How to burn more calories through exercise

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lizholt326
lizholt326 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My first post, but I've been reading the discussions (great inspiration here!) and using MFP for a while...

I see a lot of people saying they are burning 500 calories (or more) during their cardio sessions. What kind of workouts (and what duration) would burn that many calories? I've been doing between 30-60 minutes on the elliptical and I average 200 minutes per week. All my calculations for how much I'm burning are all over the place, so I generally just underestimate and usually don't eat the calories back, maybe 100 calories at the most.

A little about me: I'm 30yo, 5'6", and right now I'm down to about 163. My highest weight was around 190, and I very slowly lost some weight while in grad school. I graduated in May and have committed myself 100% to a lifestyle change and in the past 6 weeks have lost 8 lbs. My goal is 130 (though I may reassess for a lower number once I reach 140) and I'm eating 1400 calories per day.

Thanks everyone!
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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    A lot will depend on your fitness level so it's hard to compare capabilities across different people but here goes anyway.....

    500 cals/hr at a typical pace for my multi hour long distance cycle rides.
    720 cals/hr would be my (net) cals for a hard one hour on a bike trainer.
    Obviously higher burn rates are possible for shorter duration work.

    These formulae may help you get an idea of what you are capable of - then if you see numbers wildly out of range you can be a little sceptical....
    Net Running calories Spent = (Body weight in pounds) x (0.63) x (Distance in miles)
    Net Walking calories Spent = (Body weight in pounds) x (0.30) x (Distance in miles)

    Concept2 rowers give pretty decent calorie estimates, you weigh a bit less than their assumption so estimates would be slightly high.

    Ellipticals are tough as they all vary and the exercise intensity is all over the place. Some of their estimates are pretty good, some are ludicrous.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Welcome! I've averaged 494 calories of deliberate exercise per day since January 2013, though there are days when it has been zero and one day when it was 4,284. I usually exercise 5 or 6 days a week.

    To burn 500 calories, I need to bicycle for about an hour at 15-16 mph (on flat terrain), run 5 miles, walk somewhat more than 6 miles (about 2 hours), or hike for an hour to 90 minutes depending on speed and terrain. I'm a 150-lb. male. I use a Garmin Edge 800 cycle computer to estimate cycling calories, and a couple of Garmin GPS/HRM watches to estimate hiking and running calories, and their estimates match my results fairly well. The MFP database, on the other hand, is unreliable; it routinely overestimates running, hiking, and cycling calories, though it's pretty good for walking.

    From spring through fall, a lot of my exercise calories come from a weekly long bike ride. Today I rode for nearly 4 hours, much of it in hilly terrain, and expended about 2000 calories, more or less. Days like that compensate for the days when my most vigorous exercise is a walk down the driveway to pick up the newspapers!
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
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    I do a lot of Zumba and I average 400-450 per 50 minute class. I could definitely burn more but I have lower back and arthritis issues and I don't do any of the jumping. I keep the impact as low as possible but really take the other moves up and much as I can to help compensate.
  • DustyRoseAZ
    DustyRoseAZ Posts: 31 Member
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    I agree, the Concept2 rowing machines are pretty accurate. I average about 250 calories when I row 5,000 meters; 400 calories when I row 8,047 meters (5 miles), and about 500 calories if I row 10,000 meters. (10,000 meters takes about 1 hour.)
  • lizholt326
    lizholt326 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thanks for the input! I'm in a temporary living situation while I search for a job but when I figure out where I'm going to end up I want to find a gym that offers classes. I'm steadily losing so I'm not too worried, just looking to step things up soon.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited July 2017
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    lizholt326 wrote: »

    I see a lot of people saying they are burning 500 calories (or more) during their cardio sessions.

    A huge proportion of people on MFP are not using accurate burn estimates.

    A little about me: I'm 30yo, 5'6", and right now I'm down to about 163.

    Burning 500 calories at that weight is roughly equivalent to running 5 miles. Hope that provides some perspective.



  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    For the OP, keep in mind that for many exercises that are weight bearing, a larger person at the same pace will burn more calories.

    Depending on the elliptical brand you are using, you might be able to find data or studies on the accuracy of the calorie counts they give. Despite claims by many that all machines are wrong, many machines are fairly accurate. Even those with less accuracy often will have the same repeating margin of error, being that they can collect data and are most often used in a controlled environment.

    I've found studies that apply to the elliptical we own, and it's actually a fairly accurate machine. I'd bet money my elliptical calorie numbers are more repeatable and accurate than most numbers from an app.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    lizholt326 wrote: »
    I see a lot of people saying they are burning 500 calories (or more) during their cardio sessions. What kind of workouts (and what duration) would burn that many calories?

    When you see a claim of 500 calories per session you first have to ask yourself what someone is doing to generate that, and how they're measuring.

    For you, that would be a five mile run, at your weight. Class based activities are unlikely to generate a similar burn, but people do frequently claim it based on measurement using inappropriate tools, about half that is more likely in many cases.
  • lizholt326
    lizholt326 Posts: 35 Member
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    Awesome guys, thanks!

    I've definitely considered that people could just be overestimating. I enter my weight on the elliptical so I'm sure it's more accurate than an app.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I got about 1,300 calls on Saturday for a three hour bike ride. That's pretty low, but a lot of it was down hill on a dirt road, and I was going fast enough without pedaling.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    I have similar stats as you (though a bit shorter) and burn 500-600 calories during an intense 1 hour spin class. Or running about 4.5 miles gets me to 500 calories burned. On the elliptical I put up that resistance and do intervals to keep my heart rate up and burn calories (again about 55 minutes - 1 hour to get to 500).
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    RichJBenham wrote: »
    May i recommend "fasted cardio".

    What would the benefit of that be?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    RichJBenham wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    RichJBenham wrote: »
    May i recommend "fasted cardio".

    What would the benefit of that be?

    Burns excess body fat stored away, i would say Google it for a fuller description but i recommend it as works for me and others i suggested it to :)


    Google isn't a source.

    It burns more calories, because you're skipping the calories you would have eaten for breakfast. and you're less hungry immediately after exercising.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 353 Member
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    lizholt326 wrote: »
    My first post, but I've been reading the discussions (great inspiration here!) and using MFP for a while...

    I see a lot of people saying they are burning 500 calories (or more) during their cardio sessions. What kind of workouts (and what duration) would burn that many calories? I've been doing between 30-60 minutes on the elliptical and I average 200 minutes per week. All my calculations for how much I'm burning are all over the place, so I generally just underestimate and usually don't eat the calories back, maybe 100 calories at the most.

    A little about me: I'm 30yo, 5'6", and right now I'm down to about 163. My highest weight was around 190, and I very slowly lost some weight while in grad school. I graduated in May and have committed myself 100% to a lifestyle change and in the past 6 weeks have lost 8 lbs. My goal is 130 (though I may reassess for a lower number once I reach 140) and I'm eating 1400 calories per day.

    Thanks everyone!

    I wear a chest strap heart rate monitor that gives me my heart rate and my calorie burn for my workout. If you saw how much I drip sweat during my workout, you'd understand how I'd burn over 500 calories in about 70-80 minutes. calorie burn also depends on your weight too. The heavier you are, the more you'll burn compared to that same workout for someone much smaller. On that note, just doing 30 minutes on the elliptical at say 5mph doesn't compare to doing 30 minutes sprinting at full speed. But, even though I burn roughly 500 calories most of my workouts, I still try not to eat back any of those calories just in case it is over estimated.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    RichJBenham wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    RichJBenham wrote: »
    May i recommend "fasted cardio".

    What would the benefit of that be?

    Burns excess body fat stored away, i would say Google it for a fuller description but i recommend it as works for me and others i suggested it to :)

    Yeah, it doesn't unless you are in an overall calorie deficit for the day. Type of fuel burned during an exercise activity is irrelevant. If fasted cardio helps you manage your calories for the day, great.
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 651 Member
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    I typically burn about 1,000 calories per session in about an hour workout - but this is only because I've worked up to the point where I crank my recumbent bike up to the max setting (wasn't always the case).

    Yes, I'm pretty sure it's accurate.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    need2belean wrote: »
    lizholt326 wrote: »
    My first post, but I've been reading the discussions (great inspiration here!) and using MFP for a while...

    I see a lot of people saying they are burning 500 calories (or more) during their cardio sessions. What kind of workouts (and what duration) would burn that many calories? I've been doing between 30-60 minutes on the elliptical and I average 200 minutes per week. All my calculations for how much I'm burning are all over the place, so I generally just underestimate and usually don't eat the calories back, maybe 100 calories at the most.

    A little about me: I'm 30yo, 5'6", and right now I'm down to about 163. My highest weight was around 190, and I very slowly lost some weight while in grad school. I graduated in May and have committed myself 100% to a lifestyle change and in the past 6 weeks have lost 8 lbs. My goal is 130 (though I may reassess for a lower number once I reach 140) and I'm eating 1400 calories per day.

    Thanks everyone!

    I wear a chest strap heart rate monitor that gives me my heart rate and my calorie burn for my workout. If you saw how much I drip sweat during my workout, you'd understand how I'd burn over 500 calories in about 70-80 minutes. calorie burn also depends on your weight too. The heavier you are, the more you'll burn compared to that same workout for someone much smaller. On that note, just doing 30 minutes on the elliptical at say 5mph doesn't compare to doing 30 minutes sprinting at full speed. But, even though I burn roughly 500 calories most of my workouts, I still try not to eat back any of those calories just in case it is over estimated.

    So since 600 is wrong you go with 0 instead of 200-300?

    Put another way. What answer is most wrong? 500, 250, 0.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    DrEnalg wrote: »
    I typically burn about 1,000 calories per session in about an hour workout - but this is only because I've worked up to the point where I crank my recumbent bike up to the max setting (wasn't always the case).

    Yes, I'm pretty sure it's accurate.

    wow, I would highly doubt the accuracy of that...for reference a 3.5hr bike ride/56 miles is just a shade over 1000calories for me (5'3", 150lbs)

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