Kcals vs Calories

Bumdrahp
Bumdrahp Posts: 1,314 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay so, I have googled and did a search in MFP to see if I could find anything that helped me understand what exactly a Kcal is. I haven't had luck, or maybe i'm just not understanding.

I just noticed at the gym I am going to, their machines show " kcals burned" instead of calories. It also seems SIGNIFICANTLY lower than what my HRM shows. For example, My HRM shows a burn of 300- machine shows a Kcal burn of 120.

Any help in understanding would be great. It's just for my own knowledge, it doesn't help or hinder my abilities to continue to track or work out. I'm just curious.

Thanks!! :)

Replies

  • fearlessleader104
    fearlessleader104 Posts: 723 Member
    Same thing. We say calories instead of kcal.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    kcal = 1000 calories = Calorie

    AKA, Americans are lazy.

    As for the machines vs. your HRM, your HRM is likely more accurate, as long as it is working properly.
  • Bumdrahp
    Bumdrahp Posts: 1,314 Member
    Thanks, yeah my HRM is just a few months old, Polar. It's a good hrm I think! I figured I would just go by the calories my HRM showsI burned instead.. But I was a little confused as to the wide difference in numbers!
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    They are the same thing. It has nothing to do with laziness, it's just more technical to use kcal. Your hrm is more accurate than the machine.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    Americans shortening the kcal thing is a marketing ploy more than anyting, IMHO. If you're looking at two identical things, and the only difference is one says 1 Calorie vs 1000 calories vs 1kcal, you're generally going to go for the 1 Calorie because you don't know that the uppercase C means there are 1000 of them, and therefore believe you aren't eating as much as you are.

    After all... 1 < 1000... right?
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    On food packaging and most machines, the terms are used interchangeably, though the formula is correct. Basically, you may see lowercase "calorie" referenced, but they still mean Calorie.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/311197-how-many-calories-does-one-kcal-equal/
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    A food calorie is a kilocalorie (Kcal - amount of energy to raise 1000g of water 1 degree C).
    In science, they're more likely to use regular calories (amount of energy to raise 1g of water 1 degree C).
    The machine at the gym, and your monitor, are tracking Kcal.

    51637601.png
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    edited December 2014
    With all the answers, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned what k stands for. Kilo. As in kilocalories, kilograms, kilowatt, this and that. Milli, centi, deci, and so on. SI units. The metric system, which is globally used apart from a few exceptions.

    Oh, and in science, C means Celcius. Temperature unit. (Referring to the Calorie vs. calorie vs. letter C earlier.)
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,446 Member
    Velly interesting!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    In science, any anywhere that uses a sensible system of measurement for temperature ;)
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    Your hrm is more accurate than the machine.

    It might be, it might not be.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    Your hrm is more accurate than the machine.

    It might be, it might not be.

    Feeling philosophic I see.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    AglaeaC wrote: »
    With all the answers, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned what k stands for. Kilo. As in kilocalories, kilograms, kilowatt, this and that. Milli, centi, deci, and so on. SI units. The metric system, which is globally used apart from a few exceptions.

    Oh, and in science, C means Celcius. Temperature unit. (Referring to the Calorie vs. calorie vs. letter C earlier.)

    That is because it is just a prefix in this case, not actually metric. The metric measure is Joules. And in many parts of the world, you will see kJ on your food packaging.
  • christophriley
    christophriley Posts: 1
    A calorie is a unit of energy. A kilocalorie (kcal) is a thousand of those, and a Calorie (capital 'c') is equivalent to a kilocalorie. In the context of food energy, we are always talking about Calories (or kilocalories or kcal). I can't speculate on why your reported burn rates are different from one device to another, but at least I can say it's not because of a difference between calories or kcal!
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    AglaeaC wrote: »
    With all the answers, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned what k stands for. Kilo. As in kilocalories, kilograms, kilowatt, this and that. Milli, centi, deci, and so on. SI units. The metric system, which is globally used apart from a few exceptions.

    Oh, and in science, C means Celcius. Temperature unit. (Referring to the Calorie vs. calorie vs. letter C earlier.)

    That is because it is just a prefix in this case, not actually metric. The metric measure is Joules. And in many parts of the world, you will see kJ on your food packaging.

    Oh yes, I know.
  • slomo22
    slomo22 Posts: 125 Member
    edited December 2014
    concordancia wrote: »
    AglaeaC wrote: »
    With all the answers, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned what k stands for. Kilo. As in kilocalories, kilograms, kilowatt, this and that. Milli, centi, deci, and so on. SI units. The metric system, which is globally used apart from a few exceptions.

    Oh, and in science, C means Celcius. Temperature unit. (Referring to the Calorie vs. calorie vs. letter C earlier.)

    That is because it is just a prefix in this case, not actually metric. The metric measure is Joules. And in many parts of the world, you will see kJ on your food packaging.

    Calorie is metric, although it has been generally replaced by the joule. BTU is the imperial unit. O, and in science, C can mean a lot of things.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    slomo22 wrote: »
    concordancia wrote: »
    AglaeaC wrote: »
    With all the answers, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned what k stands for. Kilo. As in kilocalories, kilograms, kilowatt, this and that. Milli, centi, deci, and so on. SI units. The metric system, which is globally used apart from a few exceptions.

    Oh, and in science, C means Celcius. Temperature unit. (Referring to the Calorie vs. calorie vs. letter C earlier.)

    That is because it is just a prefix in this case, not actually metric. The metric measure is Joules. And in many parts of the world, you will see kJ on your food packaging.

    Calorie is metric, although it has been generally replaced by the joule. BTU is the imperial unit. O, and in science, C can mean a lot of things.

    Careful now, there's only so much science that this forum can handle. It's "science" really, because when we are in the realm of chemistry and biochemistry, stuff automagically gets totally dumbed down to an extent that there is no real science left. Units of various kinds including prefixes and what not belong to the category, which is fine to lose one's brain in and it becomes mediocre bullsh1t. Just look at how poor density is treated and you know what I mean. So the noble label science is only reserved for a select kind of information really, preferably something that goes with a fancy-looking source URL leading to PubMed and with a topic that is mostly nutrition-related.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    Your hrm is more accurate than the machine.

    It might be, it might not be.

    Just finding myself irritated with the cult of HRM accuracy.

    Meanwhile, it's appropriate to use a claw hammer to repair glasses :)

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