How to Measure Calories Burned During Exercise

Co-authored by Alphonso White

Last Updated: November 19, 2021 References

When you exercise for weight loss or weight maintenance, you want to measure calories burned during exercise. Balancing the number of calories that you've burned with the number of calories that you take in daily will help you to eat the ideal amount for your weight goal.^{[1]
X
Expert Source

Alphonso White
Certified Personal Trainer, CompleteBody NYC
Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.} Take advantage of reputable online calculators to calculate your calorie goals instead of trying to perform complex calculations on your own.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Track Your Calories Burned on a Treadmill or Other Machine

1
Enter your weight where indicated on the machine controls. Use the scale at your gym to get the most accurate weight.
2
Start performing your exercise. The machine will track the number of calories that you've burned based on your body weight and the intensity of your exercise.

Advertisement
3
Write down the number of calories that you burned in a journal or on a smartphone.

Advertisement

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Track Your Calories on a Smartphone App

1
Download a calorie-counting or exercise tracking app from the iTunes Store or GooglePlay.^{[2]
X
Research source}
2
Enter your current weight into the app.^{[3]
X
Research source}
3
Choose the exercise you want to perform from the app's menu. Choose an intensity level if necessary, such as low-impact, medium or high intensity.^{[4]
X
Research source}
4
Enter the length of time that you spent exercising. Alternatively, enter the distance that you traveled while exercising.
5
Record the number of calories that you burned within the app or in a separate notebook.

Advertisement

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Find the Right Number of Calories to Burn

1
Determine how many calories you can take in each day to meet your weight goals.^{[5]
X
Research source}^{[6]
X
Expert Source

Alphonso White
Certified Personal Trainer, CompleteBody NYC
Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.}
- Enter your height, weight, gender, activity level and weight loss goals into an online calculator.
- Write down the number of calories that you should eat per day in a journal or on your smartphone. Make sure you aren't losing more than 1 to 2 pounds per week.
2
Perform just enough exercise to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week in combination with what you're eating.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- If you calculated calorie goals for a 1-pound weight loss per week, then you can burn up to 3,500 calories with exercise to lose an additional pound.
- If you calculated calorie goals for a 2-pound per week weight loss, then make sure to replace any calories that you burn while exercising with food. For example, if you burn 300 calories while exercising, eat 300 calories of healthy food to compensate.
3
Write everything down while you are working on your weight. Write down all meals and all exercise performed so that you are accurately tracking your calories.

Advertisement

Community Q&A

Question

How do you lose back fat fast?

Alphonso White
Certified Personal Trainer, CompleteBody NYC
Alphonso White is a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach at CompleteBody in New York City. With over 20 years of experience in the personal fitness industry, Alphonso specializes in fat loss, toning, and functional training. As an ACE Certified Personal Trainer (ACE-CPT), he creates structured, personal workout plans geared towards short and long-term fitness goals. Alphonso also holds a BS in Nutrition and Exercise Science from Queens College and is a Black Belt in Seido Karate.

Alphonso White

Certified Personal Trainer, CompleteBody NYC

Expert Answer

No single exercise will help with fat loss—it's a team effort that begins with reducing your caloric intake. You can tone your back muscles with pull-ups, rows, and pulldowns, though.
Question

Is it best to use sugar or a substitute?

Community Answer

If possible, avoid all sugar, fake or real. Try using something healthier as an alternative, like organic honey. Of course, if you're only concerned with cutting calories, just use a sugar substitute.
Question

How many calories will I burn in one hour of jogging?

Community Answer

The calories you burn during exercise depend on your body weight. To find out roughly how many calories you'd burn during one hour of jogging, go to a website like bodybuilding.com and enter the necessary information.
Question

Does altitude variations change the calories burned?

Community Answer

Yes, although not always significantly. Altitude affects the way you respond to workouts, but most fitness trackers should account for that.
Question

How many calories are burned on a 14 mile bike ride?

Community Answer

It depends on how fast you were going, but approximately 48-56 calories per mile.
Question

How many calories should I eat to lose 20 kilos?

Galasy4969

Top Answerer

Not all calories behave the same. Think less about the calories you eat and more about where those calories are coming from, and make adjustments toward healthy alternatives when possible.