Calorie Expenditure Via Elliptical

So I just bought an elliptical, and scratched the gym because I'm in a very challenging profession and that extra 30-40 mins to and back from the gym was really a deterent. However, now on this new elliptical it says I'm only burning 400/hour. I was burning around 600 at the gym. What's up with this. I'm putting in my weight 130, and age 23 and yet it's coming up with very different results. I'm losing a whole 200 calories ...that like 2 whole cookies!

Any insight? I have a heart rate watch that says I'm burning closer to 270 in 30 mins. I want to believe that, but my main goal is weight loss not cheating!

There are no standards for setting up calorie expenditure equations in cross trainers, so every manufacturer can do whatever they want. The only company I know that actually does VO2 studies on their cross trainers is Life Fitness. Who knows how your average home cross trainer is getting its numbers.

Hard to say without knowing more about your fitness level, how hard you work out,  what brand of HRM you have and how accurately you have it set up.

I don't know it you even run, but, at your weight, 600 Cal an hour is about the equivalent of 6.0 mph or 10:00 per mile. That might give you a benchmark.