I recently completed a 30 minute run on a treadmill at my gym and was pretty impressed by the number of calories the display said I burned. Like an arrogant ass, I pointed out this number to the complete stranger working out on the treadmill next to me. He wasn't as impressed with the number and quickly pointed out that those counters aren't accurate.
It turns out that the senior citizen, bubble bursting walker on the treadmill was right. The calorie counters on the exercise machines aren't very accurate. They are calculations based on your weight, age, and pace. However, there is more to measuring how many calories you burned during exercise than those factors. Those other factors include your gender, height, and body fat percentage. An individual with a lower body fat percentage burns more calories during exercise because muscle burns more calories than fat.
This is important to keep in mind if you do what I do after I finish working out. That is telling yourself that it is okay to have seconds on deserts or have a bigger portion size during a meal because the treadmill said I burned close to a 1,000 calories.
Sources:
myfitnesspal.com
womenshealthmag.com
abcnews.go.com
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