walk in the forest - how much calories?

yirara
yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Here's a tough one: yesterday a few friends and me walked roughly 5km through a forest, rather flat terrain, partly bushwhacking our way through, average speed around 4.5-5km/h, though we did make regular breaks, needed about 90 minutes (we were geocaching if someone wonders). I'm 169cm, 69kg, basal rate about 1380ish... how much calories might I have burnt? I'm hesitant to not log anything as I ate somewhat strangely yesterday.

Replies

  • deadeyeab
    deadeyeab Posts: 41 Member
    I would guess somewhere between 400-500 cal.
  • traceywoody
    traceywoody Posts: 233 Member
    Here's a tough one: yesterday a few friends and me walked roughly 5km through a forest, rather flat terrain, partly bushwhacking our way through, average speed around 4.5-5km/h, though we did make regular breaks, needed about 90 minutes (we were geocaching if someone wonders). I'm 169cm, 69kg, basal rate about 1380ish... how much calories might I have burnt? I'm hesitant to not log anything as I ate somewhat strangely yesterday.

    I had to google geocaching.....sounds like fun!
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
    4.5 is really fast. Like, speedwalking fast. The average is 3.0. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp?exercise=315
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
    4.5 is really fast. Like, speedwalking fast. The average is 3.0. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp?exercise=315

    I know. We tracked the speed with our gps'ses. The weather wasn't good and it was getting late so we wanted to finish this quickly. I'm not sure about the others but I didn't really find it exhausting. I'm really good in walking fast.

    edit: oh, I think you were thinking miles/h and not km/h. 4.5 km/h is approximately 2.8 m/h, 5km/h is 3.1m/h. I always walk rather fast and my husband is always complaining I should not rush so much :D
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
    Here's a tough one: yesterday a few friends and me walked roughly 5km through a forest, rather flat terrain, partly bushwhacking our way through, average speed around 4.5-5km/h, though we did make regular breaks, needed about 90 minutes (we were geocaching if someone wonders). I'm 169cm, 69kg, basal rate about 1380ish... how much calories might I have burnt? I'm hesitant to not log anything as I ate somewhat strangely yesterday.

    I had to google geocaching.....sounds like fun!

    Well, it gets us outside in a nerdy way instead of doing nerdy things behind the computer :D
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
    I would guess somewhere between 400-500 cal.

    Seriously? Sounds a bit excessive I'd think. On the other hand I normally don't do cardio but weight training. No idea.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Yeah, I dont think 5km per hour is THAT fast!

    I'd guess around 300 cals.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
    Yeah, I dont think 5km per hour is THAT fast!

    I'd guess around 300 cals.

    No, that's what I meant. It was including bushwhacking though with lots of roots/wood hidden on the ground and slippery bits/puddles.
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
    You said you ate somewhat strangely anyway? Doers that mean you didn't log your food properly... if that is the case, it does not do much good to try to log the exercise... just sayin...
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    You can log exercise as walking so use that. Sounds slightly slower than walking the dog pace which is 3mph.
    Walking is great to just fit and give you an extra little bit of exercise. You might have been going even slower if you were stopping and pausing. I'd go with anything from 250-350 kcal.

    If you arent logging your food properly then any calculation will be misleading.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
    I'm at least trying to get the exercise time in as I'm trying to work out a certain time per week.
    Ad ys, I was on a barbecue event some 6 flight hours away from home. I ate what was available, potentially a bit too little. I'm always eating rather little when I'm active in the outdoors, like on vacation, hiking, even geocaching outside town at home. And no, I didn't bring my foodscale to the event as I'd prefer to fill up my daypack with warm clothes and rain gear rather than electronics :)
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    If you walked 5km and it took you 90 minutes that is not a speed of 5km/hour.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I have a fitbit and would say that's about 300 calories

    I walk fast (on the treadmill 4.5km/hr is moderate to me, 6 is fast) and I have a fitbit and when I do 5 miles I earn around 450 calories (more or less dependent on intensity)

    I'm 5'8 by the way
  • deadeyeab
    deadeyeab Posts: 41 Member
    Get an APP like iRunner and let it track that stuff for you.
  • snoringcat
    snoringcat Posts: 131 Member
    I'd say around 300 cals.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    What does the database give you for 60mins of walking 2.5mph? I'd probably take about 3/4 of that number
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    I believe the science is pretty well settled that walking on flat terrain will burn excess calories totaling approximately 0.3 x (Body weight in pounds) x (Miles walked).

    So let's call your walk approximately 3 miles. And 69 kg is approximately 152 lbs. I'd estimate that you burned 137 calories.

    The time it takes you to make the walk, or any number of rest breaks, is immaterial -- you're trying to get the excess energy you burned to cover that distance. Timing would only make a difference if your walk effectively turned into a jog / run -- then your body is burning quite a bit more due to moving your body mass not just forward (as weight is pretty stabilized while walking with it always supported by a leg) but also up, as you leave one foot before the other comes down and takes the weight of your body coming back down before launching yourself back upwards again.

    Pretty well explained here: http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning?page=single
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    This is why I do TDEE for calories, I got burnt out very quickly on trying to figure out how many calories something burned. I'd honestly just figure out how far you walked and at what average speed and use that number. Yes, you stopped and took breaks but it wasn't a leisurely stroll either so it probably evens out somewhat.

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