Calories burnt through exercise.

shineyapple
shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I may sound a bit crazy, but I honestly do not feel that i burn a lot of calories! I almost dont want to log exercise anymore (I never used to)

Last night I swam for 1 hr. 40 minutes (MFP said I burnt 635 calories!.. I was completely not tired, and I walked a lot around my university campus..

I dont know how to explain it, but I am just extremely suspicious about how many calories I actually burn! Is anyone else feel like this also??!!

Like today, for example, I bartend/served at a pub, and I Iog it as standing, fishing from river bank (for me it burns 1143 calories in about 360 minutes (6 hours of work, but i work about 8) I do not feel at all that I burnt 1143 calories though! I dont even want to log it... To me, it just doesn't seem real!? :s... Im gonna go to the gym also to burn around 400 doing treadmill because I am just not tired and dont even feel that I burnt a lot... I ATE 1800 calores (approximately my TDEE, but I calculated it as sedentary).

Im just confused I dont even know how to explain myself..

Replies

  • Rose_bee
    Rose_bee Posts: 226 Member
    Get a Heart Rate Monitor. It's as accurate as you can get for cardio exercise.

    Some HRMs can also be used while swimming (like my Polar FT40).
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
    I'm guessing you are under the age of 25, because I think I burned 3,500 calories just reading your post.
  • shineyapple
    shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
    lmao!!! you are correct..sadly..lol

    I'm guessing you are under the age of 25, because I think I burned 3,500 calories just reading your post.
  • shineyapple
    shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
    Get a Heart Rate Monitor. It's as accurate as you can get for cardio exercise.

    Some HRMs can also be used while swimming (like my Polar FT40).

    Im seriously considering it...:)
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
    Enjoy the energy you have! I'm 44 and I get tired after I drink my morning smoothie! :laugh:
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Use the TDEE-20% method and set yourself as active.
  • Katetw
    Katetw Posts: 188 Member
    for how long have you exercised?
    The more you exercise, the more efficient your body gets--therefore, you burn less calories. So an overweight person who has never exercised will burn more cals doing 30 min of cardio than a fit person who exercises regularly.
    Also, both MFP and gym machines generally overestimate cals burned by quite a bit. I take the number the machine spits out, and put in about 1/2.

    Anyway, that's my advice.
  • shineyapple
    shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
    for how long have you exercised?
    The more you exercise, the more efficient your body gets--therefore, you burn less calories. So an overweight person who has never exercised will burn more cals doing 30 min of cardio than a fit person who exercises regularly.
    Also, both MFP and gym machines generally overestimate cals burned by quite a bit. I take the number the machine spits out, and put in about 1/2.

    Anyway, that's my advice.


    "the more efficient your body gets--therefore, you burn less calories." whaaatt? lol how is that efficient..

    i always check how many calories are generally burnt off by a person my weight on MULTIPLE sites before I log it.. (including this sight, many google searches, and livestrong) I think I will be getting an HRM soon..Im getting too anxious:P
  • Katetw
    Katetw Posts: 188 Member
    some interesting info here...but if you do a quick google search on the topic you will find many websites about this topic.

    http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/weightplateaus_2.htm

    it's more efficient in that it takes less calories to do the same job. Remember, our bodies were designed to HANG ON TO the extra energy. We are working against nature as we try to lose weight.
  • S_Arr_Uh
    S_Arr_Uh Posts: 77 Member
    I work at a takeaway every Saturday for 5 hours and I log it as 'cooking/food prep' and that burns lots of calories too. I wore my HRM (a MyZone belt from my gym) twice to work in the last couple of months and in both occurrences, I burned over 900 calories. It's possible.
  • BeccaBollons
    BeccaBollons Posts: 652 Member
    Well your lifestyle is certainly not sedentary. Mark yourself up to active, then don't log everyday activities (like work) but still log proper special workout sessions. Mfp will adjust for you, so it takes the pressure off so much counting and trying to put things in compartments! Enjoy your energy, youth is a special time :)
  • spdleeuw
    spdleeuw Posts: 10 Member
    I agree with OP. As well as other sports (swimming, gym class, badminton and tennis) I play golf 3 times a week and according to the database I am burning 1280 calories each time, even using a golf cart! I just cannot believe it, at that rate I would lose an extra pound a week but I don't. I log it on as 2 hours even though we really do 4 hours over 18 holes and I walk about as much as I can. I certainly do not eat the calories back, in that case I would be eating twice as much as I was before I got fat.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    A bodymedia or a kifit if your in the UK, would be a great idea. It'd show you a accurate within 6% TDEE x
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Enjoy it while you can, because I guarantee when you hit your 40's and 50's, no matter how much you exercise, you won't burn that many calories. It blows.
  • Daysednconfused
    Daysednconfused Posts: 975 Member
    Well your lifestyle is certainly not sedentary. Mark yourself up to active, then don't log everyday activities (like work) but still log proper special workout sessions. Mfp will adjust for you, so it takes the pressure off so much counting and trying to put things in compartments! Enjoy your energy, youth is a special time :)

    ^^^ This. I think you need to change your activity level then only log exercise that you actually do for health/fitness. If you normally bartend/serve, that shouldn't be logged as exercise. I also don't think you should log fishing, unless you are doing it to be active. Swimming, yes, fishing, no..........

    Hope that helps.
  • danceaway100
    danceaway100 Posts: 32 Member
    Well your lifestyle is certainly not sedentary. Mark yourself up to active, then don't log everyday activities (like work) but still log proper special workout sessions. Mfp will adjust for you, so it takes the pressure off so much counting and trying to put things in compartments! Enjoy your energy, youth is a special time :)

    ^^^ This. I think you need to change your activity level then only log exercise that you actually do for health/fitness. If you normally bartend/serve, that shouldn't be logged as exercise. I also don't think you should log fishing, unless you are doing it to be active. Swimming, yes, fishing, no..........

    Hope that helps.
  • chymerra
    chymerra Posts: 212
    Get a Heart Rate Monitor. It's as accurate as you can get for cardio exercise.

    Some HRMs can also be used while swimming (like my Polar FT40).

    Im seriously considering it...:)

    do it. it's the reason why i got mine (polar ft60) because MFP was giving me crazy caloric burn numbers for certain workouts. it's the only way to measure # calories YOU are burning, not some average you read on the net.
  • shineyapple
    shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
    Well your lifestyle is certainly not sedentary. Mark yourself up to active, then don't log everyday activities (like work) but still log proper special workout sessions. Mfp will adjust for you, so it takes the pressure off so much counting and trying to put things in compartments! Enjoy your energy, youth is a special time :)

    ^^^ This. I think you need to change your activity level then only log exercise that you actually do for health/fitness. If you normally bartend/serve, that shouldn't be logged as exercise. I also don't think you should log fishing, unless you are doing it to be active. Swimming, yes, fishing, no..........

    Hope that helps.


    lol I dont actually fish.. I log my work (bartending & serving) as fishing because its somewhat like standing (except I walk a lot also). So I dont actually fish lol :)
  • shineyapple
    shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
    Get a Heart Rate Monitor. It's as accurate as you can get for cardio exercise.

    Some HRMs can also be used while swimming (like my Polar FT40).

    Im seriously considering it...:)

    do it. it's the reason why i got mine (polar ft60) because MFP was giving me crazy caloric burn numbers for certain workouts. it's the only way to measure # calories YOU are burning, not some average you read on the net.

    Omg now I am nervous ... Was the number wayyy below what MFP gave you? Do you think mine will be much lower also :s So scared now that I dont burn that much swimming for an hr + :s
  • shineyapple
    shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
    I work at a takeaway every Saturday for 5 hours and I log it as 'cooking/food prep' and that burns lots of calories too. I wore my HRM (a MyZone belt from my gym) twice to work in the last couple of months and in both occurrences, I burned over 900 calories. It's possible.

    Okay this gives me hope.. lol
  • mychellelynne
    mychellelynne Posts: 122 Member
    I use a heart monitor for every exercise I plan to "count". I have noticed sometimes MFP is off by over 1/2. Then there are times they are close. I just realized maybe I don't get my heart going for awhile during an exercise so it takes me longer to burn calories. I figure I would rather count exactly what the HRM says than guess that MFP is right.
  • Sunshine2plus2
    Sunshine2plus2 Posts: 1,492 Member
    Honestly I feel that way too. I do work out at the gym and some times do videos at home and it says I burn between 400-700 calories. I just dont see it and because of that I feel I need to d more exercises!
  • rvicini
    rvicini Posts: 252 Member
    I second your first answer: Get a HRM. I did and the difference is impressive. You will really know what is that you are doing..

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