how many calories are you really burning and is it enough?

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  • kuger4119
    kuger4119 Posts: 213 Member
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    I use the MFP site numbers for my running (which are nearly identical to what the treadmill indicates) and I have been almost dead on with losing one pound per week on average. When I lift, my heart rate monitor says that I burn about 8 calories per minute on average. MFP says that I am only burning half that. A lot of that is dependent on the individual and how they lift. Personally, I think I am blessed with above average cardio and now that I've been working out, my body responds relatively quickly. Again, my weight loss tracks at almost exactly one pound per week using the numbers I use.

    I will say that 900 calories in 45 minutes is probably not accurate unless it's a very large person in relatively good shape. I would have to sprint for 45 minutes to get close to that (and I'm not physically capable of that). I can burn 700 calories in a day, but that is me running 1.3 miles at 6 am, then running another 20 minutes followed up by 40-45 minutes of lifting in the evening at the gym. The biggest problem that I see with the gym is people thinking that ellipticals burn the way that MFP indicates. You see people freewheeling away for 30 minutes and while it is a good workout, I question how much they are really accomplishing.
  • omearaee
    omearaee Posts: 35 Member
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    That is a fantastic site, thank you for the link.

    I do not add the calories back when I exercise. I view those calories more as a buffer and not as ones to be counted on.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    I use the MFP site numbers for my running (which are nearly identical to what the treadmill indicates) and I have been almost dead on with losing one pound per week on average.
    I have the same experience. If anything, I lose faster than predicted when using the numbers that MFP gives for running.
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
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    I use a BMF to track calorie burn and adjust my intake accordingly. I'm in maintenance mode, not trying to lose weight. At the moment I'm still logging exercise on MFP so I can compare the results with BMF. Sometimes they're close and sometimes they aren't. I had been stalled out for a long time using MFPs calcs, which is why I got the BMF. Following BMF info helped me drop that last 12 pounds.

    You might be able to burn 900 cals in 45 minutes if you were really heavy and doing some extreme cardio, but that does seem rather unlikely. I sometimes get the impression some folks overestimate their output and underestimate their intake. Then they complain that they're not losing weight. Well, that's what happens if you cheat yourself!

    I definitely agree that a lot of people overestimate their output. In the heat of the moment, so to speak, it may SEEM like you're giving 100%, 90%, 80% -- it may feel like you're about to die -- but realistically, I chalk this up to people being overly dramatic, lol. I know when I'm giving it my all mid-workout that there's a part of me that could always push just a little bit harder -- and I guess you could say that I project this idea onto everyone else, that they too can always push a little bit harder. Basically, I tend to raise an eyebrow (and kind of laugh to myself) when I read about people buring over 700 or 800 calories, lol.
  • SouthernSkylark
    SouthernSkylark Posts: 128 Member
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    Psychologically speaking, this would be a detriment to some individuals' plans. Sometimes the frame of mind we are in goes a long way and after reading this article, it doesn't drive me to work hard to burn such a small amount of calories. However, I have to wonder where all this "simple math" comes from...

    I think this: we need to stop overanalyzing this process (unless we are taking it to a whole new level, like bodybuilding) because as long as we are eating healthy and staying active, we'll get there. I agree that it would be extremely difficult to burn 900 in 45 minutes (I like my HRM - it never gives me this type of reading), but I also don't add up my burned calories each week to ensure I've lost x amount of pounds... I just do it. I just exercise and run and take classes at the gym because it feels good and I'm staying active. I eat more veggies and not so many processed foods because I feel better and more accomplished when I do that. I like this new lifestyle, and no matter what I'm "actually" burning, I log what my HRM says because its part of my routine to give me a psychologically pleasing result at the end of the day.

    I totally agree!
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
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    Psychologically speaking, this would be a detriment to some individuals' plans.

    yes...perhaps. And I admire your balanced approach to this way of life. I would imagine its much less stressful.

    But what I think is important is for people who are accepting what they are told by the machines and the idea that massive amounts of cardio will compensate for a proper diet can have some more information for their journey.
  • B_Running
    B_Running Posts: 158
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    I will say that 900 calories in 45 minutes is probably not accurate unless it's a very large person in relatively good shape. I would have to sprint for 45 minutes to get close to that (and I'm not physically capable of that). I can burn 700 calories in a day, but that is me running 1.3 miles at 6 am, then running another 20 minutes followed up by 40-45 minutes of lifting in the evening at the gym. The biggest problem that I see with the gym is people thinking that ellipticals burn the way that MFP indicates. You see people freewheeling away for 30 minutes and while it is a good workout, I question how much they are really accomplishing.

    I agree. And the "freewheelers" (I know a few of them) usually feel so accomplished that I don't want to rain on their parade by questioning their effort.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    Who cares?

    Some of those people are losing weight.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Who cares?

    Some of those people are losing weight.

    Some are delusional as well.....
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
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    I use my HRM but I pause/stop it if my heart rate goes below 100.
  • nongie06
    nongie06 Posts: 15 Member
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    I am one of those people who work out for a long time (kind of) and burn about 900 (on a good day) according to the gym machines. But I also know that that cannot be the actual number, so I most of the time don't eat them calories back, if I do, I eat the maximun of 250 (on a very cold day or one of those days). The weight is coming off slowly but surely.
  • dommerp
    dommerp Posts: 2 Member
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    Very good article that you reference. So I guess when my treadmill readout says I burned 307 calories in my 35 minute workout it's all untrue. That would be around 8.8 cal/minute which is unlikely given my unfit condition. I suppose I'd be lucky to have actually burned half of that. Makes me wonder if any of the calories that Fitbit says are burned are really true?
  • thenewmrsfitz
    thenewmrsfitz Posts: 49
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    bump for later :)
  • konerusp
    konerusp Posts: 247 Member
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    For me irrespective of my workout numbers,i started with eating my BMR calories and slowly increasing my cals by 100 cals every month,with that i was able to figure out where i could still lose weight with my exercise.If i ate more than 1900 cals a day i was putting on weight,my numbers lie somewhere between 1700-1900 to lose 1 pound a week.so i eat this amount whether i exercise or not,it balances out for the week.my body bugg expenditure numbers are around 2300 on an average.
  • nitehawk311
    nitehawk311 Posts: 1
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    I use this calculator with my HRM' s avg.
    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

    it seems pretty accurate
  • MrsFolk
    MrsFolk Posts: 205
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    I've done well sticking with my HRM. The highest amount of calories I burn is usually around 550 and that's with intense Power90 for an hour so I'd say it's accurate.
  • brimarie95
    brimarie95 Posts: 81 Member
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    Are we considering that some people work out maybe twice a day? I run in the morning and do P90X in the afternoon. When I enter my info, MFP lumps them together and states a very high amount of cals burned and says something like "so and so burned 1000 cals doing cardio including running......" It doesn't state both the workouts. It only states one. Just a thought.
  • OMG_Twinkies
    OMG_Twinkies Posts: 215 Member
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    I couldn't get the article to load. But I use an HRM with a chest strap (New Balance) that is tailored to my sex, weight, and height and I quite often burn 800 calories in an hour at the gym (sometimes in 45 minutes). I completely believe it- I'm 264 lbs at 5'2" and up until a month ago, never exercised a day in my life, to speak of. I don't eat back most of my exercise calories, there's no way I could. But an 800 cal burn at my weight is not unfeasible.
  • Dayna5K
    Dayna5K Posts: 136 Member
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    Are we considering that some people work out maybe twice a day. I run in the morning and do P90X in the afternoon. When I enter my info, MFP lumps them together and states a very high amount of cals burned and says something like "so and so burned 1000 cals doing cardio including running......" It doesn't state both the workouts. It only states one. Just a thought.


    Exactly! I sometimes do cardio at lunch time and then again in the evening. This can add up to well over 900 calories. Also, if you play a sport on the regular or are trying to become a professional body builder or other type of athlete you probably burn at least that/day.

    Why try to judge/critique or compare yourself to other people? Focus on what works for you.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Good article, thanks for posting. The one thing the author didn't do is say what type of subject he's basing his numbers on. I'm assuming a 170 lb male. But that makes the numbers hard to reference for a 130 lb female or a 260 lb male. That type thing should always be stated up front or as a footnote.

    First time I've heard that almost all weight loss studies are done with extremely obese individuals. Makes total sense and I'll take future studies with more grains of salt than I usually do.

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