My body doesn't seem to burn many calories!!

NatashaAlexandra

I can't afford to invest in a HRM at the moment, but on this and even when I'm at the gym - I feel all of the numbers are too high.
I have a healthy BMI which is probably why it is so hard for me to lose weight, but I feel like I'm almost cheating when I go by the numbers on MFP!!

Does anybody know of any exercises that maximise calorie burn for people with a healthy weight at the moment looking to lose 10 pounds? I do the 30 day shred most days, but even though I'm quite tired after it, I don't feel enough calories were burned.

I've started doing running/jogging on the spot quite fastly whilst watching television for about 20-30 minutes a day - which REALLY tires me out so I doubt I'd be able to do any more than 30 minutes without my legs falling off!!

My diet is on 1300 calories which is a 500 calorie deficit for me (which I also think is a little high and is probably only a 400 deficit as I'm inactive most of the time) - but even before I wanted to lose weight I would only eat around 1300-1400 calories a day ANYWAY because I didn't eat many fatty foods then either..

This probably doesn't make sense but basically, I find it really hard to lose any weight, and even though I've read through previous posts about this problem, none of them seem to help me so I was wondering if anyone had any exercise or dietary tips for me!!

Nomomush

Try intervals and super sets. Those seem to trigger the fat and calorie burns the most.

paigemang♥

In order to burn more fat you need to excercise over 30 minutes. When you do your 20-30 minutes your body is burning/using the sugar that your liver stores. When you workout out beyond the 30 min is when the body burns fat. So do some push-ups, sit-ups, etc or go run then do your shred. :happy:

beckajw

I agree with the previous poster--intervals.

Being in your healthy weight means that you are not going to lose weight fast. I'm above my healthy weight (BMI of 26.4), but even at 1200 calories per day, I only have a 350 deficit. It just takes longer. And being at a lower weight means you burn fewer calories day to day and while working out (your BMR decreases as your weight decreases). Even though you can't afford an HRM, there are a few websites (sorry I don't have the info with me) that will calculate your calories burned for you if you have your average HR (which you can usually get from workout machines).

Anyway, to answer your question, it's going to be hard to burn a lot of calories. And as you build muscle, you may never lose that last 10 pounds. Since you are in your healthy weight, in might be better to focus on inches rather than pounds.

Sorry, I got off track. The answer: INTERVALS. Get really high intensity, then drop it down. Circuit training with high intensity intervals are my favorite.

cbgumaer

You might need to change up your workout too; it could easily be that your body has gotten use to the physical activities that you have been doing so change it up.

katebcastro

I only lose about 0.5-1Lb a week! so don't feel discouraged cuz I feel the same at times..your doing great just keep up with the exercise and limit sodium intake maybe ur retaining water.. sometimes when we workout we need to eat more calories in able for our body to function better and burn fat, watch your carbs and fat intakes you will be just fine..Good luck!

veggiemuncher12

From my own experience of being a healthy weight and obese, I've noticed that I burn more calories in group classes; zumba/aerobics/step etc. :drinker:

BigBoneSista

HIIT would probably work.

shellgib

we might be in similar situations. I'm 5'4" and down to 127ish lbs. My resting HR is about 50. I had a Bodybugg (which I got pretty 'cheap' on ebay) that I wore for a while b/c I wanted to know how many cals I really was burning in a day and how many with activity as well. (this was after I tried a HRM and the results were always way lower than compared to other ppl doing the same workouts...i do all of JM's workouts) So on an average day with not a lot of activity I would burn about 1700-1800 cals/24 hrs. On my most active days (when I work 12 hr shifts for example) I would burn about 2000-2100 cals/24hrs. The funny thing was that some of the calculations on the MFP exercise database were pretty accurate, but others were way too high. Now I use a HRM (only $35 on amazon) only when I start a new workout or just to appease my curiousity. I usually get my HR up to 150-160s with steady aerobic type activity (elliptical, running, etc) When I'm doing things like JMs dvd's and doing back to back mountain climbers and plank jacks and high knees (whew!) then I'm up to 190-200s. I think the key to weight loss is keeping your HR up during the entire workout but with sprints/intervals included! Here's a quote from JM's facebook status the other day....

"Smart Tip: If you're looking to shed those last 10-20lbs, you need to increase the intensity of your workouts. I don’t want to see you carrying a conversation on with some good looking guy or girl next to you on the elliptical. I want you breathless, heart pumping, working around 85% of your MHR. Then cut the booze, processed foods, reduce sodium to 1500mg a day & up your water intake to 80oz. Voila - skinny jeans."

Good luck, HTH!

hpsnickers1

I can't afford to invest in a HRM at the moment, but on this and even when I'm at the gym - I feel all of the numbers are too high.
I have a healthy BMI which is probably why it is so hard for me to lose weight, but I feel like I'm almost cheating when I go by the numbers on MFP!!

Does anybody know of any exercises that maximise calorie burn for people with a healthy weight at the moment looking to lose 10 pounds? I do the 30 day shred most days, but even though I'm quite tired after it, I don't feel enough calories were burned.

I've started doing running/jogging on the spot quite fastly whilst watching television for about 20-30 minutes a day - which REALLY tires me out so I doubt I'd be able to do any more than 30 minutes without my legs falling off!!

My diet is on 1300 calories which is a 500 calorie deficit for me (which I also think is a little high and is probably only a 400 deficit as I'm inactive most of the time) - but even before I wanted to lose weight I would only eat around 1300-1400 calories a day ANYWAY because I didn't eat many fatty foods then either..

This probably doesn't make sense but basically, I find it really hard to lose any weight, and even though I've read through previous posts about this problem, none of them seem to help me so I was wondering if anyone had any exercise or dietary tips for me!!

please check out the link "Relatively Light and Trying to get leaner" in my signature. It's a long post but has a lot of info.
when you are at a healthy weight and trying to burn off body fat then you need to increase your muscle mass to increase your metabolism and not worry about the scale. More cardio will have the opposite effect. Calorie restriction and intense cardio cause more muscle mass loss than fat loss when you are at a healthy weight because the fat reserves are low and your body will try and protect it by burning off something else. When you lose muscle mass your metabolism slows so you burn less calories in the day.

You could also be eating too few calories for the amount of exercising you are doing.

I was in the upper range of healthy trying to lose 10 pounds. I lost 8 then learned I was probably losing some muscle (my calipers showed me I lost body fat too but my tummy fat never changed). I changed my calories to Maintenance and I started lifting weights few weeks ago. My weight jumped 3-4 pounds (I was expecting this) and held steady up until this week. I've been eating lots of fibrous veggies. I changed my nutrient goals to 40% carb/ 35% protein/ 25% fat. I checked my belly this week and the calipers have dropped 2mm on my tummy. Most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies. My fats are healthy fats. I drink lots of water and keep my sugars and sodium low. (When we eat too much sugar or fast digesting carbs our body will stop burning fat until those sugars are burned off).

You can contact the OP of the link in my signature. Tell him your stats and your goals and he will respond. When you are at a healthy weight there is no wiggle room for calories without going too low and it having a detrimental effect on the body and metabolism.

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/index.html (Check out 'Working with your Body'). This site had good info too.

NatashaAlexandra

Anyway, to answer your question, it's going to be hard to burn a lot of calories. And as you build muscle, you may never lose that last 10 pounds. Since you are in your healthy weight, in might be better to focus on inches rather than pounds.

To be perfectly honest, I am actually more interested in the inches, and I've been counting the inches of my waist, hips, upper arms, and thighs for the past 3 months but nothing seems to have moved AT ALL!! I just talk about pounds in most of my posts because it's easier to understand my weight situation etc :-)

With muscle, I have 3lb and 5lb weights in my house, and I use the 3lb every day doing around 5-10 minutes of quick arm exercises but I change it up every day to vary it. I have noticed some muscle in my arms and shoulders, but to be perfectly honest it has just made my shoulders look bigger and my arms a little manly.. I know that is obviously what will happen with weights which is why I was thinking that running would be a better way to lose weight for me.. and then I read on a post that apparantley people of a healthy weight should not do cardio to lose weight!! What!! So confused!

NatashaAlexandra

please check out the link "Relatively Light and Trying to get leaner" in my signature. It's a long post but has a lot of info.
when you are at a healthy weight and trying to burn off body fat then you need to increase your muscle mass to increase your metabolism and not worry about the scale. More cardio will have the opposite effect. Calorie restriction and intense cardio cause more muscle mass loss than fat loss when you are at a healthy weight because the fat reserves are low and your body will try and protect it by burning off something else. When you lose muscle mass your metabolism slows so you burn less calories in the day.

You could also be eating too few calories for the amount of exercising you are doing.

Oh I think I understand this now. Okay but the 30 day shred is actually all strength training with ab work and cardio altogether - so should I not be losing weight whilst doing this? Apparantley it burns only 170ish calories for 20 minutes for my weight BUT along with my calorie deficit it still confuses me as to how I don't lose any weight, even if it's just 1 pound or 1 inch lost every 3 weeks I'd probably be happy! I've only lost 1 pound in the last 6 months from going back and forward to different dieting ideas and exercises, even though I know I have gained some more muscle in my arms and leg's along the way!