I'm not burning that much!

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Replies

  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    There are MANY factors which effect your burn: weight, age, intensity, time and HR. Today in an easy-moderate intensity spin class I did 550 cal in 65 minutes. I am 175lbs.

    If you want a higher burn you have to PUSH to get it, but yes, if you are smaller and in great cardiovascular health it may be more difficult to get a higher burn and keep your HR up.

    Mix it up and keep putting forth the effort.
    With an hour ish of a workout I usually do 400-700 calories. I do high intensity intervals or circuit training and really push it.

    Since there are a lot of things that effect a burn, likely most people will NOT get the same burn for doing similar things. I love having a heartrate monitor so I can push myself one step further.
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    I wonder if some people don't take off the calories they burn at rest... I sometimes burn 400-600, but that's usually if I've gone to the gym twice, or done some outdoor exercise in addition to a workout at the gym. Don't forget, the more weight you're carrying, the higher the burn.
  • CatGrooms66
    CatGrooms66 Posts: 24
    I burn 720 on the Cybex Arc trainer in 60 minutes, Eliptical is around 550, Treadmill around 550. I am 5'8" and weigh 122. that's what the machine is telling me after entering in my stats. MFP says slightly less. I subtract 10% for machine accuracy. I don't have a heart rate monitor to tell me otherwise. Also though, my trainer says the more your body gets used to the type of exercise your doing you won't burn as many calories so I try and switch it up. I'm also really pulling in a sweat, no easy level 1's. Hope that helps.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I burn around 200-250, but then i only work out for about 25-40 mins each time.
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
    Using a HRM and using MFP give very different numbers too - this needs to be considered.
    I recorded a 400 burn yesterday using a HRM which I stopped everytime I did.
    If I used the database on here it's double that!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    According to my Fitbit, I don't burn anywhere near what the machines and MFP claimed I was, when I used them to log my exercise calories. I would do the elliptical on max level, hill intervals, for 45 minutes, making it harder by clasping my hands behind my back or neck, and it would say I burned 500 calories. Really, I burn about 300.

    And this is 1/2 the reason I wasn't losing weight until I bought the Fitbit.

    The only thing that comes close is running - I burn 100kc per mile, and that is close to what MFP says. But then you have to remove the normal calories I would have burned if I'd done nothing, and my actual burn isn't that much.
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    @Shalimarmandy - MFP puts my daily burn (TDEE) at 1640. I just took that, divided by 24, then again by 60 to get the burn/minute of 1.1. It's not exact, but it's a good guess and an easy number to subtract.
  • wendybird2
    wendybird2 Posts: 46 Member
    If you are aerobically fit, you'll burn fewer calories, even for high effort activities. I know I do! I've been a distance runner at high altitude for most of my life, and I have a really low resting heart rate. When I first put on my HRM before a workout, I'm usually at about 50 bpm. I can top out an intense workout like Insanity at 150-160, but the second I stop moving, my heartrate drops down below 100 (I hear that's a sign I'm in great aerobic shape--whoo!). Unfortunately, my calorie burns are just painfully low.
    Month 1 Insanity workout: I'm happy to break 200 calories, and I'm sweating like crazy
    45 min spinning workout: just barely break 300 calories if I really work it
    This past weekend I ran 10 miles and didn't even break 500 calories. So either my HRM is waaaay off (it has me burning half as much as MFP) or my body just loves holding onto calories. So you're not the only one!!
  • lucky1304
    lucky1304 Posts: 57 Member
    I started using the HRM that goes with my Garmin because I thought the MFP were insanely high. However, for running, they seem to be fairly accurate, with some big exceptions. I wonder if that's because you can get so specific about pace? Anyhow, I'm training for a half-marathon, so on days I do my long run, I'll log an 800-calorie burn. But most regular days, I get more like 300 to 400 calories, depending on how far/long I run.

    From my experience, it seems to just be a matter of what you're doing and how long you're doing it. I also think that the MFP calculations tend to skew high, depending on the activity. For instance, it gives me an insane number of calories for my long runs and is off by 100 or 200 calories compared to my HRM.
  • lucky1304
    lucky1304 Posts: 57 Member
    This past weekend I ran 10 miles and didn't even break 500 calories. So either my HRM is waaaay off (it has me burning half as much as MFP) or my body just loves holding onto calories. So you're not the only one!!

    Wow! I seem to be burning about 100 calories per 10 minutes of running (per Garmin). How long does it take you to run 10 miles? I do wonder how accurate the HRMs are. My friend's Runkeeper app told her she burned 153 calories for the same three-mile run that my Garmin had me at 391 for. But if your HRM is giving you what seems like an accurate reading for your heart rate, I'd assume that your calorie burn is correct too? I really have no idea.
  • ilikejam33
    ilikejam33 Posts: 252 Member
    keep in mind a lot of people are just using the MFP totals, which in my experiance are drastically over estimating. Get yourself a HRM and track what you actually burn. When i go to a spin class MFP told me for 60 min it would be 800 cal burned, but the HRM says anywhere from 5-600.

    300 a day is a lot, and i would say that is a reasonable ammount to strive for. As long as you are burning you are doing great, try not to concern yourself with what others are tracking and be proud of yourself for all you have accomplished. :)
  • lucky1304
    lucky1304 Posts: 57 Member

    The only thing that comes close is running - I burn 100kc per mile, and that is close to what MFP says. But then you have to remove the normal calories I would have burned if I'd done nothing, and my actual burn isn't that much.
    Yes, I've found this to be the case too, only I'm not subtracting the calories I would have burned if I'd done nothing. I should probably do that. Did you figure that out by diving your BMR by hours in the day?
  • ilikejam33
    ilikejam33 Posts: 252 Member
    The HRM is the most accurate way to go, but it will vary with your pace, and your intensity becasue it measures cal based on your heart rate. Many things can affect this, for example when you get use to an activtiy your heart wont beat as fast when you are doing it anymore, so less cal burned. If you are dehydrated your heart will beat faster so more cal burned. If you are tired heart beats faster as well. Also if you are consitantly over your target heart rate the HRM shows you burned more cal, but the calories you burn inside your zone are more beneficial to your overall health and cardiovascular system.
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    Yes, I've found this to be the case too, only I'm not subtracting the calories I would have burned if I'd done nothing. I should probably do that. Did you figure that out by diving your BMR by hours in the day?
    Use your TDEE (look on your goals page, right top) not BMR. That'll account for calories burned sitting rather than calories burned in a coma.
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
    I've burned that much and more measured by my Polar HRM. The most I've ever burned was 1113 cals running a 10k just two days ago.
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    Don't get discouraged - you are pretty close to your goal so that is likely why you are not burning more calories.
    Also, I'm not sure how tall you are, but that definitely makes a difference - it's all proportional.

    The only time I burned 300+ was running a 10K all-trail for about 72minutes. <== not a huge burn, but then I'm 5'-0 1/2" tall. :laugh:
  • Shalimarmandy
    Shalimarmandy Posts: 409 Member
    @Shalimarmandy - MFP puts my daily burn (TDEE) at 1640. I just took that, divided by 24, then again by 60 to get the burn/minute of 1.1. It's not exact, but it's a good guess and an easy number to subtract.

    Thanks Notgoddess that's what I was thinking you might be doing. it's pretty easy I got 1.5 so I started subtracting out the rest calories today which was a good day to start since my HRM finally arrived!! First work out was 779 on HRM for 50 mins of Zumba and then subtracting 75. I still had 704 for the workout which is good b/c I thought I was going to fall out for a while there :smile:

    Thanks again!!

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