That is so great Melissa, you've lost so much weight and now you're in a new "medical" category! LOL Awesome.
Today I finally got it in gear, haven't been eating much (like usual) and I supposedly burned 735 calories on the elliptical. I did the heartrate program, set on 146 beats. Anyone know if that machine tally is accurate? I was on there just a bit over an hour and I'm 38 y.o.
Yay, Melissa!!! I'm waiting for this same milestone -- I think I'm about 2 pounds away from it. Right after that I'll hit Onederland, so this is a big time for me!
Melissa!
That's WONDERFUL!!! I'm looking forward to being there myself one day! I Have about twenty more pounds to go before I can join you in OVERWEIGHTVILLE!
LisaMarie!
You lost another pound! Good for you! We will have a party when we get to ONEderland, OK?!!!!!
Melissa, that's fantastic! You really make a lot of progress; you must feel great!
Mami, as I think you already suspected, the machine tallies aren't accurate. See the thread http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88023 in the Exercise forum. According to the article, they can be off by anywhere from 10-30%. There are just so many factors that the machines don't consider, such as room and body temperature and body fat % (muscle burns more calories than fat), that they are an estimate at best. But the calories are a good way to keep track of the intensity of your workout. I always track my calories on the elliptical because I control the revolutions per minute (unlike the treadmill, where I just have to keep up with it). I aim for a certain number of calories per workout and if I hit my number, I know I'm working out at my usual intensity. And it's also a good ball park estimate. You may not have burned exactly 735 calories, but you definitely used a lot of energy. Even if the machine was off by 30%, which according to the article in the thread, is extreme, you still burned over 500 calories--way to go!
Thanks for the explanation Barbara. I'm getting a new home elliptical soon (shipping date just got delayed..aaaargh!!) and it comes with a heart rate monitor that coordinates with the machine's calorie counter. Hopefully this one will be fairly accurate??! I'd love to know how many calories I'm burning while strength training. Any ideas?
I'd love to know how many calories I'm burning while strength training. Any ideas?
Here is a website that you can use to calculate the number of calories you burn doing a variety of exercises, including weight lifting: http://www.healthstatus.com/cbc.html
You can also do this on www.fitwatch.com and on Fitday, but both of those require free registration. I know fitwatch definitely includes weight lifting as an exercise, I'm not sure about Fitday.
Keep in mind that these websites aren't any more accurate than the machines. In fact, I suspect they are less accurate because a lot times they don't ask about the intensity or speed at which you are working out.
NSV! Overweight!!!
