Can 297 calories for 24 mins on the exercise bike be right?

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  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
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    Don't do exercise for the calorie burn. Do it to feel better and look better.
  • luperaz
    luperaz Posts: 26
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    Amazon is the best place to get an HRM. I find that working out fairly hard doing any cardio for me burns 100 calories every 10 mins on average. The only real exception is Stair Master. I tend to burn 150 calories every 10mins. HRM is key, but also as a rule i take 10% off the HRM as a buffer.
  • Bonnielil76
    Bonnielil76 Posts: 10
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    Not sure how accurate this website is for a calories count, but it factors in all the things we have talking about (age, gender, weight, heart rate, etc):

    http://www.easycalculation.com/health/heart-rate-calorie-burn.php
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
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    Definitely take a look at amazon, I found an HRM with shipping for $29. It's a men's but it works just fine. Good luck to you!
  • aliceguy
    aliceguy Posts: 128 Member
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    Hello Everyone - sorry, absolute beginner (to MFP and regular exercise) alert, but I appreciate your patience if you read this!

    Can anyone help me out - I have recently started exercising and have about 70lb to lose, so am quite unfit. I like using the stationary bike (exercise bike) in the gym and doing 24 minutes on that builds up a good sweat so must be burning calories (sorry if that is tmi) I then do a short weights session as designed by a trainer at the gym, and then a shorter cool down of a brisk walk on the treadmill - but the thing is I think that I am over awarding myself calories burned points on MFP for the bike - is the stationary bike really such a good work out? I have been selecting the "general" category from the drop down next to the stationary bike option, but this suggests I have burned over 297 calories, which is a nice idea but I am not sure I believe it!

    Can anyone tell me whether it is likely I am burning 297 calories in a 24 minute session (its the auto programmed mixed gradient option on the bike, I assume that's relatively standard, and I select a medium difficulty and have to enter my weight so I assume it is adjusted accordingly)?

    Many thanks for any help!

    I too use an exercise bike for 20 to 30 mins at a time, and the figure you said fits in pretty well with what my bike estimates. a 30 min session can be about 330 or so as I try to keep a resoanble pace. When I go to enter it into MFP its not that far off the MFP guesstimate either, maybe 10 - 15 calories, not a huge deal. Same with endomondo too, so I think it is possible
  • luperaz
    luperaz Posts: 26
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    Don't do exercise for the calorie burn. Do it to feel better and look better.

    Everyone has different ways to get motivated. I say burn away if that what gets you and keeps you exercising.
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    Depends on your weight, speed and resistance level. But yes it is possible. =)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    If you are overweight, it's certainly possible. I burn just under than for the same time period, about 270.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    All i can tell you is that i have to ride a long time on my bike to burn the same amount of calories that i can burn jogging in 25 minutes. I'm talking at least 90 minutes. I do wear a HRM and a Garmin watch so I know it's pretty accurate. I'd go with 100-150 calories for a guess. Maybe just look up cycling in the MFP database and put in 24 minutes and see what that says??

    You must not be overweight. hmm...I burn 100 calories just walking at a slow pace for 25 minutes. Riding a bike burns a lot more than walking.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    Depends on the intensity.

    It's possible but sounds a tad optimistic. It's not worth sweating over really (the number that is - not the exercise ;)
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
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    I did my first hour of PowerRide cycle class this past Saturday. I had my Polar FT4 on and I weigh 240 pounds... I didn't have the resistance up as high as most of the folks in the class since I was new to this... but I did run through most of the standing, sitting, standing, sitting, fast cycle (60seconds), regular, fast, regular, .... you get my drift.... I burned 584 calories.

    Now there was another woman in the class who said she burned over 1000 calories... I beg to differ... especially because it wasn't her first class and she definitely weighs less than me (eyeing it up)... but she had a Timex HRM... and I've had a Times before... it DOES NOT give you accurate calorie burns. It will take an accurate Average Heart Rate for the time you work out though... and you can put that information into a website that will calculate your calorie burn.

    edited typo
  • hilarygeppert
    hilarygeppert Posts: 6
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    Ah thanks everyone (and thanks for the good luck wishes Dara :) )

    I actually live in Germany so no Wallmart - we do have Aldi of course but they change their special promotions weekly, the only stuff they always have, week in week out, is the food and other basic groceries, so the odds on finding a heart rate monitor there are also low. I will try Amazon and get one if they have a reasonably priced one. Yep I am overweight Wendy so I guess that helps (nice it helps with something ;) ) and I will check the calculator website - can't scroll down far enough to check who suggested it, but thank you.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
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    There are lots of factors to consider, I burned more calories when I weighed more so it depends on your weight and the intensity at which you cycle, if you're building up a good heart rate and you're overweight it's very possible
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    If you under estimate you cant go wrong so put in light effort and see what that gives you! x :wink:
  • tonyamariepierce
    tonyamariepierce Posts: 42 Member
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    i wear a hrm and it sounds right to me. i dont burn the calories biking that i do running. now i can increase my resistance for a better burn but its about what i burn for a 20 or 25 minute ride.
  • hilarygeppert
    hilarygeppert Posts: 6
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    Depends on the intensity.

    It's possible but sounds a tad optimistic. It's not worth sweating over really (the number that is - not the exercise ;)

    :) Thing is that as I have decided to use MFP to track food I have also been inputting exercise into it, and it adds the calories burnt through exercise to the calorie allowance for the day, which is the main reason it matters if I am adding too many. I could just not add anything of course, but the idea of tracking makes sense to me, as a motivational tool and to just give me an idea of what I am doing right or wrong over all...
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    It depends on your weight, resistance level, heart rate, etc. It is very possible that you are burning what the machine says.

    Do you enter your weight into the machine before your workout? If you have that option, then it's more accurate. Most machines are calibrated for weight at around 150. If you weigh more, then you could be burning more. If you weigh less, then...you get the idea. Add in fitness level, and it gets trickier.

    It's all a guess, even with a HRM, so I always underestimate my calorie burn on the MFP diary by 10-15%. So far, that has worked for me.
  • Jo5ie
    Jo5ie Posts: 33 Member
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    It doesn't matter what other people say they burn depending on their exercise. I agree the most accurate method to know is to buy a HRM however I appreciate the cost can be too much. I have a HRM and when I am on the treadmill it reads my heart rate properly but over estimates my calorie burn. The treadmill will say I've burnt 200 cals but my HRM says 150. I think MFP have calculated an average for their exercise database (I have read their response to this query before and it is quite scientific and will be specific for you and your weight). For some people this will be spot on and for others they will be wrong. It can't be accurate for everyone. Serioulsy though, is it that important to get it exact? You are working out and burning calories and getting fit!! You can choose to log all of it, half, or two thirds. Well done and keep it up!
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
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    I have been selecting the "general" category from the drop down next to the stationary bike option, but this suggests I have burned over 297 calories, which is a nice idea but I am not sure I believe it!

    Can anyone tell me whether it is likely I am burning 297 calories in a 24 minute session (its the auto programmed mixed gradient option on the bike, I assume that's relatively standard, and I select a medium difficulty and have to enter my weight so I assume it is adjusted accordingly)?

    Many thanks for any help!

    You could easily exceed that.

    Outdoors on a bike, I do about 1000 Cal/hr @ 150 lbs. You are doing 750/hr - well above a leisurely pace, but your not putting down 200 Watts.
  • RayLeone
    RayLeone Posts: 4 Member
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    The calorie guide here is optimistic, use the calorie counter on the exercise equipment.

    For example the guide shows 789 calories burnt for 90 minutes of doubles tennis, just not possible.

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