KCal versus Cal

rhogro
rhogro Posts: 12
edited October 13 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a really nice elliptical trainer in my home. It's virtually the same quality as any health club machine except for the fact that I can't figure out how many calories I've burned in my workout sessions. It shows distance, mph, time spent on a session but when it comes to calories burned it displays KCal. How does this translate into calories? Are they the same?

Does anyone know if this is a preference that can be changed on most machines? Is there a calculator that I can input the KCal amount and have it automatically convert it to calories.

I keep track of this stuff in the online exercise diary and it only has a field for calories.

Replies

  • Teksavvy
    Teksavvy Posts: 133 Member
    1 KCal = 1000 Cal
    For example
    0.6 KCal = 600 Cal (calories)
    1.2 KCal = 1200 Cal (calories)
  • butlersoft
    butlersoft Posts: 219 Member
    almost .....

    kCal is the abbreviation for calories ..... so ... if you do 100kcal on the treadmill / cross trainer ... you've burned 100 calories.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie

    "The gram calorie, however, is a very small unit for use in nutritional contexts. Instead, the kilocalorie (symbol: kcal) or large calorie is used. In this context calorie and kilocalorie are equivalent."
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    1 KCal = 1000 Cal
    For example
    0.6 KCal = 600 Cal (calories)
    1.2 KCal = 1200 Cal (calories)

    No.

    1 kcal = 1 Cal.

    Silly thing, it's the capital letter C that people don't understand. Some physicists got together and decided to annoy people who haven't taken physics.

    1kcal = 1 Cal = 1000 calories. (note one is capital c the other is lower case c)

    :)

    So, if your machine says 300 kcal, then you burned 300 Calories (which is what's set in the database.) We don't use calories in measuring our food and workouts.
  • Mama_CAEI
    Mama_CAEI Posts: 235
    Actually, they are the same.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie
  • Mama_CAEI
    Mama_CAEI Posts: 235

    Silly thing, it's the capital letter C that people don't understand. Some physicists got together and decided to annoy people who haven't taken physics.

    ^^^ Bahahahahahaha!
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
    1 KCal = 1000 Cal
    For example
    0.6 KCal = 600 Cal (calories)
    1.2 KCal = 1200 Cal (calories)

    No.

    1 kcal = 1 Cal.

    Silly thing, it's the capital letter C that people don't understand. Some physicists got together and decided to annoy people who haven't taken physics.

    1kcal = 1 Cal = 1000 calories. (note one is capital c the other is lower case c)

    :)

    So, if your machine says 300 kcal, then you burned 300 Calories (which is what's set in the database.) We don't use calories in measuring our food and workouts.



    I was going to say... Wow I burn over 3000 calories then in my spin class!
  • smflagmeier
    smflagmeier Posts: 9
    There are two classes of calories (small/large). Large is the one we use when referring to food; therefore, KCal and Cal are the same thing.
  • rhogro
    rhogro Posts: 12
    Awesome. Thanks for the info. Think I'm going to like these Message Boards.
  • Mama_CAEI
    Mama_CAEI Posts: 235
    There are two classes of calories (small/large). Large is the one we use when referring to food; therefore, KCal and Cal are the same thing.

    I definitely ate too many large calories...that's why I had to sign up on MFP. :tongue:
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    an actual calorie is 1/1000 of a "food" calorie so the kilocalories (kcal) you burn are the same measurement as the "calories" you're taking in
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    There are two classes of calories (small/large). Large is the one we use when referring to food; therefore, KCal and Cal are the same thing.

    I definitely ate too many large calories...that's why I had to sign up on MFP. :tongue:

    Amen to that! hahaha
  • ChemChefJack
    ChemChefJack Posts: 1 Member
    This is an old topic board, but thank God for TropicalKitty!!! I was pulling my hair out reading some of the responses. One person didn't sleep all the time in their Sci classes.
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