Maybe you treadmill doesn’t have an incline function. Doing intervals really helps to burn fat because it forces your heart rate to constantly change. When you run at the same pace all the time, your body acclimates to it. However, if you switch it up, then your body has to constantly work hard. Try this program from a personal trainer.

Warm up at a decent pace (around 3.8-4): 3 min (3:00)

Run (as fast as you can, almost a sprint, probably 6.5): 1 min (4:00)

Fast walk (around 4-4.5) 1 min ( 5:00)

Run: 2 minutes (7:00)

Walk: 1 minute (8:00)

Run: 3 minutes (11:00)

Walk: 2 minutes (13:00)

Run: 4 minutes (17:00)

Walk: 3 minutes (20:00)

Run: 5 minutes (25:00)

Walk: 4 minutes (29:00)

Run: 6 minutes (35:00)

Walk: 3 minute (38:00)

Cool down (around 3) for 2 minutes (40:00).

You can make the workout longer or shorter (40 – 60 minutes is a good amount of time); but just make sure you always are running a minute more than you are walking. You’ll be sweating a lot! You can also do intervals by running 5 min, walking 1 minute or whatever ratio works for you.

The treadmill will more than likely burn more calories. The reason for the elliptical showing more calories burned is because you can go at a much higher intensity and duration than on a treadmill. However, those numbers are an average for that age, sex, and/or weight. You are definitely burning more or less calories than what it says. The treadmill workouts are much tougher because your legs are having to do much more work. Just like running on a treadmill is much easier than running on the ground. It is advised not look at the calorie meter at all truthfully. Your main focus should be on the duration and intensity because they are the main predictors of how many calories are burned (also, whether the main fuel source burned was fat, carbs, and/or protein). Do not worry if the machine says you only lost 200 calories because that is never even close to being correct (sometimes it is decently close at lower intensities).

Ellipticals have advantage over treadmill in that you use not only your legs, but your arms as well. That is if you use it’s arms giving you a sort of cross country skiing action as well as just walking. Many people prefer ellipticals over treadmills because of this. They feel they get a lot better over all work (lower & upper body) out on it when using the arms as compared to the treadmill. The down side to most of them is the stride length is set. So when buying one you have to get one with a stride length that fits your normal stride. You can purchase one that you can vary the stride length. For most people that is usually 15 to sixteen inches. For real short people that is around 13 inches. For tall people that can be eighteen to twenty one inches. Go to the store and get on them and test them out to find the one that fits you.