Confused on calories burned during exercise

[Bigfrog]

I am confused when it comes to how many calories are burned during exercise for different machines. I usually do the Lifefitness crosstrainer machine and burn off about 600 calories in 45 minutes. When I jumped on the stairmaster today I was breathing and sweating much harder than I do when on the crosstrainer, but after 45 minutes it said I only burned off 450 calories. My question is what should I go by, what the machine says I burned off or what my body is telling me when it's pouring out sweat? Because it sure fills like I burned off more calories on the stairmaster than I did on the crosstrainer.

 

[saudades]

Do you input all of your statistics into the machine before you start (if it is able to take them)? If you don't, I wouldn't trust any of it. The machine has to know your statistics (weight, height, male or female, etc.) to tell you how many calories you really burned off with any accuracy.

 

[Bigfrog]

Yeah, I put in the weight statistics, but I've never seen it for height or sex yet. It just feels like my body is working a lot harder with the moving stairs then it does with the corsstrainer. But when it's all said and done it says I burned off less calories. So I don't know what to go off of, what my body is telling me or what the machine says?

 

[da_Fonz]

What you should go by is where your heart rate is. In all honesty the numbers calculated in the cardio equipment are not accurate they serve only as a est. BUT your heart rate is whatz important b/c that will dictate whether you burn fat or everything.

 

[jth250]

i have never really done cardio because i didnt really need to. but i need to start. im noticing a little extra skin around my belly. so.. what should i keep my heart rate at to burn maximum fat??

 

[PJT]

What you should go by is where your heart rate is. In all honesty the numbers calculated in the cardio equipment are not accurate they serve only as a est. BUT your heart rate is whatz important b/c that will dictate whether you burn fat or everything.

Just curious...what would the target heart rate be for buring fat? What would be too high? I think I read something on this site before about this, but I'm not sure...