How many calories do you aim to burn in a workout?

veronicacannon
veronicacannon Posts: 107 Member
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
How many calories do you aim to burn in a workout? I started the EA Sports Active 2 workout game about 6 weeks ago. It started me out with workouts that only burned about 60-100 calories, varying every workout. I noticed my mfp pals were burning WAY more and felt I needed to do more too, so i now strive to burn now between 200-300 per workout. Is this enough, or too much? I'd like to hear your opinions and what you do. Also, when did you really start to see results with your fitness/meal plan? Thanks guys!
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Replies

  • Rockin23
    Rockin23 Posts: 59
    oh man! usually i aim for 500 minimum... idk, that's just my comfortable spot..lol
  • scrappymel
    scrappymel Posts: 107 Member
    i aim for 500 as well. i like it if it's over that.
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
    depending on my planned meals for the day anywhere between 300-900...i try very hard to be at least with 300.....i do a lunch time walk and then a night time workout....
  • heb14
    heb14 Posts: 42 Member
    I like to see my calorie burn around at least 500. But that's just cuz I really like food :)
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    Between 400-500 cals. Three days of the week I shoot for double that.
  • markymarrkk
    markymarrkk Posts: 495 Member
    Yup! 500 minimum -usually takes me 45 minutes to burn on top of that plus weight training 30 min that I don't count towards calories burned
  • vballer21
    vballer21 Posts: 37
    I burn about 700-1,000 in a workout at least 5 times a week.
  • Tuckersn
    Tuckersn Posts: 149
    I'm sure you'll get lots of different answers! :0) But, me personally, I attempt to hit around the 400 mark, sometimes I'm over (especially jogging), sometimes I'm under . . . but I'm aiming for that to be my average over 6 days.
  • FaeFae
    FaeFae Posts: 243 Member
    ideally I would like to burn around 500 but since I just started working out again I try and hit the 400 range....so far so good, soon i'll be up to 500. I have not seen any results yet as I just started working out this week but hopefully some inches start to come off soon!
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I like to aim for a minimum of 350...usually I get more.
  • KAK68
    KAK68 Posts: 51 Member
    I just changed my workouts- I aim for 400-500 three days a week and 250-300 two days a week- I take the weekends off usually.
  • SweetCharity
    SweetCharity Posts: 83
    The average amount of calories you burn varies greatly from person to person. You can have two different people do the exact same workout with a couple hundred calorie burn difference. So much factors into it like your age, your weight, your height, your sex and your metabolism. I would aim to do a certain length of workouts a certain number of times per week. Once you gauge how your appetite is, what kind of workouts you like to do and how many times a week you can fit it in - you can always look at your diary and adjust your diet and workouts according to what you're comfortable with.
  • izaaksmom
    izaaksmom Posts: 4
    Hi, Veronica.

    I enjoy running on my treadmill two to three times per week. My goal when I run is to go about 2.5 to 3 miles which burns about 300 calories or more. If I can burn 300 calories, I know I just worked off a small meal, and my metabolism kicks into high gear for the whole day. Running really boosts my weight loss immediately. On other days, I do very light to moderate exercise: anything from working (at work) to a simple Wii-Fit workout. The Wii workout is nice -- it doesn't burn a lot of calories, but it helps gradually tone and strengthen the rest of my body in ways that running can't do. I think burning 300 calories in a workout is great for you, maybe not every day, but every few days. It's good to push yourself, but not so hard that you get sick or injured. I actually stopped counting my calories so diligently on mfp because the intensity of my runs was making me lose weight way too fast and I wasn't getting enough calories to sustain the energy I needed. I still go on to check the caloric content of some things, but I would rather feed my body if I feel hungry than starve myself because I ran out of calories for the day. Counting my calories in the beginning was a big help though because it taught me to know what portion sizes were right for me when I eat. I don't overindulge and I try to make healthy choices. As long as I get my runs in, I continue to lose weight.
  • MMarcordes
    MMarcordes Posts: 58 Member
    One more different opinion - I shoot for 100 calories for 10 minutes. Never less than 300 calories, cuz that's only a 30 minute workout. And I can maintain my calories with a 300 calorie workout. So, that's my goal... 300 calories.
  • kanonxbou47
    kanonxbou47 Posts: 265 Member
    I do an hour on the elliptical, which is a great burn and gives me about 600 calories, plus a bunch of weight training and usually bike riding. So yeah, kind of a lot.
  • samrockrocks
    samrockrocks Posts: 251 Member
    i don't set my goals for the calories burned.. instead i try to get in 15 miles a week. i'm a busy college student and that's a reasonable goal for me. everyone burns their calories at a different rate.

    also, i have found that when i burn 700 calories exercising i have a hard time eating all my calories for the day! you'd think it wouldn't be that hard but i guess it is for me!
  • jrenaldo
    jrenaldo Posts: 10 Member
    My daily exercise calorie burn averages between 800-1000 calories..approximately 2 hours of cardio a day along with weights 3X a week.
  • Erica9903
    Erica9903 Posts: 156
    Do you eat any of those calories that wou burn???
  • Pedro_Infante
    Pedro_Infante Posts: 116 Member
    Hi Veronica,

    You’re doing a great job using EA active 2.

    3500 cals = 1 lb of fat. What is your weekly weight loss goal? If you’re trying to lose 1 lb a week from exercise then your goal would be to shoot for 500 calories daily * 7 days = 1lb fat loss from exercise.

    Same rule for food calories. 500 calorie food deficit * 7 days = 1lbs fat loss a week.

    70 to 80 percent of a weight loss program is diet. The most import part of exercise is consistency and having fun; if you’re comfortable and ready to increase your work out then I say go for it.

    Now go get’em tiger!

    Pete
  • veronicacannon
    veronicacannon Posts: 107 Member
    I almost ALWAYS eat my calories. I sometimes go over too, but I feel I am still eating way less than I ever did before. But I have been doing this for six weeks. I don't really SEE results... :/
  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
    As many as I possibly can! I give it my all and modify it to make it as challenging as it could possibly be!
  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
    As many as I possibly can! I give it my all and modify it to make it as challenging as it could possibly be!
  • yana_o
    yana_o Posts: 2
    I usually try burning about 1000 calories each workout but sometimes this makes me so exhausted that I find it hard to do anything else in the day.
  • juliana1977
    juliana1977 Posts: 153 Member
    To be very honest with you I never though about setting an X amount of calories burned per workout. I think as long as I am working out it is already better than not working out at all. I always try to push myself harder so. This is why I love 30 day shred, it gives me a great burn and 25 minutes. My HRM usually says I burned around 500 but I think it is way too much so I say I burned 350! I dont eat my exercise calories though and the reason is b/c I workout at night when I have time. It is usually 8pm (Shred and 20 min of turbo jam, or 30 min of swmming and shred, except monday I have one hour with personal trainner) and after that I have to take a shower and go to bed. Too late to eat. I do drink a protein smooth after working out but I usually have at least 150 calories left still. If I need to eat my exercise calories it is never more than 100 calories. Except for yesterday I usually stay under 1300.
    I never did EAS workouts sometimes I do Wii fit but I do not count as exercise calories. I just do to play with my kids. Maybe you need a workout that will push you a little bit harder so you can start to see results?!
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    I am more for quality and length than calories. They seem to balance out since I vary my time. My calories when I've looked on a day to day basis have been varied a lot too. But I am getting about 2000 calories burned a week. One week I did 3679 calories. no surprises I lost 2.4 lbs that week. But part of that was I walked for a good 2 hours at the zoo. We didn't stop for too long at each animal and saw pretty much everything. Relaxed or not I burned a lot a of calories without much work and it showed on the scale.

    I go for time and at least for now its getting my calorie burn each week on the target. :) I'm sure when I'm closer to goal I'll have to work that much harder when I don't have my weight on my side. Of course I'm alternating strength via Jillian's 30 Day Shred so its not as fruitful on the scale as it is with the inches I've lost.
  • runningneo122
    runningneo122 Posts: 6,962 Member
    My goal is 45+ minutes of having my HR at 80% of max every day. I'm currently running for an hour and walking abt 1/3 of miles run for a cooldown. HRM said 1253 cals burned this morning. Also the time of day is important. If I run in the AM (fasted cardio) I lose 2 pounds a week like clockwork. If I run in the afternoon, no matter how much, I just maintain.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    I don't have a daily calorie nor a time goal for training really.

    It just varies. It's generally never below 300 and not usually over 900. I average around 500-600 and train most days.

    Obviously the cardio sessions will burn more than the strength training sessions but I value both equally.

    I usually do at least 45mins and when I train twice a day it can come to 2 hours.
  • Kcham817
    Kcham817 Posts: 106 Member
    I try not to go below 450...however my workouts vary across the board. I really like when I've surpass my weekly goal of calories burned.
  • Salpica
    Salpica Posts: 205 Member
    I try to burn anywhere from 500-750 calories minimum when I do cardio. However, I never count my calories for strength training as I find it to hard to try and figure them out.

    Most of my workouts though end up being around the 1,000 range though.
  • c7eat2live
    c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
    I have a heart rate monitor (Polar FT7) and I set goals for calorie burn all the time. I usually go with the "if youre not sweating youre not working hard enough" attitude. I aim for 400-500 at the gym or combined with a class generally, although I try to have two or three days a week to peak up at 1000+ calories for cardio and weights days.
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