does everyone burn calories the same

[tlc93]

Hi Cathe and cathletes!

I'm just wondering the science of calories burned. I believe that the definition of the word calorie is "a measurement of energy". So my question is.....don't we all burn calories at a different rate from each other? Surely a 6 ft male weighing 200 lbs would burn more calories than 5 ft 3in female because of the difference in muscle mass. You need muscles to work to generate heat and THATS what burns calories right? So when I do a workout that claims I'll burn say 500 calories......how can that be accurate?

I just got a Polar heart rate monitor and I've done 4 different workouts and have yet to come near the calories burned that I should have. One workout in particular I amped it up....using heavier weights, doing jacks while they were doing grapevines etc. Still not close. The heart rate monitor is fine and I know how to use it. I'm just wondering if I'm missing something in the science.

Thanks for all you do!

Peg

 

[SNM Videos]

Calories Burned

Yes, calories burned varies depending on several factors including, weight,age,sex and height. The intensity at which you do an exercise will also come into play as giving maximum effort will burn more calories than just going through the motions. A newbie will also burn more calories than a seasoned exerciser because they are unfamiliar with the workout program and thus waste more energy doing the same movements as an experienced exerciser would.

We have numerous articles on this topic in our Blog. To start with you may want read Cathe Friedrich - Why Your TDEE is Important for Weight Loss | Cathe Friedrich

Also if you just go to our Blog at Cathe Friedrich - Blog and type "calories burned" you will find a bunch more articles on this subject.

You also have to remember that if you burn 500 calories in a 60 min program, you did not burn 500 extra calories. Instead you have to subtract what you would have burned in the same 60 mins if you hadn't exercised from the 500 total. So if you average burning 150 calories per hour when not exercising you would subtract 150 from 500 calories burned in exercising. This means that you actually only burned 350 extra calories from your workout.

lastly, don't get hung up on calorie counting. One of the main benefits of exercise is that it can change your metabolic rate throughout the entire day, not just when you exercise.

 

[tlc93]

SNM...THANK YOU!!! I knew there would be articles, I just lost patience trying to find them.....sorry. I'm not really hung up on calorie counting really. Its just a part of the info given on the HRM. So of course I had to test it. I did Cathe wkouts and 2 other instructors and the calories I burned wasn't even close to the compendium on Cathes and the advertised calorie burn for the others. So naturally I had to obssess and delve into it in an attempt to understand it. Now I have to learn my TDEE!!!

Anyone else experience this?

 

[dmerz]

Yes- but the other direction. My Polar HRM tends to show 150- 200 calories MORE than what is listed for the workouts. So I tend to ignore the calorie count and instead focus on my heart rate average and max and the "training load" number when I sync my workouts into their online program.