#124 Trusting The Machine (195.4)
Is time flying by at an increased rate or is that just me? I feel like I just posted a weigh-in a day or two ago, but no, it's been a whole week. Crazy. This morning I weighed in at 195.4, down .6 pounds for the week. Hey, it's a loss so I'll take it.
I've been wondering lately how accurate my caloric calculations are. I'm pretty precise about everything I eat, but there are some things that never seem to make it into the calculations, mostly because I'm usually too lazy to figure out how many calories are in a few sips of something, or a tiny nibble, or one single cracker. Coffee, for example, is something that I drink on occasion but never bother to calculate the creamer because I don't use very much.
As it turns out, my occasional coffee is probably racking up 100-300 (if I have more then one cup) calories because of the creamer.
And what about exercise equipment? Does the calorie counter on the machine have any credibility?
I assume the machines that ask for your weight are more accurate, but even then what do those machines know other then some formula that gives you an approximation. When I do an hour on the elliptical at the gym it says I burn about 850 calories, at home it's 825, on FitDay it's worth 601, and here 1001.
That difference between 1001 calories and 601 is 2 cups of coffee with creamer!
I guess it doesn't really matter in the end, so long as you're doing it and putting in the effort. But for a person who works out those numbers every single day, I'm certainly interested in how accurate those calculations are.
Do you trust your equipment?
posted by Meghan @ 5:27 PM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
I personally don't trust the equipment, so it's a good thing I don't concentrate so much on the calories!
Good job on the loss! You're such an inspiration to me!!!
For accurate calorie counting don't trust the machine - no matter what. Find a website - I usually use the following: http://caloriesperhour.com and be consistent. Calories per hour has a ton of activities and I just ran a quick number if you run a mile in 12 minutes at your weight you will burn 11.7 calories per minute I would round down to 11 or even 10. Another example if you walked one mile in 20 minutes you would be burning 4.8 calories per minute. I try to underestimate my calories burned because you really don't want to over estimate.
They say the best way to estimate your personal level of calories burned is with a heart rate monitor. It has a formula that uses your weight, your height and your exercise intensity based on the heart rate it records. I guess the machines that use weight and heart rate would probably give you similar readings.
Anyway, that said, it's still just an estimate, just like any machine's reading or chart of calories burned. It's impossible to be exact unless you're using a calorimeter or something.
But formulas that take into account how hard that activity was for you specifically through a heart rate reading are supposed to be more accurate.
I usually dont trust the equipment but usually stick with whatever sparkpeople says. There is such a range in calories its quite amazing to say the least.
Congrats on the loss!
I don't trust the equipment, but I use it as an estimate.
I am always amazed and inspired at your consistency losing weight. Thank you for the inspiration.
Ditto the lovely ladies that said not to rely on the calories the machine said. I would go with FitDay as it has your weight, etc. And true too -- all those little nibbles count into calories as well. But now you know, and knowledge is power ;)
Aloha,
Michelle
http://findingmahealani.typepad.com
I never trust a machine, and I don't really count calories. For me exercise is more about fitness than weight loss... mostly because it takes a lot of work to burn off a candy bar! LOL I usually think of my food as weight loss tools, and my exercise as a calorie-burn bonus.
I always wondered about the machines calculations too - and just the other day, I figured out the same thing with my coffee. I figured, eh - it's only a few calories...but yeah, turns out it's alot more than that.
You're doing a fantastic job on the weight loss - what an inspiration!
How are things going? Hope you are doing fantastic with your food,& exercise!
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