How to Measure Calories Burned During Exercise

Co-authored by Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Last Updated: September 20, 2022 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

Use the scale at your gym to get the most accurate weight.
The machine will track the number of calories that you've burned based on your body weight and the intensity of your exercise.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Track Your Calories on a Smartphone App

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Choose an intensity level if necessary, such as low-impact, medium or high intensity.^{[4]
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Alternatively, enter the distance that you traveled while exercising.
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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]
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Research source}^{[6]
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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]
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- 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.
- Weigh and measure everything you eat.^{[8]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
  Certified Personal Trainer
  
  Expert Interview. 19 March 2020.}
- Otherwise, you may underestimate the number of calories you eat.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
  Certified Personal Trainer
  
  Expert Interview. 19 March 2020.}
- That can make a big difference in your progress. For example, the difference between one and two tablespoons of peanut butter is almost 100 calories.^{[10]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
  Certified Personal Trainer
  
  Expert Interview. 19 March 2020.}
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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.

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Question

How should you track your weight and reps when you want to build muscle?

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Julian Arana is a Personal Trainer and the Founder of B-Fit Training Studios, a personal training and wellness set of studios based in Miami, Florida. Julian has over 12 years of personal training and coaching experience. He is a certified personal trainer (CPT) by the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). He has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Florida International University and an MS in Exercise Physiology specializing in strength and conditioning from the University of Miami.

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Use a notebook or your phone to write down the weight and repetitions performed for each exercise. You should see a progressive increase in the amount of resistance you use and repetitions you perform over time. If you are progressively getting stronger while eating at a caloric surplus, you should be building muscle.

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Question

How can I make exercise a part of my daily routine without feeling it like a chore?

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Julian Arana is a Personal Trainer and the Founder of B-Fit Training Studios, a personal training and wellness set of studios based in Miami, Florida. Julian has over 12 years of personal training and coaching experience. He is a certified personal trainer (CPT) by the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). He has a BS in Exercise Physiology from Florida International University and an MS in Exercise Physiology specializing in strength and conditioning from the University of Miami.

Julian Arana, M.S.eD., NCSF-CPT

Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Finding ways to make exercising more fun and enjoyable increases motivation. Playing sports, riding your bike in a beautiful setting, and participating in fitness challenges or competitions with friends or coworkers are all ways to make exercise more exciting.

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Tips

Don't download a calorie-counting app before you read customer reviews. The reviews will provide a lot of information about how well the app has worked for other people.

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You will never arrive at a perfect count for the number of calories that you burn during exercise. However, you can get a very good estimate.

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As you lose weight, you will have to exercise with more intensity to burn the same number of calories. For instance, you will have to walk faster, uphill or over a longer distance, and you'll have to do additional reps for strength training.

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