thing as you with the treadmills at the gym and burn roughly the same amount of calories. They need to add in customizable exercises, just like the foods.

I take the numbers from the machines AND fitday with a big grain of salt. Some machines are off as much as 20%, while fitday I think displays numbers that are kinda low. I don't really obssess with the exact numbers anymore. I just go and do my 1 hr workout. And if it feels like I got a really good workout (and only you can tell if you worked hard during your workout) then I'm happy with that.

thanks a bunch. I do feel good and worked out when I'm done so that should do the trick then. I will not worry about the calorie count anymore.

As for coffee. I guess I could try decaff. I don't think it is just the caffene that I want. It is the hot cup of something and I do love a 1/2 tbsp of heavy cream in it. lol I made it again through my normal coffee hour took my dogs for a run. Kept busy.. mabe I could break the habit all the way.
Thanks again for the help

I agree with serrelind, both the machines and fitday are off.

The closest way that you could figure out your actual calorie count would be to get a heart rate monitor.

No the one on the treadmill won't work, though they're a bit better. Though if it has a constant monitor then this would be the same as above.

I've found the charts to be way off (too low), fitday is off(too low), the tread mill is off (too low).

My heart rate monitor is sometimes almost twice as many calories burned than what it says.

Though I will admit that the heart rate monitors aren't the most acurate either, but at least they measure closer to the amount of energy you exert.

Hope this helps.

Fitday I think takes the average or something. I would trust your treadmill and then adjust the times and distances in Fitday until the calories burnt match what your treadmill said :)

My understanding is that the exercise machines give you the total calories burned for that activity (basal + activity). Also, if your machine doesn't have the option to customize for weight, you'll generally get a calories burned based on a 150 pound person.

Fitday activities give you the calories burned during the activity only, not including your basal metabolic calories burned during that time period.

When it comes to metabolism and to lifestyle, fitday uses a formula based on the information you give it (age, sex, height, weight, lifestyle activity level). These formulas are 'best guesses', but that being said, they are not that far off from the truth for most people - usually they are right w/in 10-15%.

Nat

i KNOW fitday's counts are off at least a little- or else their idea of what constitutes a said activity is off- because they said i burn three times as many calories taking a 30min. shower as i do making love "vigourously" for an HOUR. maybe not everyone is as gymnastic as i am, and WAAY more enthusiastic about getting clean!

:lol:

ROTFL Maybe they got that amount for calories burned while taking a shower because they make love while taking a shower. LOL

Any onsite thing like fitday or on the machines is going to be incorrect for calories burned....obviously a 450lb man is going to burn WAY more calories then a 115lb woman who is in shape - doing 30 mins on a treadmill...

If you really want to know - buy a CALTRAC - you wear it on your hip and it tracks your EXACT cals burned for the days :)

Very true, BB :) But have you noticed that if you change your weight on fitday the amount of calories burned for the same exercise over the same time period also changes? This is one area where they are more accurate than the machines that do not allow you to input your weight.

Nat

I usually subtract 1/3 off what the machines at the gym say. If that was too much to underestimate by, I get a nice surprise.. :D

Caltrac
 

I am always a little sceptical when any exercise gadget is claimed to be "exact", so went to check this Caltrac. It seems to be a motion sensor.

Quote from their website:
"There's a very sophisticated motion sensor inside the Caltrac called an: accelerometer (or "bender"). It's about the size of a match stick and acts like a spring diving board ... the more you move, the more it bends!"

Means, that it would show the same low calories, if you stand or you stand meanwhile slowly lifting 200 pounds. If you hike with a 10 lbs or with a 100 lbs backpack. If you run in cool air, or you run in hot air. The same calories if you run on 1% or on 10% incline.

I am not sure that this gadget would be so much better than any other.

But it is only my opinion...