When you weigh less, is it harder to burn calories?

dilliot2k
dilliot2k Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Case in point, I lost about 10 pounds, but it seems like on the eliptical machine, it takes more work to get to my goal then before.
Is there a reason for this?

Replies

  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I don't know if it's actually harder to burn calories, but your dietary caloric needs usually decline as you lose weight. I think those may be two separate issues.

    But, hey, you lost 10 pounds, congratulations. :smile:
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    Yes, the less you weigh the more work it takes to burn the same number of calories as before your weight loss. It takes far more energy to move a heavy object.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,994 Member
    Yes. Less weight to move means less calories burned. By the same token you also need less calories to sustain.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • focus4fitness
    focus4fitness Posts: 551 Member
    The numbers on elliptical machines (calorie wise) are often wrong.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    Yeap. The more you workout and the more weight you lose the easier the workout and the longer you have to go to burn more calories. Heavier people burn more calories doing the same workout as smaller people.
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    That is true. Think about it - if you got on that elliptical today holding a 5lb weight in each hand (10lbs total), you would burn more calories than without them - right?

    Is isn't so much that you aren't burning as efficiently, just that your body doesn't have all the resistance it did before.

    You could always wear a weight vest during low-impact, weight-bearing cardio activities like walking. Carrying the extra weight will increase your workout intensity, which means you burn more calories per minute.

    But remember that muscle burns more calories than fat so a 190 lb man with high % body fat won't burn as many calories as a muscular 190 lb man.

    Way to go on losing 10 lbs!

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