calorie counting help?!?!

fernamber

I try to burn about 1000 calories on my stationary bike, but I've been told it's not that accurate. Are the exercise counters on this site accurate and good to use? A lot better than the stationary bike calorie counter? xx

JenMc14

The most accurate would be to wear a HR monitor. Burning 1000 calories at at ime on the stationary bike semms like a lot. I think, using online trackers, the most I burned at an intense spinning class was 600 in the hour.

pastryari

I wouldn't trust either one. I use a heart rate monitor for the most accurate possible way to tell. Even then, it's never going to be SPOT ON down to the calorie. How long do you go on the stationary bike when you think you're hitting 1000 calories?

0somuchbetter0

It depends on your weight, height, how conditioned you are, your age, your resting heart rate, and more... You can't get a perfectly accurate count. But just as an estimate, I'm thinking that burning 1000 calories on a stationary bike would take close to two hours, and that's so boring you won't sustain it over the long term. I take spinning class 3x a week and burn around 600 in a 60 minute class.

RealHealthQuest

I found that the calorie estimates on MFP were sometimes 20%+ higher than what I was actually burning. I invested in a heart rate monitor with calorie output (I got the Polar FT40), and it has made a biiiiggg difference in my logging. I also invested in a food scale to make sure I am being as accurate as possible. If you don't want to go that far, I would at least suggest the heart rate monitor or you will end up thinking you burned more than you did.

vingogly

I try to burn about 1000 calories on my stationary bike, but I've been told it's not that accurate. Are the exercise counters on this site accurate and good to use? A lot better than the stationary bike calorie counter? xx

The actual calories you burn will be a function of number of different factors. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate

Some exercise equipment will be better than others at providing an estimate of calories burned, but it's just an estimate. Same with the scripts that estimate calories burned on this site. Note too that home scales aren't particularly accurate either, and even if you use a highly accurate scale, your weight will vary based on things like hydration and gut content.

I use all of this -- scale measurement, MFP numbers, exercise numbers -- as rough rules-of-thumb to tell me I'm on the right track (or not). The real payoff is in how I feel, the fit of my clothing, etc. If you go searching for the perfect measure of calories burned, you're going to be disappointed.

danahake

I was told per mile you run, bike, etc you burn 100 calories. A trainer told me this. Does that sound accurate?

Linda_Darlene

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calories_burned.htm

jennkain97

I was told per mile you run, bike, etc you burn 100 calories. A trainer told me this. Does that sound accurate?

this is what i read recently on lance armstrong's website, and it's about what i found w/ my HRM, regardless of speed. however, i am fairly fit. someone who is obese would probably burn more, because of the added weight they are carrying around. today i did 4 miles, but on hilly terrain and pushing a toddler in a stroller, and burned about 150/ mile.

fernamber

It says I burn about 100 calories in 10 minutes so about 1 hour and 40 minutes I don't get bored because I do it watching telly at night:D

jennkain97

I try to burn about 1000 calories on my stationary bike, but I've been told it's not that accurate. Are the exercise counters on this site accurate and good to use? A lot better than the stationary bike calorie counter? xx

gym equipment is notoriously inaccurate. and unfortunately, since the exercises on MFP have been entered by other users, you have no way of knowing how the counts were obtained (gym equipment, HRM, guessing?!?). your best bet is to get an HRM, as even the best gym equipment is not tailored for YOU. in the meantime, i would subtract about 25-30% off what the machines are telling you.

TeaBea

What kind of information does your exercise bike ask you to imput?

Height, weight, gender, age, and exertion level are all factors in determining calorie burn. Some higher end machines ask you to imput some information .... the more information the machine has, the closer it will be.

What no machine .... nor MFP can know is your exertion level. This is the comparison of your resting heart rate and your heart rate during the workout. Heart rate monitors with a chest strap measure this constantly. Wrist band models take pulse ... from time to time.

vingogly

Let's say you're burning 700 calories rather than 1000 riding your bike, and furthermore that your scale is off by 15 pounds. If your weight is going down, you see the results in your clothing, and you're healthier because of the exercise, what difference does it make to the quality of your life or the efficacy of your fitness program if the measurement isn't accurate? Especially since everything ... calorie counts, exercise calories burned, scale weight ... is an approximation.

For me, the danger of focusing on "accurate" numbers is that I will over monitor the numbers and then get discouraged when they're not doing what I think they're "supposed" to be doing. You might want to ask yourself these questions and ponder your answers: Why is it important to you to get accurate measurements? What difference will knowing the accuracy of your measurements make to your fitness program?