Is this thing accurate?

When I go to the gym, I usually do 30 mins of cardio on "10" resistance with a 5 minute cool-down at the end. I'm 175 lbs and average a speed of 7.5mph. At the end, it usually says I burn around 450 calories. Is this correct? It just doesn't seem right, just seems too high.

I'm not sure how accurate those machine readings really are. When I do the elliptical its normally 60 minutes, on the random hill setting, starting out at an "8" and about halfway thru going up to a "9" or "10". I try to keep my heart date higher then "aerobic" but lower then "you're about to have a heart attack" and at the end of 60 minutes the highest I've ever burnt was like 350 calories. But then when I'm on the treadmill just walking at a slight incline, at a moderate rate of speed for 60 minutes I burn like 425 calories. I dont get it.

though now that i think about it, maybe it has to do with the persons weight as well. im like 135 right now. still, who really knows lol.

You should try adding resistance. If you have to push harder you are going to burn a little more. Speed doesnt always do the trick. I see women all day long on the elliptical for 40-50mins sprinting and only burn about 300-400 kcals. The reason why you burn more on the treadmill at an inclince is because there is alittle resistance, you are working a little harder. Trying adding resistance and see how it does.

I use resistance everytime. I start at 8, then to go 10, then 15 over the course of 25 minutes. I dunno, maybe I'm just skeptical.

I dont think all machines are total accurate because everyone has a different body type. If you worry about that and not getting a great workout..what good is your workout? You're working out, so you are burning something, that's the most important thing

I don't know about calorie count but I'm sure the distance travelled is grossly overstated on most ellipticals.  When I take the RPM's and multiply by the stride lenght per RPM it isn't any way near the distance travelled readout.  Apparently the manufacurer has some conversion factor that credits a greater stride length than the machine actuals.

I have an elliptical at home and I enter my weight, height, and age before I use it. In addition, I have a Polar chest strap that transmits my heart rate to the elliptical. I find that the combination of my data and heart rate from the strap provides a pretty acurate assesment of calorie expentiture. However, if I use the handlebar sensors to monitor my heart rate, I seem to get very inconsistent readings.

I would recommend you check to see if the machines you are using are compatible with Polar chest straps, and if so, purchase one. They are available on Amazon.com for a reasonable price. My elliptical came with a strap, so I am not sure if all straps work for all machines. Also, be sure to enter your data each time you work out.

Hope this helps!

~Meagan