Burning 500 calories daily

Annie4637 · April 2011

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if you work out everyday to burn 500 calories to lose a pound a week. If so how do you keep motivated to do so everyday? I try to work out most days of the week and usually I burn around 350 calories after walking briskly for 45 minutes. On other days I usually lift weights or use my Total Gym. When I use weights it's hard for me to determine how many calories that I've burned. Any ideasof how to determine this?

So far my weight loss has been slow and I think that this is due to the calories in / calories out. I usually don't go over my daily calorie amount but I also have eaten the amount of calories that I've burned or the net calories.

Also one more question if you work off 300 calories let's say and you decrease your daily caloric intake by 200 is that reasonable in order to lose a pound a week?

I appreciate your time and looking forward to your answers! :happy:

Thanks!

CassieLEO · April 2011

I do a hour of cardio a day and that usually equals out to 600 or so calories a burn. I do it because, I know its healthy for your heart to have a hour of cardio every day and I usually want to start cheering for myself each and every time I get to that one hour mark. Its very big for me.
You should invest in a HRM and wear it while working out and with the weights. It is so great to see those calories going up and up!

ladybug1620 · April 2011

1) Get a heart rate monitor. It will tell you how many calories you've burned no matter what exercise you are doing. If you are just going off the database on MFP, it could be inaccurate.

2) If you set up your MFP goals to how much you want to lose per week, it will automatically tell you how many calories you need to eat to accomplish that. No guess work needed.

3) You are correct in eating the calories you've burned. MFP already calculates the deficit for the goal you entered when you set up your account.

Good luck

xlumabao · April 2011

I use a heart rate watch that tracks calories. For mine, you key in Age, Weight, Level of Fitness, etc. Then i start the watch, and it's tracking my calorie burn based on ACTUAL Heart rate and uses age/weight for the burn rate. I found that 30 mins of wieght training gets me an average of ~400 cal burn. Keep in mind i'm pushing hard during the sets, and resting no more than 30 secs to 1 minute. You'll be amazed at how much you are burning. FYI- if you get a Polar brand watch, they are know to measure calorie burn conservativley, meaning you are PROBABLY burning more than it says.

.

Another thing to note- the harder you push yourself DURING a workout (regardless if it's weight trainging or cardio) You burn higher calories POST WORKOUT.

Good Luck!
Xavier

NoAdditives · April 2011

If you have selected to lose 1 pound per week MFP already gives you a 500 calorie deficit per day. With this system you don't technically need to exercise at all to lose weight. That's why when you input your exercise into your diary you get those burned calories to eat back. I do exercise 5 days a week and I burn 400-600 calories each time. But, I eat those calories back because my daily deficit would be too high if I didn't and I go into starvation mode very easily because of my genetics.

As far as staying motivated goes, you just do. If exercise is important to you you'll do it because you want to. Because it's healthy for you.

ssawchenko · April 2011

Get an HRM for sure! I look at it almost like a game, to see what "score" I got. Wear it for both cardio and weights - if you're using the estimations that the machines give you for calories, they will almost always be "off.

That being said, also note that even though weight training may not appear to burn as many calories during the session, the increased muscle mass helps out in the long run. So please don't think that calories per session is the only thing you should look at

I'm not sure about your last question though, so hopefully someone else here can shed some light!

LindseyAlyssa · April 2011

You also have to put in perspective how your body will handle weight loss.
I more use MFP as a general guideline since while I follow the correct deficit and calorie burn,
it took me six weeks to start losing any weight (and it wasn't because I was gaining muscle ^^")
Now that I've found something that works for my body, it doesn't always equal what my goal burn or consumption is.

Find what your body responds the best to, but if you want to know for sure what calories you are burning, definitely look to invest in a heart rate monitor. :]

nikkishai · April 2011

I threw the "lose 1-2 lbs a week" ratio out the window. I walked into my weight loss journey without a deadline or weekly/monthly weight goals. I decided to stick to my diet and workout routine, and I'll reach my goal whenever I reach it. Much less pressure for me this way.

I'm on my 3rd round of P90X (7 months) and I've lost 16 lbs (from 189 to 173). Could I have lost more if I ate under 1200 calories, maybe, but I'd probably be miserable, burnt out, and unmotivated to continue. I definitely suggest finding a routine that you can stick with for the long run. Something fun and satisfying (like P90X hint hint...)

In the beginning, motivation was tough, but I made a plan and I stuck with it, and after a few months and seeing results (either on the scale or in clothes), that gave me the motivation to continue. But during the first few months, I just had to fake the motivation until I started seeing results.

I don't really count calories burned when I lift weights, so I just do extra cardio on weight days.

Annie4637 · April 2011

I use a heart rate watch that tracks calories. For mine, you key in Age, Weight, Level of Fitness, etc. Then i start the watch, and it's tracking my calorie burn based on ACTUAL Heart rate and uses age/weight for the burn rate. I found that 30 mins of wieght training gets me an average of ~400 cal burn. Keep in mind i'm pushing hard during the sets, and resting no more than 30 secs to 1 minute. You'll be amazed at how much you are burning. FYI- if you get a Polar brand watch, they are know to measure calorie burn conservativley, meaning you are PROBABLY burning more than it says. .

Another thing to note- the harder you push yourself DURING a workout (regardless if it's weight trainging or cardio) You burn higher calories POST WORKOUT.

Good Luck!
Xavier

I do have a Polar Brand heart rate monitor watch. The most frustating about the watch is that once I stop and try to use if I don't have my fingers exactly where their supposed to be it can take it about a minute before it registers. By that time I can feel my heart rate drop a good bit. It's not that old either (about a year). If I'm sweating it can be really frustrating to get it to work. It does everything else ok. I don't know if changing the battery would help it or not.

I may have to buy a new one even though this one is fairly new. :noway: lol

Thanks for the info!

anulle2009 · April 2011

I threw the "lose 1-2 lbs a week" ratio out the window. I walked into my weight loss journey without a deadline or weekly/monthly weight goals. I decided to stick to my diet and workout routine, and I'll reach my goal whenever I reach it. Much less pressure for me this way.

I'm on my 3rd round of P90X (7 months) and I've lost 16 lbs (from 189 to 173). Could I have lost more if I ate under 1200 calories, maybe, but I'd probably be miserable, burnt out, and unmotivated to continue. I definitely suggest finding a routine that you can stick with for the long run. Something fun and satisfying (like P90X hint hint...)

In the beginning, motivation was tough, but I made a plan and I stuck with it, and after a few months and seeing results (either on the scale or in clothes), that gave me the motivation to continue. But during the first few months, I just had to fake the motivation until I started seeing results.

I don't really count calories burned when I lift weights, so I just do extra cardio on weight days.

I am with you on throwing it out the window. My goal is to lose the weight period not by a certian time or date. I am doing my best and thats all i can do!

Homer3D · April 2011

According to my HRM, I burn about 500 cals jogging between 3 to 4 miles.

Annie4637 · April 2011

I threw the "lose 1-2 lbs a week" ratio out the window. I walked into my weight loss journey without a deadline or weekly/monthly weight goals. I decided to stick to my diet and workout routine, and I'll reach my goal whenever I reach it. Much less pressure for me this way.

I'm on my 3rd round of P90X (7 months) and I've lost 16 lbs (from 189 to 173). Could I have lost more if I ate under 1200 calories, maybe, but I'd probably be miserable, burnt out, and unmotivated to continue. I definitely suggest finding a routine that you can stick with for the long run. Something fun and satisfying (like P90X hint hint...)

In the beginning, motivation was tough, but I made a plan and I stuck with it, and after a few months and seeing results (either on the scale or in clothes), that gave me the motivation to continue. But during the first few months, I just had to fake the motivation until I started seeing results.

I don't really count calories burned when I lift weights, so I just do extra cardio on weight days.

Thanks for the info. I do have the P90x work out along with probably 50 other exercise dvd's. I got burnt out using them after a while which is why I switched to brisk walking and using the Total Gym and this was also due to not seeing the results I wanted with the dvd's.

As you mentioned you said that you threw the 1-2 lb a week out the window and probably I need to do the same.

It can be very frustating at times but what keeps me on track is that after losing 50 lbs about three years ago I don't want to go back to where I started. As a result I've been on a plateau for quite a while or maintaining my current weight. I have about 20 lbs more that I would like to lose and I'm grateful that I found this web site thru my iphone. And as a result of that I think that it will help me more since there is so much info on the site.

Thanks for your response!

ssawchenko · April 2011

I do have a Polar Brand heart rate monitor watch. The most frustating about the watch is that once I stop and try to use if I don't have my fingers exactly where their supposed to be it can take it about a minute before it registers. By that time I can feel my heart rate drop a good bit. It's not that old either (about a year). If I'm sweating it can be really frustrating to get it to work. It does everything else ok. I don't know if changing the battery would help it or not.

I may have to buy a new one even though this one is fairly new. :noway: lol

Thanks for the info!

Does it have a chest strap? Without a chest strap I have heard that HRMs aren't reliable. I have a Polar FT7 (with chest strap) and I love it.

johnwhitent · April 2011

I am with those who are not slavishly devoted to trying to lose x pounds a week. At this point I am trying to eat healthy and exercise as a way of life. I do want to lose around twenty pounds, but I have all the time that I want to take. I'm not trying to lose weight for an event or before summer - I want to be healthy, that is my goal! And I am taking some wise steps towards that goal and making progress. I am a little frustrated that I am not losing faster, so I have to remind myself to stay focused on the goal of good health, not x pounds by y date. I have watched so many friends lose and gain, lose and gain, and I just don't have any desire to live that way. Full disclosure: I did lose 55 pounds 4/5 years ago and twenty of it has crept back up on me. But that is what motivates me to gradual change rather than yo-yo dieting. If it takes me twenty months to lose twenty pounds I can live with that - as long as I know that I am making healthy life choices day by day (allowing occasional indulgences!)

Burning 500 calories daily

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