Calories

[Bop Bop]

Looking for some help:

A part of my bike journal is the amount of calories I burn each ride. What excatly am I burning? If it is fat, is there a way to calculate the weight of fat per calorie or hundred calories (so many calories = how many pounds/ounces of fat) I am burning?

Thanks,

[Bockman]

It depends upon what your heart rate is during the ride, among many other variables. Generally speaking, you are burning a mixture of fat and carbohydrates-- mostly carbs.

Dave

[Pedal Wench]

Not sure if this what you were asking, but you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of weight - typically fat pounds are the first to go. Your body needs a certain amount to maintain base functions (breathing, pumping blood, lifting the remote) so you need to account for that - this varies on your basic weight, but if you burn or eliminate 3,500 calories, you'll lose one pound.

[bbp]

It depends upon what your heart rate is during the ride, among many other variables. Generally speaking, you are burning a mixture of fat and carbohydrates-- mostly carbs.

Dave


until you run out of carbs then you'll be burning fat and muscle

[operator]

No offense but it's impossible to tell how many calories you are burning each ride. It depends on a multitude of factors.

[MsMittens]

As a rough estimate (and some people consider this a rule of thumb), an hour ride = 500 calories. That said, factors like wind, hills, speed, bike weight, consistency, intesity, humidity, heat, cold, etc. can alter this. For a general idea (and it is very general -- not 100% accurate) I sometimes use Bicycling's Online Ride Calorie Calculator (http://www.bicycling.com/training). (Hey.. I like numbers sometimes. Makes me feel like I achieve something :D)

[raydowner_uk]

In the heart rate monitor book it says (and I'm recalling from memory here) that 1g fat liberates 7 calories and 1g carbs liberates 4 calories. (I hope that's right) obviously the ratio of fuels burned depends on the intensity of the workout.

The real way to work these things out is with the respiratory quotient. Which I can't remember at the moment. but it analyses how much oxygen is being used to to liberate how much energy.

Check a basic biology book for a better description. I'll go and find mine now.

[Bop Bop]

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the info. Looks like I have some things to check on. Thank you again.

[joejack951]

Just got my Polar S725. My 1 hour, 10 minute ride burned 1172 calories according to it. 167 bpm average HR, 1060 feet of climbing, 21 miles. No avg. speed number b/c my speed sensor wasn't picking up for some reason and I rode in the dark so I couldn't check the computer to see that it wasn't reading.

Might give you a starting point for a comparison.

[Bop Bop]

Joejack,

Thanks, it does!

[SSP]

40 calories per mile is another "rule of thumb". A little less if you're riding slow, or are a lightweight. A little more if you're riding fast, or weigh more than average.

FWIW, I built a fairly sophisticated Calorie & Average Watts Calculator (http://www.shastasoftware.com/CycliStats/caloriecalculator.htm) into my CycliStats ride log program ( http://www.CycliStats.com ).

[Bop Bop]

SSP,

Thanks, I check it out.

[Frodocious]

http://www.caloriesperhour.com

is a good way of estimating calorie usage for all sorts of activities