Just figured out exactly why I stopped losing weight.

BeautyFromPain

I was not eating ANYWHERE near enough. My diary may say otherwise, but I just bought myself a gift - a HRM - and even though everyone says MFP gives too many cals burned my hrm said I burned 250 cals in just my 15 min weights session so no wonder it stopped as i've been saying my whole session has been the same amount of cals i burn in 15 mins!!

gonna see what happens when i start eating more

snookumss

OMG! Thats great! At least you figured it out! I am awaiting my hrm in the mail and I am SO EXCITED!!!

mrmanmeat

I was not eating ANYWHERE near enough. My diary may say otherwise, but I just bought myself a gift - a HRM - and even though everyone says MFP gives too many cals burned my hrm said I burned 250 cals in just my 15 min weights session so no wonder it stopped as i've been saying my whole session has been the same amount of cals i burn in 15 mins!!

gonna see what happens when i start eating more

250 cals burned in a 15 min session with weights?

stardust72

Hi, can i ask what a HRM is?

BeautyFromPain

I was not eating ANYWHERE near enough. My diary may say otherwise, but I just bought myself a gift - a HRM - and even though everyone says MFP gives too many cals burned my hrm said I burned 250 cals in just my 15 min weights session so no wonder it stopped as i've been saying my whole session has been the same amount of cals i burn in 15 mins!!

gonna see what happens when i start eating more

250 cals burned in a 15 min session with weights?

You may not believe me but I use pretty big weights and am quite unfit...

JeSuisPrest

I sooo want an HRM!!!

ddecarr

HRM= Heart Rate Monitor

rml_16

250 calories in 15 minutes sounds awfully high.

What kind of HRM did you get?

4cookiesmom

Glad you figured it out. Someone told me a long time ago if you are not eating enough, then your body kicks into survival mode and you won't lose the weight. I need to invest in a HRM. I already use a pedometer for motivation. I think a HRM would be a great asset as well. There are so many out there and every time I start to look at them I get completely overwhelmed. I just need to do a little research.

lucillebluth

You are using big weights and are unfit? This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Do you have help at the gym? Heart rate monitors are notorious for giving high reads. I would look at your diet first.

stardust72

Oh right thats what a hrm is :-) i feel kind of stupid now lol

NatalieWinning

Good you figured that out! True for me, too. Last year i tried severly dieting and lost only one pound in 3 months. MFP made it obvious i wasnt eating enough. I followed that plan and ate the exercise calories back. 100-200 over or under is as good as "under the calorie goal"

First, I got a HRM and was burning more than the database. I ate my calories back and lost weight. Several times along the way as I got 2/3 done, etc... I needed to eat more. As I gained muscle and got closer to goal I lost less fast and needed to eat more. I have one pound left and switched to maintenance, and it's inching lower on the scale. Eat the exercise calories! As you get closer to goal consider switching to 1 lb a week, and eventually 1/2 pound a week. Worst that can happen? You maintain.

You will love the HRM. I will burn about as much as you say doing circuit training, but only if I'm doing cardio intervals with it.

LeAnn_Mae

My HRM gives me about double the reading that My Fitness Pal says so I normally go with My Fitness Pal.

patrick77327

I need to get me a HRM too so be more accurate on the calories burned. Everyone is different on the rate they loose weight and people are very skeptical on eating back the burned calories burned and at first weight loss drops, but after the body figures out what's happening, it goes into starvation mode and really slows down the metabolism. By eating back the calories burned, the body's metabolism will keep up at a pace to keep losing weight. Sounds odd that by eating more food will cause you to keep losing weight, but the body has a very good defense mechanism to keep itself from starving.

paladeac

On the other side, I've found that MFP overestimates the calorie burn of my runs (based on my Garmin calorie readings.)

BeautyFromPain

You are using big weights and are unfit? This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Do you have help at the gym? Heart rate monitors are notorious for giving high reads. I would look at your diet first.

These weights have all been approved by my PT to use. P.S i'm not REALLY unfit (i just still see myself as that), and i have worked my way up. i think it is just cos i weigh so much that i burn so many. i dunno

rml_16

You are using big weights and are unfit? This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Do you have help at the gym? Heart rate monitors are notorious for giving high reads. I would look at your diet first.

These weights have all been approved by my PT to use. P.S i'm not REALLY unfit (i just still see myself as that), and i have worked my way up. i think it is just cos i weigh so much that i burn so many. i dunno

I ask again, what kind of HRM did you get? Even weighing a lot, that is a LOT of calories in that amount of time, especially for lifting.

BeautyFromPain

polar ft7

kailisa2000

I discovered this same thing after I got my Body Bugg. I burn, on average, 3000 calories per day.I'm glad you were able to figure it out!

rml_16

polar ft7

Thanks.

That's a good brand, so I guess go with what it says. But that still seems awfully high, so if you have trouble losing (if you eat back the calories), you may want to reassess.

emlavigne

I workout with the Garmin Forerunner 210. The calorie output from my HRM is actually lower than MFP. Everyone's metabolism is different and is constantly changing if you're dieting/working out. It could be an accurate read, but double check that you set up your HRM with your info correctly. I agree with some of the folks on here in that 250 calories for 15mins of weights does sound high, but if you've already put on some muscle...maybe it's correct. All that being said, you're definitely on to something if think that you're not eating enough! It can prohibit weight loss.

Good luck!

prettyfitchick

Omg this really makes want to get a hrm

BerryH

Sorry to break it to you, but you're not getting the burn the HRM records during weight training.

The calorie calculation on HRMs is based on cardio and is not accurate for weight lifting. So you will get an elevated heart rate lifting heavy that the HRM "sees" as a high burn, but that is not the case. In this case you might be better off sticking with MFP's estimates.

There's a great explanation here:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=75

dieseljay74

Actually weight training, especially intense training burns a ton of calories. Which is why I preach it should be the basisi of every workout....male or female.
I lost 43 lbs. of fat doing zero cardio and staying strict with my diet while weight training very intense.

I think the OP is correct inthe fact that many do not eat enought to fuel their body during hard workouts. Whether the actual calories burned is correct is obviously debatable....

City_Bumkin

I have a Suunto hrm and love it! I feel like the burns are quite acurate but have set it to meet my body's needs. I burn a TON of calories in a circuit session with cardio intervals also. Sometimes MFP underestimates the caloric burn so often times I don't even put my exercise in my log. Id rather just track my calories on MFP and my exercise logs at home. If you're considering getting a hrm...do it!

NatalieWinning

My HRM gives me about double the reading that My Fitness Pal says so I normally go with My Fitness Pal.

If you don't think your HRM is accurate thats one thing. But if you have one, use it. Eat those calories back, use the HRM number. MFP is an estimate or average. But your HRM should tell you what YOU are burning.

fallenangelloves

Gonna have to go with dieseljay on this one. Back in the day of body building, most don't do any extra cardio because they get all they need from lift weights. Not saying this is the best for your heart, but calorie burn is amazing!

But again, you will either see results or you won't. Be your own judge! (and post us the results!). Good Luck!

carolinagirl919

Man, I really need to invest in a HRM....

jjs22

I'm no expert in exercise but i have a background in science. From the reading I've done about HRMs, the comment by BerryH sounds correct.

The only thing a HRM actually MEASURES is your heart rate. In principle, you could do the same with a stopwatch and a stethoscope. Once your heartrate is known, its still a huge guess as to what's going onside your body.

When people do aerobic exercise, the number of calories they are burning is related to their heartrate in a (somewhat) predictable manner. So if in fact you ARE doing aerobic exercise (and your heartrate is high enough) then it possible to make a pretty good guess how many calories you are burning by comparing your heartrate to a table based on averages of other people of the same age, gender, weight, etc. In this particular circumstance a HRM gives a reasonably useful result.

But many other things can affect your heartrate. Weight training, a scary movie, a good cup of coffee, a loud bang, a heart valve defect, those three little words, and so on. If any one of these "other things" raises your heart rate, there is no magic inside that electronic gizmo that can peer into the detailed biochemistry going on in your body. The only thing it can do is ASSUME your heart is beating faster due to aerobic exercise, compare your heartrate to its internal table, and display the result. Sure there is a number, but it is based on completely invalid assumptions.

Of course you burn calories while weight training. But how many ? From the reading I've done, its a very hard thing to predict. Different people train with weights differently, and their bodies (heart rates) respond in ways which are much less regular than with aerobic exercise. So the number displayed on a HRM is more of a wild guess than a precision measurement. I would guess that the closer your routine is to cardio (lower weights, higher reps, no idle resting between sets, ...) the more accurate the number is.

rml_16

Actually weight training, especially intense training burns a ton of calories. Which is why I preach it should be the basisi of every workout....male or female.
I lost 43 lbs. of fat doing zero cardio and staying strict with my diet while weight training very intense.

I think the OP is correct inthe fact that many do not eat enought to fuel their body during hard workouts. Whether the actual calories burned is correct is obviously debatable....

A friend of mine lost 70 pounds with diet alone. Weights are important, but don't assume you lost because of them if you were also restricting calories.

BeautyFromPain

and yes, i do have some muscle already