Why don't I burn many calories?

SHBoss1673

to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

it's basically this:

The calorie is a unit of energy. The body needs a specific amount of energy to perform a specific action. Depending on your muscle mass, weight, height, age, genetic disposition to muscle type, muscle oxygen efficiency, and about a million other small factors, you will burn a certain amount of energy to perform any particular action.

But it's more than that. the longer you've been doing an activity, the more efficient your body becomes at performing that activity, so even if you weigh the same, are the same height, age, and activity level, and you work out at the exact same intensity for the exact same time as someone else, your calorie burn will be unique, and more to the point, even your OWN calorie burn will change over time as muscle adaptation occurs. A muscle better adapted to a specific activity will require less energy to perform the same amount of work. This is where the concept of muscle memory comes into play and is why many trainers suggest changing up your routine every 6 to 12 weeks. For the same reason the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true for playing the piano, it's true that the more you practice an exercise, the less you'll burn for that exercise.

jessmomof3

to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

it's basically this:

The calorie is a unit of energy. The body needs a specific amount of energy to perform a specific action. Depending on your muscle mass, weight, height, age, genetic disposition to muscle type, muscle oxygen efficiency, and about a million other small factors, you will burn a certain amount of energy to perform any particular action.

But it's more than that. the longer you've been doing an activity, the more efficient your body becomes at performing that activity, so even if you weigh the same, are the same height, age, and activity level, and you work out at the exact same intensity for the exact same time as someone else, your calorie burn will be unique, and more to the point, even your OWN calorie burn will change over time as muscle adaptation occurs. A muscle better adapted to a specific activity will require less energy to perform the same amount of work. This is where the concept of muscle memory comes into play and is why many trainers suggest changing up your routine every 6 to 12 weeks. For the same reason the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true for playing the piano, it's true that the more you practice an exercise, the less you'll burn for that exercise.

Thank you. Well said!! I use a HRM and I always burn a lot less calories than any machine or comparing to friend's calorie burns for the same workout. I'm very efficient at running (endurance triathlete) so I only burn maybe 75-80 calories a mile, not the 100 calories or so that the machines or calculators might say. I also find that if I run after I lift weights, my HR is higher and I burn more calories. Same thing if I run at different times of the day... for instance I typically bun more in the evening than I do in the morning. That's why using a HRM is important if you are serious about logging/ keeping track of your calories and exercise!

rtmama

Thanks for the great explanation. At this point It doesn't bother me but it used to be a little discouraging to always be burning so much less than my other MFP friends.

to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

it's basically this:

44isthenew29

to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

it's basically this:

The calorie is a unit of energy. The body needs a specific amount of energy to perform a specific action. Depending on your muscle mass, weight, height, age, genetic disposition to muscle type, muscle oxygen efficiency, and about a million other small factors, you will burn a certain amount of energy to perform any particular action.

But it's more than that. the longer you've been doing an activity, the more efficient your body becomes at performing that activity, so even if you weigh the same, are the same height, age, and activity level, and you work out at the exact same intensity for the exact same time as someone else, your calorie burn will be unique, and more to the point, even your OWN calorie burn will change over time as muscle adaptation occurs. A muscle better adapted to a specific activity will require less energy to perform the same amount of work. This is where the concept of muscle memory comes into play and is why many trainers suggest changing up your routine every 6 to 12 weeks. For the same reason the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true for playing the piano, it's true that the more you practice an exercise, the less you'll burn for that exercise.

VERY helpful. Thank you.

And again, thanks to those who shared their experiences. This is all beginning to make more sense to me.