It is extremely difficult to compensate for a very high-calorie meal solely through exercise. To maximize energy expenditure, moderate to high-intensity cardio is far more effective in the short term than strength training (as one spends a significant amount of time recovering between sets), and it must be kept in mind that smartwatches generally overestimate calories burned by more than 20%.

noli's read

The claim that cardio outperforms strength training for immediate energy expenditure is scientifically accurate. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) by Willis et al. (2012), published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, confirms that aerobic training burns significantly more calories per session than strength training for an equal amount of time invested. Similarly, the critique of activity trackers is entirely correct: a study from Stanford University (Shcherbina et al., 2017, observational/comparative study) demonstrated that the majority of smartwatches fail to accurately assess energy expenditure, with error rates often exceeding 20%. The use of a portable gas analyzer (indirect calorimetry) such as the PNOE mask is indeed recognized by the scientific community as the gold standard method outside of a laboratory for measuring metabolism. One can simply nuance this by noting that strength training, while less energy-intensive in the moment, promotes the development of muscle mass which actively contributes to energy expenditure at rest over the long term.

the sources

1. 1Hall KD, Heymsfield SB, Kemnitz JW, et al. 2012
2. 2Rolls BJ 2009