Calories burned on stationary bike?

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StatutoryGrape
StatutoryGrape Posts: 365
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm pretty sure the calorie counter on my cheapo stationary bike isn't right--I just did 45 min. and it told me 800 calories. HA, I wish! MFP tells me I burned 536, which isn't too shabby, but why's there such a huge difference? I'm just starting out with the exercising-every-day thing and I've been telling myself that any effort I put in is certainly better than nothing, but that kind of measurement is difficult to log. ;)

Is the MFP measurement pretty accurate? I know I should probably get a HRM, but money is really tight right now. And I'm still puzzled over the wonky counter on the bike...

FWIW, I go what I'd consider a pretty vigorous face. Pulse pounding, red face, sweating a ton, and out of breath. (And miraculously, I feel GOOD afterward, not at all the "I'm going to die" feeling I've had in the past!)

Replies

  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
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    When I do 30 minutes wearing my HRM I only burn roughly 100-150 calories. I'd be very careful with this exercise and the calorie counter on both the machine and MFP.
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
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    I think the MFP is more accurate than your bike. When I take Spin classes at the Y, our trainer tells us we burn about 600 calories in an hour long class.

    Keep up the good work!
  • tmm01
    tmm01 Posts: 137
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    MFP takes into consideration you BMI when it works out the calories burned, so should be more accurate. I use MFP to work my calories out, they seem pretty accurate to me.
  • lisacornell
    lisacornell Posts: 29 Member
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    When I ride my normal bike outdoors for 45 minutes at a pace of 15 to 16 miles per hour (that's a pretty fast pace) my bike computer will be at around 400 calories burned. MFP will say about 200 calories burned more than that, so I stick with what my bike computer says so I don't over estimate the exercise. 800 calories seems like an awful lot for that time frame.
  • daves160
    daves160 Posts: 600
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    If you are in your aerobic zone, A good round number is about 100 calories every ten minutes.

    However; The better shape you are in, and the less you weigh, the less calories you will burn.
  • adidrea
    adidrea Posts: 275 Member
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    I did a 1 hour spin class with my HRM and burned only 600 calories (and it was a very intense class!). It depends on your height and weight of course, but I don't think those numbers should be that high...

    Good luck!
  • StatutoryGrape
    StatutoryGrape Posts: 365
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    If you are in your aerobic zone, A good round number is about 100 calories every ten minutes.

    However; The better shape you are in, and the less you weigh, the less calories you will burn.

    This seems like a pretty fair estimate--thanks for chiming in! I thought 800 seemed stupid-high, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. :)

    ETA: I'm not in the habit of eating back my exercise calories, so the worst a bit of an overestimate will do is give me false hope for quicker results, right?
  • ksavvy
    ksavvy Posts: 52
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    I teach a challenging 60 minute cycling class, and burn avg 11 calories/minute. I don't burn quite as much when I'm not talking/teaching. HRM is definitely the way to go, when you are ready for it.
  • JamesBurkes
    JamesBurkes Posts: 382 Member
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    Not as good as a HRM but try taking your heart rate (count the beats for 6 seconds then multiply by ten) at various points in your workout then average them out so you have an average number.

    Then fill in the details at this calculator: http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/

    That might get you a decent idea.

    As a 210lb guy, I burn around 8 calories a minute just pedalling on the bike so I'm breathing hard but can still have a conversation. Doing an intense spinning class (I do the 60 minute Les Mills RPM classes) I can get up to 14 or 15. But doing this I'm literally dripping with sweat, I'm gasping for air and my legs are failing at the end of each interval and I'm breathing HARD all the way through - definitely max level stuff.
  • anyonebutmehaha
    anyonebutmehaha Posts: 174
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    welllll..i just did 45 minutes on stationary bike at gym (the kind that monitors your heart rate) and it said i burned 225 calories (was using the 'fat burn' program) while punching into MFP's database i get 467 calories for the same 45 minutes. i use what the bike at gym says since 'it was there', lol.
    but i don't want to overestimate my exercise calories and eat back imaginary calories that's for sure.

    ETA: i just used the formula in the post above this and got 287 calories on bike in 45 minutes, still more than what the bike said but still way less than the 600-800 range.....
  • ksavvy
    ksavvy Posts: 52
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    Not as good as a HRM but try taking your heart rate (count the beats for 6 seconds then multiply by ten) at various points in your workout then average them out so you have an average number.

    Then fill in the details at this calculator: http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/

    That might get you a decent idea.

    As a 210lb guy, I burn around 8 calories a minute just pedalling on the bike so I'm breathing hard but can still have a conversation. Doing an intense spinning class (I do the 60 minute Les Mills RPM classes) I can get up to 14 or 15. But doing this I'm literally dripping with sweat, I'm gasping for air and my legs are failing at the end of each interval and I'm breathing HARD all the way through - definitely max level stuff.

    Yay, RPM!! I love to hear that others get it :-)
  • yvescrepeau
    yvescrepeau Posts: 1
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    When I ride my stationary bike for roughly 45 minutes with my BMI and weight I figure I burn roughly 400 or so calories, as most of you are aware 800 calories does seem a little high for moderate pace on said bike

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