not sure how to burn lots of calories...?

maaandyxoxo
maaandyxoxo Posts: 86
in Fitness and Exercise
i never can burn lots of calories like i see most people on here doing. i see people easily burn 600-800 calories a day, and i just ran/walked 2.13 miles on the treadmill and only burned 200 calories and it kicked my *kitten*. :( i am having trouble getting a work out in every day, so im thinking maybe its like that because im not working out everyday and thats why i struggle? any one have any ideas?

Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    i never can burn lots of calories like i see most people on here doing. i see people easily burn 600-800 calories a day, and i just ran/walked 2.13 miles on the treadmill and only burned 200 calories and it kicked my *kitten*. :( i am having trouble getting a work out in every day, so im thinking maybe its like that because im not working out everyday and thats why i struggle? any one have any ideas?

    I have read (but am not a professional in this area by any means) that 300 calories per workout is great. It is what I average. When I began this journey I was burning double that, but I weghed 75 mroe pounds then so it was easier to burn. Now that I am leaner I only burn about 90 calories per mile run and about 300 for a 1-hour weights workout.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Your calorie burn will depend on your age, sex, weight, intensity, and activity. Someone who is obese will burn a lot more doing any exercise than someone closer to goal. A young person will burn more than an older person. A man will burn more than a woman.

    If you want to burn more you have to up your intensity level or go longer.
  • maaandyxoxo
    maaandyxoxo Posts: 86
    oh ok thankss :)
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    Start the C2K program. It gets your endurance up gradually. I just finished week 5 and ran 2 miles in 20 minutes without much problem, and I was a terrible runner.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Your calorie burn will depend on your age, sex, weight, intensity, and activity. Someone who is obese will burn a lot more doing any exercise than someone closer to goal. A young person will burn more than an older person. A man will burn more than a woman.

    If you want to burn more you have to up your intensity level or go longer.

    My experience exactly :happy:
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Don't worry about calorie burn per se. Focus on a good effective workout. You burn what you burn. The point isn't to get a huge calorie burn. The point is to get fit and obtain a good body composition.
  • kellyellis3158
    kellyellis3158 Posts: 2
    Increase the incline on your treadmill...that works for me
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    work harder.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    In addition to the fact that different people burn calories at different rates, as has been pointed out by others, some calorie estimates are exaggerated.

    Focus on your calorie consumption and the intensity and length of your workout. Try to build up to working at a high level of intensity for most of the workout. Then, if you have a lot of weight to lose, gradually work up to 60 minutes a session 5 to 6 times a week.

    You should be breaking a sweat. A heart rate monitor helps, but you can also do the "talk" test. If you can speak easily during your workout, you're not pressing yourself sufficiently.
  • skuehn48
    skuehn48 Posts: 3,048 Member
    I am older and have knee replacements so I do not run. I find I get my biggest calorie burns in the pool either lap swimming or water jogging. Although going for a very long ride on my horse also burns quite a few calories which amazes me because it feels like the horse is doing most of the work.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    bump for reading later :smile:
  • iTzBEAST
    iTzBEAST Posts: 1
    Try to change it up a bit. Work on some strength training as well. Circuit training in particular just do several exercises one after another then rest after a set of the circuit. This will trick your body to adjusting to something different and also alter your heart rate.
  • edencrannon
    edencrannon Posts: 34 Member
    Increase the incline on your treadmill...that works for me
    This is exactly why I was gonna say, this is how I burn more! Incline of 10 -12 on thread mill walkin at 6k per hr... Build it up gradually xx u will notice it xxx good luck x
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
    Don't worry about calorie burn per se. Focus on a good effective workout. You burn what you burn. The point isn't to get a huge calorie burn. The point is to get fit and obtain a good body composition.


    this.
    also you may want to look into strength training...it may not have high a calorie burn as cardio, but the results are worth it.
    It's also about what you see in the mirror.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    Food push always are always the most effective and efficient calorie burning exercise
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    i never can burn lots of calories like i see most people on here doing. i see people easily burn 600-800 calories a day, and i just ran/walked 2.13 miles on the treadmill and only burned 200 calories and it kicked my *kitten*. :( i am having trouble getting a work out in every day, so im thinking maybe its like that because im not working out everyday and thats why i struggle? any one have any ideas?
    Calorie burns have a lot to do with weight. If you're heavier, you'll burn more just by walking.

    High calorie burners consist of cardio. The greatest one I can think of is jumping jacks. The problem with that is it's pretty hard to do jumping jacks for a long period of time. So then people turn to things like running. You can sustain that for a long period of time and get a great calorie burn.

    As for lighter people doing higher calorie burns when I was 57 and 120lbs I was doing sick burns doing long, hilly hikes.

    What did the higher calorie burns do for me? Mostly diddly. I did them to push myself, not for weight loss. There's a point you can hinder yourself for doing to much.

    Also, just a few hours of Spartacus made me notice visible muscles I couldn't see before compared to when I was doing cardio. So large calorie burns doesn't necessarily mean better looks. I also have about the same waist line as I did when I was doing a lot of hiking.

    Do cardio and resistance training for the sake of your health, don't worry a whole lot about exercise numbers, eat at a deficit of some sort, it doesn't need to be large, just worry about improving yourself and the slimmer better looks come naturally.

    A system only has as much energy as you give it, so eat back your exercise calories!
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
    Start on the treadmill with incline 3 and speed 3. Every 3 minutes go up 0.5 on the incline, until you reach 6. After you do 3 minutes on 6, start going down 0.5 on the incline, every 3 minutes, until you reach 3. Initially, if it is very hard, try to stay on incline 5 but for the entire duration as if you went up 5.5, 6, 5.5. Once you start building endurance and can do easily level 6, you can make changes like do 10 extra minutes on 6 and then go down, or do speed 3.2.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Don't worry about calorie burn per se. Focus on a good effective workout. You burn what you burn. The point isn't to get a huge calorie burn. The point is to get fit and obtain a good body composition.

    This times a miggety million. Getting in shape has everything to do with effective workouts and very little to do with calories burned. Concentrate on the work, not the burn
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
    It's because we're really fat. :smile: The more you weigh the more calories burned. Many of us are striving to burn fewer calories like you do.
  • Erica_theRedhead
    Erica_theRedhead Posts: 724 Member
    The best calorie burns come from high intensity exercises. Do something weighted / metabolic like kettle bells or circuits, or do a few minutes of sprints. I burn the same amount of calories in 20 minutes of HIIT sprints that I do on a 60 minute run
  • Rehobobound
    Rehobobound Posts: 143 Member
    Don't worry about calorie burn per se. Focus on a good effective workout. You burn what you burn. The point isn't to get a huge calorie burn. The point is to get fit and obtain a good body composition.

    This is what I've decided is the best course lately. The scale is a fickle thing, the tape measure, not so much.
  • stephcampbell77
    stephcampbell77 Posts: 112
    A really tough workout for me only burns about 500-600 calories. In fact that's about all I burn most days and I work my butt off. I agree, just get a good workout in and don't worry about the numbers :)
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You only have about 30 lbs to lose as a goal. This means you do not need to burn a tremendous amount of exercise calories. You could simply focus on weight training 3 to 4 days a week with a few 20 minute interval runs while eating a slight deficit (300 caloriesbelow actual TDEE). You also state you recovered from an ED; how long have you been eating the maximum amount of calories to maintain your weight prior to reducing calories again? I ask because some girls may recover all their weight back but do not give their Resting Metabolic Rate sufficient time to increase back to optimal levels before restricting again.

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