Burning less calories...

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autumnsquirrel
autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!! About a month ago, I decided to change up my workout routine and join a gym. I have been taking Spinning on Mondays, Wed and Fridays--all one hour each, and Cardio Blast with weight training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, also an hour. On the weekends is landscaping. When I started at the gym, I was burning a good 1000 calories easily in those hour classes, maybe less in the cardio/weight training...but...it was up there. Now, I am finding that I am not burning as much in those Spin classes and try to work even harder to no avail. I have an HRM with chest strap which I have come to depend upon. My metabolism is very slow, due to a thyroid which hasn't worked in years---I take medication for that. I am starting to feel discouraged; I have about 27 pounds to lose, but now am at a standstill. Needing your input and advice. I can't spin any faster than I have been doing, so I add resistance to make it a little harder. Suggestions/comments? And thanks again:) I am very serious about meeting my goal; I have come so close, but I feel like I just can't reach it:(

Replies

  • chandratro
    chandratro Posts: 12
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    def. up your resistance on the bike -- i had the same situation and have now upped my resisitance on all my machines for cardio - it has realy made a difference in the caloire burn becuase it gets my HR up!
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    Have you looked into different classes? It may be time to switch up a spin class or two with something different.
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
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    Have you looked into different classes? It may be time to switch up a spin class or two with something different.
    I am actually looking into switching up a Spin class with Zumba. I have taken Zumba before---had a GREAT instructor, but it's been awhile. I need that kind of instructor this time around who will kick my butt. Have been feeling discouraged lately and need a challenge.
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
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    def. up your resistance on the bike -- i had the same situation and have now upped my resisitance on all my machines for cardio - it has realy made a difference in the caloire burn becuase it gets my HR up!
    I have Spin tomorrow and will up the resistance some more. This particular instructor is great, so I know I will be getting a decent workout. It's just that I was relying on those big numbers:) If it's true that the fitter one becomes, the less calories burned, maybe I can talk myself into feeling better;)
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
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    It's definitely true that the more cardio you do, the more efficicent your heart becomes, so for the same workout, it won't need to work as hard - thus, fewer calories burned. Changing up the routines and increasing the intensity is the way to go.
  • annemama
    annemama Posts: 245 Member
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    Agree with all of the above. Increase resistance, and try out some new workouts. Our bodies adapt to whatever stress we put on them. Yours has adapted wonderfully to spinning! So give it something else, like jogging, or elliptical...or another class. Keep lifting weights also, because it will continue to reshape your body in an empowering way. Kudos to you for improving your fitness so much!
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    1,000 calories in an hour? Seems like you are greatly over estimating how many calories that you actually burn. Unless you jog half a marathon or 10 miles within an hour, I don't see how you could get there. If your starting weight was around 350 pounds then it could be possible. The more you weight, the more calories you burn and as you lose weight the less calories you will burn which is probably what you are experiencing.

    .
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Get a fitbit /pedometer and start walking more during the day....I did just that (after doing P90X 6 days a week and not losing anything....
    Walks 10 000 steps minimum a day - and run twice a week, lift heavy (which does not burn so much calories) and lost 5 lbs in a month of doing that...And I eat between 1650-1800 during the week and around 2000 on weekends...

    The extra walking during the day dfeinitely did it for me - I go for a 40 minute walk over lunch, get up from behind the compute and just walk throught the office more, and go the the Starbucks a block further from the office.....
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
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    1,000 calories in an hour? Seems like you are greatly over estimating how many calories that you actually burn. Unless you jog half a marathon or 10 miles within an hour, I don't see how you could get there. If your starting weight was around 350 pounds then it could be possible. The more you weight, the more calories you burn and as you lose weight the less calories you will burn which is probably what you are experiencing.

    .
    Just going by what the HRM stated at the end of each class. It was something I had never done before--was used to doing another type of workout for a long time. Started spinning and it was amazing; didn't think my body could do that. At the end of class, my HRM gave me the calculation. Now it doesn't go near 1000 after those classes and I thought maybe I need to work even harder to see that number again.
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
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    Agree with all of the above. Increase resistance, and try out some new workouts. Our bodies adapt to whatever stress we put on them. Yours has adapted wonderfully to spinning! So give it something else, like jogging, or elliptical...or another class. Keep lifting weights also, because it will continue to reshape your body in an empowering way. Kudos to you for improving your fitness so much!
    I also run, which is a nice extra. I wish I could look like Kelly Ripa with all this hard work I do on a daily basis. I was once labeled as Obese, by my doctors, now they officially label me as Fit. That made a wonderful difference. The bloodwork is perfect for the first time in my life. I just have to get the rest of the fat off my body, LOL. Just tired of jiggling and carrying the extra weight around. When I meet my goal, I will have dropped 100 pounds.
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
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    Have you looked into different classes? It may be time to switch up a spin class or two with something different.
    PS: major kudos to your weight loss:)
  • autumnsquirrel
    autumnsquirrel Posts: 258 Member
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    Yes! I was also doing P90x 6 days a week and would burn up to a mere 100 calories. I did lose some inches, but nothing to write home about. I became discouraged; stuck with it for 7 months as the trainer is a really cool chick. Afrer awhile, I got too used to it and did add running to the mix. This helped. But I became bored with that and a friend introduced me to spinning. This new gym has opened up a new world for me, but I feel that I have to up the ante quicker, now. And I still hate the way I look in pictures.
  • linsey0689
    linsey0689 Posts: 753 Member
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    Resistance is a really good thing really gets the HR up. Like of the elliptical sometimes I will set it to resistance 20 and yeah I might not go as fast as the person beside me but I look and there resistance is 1- not that I try to base my speed on the people beside me or anything.

    Also this is just an idea, I don't use them but I see people in the gym that do the arm and leg weights? Even like 2.5 or 5 pounds would be good. Because you would have to work much harder.

    Best of luck to you :)

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