Tracking Active Calories vs. Total Calories: What You Should Know

There is a well-known formula commonly associated with weight loss: burning more calories + eating fewer calories = weight loss. Sounds fairly simple, right?

That's a straight-forward formula but the process of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is far more complicated than a simple math problem. Numerous factors affect your food intake and the calories burned during exercise. So getting accurate numbers can be challenging.

A registered dietitian can help you choose a structured, numbers-based program for weight loss with a nutritious meal plan. Understanding these six concepts about exercise calories will help you develop and maintain a comprehensive plan to reach your health goals.

Should You Count Active Calories?

Using the calories in/calories out approach to weight loss gives the process structure which might be helpful for some. At least one study has compared structured weight-loss plans to less structured weight-loss plans and found that more structure may work slightly better for some.

If this is the path that works best for you, tracking your active calories can help determine if you are reaching your target numbers for weight loss. Experts recommend maintaining a negative calorie balance of 500 to 750 calories per day for weight loss for those with obesity who want to lose weight at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Weight loss is not always that simple and the calories in/calories out principle doesn't always work. For some people, it may trigger unhealthy eating or exercise habits.

Taking an intuitive approach to diet and exercise may be best for those triggered by counting calories. Intuitive eating simply means that you listen to your body cues rather than using external messages about what you "should" or "shouldn't" eat. You can also take an intuitive approach to exercise.

Remember there is no one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss. The best and most sustainable plan for you depends on your needs, your history with food, your preferences, and your long-term goals.

Counting Active Calories

If you choose to count active calories from exercise, you can use an activity calculator like the one below to determine how many calories you burn during various activities. You might even use this calculator to select certain activities that burn more calories to make the most of your workout time.

While a calculator is helpful, it can only give you a general estimate of your energy expenditure based on based on your weight, type of workout, and duration of the activity.

The accuracy of that number depends on several other factors. It is important to understand these other factors to get a better overall sense of your energy expenditure throughout the day and to stay motivated throughout your weight-loss journey.

Net Calories vs. Gross Calories

Activity calculators generally provide a number that reflects the number of gross calories burned during your workout. Your gross caloric expenditure is different than your net caloric expenditure.

• Net calories are sometimes called active calories. During a workout, it refers to the total number of calories burned during your activity minus calories expended for basal metabolic functions. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR)—also called your resting metabolic rate (RMR)—is the energy needed to sustain basic functions such as breathing and circulation. Net calories refers to the extra calories burned during physical activity.
• Gross calories are the total number of calories you burn in a given period, such as during a workout. This number includes calories burned from your BMR and the extra energy required for exercise activity.

For example, if you jogged during a time that you normally watch TV, you’re still burning more calories than you would have burned while sitting on the couch, but you need to subtract the calories you would’ve burned while watching TV in order to get a more accurate calculation of how running contributed to your total caloric expenditure.

So why does this matter? If you have set a target to burn an extra 300 calories per day to create an energy deficit for weight loss, those calories should be net calories, not gross calories, in order for them to be truly "extra."

Exercise Intensity

How hard you work during your workout plays an important role in the number of calories you burn during exercise. However, not all physical activity calorie estimates take intensity into account. Also, keep in mind some fitness trackers are better at activity tracking than others—Fitbit over Whoop, for example.

Some activity calculators give you the ability to choose between different intensities (such as various running paces). But for most activities, there is no way to input an intensity level into an online calculator.

Calorie calculators on exercise machines, such as those on cardio machines like treadmills and elliptical trainers use duration and your weight (if you input your weight accurately) to determine the number of calories you burn. They generally do not take intensity into account.

Activity trackers that have a heart rate monitor are most likely to give you a better estimate of calories burned during your workout because they use heart rate measurements to determine how hard you are working.

For instance, if you work exceptionally hard during your treadmill workout, your tracker is more likely to take the higher heart rate into account and display a higher caloric expenditure as a result. But harder workouts are not always better.

A pilot study compared different aerobic exercise intensities in young adults with obesity. Researchers found that 12 weeks of light-intensity exercise significantly reduced body weight and body fat. But 12 weeks of high-intensity exercise reduced body weight, body fat, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio.

However, there are drawbacks to high-intensity exercise that you may want to consider. You may not enjoy exercise if you have to work extremely hard. And high-intensity exercise increases your risk of burnout and injury.

Some researchers suggest that moderate-intensity workouts with a low perceived effort are more effective for some people because extremely hard workouts could lead to dropout and other problems.

Workout Type

Different types of activities provide different types of benefits. If you focus only on caloric expenditure to maximize your energy deficit, you might miss out on the benefits that some workouts can provide. These benefits won't show up on your fitness tracker or the calorie calculator.

Weight Bearing vs. Non-Weight Bearing

Generally speaking, weight-bearing activities like running, jumping rope, or walking have the potential to more calories because gravity requires your body to work harder. In addition, weight-bearing activities also promote better bone health. But non-weight-bearing activities, like cycling or water jogging may be more comfortable for those with joint issues.

Participate in both types of activities to optimize workout results. Do a few days per week of weight-bearing activities to optimize bone health. Then take a day or two to do non-weight-bearing activities to give your body a break.

Aerobic vs. Strength Training

Countless studies have shown that cardio exercise is effective for burning calories to lose weight. Research has also demonstrated that strength or resistance training helps to promote weight loss and weight maintenance because it helps your body maintain lean muscle mass.

But if you're tracking active calories, you're likely to see that your weight-training workouts burn fewer calories than your cardio sessions. So should you avoid them? Probably not.

Some studies have compared weight training to cardio for weight loss. Not surprisingly, experts advise that you combine both types of exercise because both provide important benefits.

Mechanical Efficiency

Your ability to perform exercises properly—your mechanical efficiency—can impact the number of calories you burn during a workout. It seems strange that being good at an activity would mean burning fewer calories. But that’s exactly what can happen when you exercise consistently.

When you first learn a new form of exercise, there is usually a learning curve. Your first attempts may require more effort because your body isn't used to the activity—which can result in a higher heart rate and a higher caloric expenditure.

Over time, movements usually became more natural and efficient. That is, your body can perform the exercise with less effort and fewer calories. But you can keep your calorie expenditure from falling by working harder.

For instance, when you are first learning to swim you may burn a lot of calories because you find yourself splashing and kicking to keep your body buoyant. But as you become more efficient and streamlined, your body moves through the water with less effort (and fewer calories).

None of these changes are reflected in the calorie result shown on a physical activity calculator. You may see changes on your fitness tracker if it considers heart rate.

Exercise Compensation

Sometimes, exercising for weight loss doesn't yield the results that you expect even though you are completing workouts that align with your calorie targets. So what's the problem? Exercise compensation may be to blame.

Your exercise program can affect your activity level for the rest of the day. For instance, if you do a tough workout and then take a nap or skip an afternoon walk, you may burn fewer total daily calories as a result. Exercise can also increase your appetite, causing you to eat more calories. Researchers call this phenomenon exercise compensation.

Genetics and Gender

Our genetic makeup helps to determine resting metabolic rate, muscle fiber types, and responses to exercise, all of which can affect our ability to burn calories and lose weight. Unfortunately, no activity tracker or physical activity calorie calculator can take genetics into account.

Gender can also affect the number of calories you burn. Women usually have more body fat than men and their bodies respond differently to exercise, which can change the rate of fat loss.

A Word From Verywell

Tracking calories from food or exercise is not the best approach for everyone. Some may find working out just to reach a target calorie goal takes the joy out of movement. Exercise provides a wide range of health benefits that have nothing to do with calories or weight loss.

If you find that tracking exercise calories helps you to reach your weight-loss goals, it is important to understand the numbers you get are not exact. Whether you use a calorie calculator or a fitness tracker to track active calories vs. total calories, the best you get is an estimate. Take the numbers with a grain of salt and focus on other aspects of exercise that benefit your body and brain for wellness and weight loss.