500 calories burned a day?? Really???

jimmie65

IMFP has me at over 1000 already today. amd it's only lunchtime. Probably not completely accurate but well over 500. I got up and ran 3 miles, then biked to work. I'll bike home later, do a conditioning workout and some yoga, so I expect to double this amount by the end of the day.

denezy

I burn about 500 calories in an hour of hard cardio, but I am 5'9" and 195 lbs. Don't make yourself crazy with comparing.

I aim to eat 1750 cals per day, pretty much no matter what.

SStrauss79

I burn that much doing 30 minutes of Tabata or 60 minutes of Zumba/latin fitness. It's fun

HeidibooJB

DotCanada, That was 1380 for the 30 Day Shred + 2 Zumba classes....the Shred alone was 180.

Dad_of_3

I burn 800-1000 calories a day based on my weight and how hard I work out. It is totally possible. I spend an hour or so at the gym every evening from about 5:15-6:15.

I also do zumba which they say can burn about 1000 calories an hour!

I was going to say the same thing. I weigh over 300 pounds. I've lost 40. It takes so much energy just to move we burn more calories if we are big.

The question from the OP should be is that many calories burned reasonable for HER. It depends on the following:

Her weight
Her heart rate achieved.
The type of exercise involved
The amount of time at the heart rate with that exercise

bryannakay

WOW!!! Thank you so much for the information everyone! I guess I thought that 500 calories just seemed like alot for me to burn in a workout but, I guess I'm not pushing myself enough....I do have a HR monitor so it is easy for me to keep track of the actual calories that I have burned. I eat 1400 calories a day and have found out that I like that amount of food and don't feel too hungry or looking to want more. I am going to start this process slow but want to be a part of this 500 calorie club that you are all in.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your feedback! You have all helped me out so much.

msshiraz

I never burn less than 600- but its because I teach fitness classes, and Zumba is super cardio- drenched in sweat after each class. Also depends on a persons body weight, as I get closer to my goal weight that will no doubt taper down. But I team teach with another instructor, she is very lean, and she burns 400-500 each class, (she wears a monitor)

julesxo

I burned over 800 yesterday, so yeah its possible.

I eat back some of them because I am not hungry enough to eat back all of it.

RunForChai

I often burn 500-1000 calories a day---by running, biking and walking everywhere. The more you do, the better it feels.
Saves on gas to walk to the store. Hiking with friends is a wonderful way to socialize.
You can do it!

Timshel_

WOW!!! Thank you so much for the information everyone! I guess I thought that 500 calories just seemed like alot for me to burn in a workout but, I guess I'm not pushing myself enough....I do have a HR monitor so it is easy for me to keep track of the actual calories that I have burned. I eat 1400 calories a day and have found out that I like that amount of food and don't feel too hungry or looking to want more. I am going to start this process slow but want to be a part of this 500 calorie club that you are all in.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your feedback! You have all helped me out so much.

Get it, get it gurl! I just did a brisk walk for an hour at lunch at that was just over 4 miles and about 474 calories. Just a little bit goes a long way.

kar2083

It is possible. I burn on average 545 or so doing Zumba for 60 mins. The best part is you don't realize it because you're having so much fun:)

nnoifeld

500 cals is definitely doable. I can run for 40 minutes and burn 650, or do the elliptical and burn 525 in 30 minutes. A 1 hour step class burns about 700 cal according to MFP. I usually get to the gym by 5 am and try to get an entire hour in before I leave. If I'm extra energetic or motivated that day, I may do another workout on my lunch break for 30-45 minutes.

Riemersma4

As a 200 lb, 48 yr old male, I just got back from running for 48 minutes. HRM gave me 886 calories. I ran that with LOTS of intervals to spike the heart rate. Ave HR: 152 Peak HR: 176

Your question is interesting to me. I don't work out (cardio or lifting) unless I am planning on getting at LEAST 500 calories. While any workout is worth something, I want to get the most out of the time.

Good luck finding your balance! You can achieve anything that you decide to.

lina1131

I burned 744 calories today according to my heart rate monitor.

Wake up - 6am
Get to work - 8:30am
Lunch break WORKOUT - walk/jog 4.5 miles up and down hills with my workout buddy/coworker
Leave work - 5:30pm
Get home - 6pm
Eat Dinner - 7pm
Bedtime - 9pm (most week days)

sandi117

For me, it really depends on how hard I push myself at the gym. Last night I burned 625 calories in 45 minutes (on the arc trainer). The other night was 500 in 30. Though normally, I usually burn about 350. But I push myself hard, my shirt is usually pretty soaked by the time I'm done.

ETA: I usually do just one workout. Since I have a pretty busy daytime schedule on most days, I usually go to the gym at night. Plus i noticed I sleep better when I go at night versus during the day. May be different for others.

cheeky_chickete

hi, i'm burning 600-1000 cals in a gym session, but my calorie intake target is 1210. When I've completed my entry, even if i've eaten more than my target, and then burned say 800 at the gym, it keeps coming up with a warning that I'm eating too few calories (even if my 'remaining' is in the red.

Should I be eating 1200 cal, and then eating the same amount that I burn off again? so say eat 2000 cal, but burn off 800? I don't understand how it's meant to work!

Riemersma4

hi, i'm burning 600-1000 cals in a gym session, but my calorie intake target is 1210. When I've completed my entry, even if i've eaten more than my target, and then burned say 800 at the gym, it keeps coming up with a warning that I'm eating too few calories (even if my 'remaining' is in the red.

Should I be eating 1200 cal, and then eating the same amount that I burn off again? so say eat 2000 cal, but burn off 800? I don't understand how it's meant to work!

This is a hot topic and a great question. Those that understand how MFP is set up will tell you to eat the exercise calories back, or at least most of them. Some will tell you that, with your initial goals that you entered, the exercise is factored in. Wrong. They aren't.

PLEASE, eat calories back. The MFP calorie settings are there for your to approx lose the weight you defined base on NET calories (after eating and exercise).

Personally, I usually eat back between 80 - 120% of the calories, depending on the type of work out. 80% on cardio days, 120% on weight lifting days.

runningwild00

500 calories a day, EASY. It depends on the exercise you do, I suppose.
I run at least 4 miles, 4 days/ week. Further runs, obviously burn more. Usually at least 500 calories burned. The other 2 days I bike, I usually burn 300 ish calories.

I track my walking for my daily life, because i walk about 3 miles for work a day. That's usually at least 100 ish calories.
I don't track what I burn AT work, which I bet could be close to 200-400 calories. I have a very active and physically demanding job.

I don't usually eat all my calories back. Sometimes it depends on the workout and the day. If I do a really long run, I usually seek out extra food that day. I don't try to eat the calories back, just to eat the goal. I still try to be sensible.


What do you do for exercise???

spamantha57

I normally do around 300/day but yesterday I did over 500. Did Insanity's "Pure Cardio" and another workout DVD. Took me about an hour & 1/2. I am very sore today haha

april_mesk

It's possible. I earned 815 yesterday. 362 from Running 55 minutes and 453 from a generally very active day (recorded by Fitbit).

How do you like your Fitbit. Pros/cons?. I use a hrm but, having something that transmits to mfp without having to log into mpg, gets me thinking...

hilldiggity

I just spoke with my health coach yesterday and she says as a rule of thumb to eat back half your calories because you should never NET below 1200.

I have been netting under 1200 because I'm just not hungry and I don't like the idea of eating fatty foods to make up the difference. I don't want to get used to them, then have to stop! lol Maybe a protein shake, but that won't make up for, say, a 500 calorie deficit. This is the first week I've had such large deficits and I'm worried what will show up on the scale and what it's doing to the inside of my body.

curvykim78

I do it using the Insanity dvds

crystalfisher89

I usually go to the gym 5 days a week and it's always after work. Unless I have a super busy week, then I make time in the early morning with pilates or something. I regularly burn 600-800 calories each day I workout. Somedays I'll eat back my calories and other days I don't. It's depends on how hungry I am that day. I wear a Heart Rate Monitor that counts the calories I burn and usually to set myself up for a high burn I'll run a mile or two and then move to abs/elliptical/bike. Because my heart is flying and my core temp is much higher, then I burn more calories than normally doing these other exercises. It's also great for fat burning. Somedays I run 5-6 miles too someday and just leave it at that with stretching. That kills a good amount of calories as well.

I guess what I am trying to say is you have to be willing to set aside an hour or hour and a half of your day to get a high burn as such, but if you want it, you can do it!

sjanes9

Get a bicycle and ride it a lot. I ride about 9 hours a week. Usually burn 600 to a 1000 on my rides depending on the length and intensity level. My average heart rate is usually around 140-150 for more than an hour. This is all according to my Garmin Edge 500.

caffeinated_frog

Oh, yeah. Just from running around at work burns 1700 a day, and that's only for 8 hours. Normal activity after and before work adds another 1000, and if I work out in addition to that I can hit 3200+ for the day. Of course, on days when I don't work I really have to move it more, but 500 I can get from walking the dog at a very rapid pace for an hour.

bryannakay

500 calories a day, EASY. It depends on the exercise you do, I suppose.
I run at least 4 miles, 4 days/ week. Further runs, obviously burn more. Usually at least 500 calories burned. The other 2 days I bike, I usually burn 300 ish calories.

I track my walking for my daily life, because i walk about 3 miles for work a day. That's usually at least 100 ish calories.
I don't track what I burn AT work, which I bet could be close to 200-400 calories. I have a very active and physically demanding job.

I don't usually eat all my calories back. Sometimes it depends on the workout and the day. If I do a really long run, I usually seek out extra food that day. I don't try to eat the calories back, just to eat the goal. I still try to be sensible.


What do you do for exercise???

Right now I am doing step class on Mondays which I can easily burn 550 calories....other days I am mostly doing DVDs like CHAlean and TaeBo...most of these I am burning 350 calories at the most. But, Chalean is mostly weight training and trying to tone the body. I have done Insanity before but did it the entire WRONG way...I was only eating 1200 calories and NOT eating the calories that I burned. I was tired, cranky, hungry, and very irritated the whole time. I gained weight in fact. So, that is why I was wondering about 500 calories a day workouts. I have started to run a bit....and when I say start, I mean start....20 minutes at a very slow pace. I am in the mind set right now that I HATE running but, the other day, I didn't hate it as much and went longer than normal. I know that it is something I need to work at.

I haven't done Zumba but obviously need to. I think the main thing is consistency because that is what my life lacks....I am a full time teacher and also work as a waitress at a bowling alley 2 to 3 nights a week. So, going to bed at midnight and getting up at 5 is something that I haven't been able to train myself to do...so, there are MANY things I need to work on!!!

bryannakay

I am feeing SO empowered from your answers and realize that there is SO much more I can be doing!!!! I have lost 50 pounds prior to MFP but, it was just because I changed my diet and didn't drink pop.

I was burnt out from Insanity and burning 500+ calories because I was so hungry all the time and felt like I couldn't go over my 1200 calories per day....I guess eating when you are hungry seems logical (as long as it is smart). I am going to do more planning as well. With working teaching 40 hours a week plus waitressing 15 more in a week, I need to plan for a good burn...so, again, thank you everyone for the motivation. I am going to get my body figured out someday in order to keep these pounds moving.

nancywho

My daughter goes on her elliptical for a couple hours and burns that much watching a video while she is working out. She has lost over 125 lb. in a little over a year with that and dieting. She has done Zumba and beach body and now doing Bob Harper's exercise video. She tries to hold her calories at 1200 a day and eats one meal, the rest is protein shake or meal bar.
I, on the other hand, have a very difficult time staying at 1500 calories or less. I don't do the elliptical, can't figure it out and my knees can't take it so I only exercise twice a week in senior fitness. Waitressing you are on your feet constantly, outch! Keep going, a little at a time is the best way to lose it.

altinker

I bought an HRM and learned that the barre I had been doing everyday only burned 175-300 calories -- depending on intensity. I do all DVD's and XBox 360. I realized if I wanted to lose, I'd need to add cardio. If I do an hour of a higher intensity workout, I burn over 400 -- like 450 or so. I just keep moving around for another 5 or 10 minutes to get it up to 500 cals. Zumba high intensity, Core Rhythms, and other similar will put you up that high.

Now, I did a 15 minute Turbo Fire HIIT, and that burned 143 cals. My heart rate stayed up in the aerobic range for 10 minutes afterward, so you could start out with a HIIT and then do something else afterward to keep burning cals. I don't burn 500 cals every day though. I alternate cardio with strength, and I prefer to use my own body weight and very light weights for strength right now.

Lizzydedr

I do Zumba a couple of times a week and you can really burn that many calories in an hour long class....at times even more....I have a polar watch and it keeps track of it.