Not burning a lot during exercise...

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ybba12490
ybba12490 Posts: 252
in Fitness and Exercise
A lot of people on here are burning 800+ calories every time they workout.

I, on the other hand, burn only about 300 or so. I never meet my daily cal intake in the first place, so after exercise even more calories get added.

Should I try burning more and eating more?
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Replies

  • kmart20
    kmart20 Posts: 72
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    I'm in the same vote and workout an hour to and hour and a half a day, so I would like to know as well.
  • bettyboop573
    bettyboop573 Posts: 610 Member
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    It will be different for everyone because we all have different weights and fitness levels...I have worked out awhile now so my heart rate needs a lot to really get high....Even during soccer and boxing I will never burn that high
  • francis1425
    francis1425 Posts: 54 Member
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    I would like to know too.......I ran 4 miles today and only burned 350 calories.....
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    You should eat your calories from exersise back! on days i know i'm going to the gym, i log my exersie in the morning , then have bigger meals those days!


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


    This is just a part of it! please read the link above


    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)



    Good luck on your journey
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
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    How long are you working out for? And what are you doing?
    I use a HRM and burn 110+ calories per 10 mins or so.
  • AdamATGATT
    AdamATGATT Posts: 573 Member
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    How are you logging your caloric burn? Is it with a HRM, or using the MFP (or other website) database?

    This is all about finding what works best for you. If you're not meeting your caloric intake, try eating an extra item at each meal. Add in a few small snacks throughout the day. If you're allready at a huge deficit, you don't want to add to it by working out harder and keeping your food intake the same. Increase your food intake so you can find a good balance and healthy caloric deficit.

    What are your eating habits like?
  • fcrisswell
    fcrisswell Posts: 234 Member
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    I have read a lot of people have purchases a heart rate monitor that will give them more accurate readings on their calorie expenditure. Sometimes I think others may over-estimate it.

    Personally I don't have time for 3 hour work out sessions....or if I made time I would be a walking zombie. That's just me.

    I try everyday to get SOMEthing in because it is a healthy habit to have. My main focus right now is to get back to healthy eating a porton control. When the baby gets older and sleeps better I will get in the extra calorie burn eventually.

    If you CAN then go for it. But, the amount of calories you burn is very individualy for everyone depending on your shape, weight, health, muscle tone (more muscle meansmore calories burned), etc.
  • Mairgheal
    Mairgheal Posts: 385 Member
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    I'm the same, I'm often shocked when I see MFP-friends burning 800 or even more than 1000 on exercise (like dancing!). In fairness, I don't do any proper workouts, just go for walks, but like today, I burned 135 cals in 30 mins (and that was at a very fast speed).
    Sometimes I secretly wonder if they are logging it wrong or something.
  • michaelduke31
    michaelduke31 Posts: 15 Member
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    hey guys...

    depending on what your goal is, i always tell people, "diet is 85-90% of everything you do.... there is absolutely NO workout that can make up for a bad diet." so i would focus on making sure you have your diet solid and just right for you.. then worry about everything else.. if you have your diet right on track, it will all fall into place after that.

    everyone is different, so dont focus on what everyone else is doing... just focus on you and your goals and what you are trying to do.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    If you're doing the same exercises every day, then your body gets more adapt at doing them and therefore burns fewer calories.

    I've only been doing the same routine for 5 days now, and I'm already burning 80 calories less a session than I was when I started. Got to switch it up again!
  • ybba12490
    ybba12490 Posts: 252
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    How long are you working out for? And what are you doing?
    I use a HRM and burn 110+ calories per 10 mins or so.

    generally I will work out 30-60 minutes... just depends on the day. Usually I will switch around on cardio machines to get variety and end up burning 200 something on those, then I will do weights, then I will walk about a mile on a track which takes about 20 minutes. I don't have a HRM but I just ordered one online so hopefully it will help.
  • MettleForger
    MettleForger Posts: 5
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    Yes, eat more and burn more! Both are more fun. I would say that 800+ calories in a work out is a lot of working out, that is running pretty fast for about 1 hour straight. Not the end of the world but not in most people day to day regiment. My recommendation would be to do 300 cals of cardio (20-30 minutes) and then do 20-30 minutes or so of high intensity circuit training (HIIT). This will build more muscle and give you a higher overall level of fitness plus it will burn about 150-200 extra calories and get you up around 500 cals a day. I use www.crossfit.com for my weight/HIIT training, but there are plenty of other sites if that doesn't float your boat.
  • ftoddw
    ftoddw Posts: 37 Member
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    I think more and more will be better - maybe something more intense for your workouts as well - not just longer. You can burn as much at 30 calories a minute on an elliptical machine if you work hard enough (hill or interval training). I shoot for 800 calories in 30 mins on the elliptical. I swim three times a week and can burn over 1000 calories each time I do that. A one hour aerobics class or spinning class can get you over 800 calories or more as well, and when you push hard (like high intensity interval training) it keeps your body burning more calories throughout the day. When you then fuel up with more lean proteins and quality carbs your body becomes a fat burning machine.

    Eat well - Eat more -Push harder.
  • booboocraig
    booboocraig Posts: 21
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    My Dr told me you don't eat back the calories as its pointless doing the exercise in the 1st place then !!
    You are mean't to burn as many calories as you eat in a day....remember that sitting down burns calories too as does everyday living

    I work out 6 days a week and go on the calories my treadmill says ....even though I really push it with hand weights ect I don't add extra cals burn't.......I then dog walk and sort horses so my calories burnt add up

    Stay strong and concentrate on yourself hun :)
  • MettleForger
    MettleForger Posts: 5
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    If you're doing the same exercises every day, then your body gets more adapt at doing them and therefore burns fewer calories.

    I've only been doing the same routine for 5 days now, and I'm already burning 80 calories less a session than I was when I started. Got to switch it up again!

    Crossfit! I only repeat workouts once or twice a year! (There are other similar programs but I like crossfit)
  • ybba12490
    ybba12490 Posts: 252
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    How are you logging your caloric burn? Is it with a HRM, or using the MFP (or other website) database?

    What are your eating habits like?

    I log my calories with MFP, I don't have a HRM but I just ordered one online so it will be here soon :)

    I eat very healthy, usually only drink water or low cal drinks, eat fruits, veggies, non/lowfat dairies, whole grains etc.
  • JMJohnson1005
    JMJohnson1005 Posts: 222 Member
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    I used to say the same thing before I got my HRM. My elliptical would cheat me out of 50 calories for every 10 minutes I was using it...I usually would do 40...thats 200 calories I wasn't counting as burned calories. If you do not have a HRM I suggest you get one!
  • ybba12490
    ybba12490 Posts: 252
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    I should have added... with the calories I'm eating daily I feel full and satisfied even after I workout. I don't want to eat if I'm not hungry
  • bobball
    bobball Posts: 57
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    1. they may say they are burning that much but it is still a TOTAL GUESS...and I always doubt those huge numbers unless they are doing some really difficult exercise with variations built in for major effect.
    2. you should underestimate those calories in case you are over estimating the effect.
    3. CHANGING your routine burns more calories. Doing the same thing each time you burn less each time as your body gets used to it.

    Calorie burn depends on a lot of factors that are not factored into these burn guesses.

    1. how big you are, if you are large you burn more, the smaller you are the less you burn
    2. how out of shape you are, out of shape people burn more, the better shape you are in, the less you burn cause your body is efficient. An obese person can burn a ton of calories on a walk, while someone in shape will burn barely more than standing around.
    3. how difficult is the exercise? Running, spinning or jump training (plyometrics) burns a ton while riding a bike burns much less (especially if you are used to it). Squats burn a lot, while pushups burn much less.

    Bottom line is I would not get hung up on the numbers too much. All of this is just a calculation that has a lot of factors in. Base your actions on the results. If you are getting good results, keep on the same track. If not then step it up. If you are changing up your exercise, doing it regularly and making it diffucult, going for the burn, making the last part of the exercise as intense as possible, you will burn a lot. But if you are doing the same exercise all the time, not going for it totally and slowing down at the end of the exercise you will burn less each time you do it.

    B :-)
  • Wakx
    Wakx Posts: 105 Member
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    It's quite confusing, I agree! When I started working out a year ago, I was glad to have burned 300 cal. Now, I'm fit enough so that a half hour run is warming up. So 800 Cal per training is not a huge achievement for me now. That is not to say that it isn't hard work. I have noticed that I am one of the few people who really sweats in the gym. There's a lot of people who take it quite (or very) easy. That seems to include the power lifters, you know the really broad guys in the weights section. They seem to do very little. But when they do, wow, it hurts just watching what they lift.

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