How to figure out calories burned

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NBFIT
NBFIT Posts: 79
in Fitness and Exercise
Anybody know a good equation to figure out how many calories you've burned? That is, when you don't have a machine telling you (ie. treadmill, elliptical)? Like on workout videos that aren't exercise specific (ex. yoga, step or kickboxing). Some videos mix a little bit of everything in them. And what about walking/jogging outdoors? Even if you know your mileage, it may not always be on flat ground or you may run part of it, etc. therefore burning more calories. I've already had trouble on this site figuring out how to log exactly what I've done. Some of the "search" topics are just too general.

I'd appreciate any info if you have it!

Replies

  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
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    I found this. I don't know if it is 100% accurate, but it is more accurate if you follow her advice and enter the VO2Max she suggests.

    http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/

    Maybe today I will put on my new HRM and try this and see how close it is for me. I will let you know!
  • abigailmagoo23
    abigailmagoo23 Posts: 32
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    you can get a body bug/ heart rate monitor at Walmart or somewhere like that for like $20-25 you should get one even machines that tell you what you have burned are not always right! Thise things are alife saver for someone doing all sorts of exercising. Good luck
  • 4McElfish
    4McElfish Posts: 11
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    I got a heart rate monitor (Polar FT40) recently for this exact same reason. I do a lot of walking in the neighborhood & hiking. Time & the specific type of workout are good indicators of how many calories you burn but if you are working out too hard it's not effective. I got the HRM so there would be no doubt how many I burned. Good luck.
  • Jasarah
    Jasarah Posts: 4
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    I never work out without a heart rate monitor. It's honestly the best way for you to be sure of your calories burned. There are some really great, reasonably priced options out there. I promise that once you start wearing it, figure out your target heart rate zone, and see that you aren't hitting it as much as you thought, that you will push yourself more and see better results. Mine is super basic but at the end of every workout I get to see how long I worked, calories burned, median heart rate, maximum heart rate, minutes in fat burn zone and minutes in my fitness zone. It's awesome. If I look down and see my heart rate isn't that high, I kick it up a notch!
  • NBFIT
    NBFIT Posts: 79
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    Thanks guys! That helps alot. So do those HRM actually calculate calories also? or do you figure out cals burned after seeing what your heart rate was? Again, thanks for the info! :happy:

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  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
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    It depends on which ones you get. The less expensive ones only show your heart rate. The more expensive ones calculate calories for you.
  • petey49
    petey49 Posts: 58 Member
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    I got this formula from livestrong.com

    For males, estimate the calories that you burned during your exercise session. This is given by the equation C = (0.6309 x H + 0.09036 x W + 0.2017 x A -- 55.0969) x T / 4.184. C is the number of calories that you burned, H is your average heart rate, W is your weight, A is your age and T is the length of your exercise session in minutes.

    For females, derive the calories that you burned. This is given by the equation C = (0.4472 x H -- 0.05741 x W + 0.074 x A -- 20.4022) x T / 4.184. Assume that you're a 28-year-old female weighing 146 pounds. Your average heart rate during an exercise session that lasted 36 minutes was 138 bpm. You burned C = (0.4472 x 138 -- 0.05741 x 146 + 0.074 x 28 -- 20.4022) x 36 / 4.184 = 301 calories.

    It is pretty close to what the machines tell me.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/78365-estimate-calories-burned-heart-rate/#ixzz1CO4fWInO
  • petey49
    petey49 Posts: 58 Member
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    I forgot to mention that I use an old HRM that does not calculte calories, so I do it.

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