Sauna for weightloss

CrusherKun
CrusherKun Posts: 353 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So a MFP peep of mine had a friend tell him that the sauna burns 417 calories in 15 minutes. While this seems like a person trying to justify their gluttony, I do know there are some no-workout things that will cause calorie burn (i.e. donating blood will result in a calorie burn as the body is replenishing the blood donated).

So kinda curious, what other methods of calorie burn that are out there that are not exercise related. Can be either myth or fact....a little fun with this is ok, but lets not get all butt-hurt ok!?!

ANNNNND GO!

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    everything you do burns calories, even sleeping. donating blood results in a 600 cal burn over 6 weeks. a sauna does NOT burn 417 cals in 15 minutes, the weight loss you see is from sweating

    not trying to be an *kitten* but its a bit of a redundant question, as simply existing burns calories
  • love8383
    love8383 Posts: 169
    i think you just lose water weight that will go back on as soon as you drink.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Your friend is mistaken..........the makers of some of these saunas make unfounded claims about the exercise value, it's utter nonsense.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Your friend is mistaken..........the makers of some of these saunas make unfounded claims about the exercise value, it's utter nonsense.

    This. If you enjoy sweating it out in a sauna, by all means go for it, but do not be deluded into thinking sweating will earn you more calories to eat. If that were true, every Arizonan here would lose 15 pounds every year between the months of May and September. :laugh:
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    Ok, i think im the only one who understood the post so i will add a funny myth. Drink ice cold water bc your body burns calories "warming" the cold water back to body temp. lol ive actually read that one a few times.
  • perm_dogg
    perm_dogg Posts: 22
    But god damn wouldn't it be nice if it worked!!
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    I don't see much actual science on this, but common sense tells me that sitting in a sauna will give you only slightly more of a caloric burn than sitting on your couch -- you're putting your body under a little stress, and so your metabolism will elevate.

    One site claims (and this seems reasonable) that sitting in a sauna will burn 1.5x as many calories as sitting anywhere else. Walking, OTOH, burns about twice as many calories as sitting.

    So yes, you could live in a sauna and burn off fat at a ridiculously slow rate, barely better than sitting still. Or you could walk and burn calories even faster. Or you could do a real workout and burn MUCH faster.

    As others have pointed out, the only reason you're 2 pounds lighter after a long sauna session is that you lost water weight, which you will instantly absorb as soon as you drink something.

    Edit: You would actually be much better off getting into an ice-cold bath to burn calories. Water moves heat away from the body much more quickly than air, and so your body will need to compensate in order to maintain temperature. But again, this is much less efficient than simply MOVING, and could lead to other problems like hypothermia.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    Ok, i think im the only one who understood the post so i will add a funny myth. Drink ice cold water bc your body burns calories "warming" the cold water back to body temp. lol ive actually read that one a few times.

    Or the "negative calorie" foods myth like celery. The silly weight-loss myths out there are endless so this could be one LONG thread!
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Ok, i think im the only one who understood the post so i will add a funny myth. Drink ice cold water bc your body burns calories "warming" the cold water back to body temp. lol ive actually read that one a few times.

    Oh, I understood the post fine. I was more concerned that the general tone of the OP was that he might actually believe the myth. I was just making sure he understood that it is indeed a myth and nothing more.

    On the subject of adding to the myth list, I got nothing. I prefer to leave as many broscience-y ideas alone as possible anyway, lest someone reads about it and decides to try it, despite it appearing on a list of myths. :flowerforyou:
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
    Ok, i think im the only one who understood the post so i will add a funny myth. Drink ice cold water bc your body burns calories "warming" the cold water back to body temp. lol ive actually read that one a few times.

    Oh, I understood the post fine. I was more concerned that the general tone of the OP was that he might actually believe the myth. I was just making sure he understood that it is indeed a myth and nothing more.

    On the subject of adding to the myth list, I got nothing. I prefer to leave as many broscience-y ideas alone as possible anyway, lest someone reads about it and decides to try it, despite it appearing on a list of myths. :flowerforyou:
    Well that's no fun :cry:
  • CrusherKun
    CrusherKun Posts: 353 Member
    Ok, i think im the only one who understood the post so i will add a funny myth. Drink ice cold water bc your body burns calories "warming" the cold water back to body temp. lol ive actually read that one a few times.

    Yes the point of this was to pick out myths from facts. Thanks for playing!
  • CrusherKun
    CrusherKun Posts: 353 Member
    Ok, i think im the only one who understood the post so i will add a funny myth. Drink ice cold water bc your body burns calories "warming" the cold water back to body temp. lol ive actually read that one a few times.

    Oh, I understood the post fine. I was more concerned that the general tone of the OP was that he might actually believe the myth. I was just making sure he understood that it is indeed a myth and nothing more.

    On the subject of adding to the myth list, I got nothing. I prefer to leave as many broscience-y ideas alone as possible anyway, lest someone reads about it and decides to try it, despite it appearing on a list of myths. :flowerforyou:

    No confusion here - don't lose 74 lbs sitting in a sauna ya know:) LOL - well you could, but then you likely be dead!
  • engodwin
    engodwin Posts: 516 Member
    How many calories are burned in a sauna?
    Here’s an equation you can use to estimate out how many you’re burning:
    Number of calories burned in 30 minutes of sitting (specific to your bodyweight) x 1.5 (possibly x 2) = calories burned

    For example, a healthy male of 185 pounds burns 42 calories in 30 minutes of sitting. To find the number that this same individual burns while sitting in a sauna, multiply those calories by 1.5 and 2 in order to get an estimate. In this case, the individual would burn roughly 63 to 84 calories.

    From:
    http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/article-detail/Can-You-Lose-Weight-in-a-Sauna-Calories-Burned-in-Sauna/bf/

Categories