You burnt how many calories?!

15in8
15in8 Posts: 141 Member
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
I acknowledge that people differ in the amount of energy they will exert during exercise, I generally like to be conservative in my estimates. Is it really possible to burn 2000 calories in 90 minutes? Here is a generic calculator I came across, and it seems to be more in the ball park of what I think is correct.

http://mydr.com.au/tools/calories-burned-calculator

I keep seeing numbers like 1400 in 45minutes and the like. I think some people may be setting themselves up for disappointment when the numbers they get on MFP don't translate to weight loss.

My basic understanding is you burn around 900 calories running for 1 hour, note that is running, not jogging. Using this as a base you can estimate roughly other activities. But of course we are all different and we all have different bodies that will burn calories at different rates. The calculations are based on the study you can read here http://juststand.org/Portals/3/literature/compendium-of-physical-activities.pdf

What are peoples thoughts on this?
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Replies

  • teenytinylove
    teenytinylove Posts: 24
    not saying mfp is right but depending on your weight you do burn different amounts of calories. someones whos 300lbs and runs for 30 mins usually burns more than someone whos 120lbs who runs for 30 mins. if your bigger your heart rate raises faster than when you're smaller.
  • seasonalvoodoo
    seasonalvoodoo Posts: 380 Member
    The MFP estimates are way off for a lot of things...pretty accurate for biking, for me. I use a HRM and burn 600 calories an hour running.
  • Eriam8
    Eriam8 Posts: 12 Member
    interesting!
    I will check out that calculator and article.
    I had also read somewhere a while ago that the number of calories you burn on a elliptical, you should divide it by 2 and that will give you the exact amount of calories you burnt during the work out compared to a treadmill that burns just about the amount it tells you on the machine.
  • mikituba
    mikituba Posts: 60
    I totally agree...today I burned around 1200 calories based off what the machines told me, but I only put in 1090, I did this in 90 minutes and that was very hard running on the arc trainer and elliptical. I definitely think people WAY over estimate their exercise..and you see things like "burned 200 calories doing 45 minutes of cleaning"....I don't think you should log that, that's just general everyday stuff. Under estimating your caloric intake and over estimating your usage is a sure way to fail.
  • tdupree71
    tdupree71 Posts: 17
    Use a HRM with a strap..............it is pretty accurate.
  • jaime_lynn_
    jaime_lynn_ Posts: 30 Member
    I agree. I was over shooting my calorie burn when i was "guesstimating" But it depends on so many different variables its no wonder I was wrong. My HRM is the best investment I have made. No more guess work. It gives me an accurate count so that I can set my diet around it.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    I have a certain hike with i go on and when i go with tall friends (i about die) and it takes about 45 minutes up the hill and its VERY steep....and then 20 or 25 minutes down and it says i burn like 800ish calories, but i wonder if the downhill part takes some away, and then i do the same hike (or amount of time) cuz we dont make it to the top, with my little girl who is seven there is now way i burn the same calories so when i doubt them i dont eat them back... and i would rather err on the low side and lose my wieght than be on the high side and stay the same...
  • Leola2011
    Leola2011 Posts: 192
    I bought a HRM because I was concerned that the calculator on this site was overestimating my burn. I've learned my body will burn around 200 cals (give or take 50) for about 25 min of exercise, no matter what I do. There's some variance, of course, but that's what I can expect. I see where some folks report 700 cals burned for 60 min of cleaning. I don't want to knock anyone, but if that were possible, I'd go so far as to say they never would have been overweight in the first place...that is, unless they just started cleaning after joining MFP. If cleaning for an hour burned half my daily calories, I'd be invisible by now.

    Having said that, I have also learned that simply moving one's butt more is enough to make a person WANT to eat better. So even if I don't log my cals burned accurately, I've noticed a difference just by moving more.
  • girlofgod
    girlofgod Posts: 12 Member
    I'm with you on this. I'm not saying that I think some of MFP buddies are liars, but some of those numbers are INSANE! I wear a Polar Watch which has been specifically calibrated to MY body and fitness level, via a VO2 assesment. When I look at other's results on what I would assume would be similar excersizes, they are often 2-3 times more than what mine are. And I'm no slacker! I work out with a personal trainer and she kicks my butt! No slacking allowed! I know not everyone can afford to buy expensive fitness equipment, but I think some more realistic/conservative numbers should be entered. Some of these are the same people who are complaining that they're not losing any weight. I wonder why?!?!? LOL!!! :wink:
  • runbyme
    runbyme Posts: 522 Member
    Excellent topic! For example, I was using cross training, general for calculating my 30 day shred workouts @ 251 calories burned. I purchased a HRM and when I did my work out for today, it's only 168! Oops! I'm sure it's different for everyone but this was my experience!

    Good luck to everyone!
  • mindymoney
    mindymoney Posts: 4
    I have often wondered that. I run Hike in the woods lots of steep hills and stuff plus I do squats and whatnot... I go from 4-6 miles a day walk run squat major hills how many calories do you that burns?
  • Pkiddy
    Pkiddy Posts: 145 Member
    interesting!
    I will check out that calculator and article.
    I had also read somewhere a while ago that the number of calories you burn on a elliptical, you should divide it by 2 and that will give you the exact amount of calories you burnt during the work out compared to a treadmill that burns just about the amount it tells you on the machine.

    I just got home from the gym. Just used my new HRM. i did 50 minutes on the elliptical. Machine said i did 560, the HRM says 332.... maybe this divide by two is true for the elliptical. :)
  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
    interesting!
    I will check out that calculator and article.
    I had also read somewhere a while ago that the number of calories you burn on a elliptical, you should divide it by 2 and that will give you the exact amount of calories you burnt during the work out compared to a treadmill that burns just about the amount it tells you on the machine.

    I've found that using an HRM while on an elliptical, they're generally within about 20-30 calories of each other (with HRM being lower most of the time) when I'm done. It varies with each workout, though.
  • mtperry9
    mtperry9 Posts: 49 Member
    I use the 91-100 calories per mile model (runnersworld.com) no matter the speed or incline. I'd rather error on the side of entering too low calorie count than high for just the reason the original poster cited ... disappointed.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    MFP has its faults...like the ability to put 200 calories burned walking from couch to fridge for 2 mins!
  • StrongGwen
    StrongGwen Posts: 378 Member
    . I see where some folks report 700 cals burned for 60 min of cleaning.

    I need to get those people to clean at my house!
  • KerriMx5
    KerriMx5 Posts: 458 Member
    This is why I don't eat back all the cals it says I burned. I don't fully trust the estimate from here. One day I will get a HRM but until then it is just a "guess." I log stuff on here to keep track of what I am doing more then anything.
  • shanahan_09
    shanahan_09 Posts: 238 Member
    Personally, I don't add my workouts to MFP at all to see my caloric expenditure. I know how my body reacts to cardio, strength training, circuit, hiking etc... and I gauge my success by how I'm feeling--and not by the calories I've burnt. I would drive myself bonkers trying to tally up the calories after a brutal workout and think "HOLY crap, all that just for THAT?!!." I'll jump on the scale, if the number is down, my clothes are looser, and I'm more energetic, happier...that's all I need! I know some go crazy thinking :"OMG, I've only burned 350 calories today with my exercise". For myself, I can't live like that. I workout, try to eat clean as possible, and lose weight without having to see my energy spent with a number. :smile:
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    MFP has its faults...like the ability to put 200 calories burned walking from couch to fridge for 2 mins!







    totally a beer drinker calculation there!!
  • mcdonl
    mcdonl Posts: 342 Member
    HRM guy myself... I just did 55 minutes of balls to the wall insanity max plyo intervals and burned just over 800 calories with an average HR of 92% of max....
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    One of my last runs was 72 minutes long and I ran 9 miles. That's 8 min miles and I only burned 1100 calories and I was moving.
    I'm with you.

    That's with a Polar HR Monitor
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
    My HRM always comes in lower that MFP and my treadmill. Always. The range is larger the longer I exercise.

    This is my thought .....

    Most people under estimate the number of calories they eat and over estimate the number of calories they burn.

    Heck, I do it and I weigh/measure almost everything and wear a HRM. Key word being "almost." At least the HRM keeps me a little more honest.
  • 15in8
    15in8 Posts: 141 Member
    I have often wondered that. I run Hike in the woods lots of steep hills and stuff plus I do squats and whatnot... I go from 4-6 miles a day walk run squat major hills how many calories do you that burns?

    I see you put 760 for 120 minutes of this, I am not a expert on it, but that seems to be a reasonable amount, possibly even a little underestimation. Depends on the intensity.

    I am thinking the HRM may be a good idea, doing a quick look at the research suggests it is pretty accurate and correlates well with oxygen consumption.
  • ElPumaMex
    ElPumaMex Posts: 367 Member
    Excellent topic !

    I have a related question:

    Do you agree that since many here routinely "eat" their exercise calories, they should only "eat" the excess calories they burn, not the total calories burned?

    For example: If I burn 100 calories per hour, just by sitting down, then if I exercise for an hour and the HRM registers 300 calories burned, that means I only burned 200 calories more than regular.
    So I should only be allowed to "eat " 200 more calories, not the 300

    Opinions?
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    . I see where some folks report 700 cals burned for 60 min of cleaning.

    I need to get those people to clean at my house!

    I burn about that much when I scrub my floors. It's some serious hard work to get down on your hands and knees and scrub 2400 sq ft of tile.
  • MizzDoc
    MizzDoc Posts: 493 Member
    *side note-- I use a HRM (chest strap) which I have found to be pretty accurate for me*

    Just today I went for a 60 min run. When I came back to enter in my workout-- MFP was off by only one calorie versus what my HRM recorded. I general, I have found MFP "calories burned" to be somewhat accurate for me. However, I'm usually very realistic about the type of exercises I do and the length of time I do them.

    But now that I use my HRM, I feel much more confident about my caloric burn. And like of most of the posters, I do not eat back all of my exercise calories (even though I really want to, lol).

    Oh yeah forgot to state my caloric burn was 678.
  • AmandaCaswell1982
    AmandaCaswell1982 Posts: 170 Member
    I think some people use the machine's estimates- like on a treadmill or elliptical.
  • Ashlea82
    Ashlea82 Posts: 191
    I use a HRM with a chest strap, i walk a 7km trail pushing a 15 kg toddler in a stroller in 90 mins and burn 1280
    also swim 30 laps of an olympic pool in 75 mins (breaststroke) and burn around 1400
    i wont if my MFP friends think im lying lol
    i dont eat back my cals anyway
  • frugalmomsrock
    frugalmomsrock Posts: 1,123
    I acknowledge that people differ in the amount of energy they will exert during exercise, I generally like to be conservative in my estimates. Is it really possible to burn 2000 calories in 90 minutes? Here is a generic calculator I came across, and it seems to be more in the ball park of what I think is correct.

    http://mydr.com.au/tools/calories-burned-calculator

    I keep seeing numbers like 1400 in 45minutes and the like. I think some people may be setting themselves up for disappointment when the numbers they get on MFP don't translate to weight loss.

    My basic understanding is you burn around 900 calories running for 1 hour, note that is running, not jogging. Using this as a base you can estimate roughly other activities. But of course we are all different and we all have different bodies that will burn calories at different rates. The calculations are based on the study you can read here http://juststand.org/Portals/3/literature/compendium-of-physical-activities.pdf

    What are peoples thoughts on this?

    That isn't all that accurate. I walked 122 minutes (7.5 miles) pushing my double stroller with my HRM today, and it says I burned 737 calories; the calculator there just said I burned 460. Pretty big difference... MFP typically overestimates everything for me... I love my HRM.
  • noexcuses84
    noexcuses84 Posts: 100 Member
    okay okay, u guys have convinced me i am no longer logging any housework. I usually only log the stuff i don't do very often but i will stop! I am also going to buy a HRM, i've been thinkin bout gettin one for a while now and it was intesting, and slightly disapponiting, to read all these comments about the difference in cals burned :(
    having said that, i am consistantly losing weight so i'm doing something right!
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