[kassiebby1124]

I was just wondering this. Because say I'm using a stair elliptical. It's about the same as running up stairs that would be in the MyFitnessPal app. Anyway, when I input it into my app, it gives me about a 200+ difference than the calorie calculator on the machine. I'm not sure which one is true..

neither one is "true" unless you were hooked up to equipment that actively monitors your body systems (temp, respiration, heart rate, etc).

just like the scales: pick one and stick with it.

[kassiebby1124]

I just took the average of the two and plugged in that

[Candeka]

The machines at my gym are usually within 30-50 calories from my personal heart rate monitor that I wear, so they have been pretty accurate so far in my case.

[JohnP]

A heart rate monitor is not going to be 100% accurate either but it is much better than the guestimate the machine or online calculator is giving you.

If you want accuracy you need to get hooked up to some pretty expensive lab equipment.

Having said that - what matters is not how many calories you burn during a specific exercise session but rather how that session compares to others so that you might better gauge your progress over time.