A strenuous workout is gonna burn calories, but nowhere near as many as an hour on a rower, or the treadmill say. Judge it by how much it makes you sweat as a rough guide.
While I’m a fan of the ‘you get out what you put in’ school of fitness/weight loss, I do think there’s some truth in stuff like Zone 2 – and that’s not nearly enough to get a sweat on.
I know what you’re saying, but I think there are other more scientific models out there – it’s not just a case of ‘going for it’, i.e. sweating masses or ‘getting out what you put in’.
I suppose the upshot is STILL finding a way to combine a sensible diet (which isn’t the same for everyone) with the right exercise, i.e. mixing up weights with cardio, speed, strength, endurance, intervals etc. Not so easy now with a family!