Calorie burn- Am i The only one?

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Soooo....I know i shouldnt be comparing myself to others...BUT...i cant help but thinking that I am just not burning enough. I havent worked out in about 3 months ( prior to me joining this a week ago) and i feel like i am pushing myself, im sweating hard, getting my heart rate up, and then i only lose about 200-300 calories from the treadmill !!!! AHHH, so frustrating. I am starting to wonder when i log my calories in from my step classes, if that is accurate, or if i am comparing oranges to apples ( oranges being 60 minutes of cardio sculpt class and apples being 30 minutes of cardio?)....I dunno....I see these people burning like 900 calories and i think DANGGG how does that even happen, i would have a heart attack! This is my last 20 lbs ,and maybe i think i want it too bad....i guess im rambling at this point!

any feedback, or any response i guess is great :)

Replies

  • smilestb99
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    I posted something similar the other day and no one responded to it! haha. I wanted to know if people were choosing the closest thing on here, because what I get off my machine isn't close to what everyone on here was getting with the same amount of time, pace, etc. I just chose to stick with the machine, so as not to go over my calories, but it is frustrating and trust me, you're not the only one, because I thought the same thing!:wink:
  • mrsmojo82
    mrsmojo82 Posts: 54 Member
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    You should invest in a heart rate monitor. I got mine from Sears for about 80 bucks. Its great! I always know how much I burn.
  • ersulas
    ersulas Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't know from experience, but what I have read is that the calories burned listed on the site aren't that accurate and that using a Heart Rate Monitor is the best way to figure that all out.
  • garedds
    garedds Posts: 251
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    Don't forget that those of us who are heavier are going to burn more calories doing the same exercise for the same amount of time. Sorry about that. I do dread the day when i only burn 200-300 calories in a workout. BUT I will be happy about it because it means I will have lost more weight.
  • roylawrence87
    roylawrence87 Posts: 970 Member
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    Heart rate monitor is the only way to go! Get one, and it will tell you what you actually burned.
  • cflorkie
    cflorkie Posts: 92 Member
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    a lot of people add things in to their workouts that I consider more like every day activities and less like exercise. The thing is, the post only pics one of the activities you log at the same time to advertise right?

    anyway, I know how hard I worked. If something I log seems way to high or low, I adjust based on what I feel. I don't want to be stuck eating back what I know I haven't worked for you know?

    anyway, I dont log things unless they are something totally out of what I normally do, and I was intentionally 'working out' when I did them. I consider that cheating lol.
  • happy_vegan
    happy_vegan Posts: 200 Member
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    To the people who recommend a heart rate monitor:
    are there good ones that are relatively cheap? or is it strictly you get what you pay for?
    a brand or a model would be helpful.

    Does anyone who uses a hrm think it's totally bunk? - they've b een entering the calories they 'burned' at gained weight or didn't lose?
  • nokittyno
    nokittyno Posts: 293 Member
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    I dunno.

    I've had two treadmills, Nautilus Sport Series 14, and then Sole TT8. I found that between the two the calories indicated on the Sole were of a lesser value, and based on findings it states that higher models have a more accurate depiction of calories spent. So for an ultimate test, I wanted to track my strength calorie expenditure I bought a Mid ranged Polar Heart Rate Monitor, and for kicks I used it in conjunction with my treadmills HRM - bottom line the Polar HRM was about 10 calories off the Sole's, so almost par for par.

    Usually when I run I start with aq 5-10 min brisk walk, then 1-2 min stride and a running thing. So lets say a total of 60-70 mins of cardio, maybe 50 or so being running, rest walking and intervals.

    My Calories burned usually average about 600-700+, but for my own benefit I always round down, and choose between the two recordings the lowest..(incase y'know). Now, if I purely walk to balance our calories taken in, or i'm too sore or tired for running the calories are less.. more between 4-600, and that's moderately paced with an incline.

    Also if you're going based on MFP(My Fitness Pal) theirs are complete guesstimates.. It would state an average of 3.0 m/h walking dogs would be like.. 100+ burned for about 45 mins, but my HRM stated less than that, so now when I go walking out of accuracy and curiosity I take my polar along.. They're good to have, I never would of thought so but it's nice to build up my own general knowledge of it..

    But I dunno, I guess calories burned depend on your in=out, and the type of workout you do.. and probably even your age? I mean if HRMs calculate your HR and Calories based on the two maybe says something from it..

    But on the topic of calories burned.. I watched The Biggest Loser Couples last week, and they burned like.. 2,000+ in a day, HOLY CRAP.. Lmao. Now that would be just....... implausible.. :\

    ...........Hope ANY of that rambling helped :\

    +++ I use a Polar FT4 model, got it at the running room for 59.99+tax CND, reduced from 139/89.99. I like it.. colours kind of Okay, but it works for me. I like knowing what I burn during strength stuff.. gives me motivation to push out more squats.. Lol.
  • roylawrence87
    roylawrence87 Posts: 970 Member
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    To the people who recommend a heart rate monitor:
    are there good ones that are relatively cheap? or is it strictly you get what you pay for?
    a brand or a model would be helpful.

    Does anyone who uses a hrm think it's totally bunk? - they've b een entering the calories they 'burned' at gained weight or didn't lose?
    I can't say. Ive never used this site other than for the community. I have never logged anything. I have never used a HRM. I just do what I think is right. I hold my self responsible for my actions. It helps me be accountable.
  • smilestb99
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    Thanks! I will look into a heart rate monitor as well. Has anyone used a body bugg?
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    I used the Polar FT4. If you use the search and search the word Polar there should be a lot of threads regarding that brand.

    I don't really pay attention to what others burn.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    BTW, HRMs cannot be used to estimate calories expended during strength training. The elevated HR that occurs during strength training is not accompanied by an increase in calories burned.
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    I DONT WORRY MUCH ABOUT HOW MANY CALORIES I"M BURNING IF ITS 100 ONE WAY OR THE OTHER JUST HOW MUCH IM EATING