Burning 5000 calories/day!!!!

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I have a polar heart rate monitor that ive been wearing for 4 days straight to bed and everything showering etc and it has said for 4 days in a row that I am burning 5000 calories each day!! So This is my question, WHY IN THE HECK AM I NOT A RAIL??? I am 5'5" tall and I weigh 160 which I know that I am very muscular and that muscle weighs a lot more than fat HOWEVER, I run for 90 mins a day 6 days/week also do strength training immediately following the running and that is for 30-45 mins. So can someone out there tell me what gives? I eat around 1400 calories/day or less on some days and rarely eat fatting things, granted I just started this program I am a little curious as to why I have so much trouble getting weight off and keeping it off when every doctor I have been to has stated that I am perfectly healthy, no hormal problems or thyroid issues everything is within normal ranges. I am a 30 year old motherless female and this is very concerning and frustrating. What ever happened to the calories in and calories out thing? If I ate 5000 calories/day I would be obese! Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • BrentGetsFit
    BrentGetsFit Posts: 878 Member
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    Is your HRM calibrated correctly? I have a cheap-o one and it requires my age and gender. Has it got a fresh battery?
  • SouthernBell86
    SouthernBell86 Posts: 275 Member
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    Okay, well first of all, you may want to get your body fat percentage tested. If you are 160 pounds and very muscular, you may not NEED to lose any weight, or very little anyway. What makes you think you need to lose weight? Because of the number on the scale or because of fat you have?

    The other thing is that you may not be eating enough. As counterintuitive as it sounds, if you are truly burning 5000 calories in a day and you're only eating 1400, your body is not getting NEARLY the energy it needs to perform its tasks, and may be slowing down your metabolism as much as is possible. You should probably consult a nutritionist who can use calipers to test your body fat percentage and advise you on how much weight you need to lose.
  • MissPriss30
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    This heart rate monitore was $140 and has rarely been used, I am also very active during the day cleaning, cooking shopping etc, so maybe this accounts to the huge calorie burn. I was told by polar that these things are 97% accurate which isn't a lot of room for error I mean 3% of 5000 is only 150 calories which is nothing in comparison. I just can't get over it or wrap my mind around how many calories that I burn in a typical day with my cardio and resistance training added in. I have been told before that my body is very efficient at burning calories which SUCKS unless I am trying to stay alive out on a deserted island lol. I am just dumbfounded at the results of my research and am now questioning the calories in/calories out theory. Makes no sense, I should look like a professional athlete with a super lean physique, perhaps I will with continued running and resistance training as I have been doing. If I am not just blown away at my physique in at least 6 weeks of this I think I shall be going to a dr to show them my polar and my daily food intake and ask whats up chuck?
  • CombatVet_Armywife
    CombatVet_Armywife Posts: 300 Member
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    I use a Polar HRM as well, I have been told it is not a reliable source to calculate your calorie burn for such a long period of time, aside from exercise, and if you want to track your calorie burn on a daily basis, it's best to use a bodybug or something similar that is meant for that purpose. Just thought I would pass that along to you, hope you find the answers you're looking for! :)
  • MissPriss30
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    Thank you miss Brenda you are sweet to offer the advice, however I have a body bug and it says the same thing....I signed up for a month online just to see if this thing was really way off and nope only within about 10 calories. Do you know how accurate a body bug is?
  • soze
    soze Posts: 604 Member
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    Dang, you should be an Olympian.
  • amandabrady
    amandabrady Posts: 203 Member
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    Even nice HRMs like the Polars aren't meant to be worn all day long. They are accurate for your workout, but not for tracking an entire day's worth of general activities. Not to say you are or aren't burning 5000, but this could have something to do with the data you're getting.
  • turino88
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    I think the problem may be in your exercising. You said you're running 6x a week for 90 minutes and do strength training right after such a long cardio session. I have always been advised not to do strength training and cardio back to back. Ideally there should be a few hours of rest in between the two different types of training if you must do them on the same day. Why not back to back? Because if you're doing good strenuous cardio, you wont have the energy and power to give it your all in a strength training workout. Your body needs time to rest and recover. Recovery is mandatory to prevent injury and for your body to repair itself for the next punishing workout.
    Also have you tried HIIT or interval training instead of long distance running? HIIT makes for an amazing workout and is totally controlled by your own will power. If you're not familiar with interval training you can easily look it up as there are tons of articles on it. If I were you, I would do the HIIT training about 4x a week and strength train 3x a week preferably on separate days. Do NOT do HIIT and strength back to back.
    Lastly, eat eat eat. You're not eating enough for the amount of exercising you're doing. You should be getting around 1800 on heavy workout days. Adding more calories to your diet may sound counterproductive, but it will help you in the long run. Don't be afraid of carbs either, they are your friend. Get good carbs in from whole grains and vegetables. You want to try to get carbs and protein in with each small meal throughout the day; but keep carbs low after 7pm.
    I hope this helps you. I sympathize with how you feel about working out so much and not having the scale budge. I am in a similar situation. I'm 5'5" 139 23% body fat. I didn't start losing weight until I added more calories and especially more carbs. (I try to get at least 200g on heavy workout days) You just have to keep your eyes on the prize and never give up. Keep in mind that changing and trying new ideas and methods of working out is the best way to find what will make you your most successful and give you the body you desire.
  • MissPriss30
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    I totally agree, however I am following Jillian Michaels way of life so to speak I have most all of her books and have learned about to group the right carbs proteins and fats. I follow her work out regimine with the exception of adding another hour of a cardio/day 6x a week. She states that you could do cardio until the cows come home, that it was the resistance training she didn't want you over doing. In all honesty I weighed 172lbs when I started her program about 3 months ago and am now down to anywhere between 157-160 fluid retentions fluctuates my weight sometimes. It is also very difficult for me to tell if I am loosing weight as I see myself everyday and no matter what I still think have a big rear and legs eventhough it is obvious to me they are not big if that makes sense? I have gone from a 30 inch waist jeans to a 28 and am working toward a 26 at the smallest.
  • apeman
    apeman Posts: 82
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    So to recap...you've lost 12 pounds in 3 months which sounds about perfect. You're lifting so you've probably put on some muscle too and you're doing cardio like a mad fiend. LOL. So there really are only two explanations...one, you're eating more than 1400/cal. day (which by the sounds of your workouts...is not bad because you're a fricking rockstar) and two, your hrm is off. I have a Polar too and love it. Haven't tried to wear it all day but it would be a good experiment. I'm guessing you shouldn't worry too much though. Take body measurements with a measuring tape (on days when you didn't workout the day before) and track those too. My guess is you're trimming off body fat and building muscle which is why your aren't losing more. Just keep it up and track the next 12 weeks of measurements and see where you stand. My guess is you'll be 6-8 lbs lighter and start seeing more definition since you're building so much. I'd love to have your problem. Good luck.
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
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    A couple of these posters have it exactly right -- your heart monitor is meant for use only during aerobic exercise. Wearing it during weight training or other non-aerobic periods (especially all day long), will give you dramatically distorted results. Avoiding a complicated explanation of why, suffice it to say that if you calculate your basic BMR so you know your daily caloric need without exercise, then add in any of the aerobic exercise calories from your HRM, then you'll know where need to be calorie wise. The rate at which you've been losing is good and reasonable. If you wish to keep losing about two pounds a week, just subtract 500 calories from what you need to maintain and exercise about 500 calories a day in addition to that.

    You're doing it right -- you just got a freaky reading from using the HRM for something it's not intended to do. Use it only during aerobic exercise, and it'll all start straightening out.

    Good work. Keep it up! The 90 minutes of running six days a week will be more than adequate to burn off the 3500 calories a week to eliminate one pound through exercise. ;)
  • MissPriss30
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    Thank you apeman :-) it would be wonderful if I were a guy with this problem because all guys want to be heavier lol. My husband and I discussed earlier my effenciency of calorie burning and I told him perhaps its my indian heritage? They were hunters and gatherers and didn't eat sometimes for several days so it may be genetic lol? Who knows, all I know is that I am very impatient especially when I am working otu like this and I want weight and size to just fall off, so MAYBE I should be more patient with myself. As far as the heart rate monitor goes, I am just for experiments sake willing to say it is off maybe 1000 calories (which is alot might I add lol) evenso 4000 calories a day is still A BUTT LOAD lol. I know for a fact how many calories that I eat as I measure out and weigh out everything that I eat with no bites of anything in between sometimes i may go up to 1500 calories but that is on a rare occasion about as rare as my love affair with ben and jerrys ice cream or a ruby tuesdays burger and fries lol which is about once every 2 months! All I can say is that this is wild....
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I have a polar heart rate monitor that ive been wearing for 4 days straight to bed and everything showering etc and it has said for 4 days in a row that I am burning 5000 calories each day!! So This is my question, WHY IN THE HECK AM I NOT A RAIL??? I am 5'5" tall and I weigh 160 which I know that I am very muscular and that muscle weighs a lot more than fat HOWEVER, I run for 90 mins a day 6 days/week also do strength training immediately following the running and that is for 30-45 mins. So can someone out there tell me what gives? I eat around 1400 calories/day or less on some days and rarely eat fatting things, granted I just started this program I am a little curious as to why I have so much trouble getting weight off and keeping it off when every doctor I have been to has stated that I am perfectly healthy, no hormal problems or thyroid issues everything is within normal ranges. I am a 30 year old motherless female and this is very concerning and frustrating. What ever happened to the calories in and calories out thing? If I ate 5000 calories/day I would be obese! Any input would be greatly appreciated.

    First of all, heart rate monitors are not designed to be worn every minute of every day, they are meants for workouts and runs, they are inaccurate if used for milling about or moving around the house in normal fashion.

    Secondly, if you were burning 5000 calories per day, that would mean you would be losing a pound a day and as you have said, you are not losing anything near that amount.

    Do yourself a massive favour, put the HRM away unless you are working out or going on your runs, because it is giving you a false reading - even the manufacturers of the things say that they will be inaccurate if used for anything other than workouts.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Like others have said, I've always understood that HRM's arent for measuring calorie burn other than actually while you are exercising.

    And given your stats and how much you are exercising, I think you are severely under eating. You'd probably loose more, have more energy & feel better if you ate more.
  • svackar
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    Okay, well first of all, you may want to get your body fat percentage tested. If you are 160 pounds and very muscular, you may not NEED to lose any weight, or very little anyway. What makes you think you need to lose weight? Because of the number on the scale or because of fat you have?

    The other thing is that you may not be eating enough. As counterintuitive as it sounds, if you are truly burning 5000 calories in a day and you're only eating 1400, your body is not getting NEARLY the energy it needs to perform its tasks, and may be slowing down your metabolism as much as is possible. You should probably consult a nutritionist who can use calipers to test your body fat percentage and advise you on how much weight you need to lose.

    It would probably be best to have your body analysis done as well as maybe a V02 max test. You'll find out what your actual body fat percentage is, your resting metabolic rate, daily calorie needs as well as where your heart rate should be to burn the most fat calories. Yes, there are the suggested guidelines for all of these measurements, but each of our bodies is different & unique.

    As others have mentioned, you might not be getting enough calories each day. In addtion your long workouts might not be burning fat, just sugar and energy.
  • ganesha303
    ganesha303 Posts: 257 Member
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    A couple of these posters have it exactly right -- your heart monitor is meant for use only during aerobic exercise. Wearing it during weight training or other non-aerobic periods (especially all day long), will give you dramatically distorted results. Avoiding a complicated explanation of why, suffice it to say that if you calculate your basic BMR so you know your daily caloric need without exercise, then add in any of the aerobic exercise calories from your HRM, then you'll know where need to be calorie wise. The rate at which you've been losing is good and reasonable. If you wish to keep losing about two pounds a week, just subtract 500 calories from what you need to maintain and exercise about 500 calories a day in addition to that.

    You're doing it right -- you just got a freaky reading from using the HRM for something it's not intended to do. Use it only during aerobic exercise, and it'll all start straightening out.

    Good work. Keep it up! The 90 minutes of running six days a week will be more than adequate to burn off the 3500 calories a week to eliminate one pound through exercise. ;)

    What she said.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    First, a heart rate monitor is for EXERCISE, not for wearing all times of the day. When you wear it for things other than exercise, the reading is not going to be as accurate. Stop using it for anything other than exercise and you reading will probably be a lot more accurate.