Help!how can i increase calories burnt?

Hi all. like all of us i have a hectic work schedule (start at 9 and sometimes get home for 8!). So i go gym 3 times a week. In between i walk everywhere at work if i can. It is a desk job so quick walk up town at lunch etc.

So far i am burnt 2200 cal a week. But to loose a pound you have to loose 3500 a week so i am well way under? What can i do. My daily food intake is 1350. I can't fit another gym session in at all. Help please!x
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Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Your MFP goal already includes the calorie deficit needed to lose the amount of weight you specified when you set up your profile per week. Any exercise you do is above and beyond that, and MFP is set up for you to eat those exercise calories back.

    Please read this, it will help:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    Your MFP goal already includes the calorie deficit needed to lose the amount of weight you specified when you set up your profile per week. Any exercise you do is above and beyond that, and MFP is set up for you to eat those exercise calories back.

    Please read this, it will help:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Thank you for the link i will look now. But the sad thing is i am not loosing 2 pounds a week as per my goal. Instead 3 pounds a month! :(
  • Super_Amy
    Super_Amy Posts: 97 Member
    But you are loosing. That's great.
  • yusri01
    yusri01 Posts: 1
    Christopher Wharton, PhD, a certified personal trainer and researcher with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, put it simply: "The more time spent exercising and the more vigorous the exercise, the more calories will be burned."

    Indeed, obesity expert George Bray, MD, with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., believes that taking a brisk walk every day is probably the single most important piece of advice for anyone wanting to burn more calories.

    Obviously, when you exercise, your body burns calories to fuel your activity. But exercise is the gift that keeps on giving. That's because even after your workout has ended, your body is still burning more calories.

    While it's hard to pinpoint just how long this effect lasts (it varies depending on body composition and level of training), "it’s safe to say metabolic rate can be elevated with aerobic exercise for at least 24 hours," says Wharton.

    If you want to prolong this calorie-burning effect, Wharton advises exercising for longer periods.

    "Studies have shown that with increases in exercise time, the elevation in resting metabolic rate is prolonged," he says.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    2 pounds per week is a safe amount of weight to lose.
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
    Move more.
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    2 pounds per week is a safe amount of weight to lose.


    I wish i would be loosing that much but i;m not :(
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Hi all. like all of us i have a hectic work schedule (start at 9 and sometimes get home for 8!). So i go gym 3 times a week. In between i walk everywhere at work if i can. It is a desk job so quick walk up town at lunch etc.

    So far i am burnt 2200 cal a week. But to loose a pound you have to loose 3500 a week so i am well way under? What can i do. My daily food intake is 1350. I can't fit another gym session in at all. Help please!x

    At 1350 calories a day I'm sure you don't "need" to burn any calories from exercise. Your body is using calories all day long (heart, lungs, kidneys, etc) ....this is known as your BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate. Find your BMR.

    Exercise should be about fitness anyway. This is yet another lifestyle change for many people. Exercise helps you keep the weight (you lost) from creeping back up).

    No everyone can lose a pound every single week. Sometimes when you are close to goal a 1/2 pound loss is good progress. Losing weight too quickly results in more muscle loss than most people are comfortable with.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    2 pounds per week is a safe amount of weight to lose.


    I wish i would be loosing that much but i;m not :(

    Weight loss takes time. Some weeks you'll lose, some weeks you won't. Just keep at it.

    The weight wasn't put on overnight and unfortunately it won't go away that quickly either.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Your MFP goal already includes the calorie deficit needed to lose the amount of weight you specified when you set up your profile per week. Any exercise you do is above and beyond that, and MFP is set up for you to eat those exercise calories back.

    Please read this, it will help:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Thank you for the link i will look now. But the sad thing is i am not loosing 2 pounds a week as per my goal. Instead 3 pounds a month! :(
    You are consistently losing a healthy amount of weight. Your body doesn't know that MFP says it should lose 2 pounds a week. Your body is a complex biological form so as much as using an algorithm can estimate the amount you will lose it is not set in stone. You didn't put the wait on at a consistent 2 pounds a week so it is unlikely to come of like that. You will find some weeks you will lose more than others that's just how it goes and you need to accept that Continue with what you are doing and you will meet your goals. Don't be in such a rush and have some patience. Good luck
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    hi

    my fitness pall bmr is

    Your estimated BMR is: 1,640 calories/day*
    *BMR based on the Mifflin - St. Jeor equations. Please remember that even the best BMR calculators provide only a best guess and should be used as a guide only.

    so i am having nearly 300 under a day. thats 2100. add 2200 cals exercised a week= 4300, still not loosing a pound a week.
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    thank you thats true
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    You are eating 1350 calories per day and exercising approx. 2200 calories per week (approx. 314 calories/day)? Are you "eating back" some of the exercise calories? If not, you are netting an average of about 1000 calories per day, which is not enough to sustain your body.
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    Hiya.

    some days i do. e.g once a week i went over by a 100 cals. so i then went and excercised that 100 off! and other way round. but normally i try to leave my net away and just eat the 1350.

    I started with 1300 and i couldn't maintain that whereas 1350 i can.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    There are two variables in this equation. Instead of focusing solely on exercise, you also need to look at your food intake and make sure that you're eating the amount you think you're eating. If you're not already measuring and logging precisely, that might be a better place to look than trying to burn more calories. How are you measuring your portion sizes right now? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes?
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Have you tried just eating more? I know it sounds crazy, but if I stick with the 1200 cal MFP gives me I don't lose, but as soon as I eat my BMR and my exercise calories back the weight comes off. Also make sure you are measuring everything, drinking at least 8 cups of water per day and watch your sodium intake. Weight loss is not linear so don't give up if it isn't coming off as quickly as MFP promises. Good luck!!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    hi

    my fitness pall bmr is

    Your estimated BMR is: 1,640 calories/day*
    *BMR based on the Mifflin - St. Jeor equations. Please remember that even the best BMR calculators provide only a best guess and should be used as a guide only.

    so i am having nearly 300 under a day. thats 2100. add 2200 cals exercised a week= 4300, still not loosing a pound a week.

    BMR is you not getting out of bed all day. TDEE is you sleeping, walking around, exercising....this is the number you need to take 500 per day away from (500x7 = 3500).
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    How do i work that out though?sorry im lost
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    How much do you weigh? Unless I read your ticker wrong it shows that you only had 3 lbs to lose...and you have already lost that much.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    hi

    my fitness pall bmr is

    Your estimated BMR is: 1,640 calories/day*
    *BMR based on the Mifflin - St. Jeor equations. Please remember that even the best BMR calculators provide only a best guess and should be used as a guide only.

    so i am having nearly 300 under a day. thats 2100. add 2200 cals exercised a week= 4300, still not loosing a pound a week.

    BMR means basal metabolic rate. This is just what your body needs to function if you were laying in bed all day to operate your heart, lungs, heart, etc.

    You need more than that to live on, because you don't lay in bed all day.

    TDEE means total daily energy expenditure. This is what you need for everything in your day including exercise.

    This website calculates what you need for every day life, not including exercise, and then it takes a flat rate off of it depending on how much you say you want to lose. But it won't go below 1200.

    So, if it is telling you to eat 1300 and you chose 2 pounds per week, it calculates you need 2300 calories per day NOT including exercise, and then it deducts 1,000 calories. Your calorie deficit is sufficient to lose weight without any exercise.

    You need to either stop exercising, or eat more.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I second the suggestion to focus a little bit more on your nutrition and food intake. I took a quick peek at your diary and agree that a food scale would be a good idea if you don't already use one. Be careful using the Quick Add Calories feature. Even if you're accurately tracking your calories, you're not accurately tracking your macros when you use that feature often. Your protein macro looks consistently SUPER low, but that may not be the case if those Quick Add Calories items had protein.
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    on a website it says my TDEE is

    2360
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    Sorry i was updating my ticker as it went to back to basics

    i weighed 205- now 202 want to be 130 pounds
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    I second the suggestion to focus a little bit more on your nutrition and food intake. I took a quick peek at your diary and agree that a food scale would be a good idea if you don't already use one. Be careful using the Quick Add Calories feature. Even if you're accurately tracking your calories, you're not accurately tracking your macros when you use that feature often. Your protein macro looks consistently SUPER low, but that may not be the case if those Quick Add Calories items had protein.

    thank you
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    As others have pointed out MFP goals take into account caloric deficit to lose,. If however you want to be certain look at some of the other calculators and adapt. get your TDEE and then work backwards (I set myself as sedentary as I have a desk job and then eat back at least half the calories i earn from exercise - it's sort of like rewarding myself for doing the right thing for my health lol - I'm not fooling anyone except myself I could just as easily have done a detailed breakout to get my truest TDEE and then subtracted 1000 calories to get my 2 pound goal - either way they are withing 50 or so calories of one another)
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    Also loss is not linear I have had 1 pound weeks and 3 pound weeks but over the 12 weeks since January 3rd (when I started before MFP) I am averaging a little over 2 pounds per week
    It's getting harder (my TDEE has gone down as I weigh less - you need to review it regularly - say monthly)
    My exercise levels are going up though (Funny that it's easier as time goes on and I can do more intense exercise or longer)

    Last though it looks like you are weighing everything I can't stress how much everything down to the condiments and water needs to be measured/Weighed/Tracked for accuracy

    EDIT I'll add it doesn't really look like you are tracking correctly - one day at lunch you have yourself eating 1/5 an ounce 15 grams of Grilled Chicken Breast - that is one bite or less Typical boneless skinless breast portions are 4-6 ounces (I buy food as part of my job - a 3 ounce serving would be a small appetizer size kebob) and 40 grams of mixed veg would be a couple of mouthfuls at best the same lunch - the rice 50 grams post cooking is also quite a tiny serving - lunch that day showed 85 calories - most apples have more than that
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    Hi Eddie, thanks for replying.

    Some days i have small meals like that one. I have been feeling under the weather so i have a bite to eat literally including that. but i will scan everything now instead quick add calories and will try that link thank you for replying means alot!
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    This may help you calculate your BMR & TDEE. Are you using a HRM when you work out? If not I highly recommend getting one with a chest strap because MFP over estimates in some cases as do the machines at the gym. May help you be more certain of your calories burned.
  • kinni101
    kinni101 Posts: 38
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    This may help you calculate your BMR & TDEE. Are you using a HRM when you work out? If not I highly recommend getting one with a chest strap because MFP over estimates in some cases as do the machines at the gym. May help you be more certain of your calories burned.


    Hiya thank you for your message. I am thinking of getting one but the price is putting me of!
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    Hi Eddie, thanks for replying.

    Some days i have small meals like that one. I have been feeling under the weather so i have a bite to eat literally including that. but i will scan everything now instead quick add calories and will try that link thank you for replying means alot!

    and grab a scale just scanning packages doesn't work always (they work to averages) as an example I had a piece of peameal the other day and it weighed less than the average on the package so was in reality less calories, but the bread i had it on was a lot more than the package average, net i was actually higher than the packaging overall
  • mara232
    mara232 Posts: 93 Member
    I weigh and measure everything and it helps. The other day I was shocked how small a cup of cooked pasta was!! I find the healthier I eat as well the better weight comes off - try to stay away from salt and have fruits and veggies make up a good part of your diet. i struggle with that as I hate fruit but do try to eat as many veggies as I can. Good Luck!!