Calorie Burning

prodigal_son

Quick easy question here.

I use an exercise bike, and it tells me how many kj i output and then converts that to how many Kc i have used to output that amount.

However it doesnt seem to be linked to the intensity of the cycle, ie. 20mph burns at the same rate going up a 1, 2 or 3 gradient hill, although obviously the later are causing me to work harder.

So the question is simple, how many extra calories (guestimations are fine) would i be burning extra due to the added intensity? The bike goes from 1 to 8.

bwardrop

I'm afraid the answer is a little more complicated than your post would suggest. Firstly what is a level 1 gradient? Is it 1%, 5%, 10% or whatever incline? It could be anything. Secondly, how fast are you pedaling? Are you adjusting the resistance of the pedals to allow you to maintain 20mph on the gradients?

Your overall power output (watts) will determine how hard you are working calorie-wise. So, although you are upping the gradient, you may be compensating with your cadence and therefore maintaining the same overall output.

hunnymonster

The simple answer I'm afraid is that the calorie counters on most exercise bikes are not worth a damn so the value it is giving up is not quite random (it should increase with time!) but it could be way off the reality. Most gym bikes are not sophisticated enough to have things like power meters.

BTW, KJ and KC are just different units for the same thing i.e. Energy
1 kCal = 4.19 kJ

W0LFMAN

not a thread hack or anything...

But using these machines.... i use acouple of diferent ones at the gym..

What happens if you burn the exact amount of calories you consume in a day?


just a thought...

bwardrop

W0LFMAN wrote: »

not a thread hack or anything...

But using these machines.... i use acouple of diferent ones at the gym..

What happens if you burn the exact amount of calories you consume in a day?


just a thought...

Theoretically, you are in equilibrium - you should neither gain nor loose weight.

rubadub

All these calculators are estimations. Just try and match or better your "score" each time you go to the gym.

W0LFMAN wrote: »

But using these machines.... i use acouple of diferent ones at the gym..

What happens if you burn the exact amount of calories you consume in a day?

What some forget is that these estimates and estimates on other websites for different sports are usually quoting the additional calories used per hour, and people can tend to forget about basic calorific needs.

Say a man has a basal metabolism of 2400kcal per day. This means just sitting around he needs 100kcal per hour of food just to keep himself warm, heart pumping etc. When people say a sport uses 500kcal per hour, it is usually inferring you would need 500kcal in addition to the 100kcal to have enough energy.

So if you ate 2400kcal in a day and worked out on a machine at 400kcal per hour for 6 hours then your machine would tell you 2400kcal was used. If this was accurate then your deficit for the day is really 2400kcal.

bwardrop

Good point rubadub - I jumped to the conclusion that wolfman was asking about the calories over and entire day...

rubadub

bwardrop wrote: »

Good point rubadub - I jumped to the conclusion that wolfman was asking about the calories over and entire day...

I fully agree with your previous statement about equilibrium, not sure what wolfman did mean, but just pointing it out what to be careful of when doing calculations.

Another point is that 1000kcal of sugar will probably make you fatter than eating 1000kcal of wood. Calories are a measure of fuel, they are calculated BY humans, but are not calculated USING humans as subjects.

If you burn 1000kcal of sugar or wood it will heat a volume of water by the same amount, this does not mean the human body extracts and uses energy the same way as combustion does.

W0LFMAN

Sorry I was in a slight rush....

The question was If I consume during the entire day... 1000 cal's....

Then went to the gym, and spent.

20 min's Running
10 min's Cross trainer
15 min's X-cross trainer
15 mins Bike
10 mins Rower.

workout roughly = 1000 cals...

Daily I would be in the negitive cal count...how unhealty is this...?

Slaanesh

If your RMR is 2400kcal in a day, you would be in a 2400kcal defecit. That's probably a bit too much. You should probably be aiming for a 10-15% defecit and lose weight gradually.

bwardrop

Slaanesh wrote: »

If your RMR is 2400kcal in a day, you would be in a 2400kcal defecit. That's probably a bit too much. You should probably be aiming for a 10-15% defecit and lose weight gradually.

Exactly

hunnymonster

wolfman, I think your question is explained very well in the nutrition sticky at the top of the page. Have a pen and paper ready when you read it to do your personal maths!