Why do people burn more calories than others?

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doris_day
doris_day Posts: 159
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 43, 5'7", 175 pounds and I take boxing and kickboxing an average of 3-5 times a week and run 3 miles, 1-2 times a week. My resting heart rate is around 58 and my blood pressure hovers at "is she dead yet?" As my son says, Mommy your heart beats like a turtle. ha! I love to work out.

I bought a heart rate monitor Polar thing to see exactly what I'm burning in a day. (Thanks to the suggestion of my fantastic friends on here) The gym says you should burn 800-1200 calories a session for the 60 minutes. It's a ton of jumping jacks, squat thrusts, jump rope, hitting the bag, plyometric jumps etc. It's not a wimpy class. So the skinny chick in the gym burned 1000 calories in the same class, where I only burned 600 - and I worked even harder than she did. I did 5 minute speed jump rope (with a rope) before class started, jumping jacks in between hitting the bag and moving the entire class.

Shouldn't the fat girl be burning more calories than the skinny girl? I'm already working really hard. The other girls and guys are giving me the evil eye because I'm moving more than they are.

Help - my goal is to burn more calories in a day. Does that mean I have to work out even harder or longer?

Once again life is not fair. (hee hee)

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
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    Check your settings in your HRM. Make sure you have entered your resting heart rate correctly, and your age, weight, sex.
  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
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    It kinda sucks ... the healthier / lighter you get the harder you have to work to get those same calories. Have you ever heard of Skinny Fat? Just because she is skinny doesn't mean she has less fat percentage. http://www.alive.com/4209a12a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=6 there's an article that describes it.

    So, even though you are 175 and she may be 125 she may be in WORSE health then you are. You just have to work longer and harder to get the same calorie burn :(
  • rjadams
    rjadams Posts: 4,060 Member
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    if you are on any BP meds they can keep your heart from pumping too fast. No matter how hard you push you won't get your HR up. don't kill yourself trying. if you are doing your best don't sweat it.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Same thing happens to me - and I give it my all too! My heartrate goes and stays in the target zone (and well over). I work harder than all of those around me too. I have increased exercise to sometimes 200 minutes A DAY! I have no more TIME! Wish I knew!
  • Natural
    Natural Posts: 461 Member
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    weight, height, fitness level, age
  • doris_day
    doris_day Posts: 159
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    I believe it's 220 minus your age is what you're not supposed to go past? My heart rate hovers around 140-145 through the class. I'm not taking any meds of any kind. I don't know why my heart rate and pressure are so low. I'm not complaining because I know so many people with high blood pressure.

    My heart rate goes down really quickly when I slow down.
  • serrinac
    serrinac Posts: 21
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    Calories burned also have to do with muscular build. My twin (if I had one) and I could both weigh 130, however if she was 130 of pure muscle and I was 130 with a high fat rate and less dense muscle, she would burn more calories because it takes more calories to move those muscles around.

    Have you ever noticed how work outs focus a lot on your quads? This is the biggest muscle mass in your body. Beef those babys up and you will burn more calories by just walking. Every build is different and so is every metabolism based on so many different things.

    The key don't get discouraged!!! Your doing great.

    Also, check to ensure your settings are correct....just in case.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I'm 43, 5'7", 175 pounds and I take boxing and kickboxing an average of 3-5 times a week and run 3 miles, 1-2 times a week. My resting heart rate is around 58 and my blood pressure hovers at "is she dead yet?" As my son says, Mommy your heart beats like a turtle. ha! I love to work out.

    I bought a heart rate monitor Polar thing to see exactly what I'm burning in a day. (Thanks to the suggestion of my fantastic friends on here) The gym says you should burn 800-1200 calories a session for the 60 minutes. It's a ton of jumping jacks, squat thrusts, jump rope, hitting the bag, plyometric jumps etc. It's not a wimpy class. So the skinny chick in the gym burned 1000 calories in the same class, where I only burned 600 - and I worked even harder than she did. I did 5 minute speed jump rope (with a rope) before class started, jumping jacks in between hitting the bag and moving the entire class.

    Shouldn't the fat girl be burning more calories than the skinny girl? I'm already working really hard. The other girls and guys are giving me the evil eye because I'm moving more than they are.

    Help - my goal is to burn more calories in a day. Does that mean I have to work out even harder or longer?

    Once again life is not fair. (hee hee)

    I know your gym said to burn at least 800 calories for an hour workout, however, 600 calories is one hell of a burn too you know! You are doing grand, don't go killing yourself trying to burn that 200 extra.

    From what I have observed over the years, the faster the heartrate the more calories burned, therefore if you have a slow heartrate, you will take longer to burn those 800 calories than somebody who has a faster rate.

    Ironically, it usually also works that the slower the heartrate, the fitter the person - the fitter the person, the longer it takes to burn the calories - ironic eh :ohwell:
  • turbojanem
    turbojanem Posts: 285
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    lots of good advice here! the two big ones i noticed: 600 calories in one hour is a great burn rate. double check your settings.
    if you are losing, then don't compare yourself to others. we are ALL different. our bodies are different that the next persons. do what works for your body. if you are losing 1 pound or more a week, and eating healthy...relax and enjoy your life.
    cheering you on!
    Jane
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
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    220 minus your age is just an estimate. There are tests that you can have done that will find out your true max heart rate. I regularly read lately about people that are exercising over their alleged max HR. If you're looking for target zones, 220 minus your age isn't a very accurate representation. You should instead choose your targets based on the Karvonen formula. Here's a great calculator to display your target zones. It uses Karvonen's formula but all the math is done for you. For max calorie burn you want to shoot for 70-85%.

    http://www.fitwatch.com/qkcalc/thr.html

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