How many calories do you really burn skiing?

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Thx nick i joined the group today

 

[gottabelight]

anyone ever use alpinereplay app? It keeps track of calories burned after you enter your weight etc, im looking at my day at okemo a few weeks ago it says i skied 14.1 miles, i burned 777 calories skiing a total of 36 minutes, 89 minutes on chairlifts and 1491 total calories burned during the day im not sure how they get that number maybe traversing between lifts etc who knows but its a pretty cool app to see your top mph, sustained speed, total vertical, it seems to be pretty accurate i just find it funny that at a mtn for 6hrs and 10 runs is only 36minutes of actual ski time.

I just started using this app the other day and liked it. I did think I was burning more calories than it says I am though. That was a little disappointing.

 

[jaywbigred]

ive always used 400/hr (of actual ski time) as a baseline, but there will be tons of variance, obviously.

Also in my opinion, you are completely wasting your time if the diet your using is not based on ketogenesis/ketosis/low carb. You want t lose fat, not muscle. Muscle is not only good for your body (burns more cals at rest, supports joint and skeletal health, etc) but it is important for the enjoyment of our sport.

 

[gottabelight]

Ketogenic diet (I had to look it up):

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

So I agree that diet is essential for performance as well as general well being. But I do not believe in neglecting carbs. I think good, complex carbs are very important. Your body needs them. I stay away from white bread, white pasta etc. Just my opinion.

 

[legalskier]

If you're a young parent skiing the greens you still can burn off plenty of cals- by constantly picking your little ones up off the snow after they fall (been there, done that).
But I guess that would be more weightlifting than skiing, hehe.

Nowadays I get a good idea of cals burnt when I wring my baselayer out at the end of the day.

 

[tomcat]

I was wondering this myself. I skied 3 days in a row with 20 hrs of slope time including the last day in up to 10 inches of pow. The last day I was somewhat dehydrated since I didn't drink much water apres skiing since I wanted to make the 5 hr drive nonstop. I was down about 4-5 lbs. I ate decently. No lodge food or alcohol and kept hydrated except the last day before the drive. I am normally very active XC ski, cycle, hike and I consider downhill anaerobic compared to the other activities. Definitively a different muscle fatigue at days end than something more aerobic. Oddly enough after the three days my abs were also a little tender in addition to my quads.

If you lifted weights (anaerobic exercise) taking regular breaks for 5-6 hours (a full day of skiing) you would burn plenty of calories. There is still exertion skiing. The quads are certainly burning by days end. You wouldn't burn as much as say cycling a century or running a marathon but you'd still burn a quite a few calories.
I think every person would vary quite a bit. The guy who is in the trees for hours vs the groomer skier. I'm sure when I ski alone I ski harder because I tend to ski top to bottom rather than stopping to regroup with other skiers. Pow vs packed snow etc. All these vary every time we ski so calorie burn differs. That being said every activity's calorie burn would differ from person to person, even in identical conditions. A 250lb person burns more than a 150lb person etc.

For what it's worth I find the most unbeatable calorie burn to be long distance backpacking. When I hiked the AT I could never eat enough and still lost weight and I'm fairly small to begin with.

 

[gottabelight]

I agree with what tomcat said how big an impact your skiing partners can make on calorie burn. Being with people of equal ability you can ski all the way down without having to stop and wait for people. The stop / start breaks make it a lot less taxing on your body (calorie burn).

 

[goldsbar]

Just making your way down the mountain won't burn much. To me, skiing is an athletic activity like biking. High edge angle, near boot out carving is killer. Maybe more calorie burn than bumps.

 

[Cheese]

I was down about 4-5 lbs

You were dehydrated. Unless you're trying to convince us that you burned 14,000-17,500 calories in 3 days of skiing it has to be water weight. Don't feel bad, most fad diets use the same dehydration technique to lure followers into believing they're actually losing weight.

 

[jaywbigred]

Ketogenic diet (I had to look it up):

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

So I agree that diet is essential for performance as well as general well being. But I do not believe in neglecting carbs. I think good, complex carbs are very important. Your body needs them. I stay away from white bread, white pasta etc. Just my opinion.

I agree with you, a well rounded diet includes many carbs, especially those that are whole grain and full of fiber. I am talking purely about "dieting", i.e. not "your normal diet". I consider dieting a waste of time if results in you losing muscle mass with your weight. If you lose muscle mass with the weight, you wind up lighter, but it is likely short term because a) most people tend to put weight back on and b) your reduced muscle mass burns less calories while at rest than you did before, which means a) is more likely to happen...you're going to put weight back on more quickly, and now you have less muscle to burn it off.

My understanding from doctor friends is that ketosis is the state where ketogenesis is occurring, which means your body is converting fat stores to energy. I believe your kidneys help cleave ketones from fat molecules so that they can be used in place of glucose in your blood for energy. But your body won't seek out your fat stores until it thinks it has already depleted the safe amount of muscle it can use. High protein diets "trick" your body into doing this, and, so long as you are still calorie deficient, result in fat loss rather than muscle loss. There are different versions of how to do it, but I think that is the basis.

And it is certainly not just used to treat epilepsy in children. It is used to treat obesity, is the basis for South Beach, Atkins, and so forth, and is used by athletes and body builders who place an emphasis on muscle mass retention. I know there are high-fat versions, but I try to keep it as lean as possible for heart health. You also REALLY have to watch salt intake, and drink a ton of water so that your kidney flushes all the nasty by-products of the molecule cleaving.

When I am carb-cycling and skiing, the weight def. comes off a little quicker, because calories are being burned and muscles being strengthened. Skiing is, after all, most anaerobic, and a day skiing is more akin to a day lifting weights than a day running or swimming.

Once I reach my goal weight, I try to go back to a well-balanced diet including many carbs (though I try to eat them earlier in the day), but always trying to keep a tab on calories. This gets very hard when it comes to beer and holidays though.

 

[Cheese]

It is used to treat obesity, is the basis for South Beach, Atkins, and so forth, and is used by athletes and body builders who place an emphasis on muscle mass retention. I know there are high-fat versions, but I try to keep it as lean as possible for heart health. You also REALLY have to watch salt intake, and drink a ton of water so that your kidney flushes all the nasty by-products of the molecule cleaving.

It's used briefly, not continuously for those diets. Carbs are supposed to be reintroduced gradually. Like most fad diets, the "miraculous" initial weight loss comes from dehydration and starvation as followers struggle to find ingredients they are allowed to eat. Once fluids return and followers become more able to find foods that aren't forbidden for one reason or another the weight comes back and often brings a few extra pounds along as well.

 

[jaywbigred]

It's used briefly, not continuously for those diets. Carbs are supposed to be reintroduced gradually. Like most fad diets, the "miraculous" initial weight loss comes from dehydration and starvation as followers struggle to find ingredients they are allowed to eat. Once fluids return and followers become more able to find foods that aren't forbidden for one reason or another the weight comes back and often brings a few extra pounds along as well.

What do you mean by briefly? Ketosis is used "long term" (i.e. for the duration of a diet) in most low carb diets, until a target weight is reached. Carb-cycling is used short term to shed pounds on obese patients in hospitals, and short term on body builders and athletes before a weigh-in.

My doctor echoed that the initial weight loss can be water weight if you do not hydrate. He even recommended a ton of water, of course,and even a small amount of electrolyte based drinks (count the carbs though). I've found that if I properly hydrate, carb cycling once or twice a year, I can lose the 3-7 pounds I am trying to get rid of in 2-4 weeks, with short periods of of carb-reintroduction spaced throughout. My pants immediately fit better when I am done, and my wife notices my face is thinner. My doctor said this is likely because my body-type stores fat at the belly and neck. I can usually keep that weight off for 6-12 months, sometimes longer, by counting calories and eating a well-balanced diet. Long term that is what everyone should shoot for when setting their "normal diet."

But don't confuse "diet" with "dieting," i.e. when you are actively trying to shed pounds. They are two different things. One involves a few weeks or months of hard work, the other a long-term commitment to lifestyle change or at least modification.

I also think, after 2 or more decades of prolonged use, that you cannot call low carb diets "fad diets" anymore than you can call snowboarding a fad. I also believe the medical world disagrees. This is not a fad diet like a juice a diet or a cleanse or a "only eat oranges" or what have you. It is based on metabolic science. Any real drawbacks and lack of understanding center around effects on cholesterol levels, sodium intake, kidney function, and heart health.

 

[Cheese]

What do you mean by briefly? Ketosis is used "long term" (i.e. for the duration of a diet) in most low carb diets, until a target weight is reached.

I meant the Introduction (Atkins) which last 14 days and Phase 1 (South Beach) which last 2 weeks. These periods are nearly zero carbs and they clearly state that it is for a limited time. It's these short periods that the body is in ketosis. Often cleanses last the same 2 week duration. It's a nice amount of time to make a large change to the normal eating habits and spur a rapid weight loss which gets subscribers hooked.

Fad diets I would consider those that pop up on a Google search of "fad diets". Ones that are known to fail very often for basically the same reason. They restrict ingredients rather than teaching portion control. Additionally I'd consider fad diets to be the ones that are used as an excuse when in public. A reason to be rude at a friend or family member's dinner table so to say, "sorry I can't eat that, I'm on Atkins." Justification as to why one can't share the birthday cake or a celebratory cocktail because I'm on South Beach or cleansing. A diet that makes patrons stare at a restaurant menu tormented because there are very few choices on their diet. Those are diets I consider "fads".

Then again, I'm old fashioned and was brought up differently. I was taught it was polite to eat what was put in front of me. I had to try all of it but I didn't have to finish all of it unless I had served the large portion myself.

 

[ScottySkis]

I know some people who are on no carb diets and they both loss lots of weight. But they dont look good. To skinny and look unhealthy actually.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I could lose weight going on an all pizza or an all McDonalds diet. Total calories consumed matters, nothing else.

 

[Cheese]

I could lose weight going on an all pizza or an all McDonalds diet. Total calories consumed matters, nothing else.

Very true for weight, but if you want maximum energy, muscle growth or retention and cardiovascular health you might want to carefully choose the nutrients that are packed into those total (limited) calories you eat.

 

[gottabelight]

I believe if you eat healthy, control your portions and exercise frequently you will be fine. I don't calorie count, but I know the caloric value of most of the foods I eat. I know if I eat moderate portions of healthy food and I exercise then I am not going to be overweight.

My Uncle is a big guy, he works out like a fiend, I asked him how he hasn't lost any weight.... he said "Input - Output = Stay put." Pretty simple equation.