There is an app for the iPod Touch called 'Fitaide,' it uses the accelerometer to measure movement. Today I used this app to do a little test, I walked about 2 hours, took 4,690 steps for a total of 3.69 kilometers of light to moderate activity at work and only burnt 164 calories. If that data is correct then it is very disconcerting to know only 164 calories were burnt.
This afternoon I rode for one hour on the spin bike, did three 10 minute steady state intervals at lactate threshold and burnt 400 calories.
This is the first time I ever really took note of counting calories, it really takes a lot of work to burn calories. No wonder I find it hard to reduce body fat, since I consume way more calories than I burn. Just one brownie or protein bar has about 250 calories.
Who the heck wants to count calories? I never thought I would ever have a weight problem. I remember when I was a skinny teen, there was a product called 'WateOn' which was supposed to help you get big, well it never worked. I always remained skinny hovering around 135 to 155 lbs at 5'-9" until I shot up to 195 lbs in 2006. That was when I resumed cycling at the track. Since then I have lost 21 lbs of fat in four years. Current weight is about 174 lbs, with about a 16% body fat percentage. Ideally I would like to lose another 15 lbs of fat and put on some muscle to improve the power to weight ratio, but that is going to be extremely hard at the current age, level of activity, diet and training.
Here is a calorie burn chart for one hour depending on activity, level of intensity and body weight.
3 comments:
Try working out in the morning only, on an empty stomach.
Working out later in the day burns 1/4 of the calories it does in the morning, and if you workout after eating, you're only burning the calories you just consumed, and not really burning any of that fat your body is storing. It's using those recently consumed calories as energy, rather then going into your fat supply to use that up for energy. Also, drink 1-2 glasses of water before and after workout.
I've gone down from 175 to 150 over the past couple months. However, I have been doing light weight training 2-3 days a week also, and I do aerobic workout 2-3 days a week in between the weight days, to let my muscles rest, and just burn fat.
Check out the book BODY FOR LIFE. It worked for both myself and my girlfriend, and we're both following the program still. It's very easy to follow. I'm now doing more weight training for my legs to build up for track racing this season.
Hi Kissena,
I lead the company that developed Fitaide. Its really rewarding to see the app being used precisely for the intended purpose. Might interest you to know that Fitaide only displays net calories i.e. calories lost purely from activity. Many apps & programs tend to present 'gross calories' which includes your resting calorie burn during that period. We believe that showing net calories is more truthful and will push people into lifting their intensity, which would help them make the most of the time they spend being active.
Love to hear more of your experience using Fitaide and ways in which we could improve it!
Best,
Siva
CEO, Poscitech
Creators of Fitaide & Fitaide Lite
www.fitaide.com
fitaide@poscitech.com
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