Accurate calorie burn

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  • newb01
    newb01 Posts: 22
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    I know running at about 6 miles per hour yields me about 450-500 calorie burn with 3 percent elevation. Your telling me hiking is better exercise than running?
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    I know running at about 6 miles per hour yields me about 450-500 calorie burn with 3 percent elevation. Your telling me hiking is better exercise than running?

    How are you estimating your energy expenditure? Calorie burns depend on the weight of the individual when using the METs system. Running at 6 miles per hour is 10 METs, so definitely higher intensity than the estimate of 6.5 METs for hiking used in my example above. The difference in calories is probably coming from the difference in size between you and the OP and the difference in the length of the exercise (2.5 hours compared to 1 hour). Doing the math backwards I get that you would only weigh 110 pounds. (500 calories per hour / 10 METs = 50 kg * 2.2 = 110 pounds) So, unless you are significantly smaller than the OP, I would have to question whether the method you are using to estimate energy expenditure is underestimating your calorie burns.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Why bother with all the hassle? It's the same number that mfp gave you

    burned 2,415 calories doing 150 minutes of Hiking, climbing hills (carrying <10 lb load)


    What MFP gave me.
    856.7 x 2.5 = 2142 Calories for a 2.5 hour hike

    is, for all intents and purposes, the same number. all this stuff is a guess. that formula isn't exact for everyone. hell, that formula isn't exact for ANYONE. it's just a tool used to give a ballpark guess. 250 calories is the margin of error for everything. put too much mayo on your sandwich? whoops, 250 cals off. too much rice on your plate? whoops, 250 cals off. normally catch the 157 bus but missed it and walked one mile to catch the 318 bus instead? whoops, 250 cals off.

    people waste a lot of time trying to get hyper accurate exercise calorie information when it serves no useful purpose at all. just be consistent and things work out

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