Why are my calorie burns so low?

jessica7368

I feel like I STRUGGLE to burn 400 calories in 1 hour. And all my MFP friends are burning 600+ calories in that time? My heart rate is generally in the 155-168 range... I weigh 146 right now (down 34lbs)...anyone know how I can get my burns higher? I just don't think I can get my heart-rate higher and work out for the same time!

Louise1583

600 in an hour? For real? Are they doing REALLY intensive workouts? My average is 400 in an hour if I'm really going for it at the gym.

Stick with what is working for you, don't compare yourself too much! You're obviously doing well and you wouldn't want to rush your weight loss anyway, right?

Keep going as you are!

ldalbello

I weight the same as you and usually burn 400 in an hour also. Working for me as I have lost 35 pounds so far.

mmstgr

The better shape you're in, the easier time you'll have with the same old routine.
Switch it up.
Try something new. Add weights.

AbiNichole

The heavier you are and the older- the more calories you burn. Are your friends very overweight? There's your answer right there.

If you want to burn more calories increase your intensity w/ added weights, resistance or longer workouts.

morgansmom02

600 cals an hour???? That is what I burn in an intense class!

jacksonpt

There are lots of factors at play in calculating calorie burn. Comparing your burns to other people's is NEVER a good idea.

Work hard and challenge your body, that's about all you can do.

twinmom01

They could just be using what MFP says - which is way off...

I burn about ~10 calories a minute when doing cardio on something like an ellipitical...but that is from when my heart rate gets up and stays up...so for 40 minutes on the elliptical I usually record 325...

Overweight people with large body fat % will usually burn a greater number of calories to begin with...and then it will level off as they get smaller...think about something like the biggest loser - all out of shape, large individuals and the first few weeks they dump weight ...as they get smaller and fitter = the less weight they loose even though they are doing probably the same amount of exercise and diet...

PinkEarthMama

600 in an hour is pushing really hard for me on the crossramp. I've done 700 in just over an hour. However, that is going FULL ON, which I only do 1x a week. I have 50 lbs to lose.

Reckabek

I feel like I STRUGGLE to burn 400 calories in 1 hour. And all my MFP friends are burning 600+ calories in that time? My heart rate is generally in the 155-168 range... I weigh 146 right now (down 34lbs)...anyone know how I can get my burns higher? I just don't think I can get my heart-rate higher and work out for the same time!

I burn 400 in one hr, and im dripping sweat ur not alone!

runfrommygenes

Heart rate monitors work on a VO2 max rate... I know my Polar6 has a way to set it to my own vo2 max... The higher your vo2 max the more calories you burn per minute.
A vo2 max can be tested many ways, (you can google some, that aren't super accurate...) HOWEVER, the most accurate is having a NEWLEAF test done.
Hope this helps...

graysmom2005

I feel like I STRUGGLE to burn 400 calories in 1 hour. And all my MFP friends are burning 600+ calories in that time? My heart rate is generally in the 155-168 range... I weigh 146 right now (down 34lbs)...anyone know how I can get my burns higher? I just don't think I can get my heart-rate higher and work out for the same time!

Come and take my spin class. You'll burn 600. It mostly has to do with how fit you are and how much you weight. The smaller you are, and the better cardio health...the fewer calories the body burns because it isn't having to work as hard.

getfitdiva

Yes you will quickly burn 600+ in a spin class, stepmill (rotating steps), arc trainer.

shurleec

I have a HRM and I usually burn anywear from 620-675 ( once I burned 799 in a class but that seemed like alot) during 1 hr classes like turbo kick and Zumba. I definitely do the high impact. I am 155 5'2. I probably burn more b/c I am not in the best shape and heavier.

Azdak

You could gain about 50 pounds, but I don't think that's really what you want.......

Seriously. The first thing to consider is that whatever method you are using to estimate calories is off. But body weight is going to have a lot to do with it, and at 146 pounds, you are in a relatively small group on this website.

To put it in perspective:

For someone your age, an "above average" aerobic fitness level is considered to be 12 METs (MET is a measure of aerobic fitness)

70% of max fitness level is considered a "medium hard" intensity--the level you would be able to sustain for an hour, but it would be work.

At your weight (66 kg), working at 8.4 METs (70% of 12 METs) your calorie burn for an hour would be 550 calories.

That's just an example, since I don't know your fitness level, but it gives you an idea of the general neighborhood.

So--reasons why your calorie count might be lower than others:

1. Your method of estimating calories is inaccurate.
2. Other people are overestimating their calories.
3. Your current max aerobic fitness level is medium to low.
4. You may not be working at a higher intensity.
5. You may be choosing activities (e.g. walking, classes) that don't lend themselves to working at a higher intensity.

Femtec74

I feel like I STRUGGLE to burn 400 calories in 1 hour. And all my MFP friends are burning 600+ calories in that time? My heart rate is generally in the 155-168 range... I weigh 146 right now (down 34lbs)...anyone know how I can get my burns higher? I just don't think I can get my heart-rate higher and work out for the same time!

I was actually wondering the same thing. I burn about 400 in an hour according to my HRM. I think a lot of people use the estimates on the site which I find to be high. Just keep doing what you're doing.

erickirb

I feel like I STRUGGLE to burn 400 calories in 1 hour. And all my MFP friends are burning 600+ calories in that time? My heart rate is generally in the 155-168 range... I weigh 146 right now (down 34lbs)...anyone know how I can get my burns higher? I just don't think I can get my heart-rate higher and work out for the same time!

If you are following MFP calorie guide, then all burning more cals will do is allow you to eat more. If you need those extra 200 cals (difference between 400-600 burned) then just go for longer.

sobriquet84

Are these people "burning 600 calories an hour" very heavy??

The bigger you are, the more you're going to burn. You're only 146, 400 in an hour is reasonable, expected, and a great workout!

khrys1

I have noticed that the heavier you are, the more you burn doing activities, and as you get lighter, you burn less and less, because you're not carrying around as much weight. Maybe your friends weigh more than you, or maybe they're doing crazy workouts! Just keep doing what you're doing- 400 calories is an AWESOME burn!

ArchyJill

Ah yes, the benefits of bein out of shape! It's not all about weight, your heart rate plays a huge factor too. For instance, my heart rate during a run went down about 15bmp over the course of a week, and so I burned about 60 calories less for that workout even though my weight remained the same.

Angie80281

The lighter and more in shape you are, the less you burn. Since losing my weight, I burn significantly less than I used to for the same exercises. If you have a lot of guy friends on here, it can be particularly frustrating because they burn sooooo much more because of their size, but it's just a fact of life. There are high-intensity workouts you could do, but otherwise, it just is what it is.

ball858

I burn upto and over 700 calories an hour, but I know i do becasue i wear a heart rate monitor!

Do you have one? if so wear it during exercise to get a better and more accurate view of your calorie burn.

Can i also just add that i made a friend wear a HRM one day doing the same exercises as me - she weighs probably 130lb if that and she burnt 825 calories - so no, weight does not always count on the calorie burn!! High intensity exercise gives you the burn!

beccarockslife

I can do 600 in 45 mins in Spin. I go hard. I weigh 100 lbs more than you. That may be the crucial bit

Edit To Add: I wear a HRM too so it's an accurate measure.

frogmama

I find that if I use MFP or the calories given on the equipment I am using, it is a much higher burn than my heart rate monitor. If I take n hour spin class, I burn 375-400 calories in an hour. I weigh 130 pounds and I am 62 years old. I use quite a bit of resistance on the bike and I am quite fit for my age. If I jog for 40 minutes, my heart rate will be between 80-90% of my maximum and again I burn about 350-375 calories. My calorie burn is most often much less than most others on MFP,:grumble: but as long as I am working hard, that's what matters.

Kany

My average is about 450/an hour. I say my cardio workouts are pretty intense. HR at 165 - 179.

smariere

I have burned almost 600 in an hour, but I was doing a very intense workout, and it was a definite struggle to finish. I also am a lot heavier than you are, however, so I anticipate that once I lose a bit I will have to do an even harder workout to burn that much in that time. Just don't get discouraged by other people's numbers, try to let that motivate you to keep working at it!

TheNewDoug

The heavier you are the more you burn. I am 283 pounds now and burn about 1200 an hour of going pretty good on the treadmill. My brother has lost 179 pounds on here and runs everyday for a full hour on the treadmill and averages 1600 an hour, he weighs 292. You say you are dripping with sweat, I know when I am done the front of the machine has sweat all over it and my shirt weighs about 5 pounds with no dry spots.

secretlobster

Your friends are either: a) heavier, b) genetically more efficient at burning calories, c) getting higher heart rates by pushing themselves harder, or d) overestimating how many calories they are burning

lambertj

I can get a pretty high calories burn from jogging/walking outside and sometimes on the stairmaster but it's tough

Ruthaw1961

For those using a HRM, remember that it is only a tool that estimates your calorie burn based on an algorithm using the stats you enter including gender, height, weight, Max HR and VO2 (for Polars). Polars use the standard 220-age for the Max HR. A lot of the times this is not correct and if you hit this number often or exceed it, you need to adjust it manually. Polar's "Fit Test" grossly overestimated my VO2 at one point and my calorie burn was way off! As a middle aged and overweight woman, a VO2 of 48 was crazy! When I manually reset it to what is expected for an average woman my age, the calorie burn was more what I was expecting.

I guess what I am saying is, use your HRMs calorie burn as a reference and let your weight loss, or lack of weight loss, as a guide.

DawnVanSlim

When I burn 600 in an hour its when I am running for most of the time and my heart rate is in the range of 165-180.