How to estimate calories burned while playing DDR?

[circlesoft]

Hi, everyone! I'm new here, but I've stalked around the forums for a little while...

I regularly play DDR at the arcade, about 2-3 times a week for maybe about anywhere from 30 minutes to maybe an hour or so, and I was wondering...about how many calories does one burn playing DDR?

I understand this seems like something that should be posted in the weight loss forum, but my doctor has recommended that I gain weight, so I'm more asking this question as to adjust my eating habits to have energy for DDR without compensating for muscle building.

The arcade version of DDR (which I prefer, since...I really don't like soft pads) has no calorie counting mode, so I was wondering...

I averagely play 9 and 10 footers for about 45 minutes...how many calories am I burning doing this?

[abrannan]

Short answer, a lot.

Long answer, it's really tough to say. The calorie counters on the home versions aren't that accurate, but I'd guess you're probably in the 600 range per session (totally unscientific guess BTW). If you're looking to gain weight, your doctor probably gave you some suggestions on what to eat to not cause health problems, so load up on that. You may also want to look into some bodybuilding, heavy lifting type activities, as those should help you build muscle, which will add weight, without adding fat to your frame.

[circlesoft]

Okee then. My doctor has already given me a caloric estimate of what I should be eating, what foods I should be eating, and has suggested for me to weightlift, so I've been doing that lately.

If DDR really burns that much calories, maybe I'll just move down to standard or something until I gain some weight or so ^^;;;

Anyways, thank you for the advice. ^_^

[miharu]

The calories burned have a lot to do with your height, weight, the intensity of the songs, and of course how long you play. If you're playing for about an hour, you probably are burning around 600 cals a session, but then that's just a guess.