Thread: Treadmill vs Elliptical Trainer

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me how reliable the calorie counters are on these machines? Usually I go on the treadmill for about half an hour but recently I tried the elliptical trainer due to a sore knee and found that I burned more calories on the elliptical trainer and overall it seemed to be an "easier" workout. I'm trying to lose weight so my question is what should I do? Elliptical or treadmill, It seems that my legs get a better workout on the treadmill but if I am burning more calories on the elliptical and it is easier on the joints, should I do that instead? Or will the harder workout on the treadmill build more muscle and therefore burn more calories in the long run, meanwhile getting me in better shape than the elliptical?

I'm not how reliable the calorie counters are. Some ask you to input your weight, making them a bit more reliable. I burn way more calories on an elliptical than any other machine and I find its the best b/c its easy on the knees. I do elliptical 2X a week and recumbant bike once. I'm not really trying to lose weight, so I don't care about calories burned during cardio. As long as I feel like I've really worked and I'm sweating a lot.