Why don't I burn many calories?

44isthenew29
44isthenew29 Posts: 141
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
I noticed through my friends' feed that I don't burn nearly as many calories as my friends while doing the same exercises for the same duration. I've Googled this and gotten different answers - I know there are members here who are certified trainers and was hoping for a concise response. While I am at my goal weight, and it's less important to me how much I burn as opposed to how hard I work out, I would be interested in knowing how this all works. BTW, I do use a HRM.

43 year old female
5'10 1/2
144 lbs
25% bf

Thanks! :)

Replies

  • sandyfeet10
    sandyfeet10 Posts: 280 Member
    the best way to tell is to get a heart rate monitor
  • FitChickBritt
    FitChickBritt Posts: 161 Member
    You burn less when you weigh less. Think about it... it takes a lot less energy to move a 150 lb person than it does to move a 300 lb person. Congrats on reaching your goal!
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
    Your weight and height have a little something to do with it.

    If your friend weighs more compared to there height than you do, they will burn more calories.
  • Gretchen27
    Gretchen27 Posts: 82 Member
    Weight has something to do with it, if they are heavier than U they will burn more calories.
  • Jenscan
    Jenscan Posts: 694 Member
    Age has something to do with it too, but I can't explain why :) someone smarter than I am probably can.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    They are using flawed numbers (?) more than likely. A lot of people just blindly use the MFP numbers, which can be waaaay off.

    If you are using your HRM, stick with those numbers.
  • Angela_MA
    Angela_MA Posts: 260
    I weigh more so I burn more. The less you way the less you burn. However, the lower my weight has gotten the less I burn.
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
    My calorie burns have gone down as I've lost weight. Also, I've gotten fitter, so unless I continually make my workouts harder, I can't get my HR up or keep it up.

    I was running at 5 mph last night and my HR was only 140. GRRRRRR
  • ltf304
    ltf304 Posts: 132 Member
    It basically has to do with weight, height, age, intensity of training, and gender. If you are more conditioned your heart rate won't be as high either. One of my friends burns 1000 calories in 60 minutes and I usually burn 500. It varies from person to person.
  • bjclaywell
    bjclaywell Posts: 165 Member
    Also note that if you are seeing them do exercises on machines - ie treadmills or ellipticals - you probably don't know what level, or hill climb, or whatever they are on. I have friends who burn WAY more calories than I do in a shorter time frame - but its because they are on seriously higher levels than I am - more resistance, more incline, whatever.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
    An HRM measures calorie burn based on your pulse rate. Some people who are in good shape cardiovascularly (i.e. -- runners) require a lot more work to increase their heart rate, this means that you will burn less calories.

    It also means that the workout is easier for you than it would be for someone else, so there is a silver lining!!

    Also, what previous poster's said about weight holds true. It's a lot more work to move something large than something small.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Age has something to do with it too

    Your metabolism slows as you age.

    But It doesn't account for more than 100 caloires throughout the day's food and exercise. I'm 56, but I've changed my age here several times to check the difference.

    Unless one of you is 14 and on the soccer team, and the other one is 89 and in a wheelchair.
  • busywaterbending
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
    make sure you are not carbo loading, and that you are getting omega 3, 6, 9's in your diet. You need these fats inorder to BURN fat! You could also be burning muscle instead of fat by overtraining. Make sure your musclegroups are rotated (abs and back every other day, lower body hard core every third day, upper body hard core every third day.) W/o rest, your body will go into a "i'm being beaten up" mode and start doing its best to conserve fat.

    moderate cardio training is better than high and all out for an extended period of time. Try moderate walking for a long time versus a fast paced jog. Mix up your workouts. After 2- 4 weeks your routine MUST BE Changed to get results.

    good training to you!
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
    Everyone has different 'burn rates' based on many things, primary ones being your weight and the level of fitness you are at. The other post I see got it right by suggesting a HRM for you. That is the best way to know what you are burning. It is also possible your friends are using the MFP suggested values which are higher than they should be. A HRM is one of the best investments I have made.
  • TTHdred
    TTHdred Posts: 380 Member
    Weight, height, sex and age all factor into the calculation for how many calories you burn in a workout. My husband often shows burning less calories than I do when we do the same exact workout. An Heart Rate Monitor that calculates calories burned will probably be the most accurate. In addition to all the other variables, it has the benefit of knowing your specific heart rate and how long it was sustained during the workout.

    Check out: http://www.livestrong.com/article/78365-estimate-calories-burned-heart-rate/
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Another thought on this is how your body reacts to when you're exercising. I don't know if there's any science behind this but I know when I'd try going to the gym first thing in the morning, I could not, no matter what I did, get my heart rate up as high as I could if I worked out later in the day. It's like my body couldn't wake up enough! Something to think about anyway....

    My gym buddy and I were just discussing this today. She ran on the treadmill at 5.5-6 mph for 20 minutes, I ran at 5 mph for 14 minutes and walked the rest. We both did 25 minutes of Bob's Bootcamp BL DVD. I weigh about 50 pounds more than her and am 4 inches taller and I burned 200 calories more than she did. Eventhough she worked a bit harder, she's lighter, more fit and smaller and therefore doesn't burn as many calories. And yes, we both wear HRMs (Polars) with chest straps so we know the cal count is accurate.
  • BotsMomJ
    BotsMomJ Posts: 24 Member
    I have noticed this as well. The smaller you are, the harder you have to work to burn more calories. It's frustrating, but it is making me work harder during my workouts.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Weight, height, age, and gender as someone else stated. If someone else is carrying around 100 extra pounds of bodyweight doing the same exercises as you, they're going to burn more calories.
  • 44isthenew29
    44isthenew29 Posts: 141
    Thanks everyone for your replies. I do wear a Polar HRM with chest strap which shows calories burned.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    I'm 5'10, 156lbs and i have high burns. My HR is always high! I am RARELY (if ever) in my cardio zone while doing a cardio workout. My HR stays around 180+ (should be 127-165 for cardio zone). My HR elevates very quickly and stays elevated throughout my workouts, my sister is the same, as well as my dad. Could be genetics lol
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

    it's basically this:

    The calorie is a unit of energy. The body needs a specific amount of energy to perform a specific action. Depending on your muscle mass, weight, height, age, genetic disposition to muscle type, muscle oxygen efficiency, and about a million other small factors, you will burn a certain amount of energy to perform any particular action.

    But it's more than that. the longer you've been doing an activity, the more efficient your body becomes at performing that activity, so even if you weigh the same, are the same height, age, and activity level, and you work out at the exact same intensity for the exact same time as someone else, your calorie burn will be unique, and more to the point, even your OWN calorie burn will change over time as muscle adaptation occurs. A muscle better adapted to a specific activity will require less energy to perform the same amount of work. This is where the concept of muscle memory comes into play and is why many trainers suggest changing up your routine every 6 to 12 weeks. For the same reason the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true for playing the piano, it's true that the more you practice an exercise, the less you'll burn for that exercise.
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

    it's basically this:

    The calorie is a unit of energy. The body needs a specific amount of energy to perform a specific action. Depending on your muscle mass, weight, height, age, genetic disposition to muscle type, muscle oxygen efficiency, and about a million other small factors, you will burn a certain amount of energy to perform any particular action.

    But it's more than that. the longer you've been doing an activity, the more efficient your body becomes at performing that activity, so even if you weigh the same, are the same height, age, and activity level, and you work out at the exact same intensity for the exact same time as someone else, your calorie burn will be unique, and more to the point, even your OWN calorie burn will change over time as muscle adaptation occurs. A muscle better adapted to a specific activity will require less energy to perform the same amount of work. This is where the concept of muscle memory comes into play and is why many trainers suggest changing up your routine every 6 to 12 weeks. For the same reason the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true for playing the piano, it's true that the more you practice an exercise, the less you'll burn for that exercise.

    Thank you. Well said!! I use a HRM and I always burn a lot less calories than any machine or comparing to friend's calorie burns for the same workout. I'm very efficient at running (endurance triathlete) so I only burn maybe 75-80 calories a mile, not the 100 calories or so that the machines or calculators might say. I also find that if I run after I lift weights, my HR is higher and I burn more calories. Same thing if I run at different times of the day... for instance I typically bun more in the evening than I do in the morning. That's why using a HRM is important if you are serious about logging/ keeping track of your calories and exercise!
  • rtmama
    rtmama Posts: 403 Member
    Thanks for the great explanation. At this point It doesn't bother me but it used to be a little discouraging to always be burning so much less than my other MFP friends.
    to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

    it's basically this:
  • 44isthenew29
    44isthenew29 Posts: 141
    to be more specific than just you weigh more and you burn more...etc.

    it's basically this:

    The calorie is a unit of energy. The body needs a specific amount of energy to perform a specific action. Depending on your muscle mass, weight, height, age, genetic disposition to muscle type, muscle oxygen efficiency, and about a million other small factors, you will burn a certain amount of energy to perform any particular action.

    But it's more than that. the longer you've been doing an activity, the more efficient your body becomes at performing that activity, so even if you weigh the same, are the same height, age, and activity level, and you work out at the exact same intensity for the exact same time as someone else, your calorie burn will be unique, and more to the point, even your OWN calorie burn will change over time as muscle adaptation occurs. A muscle better adapted to a specific activity will require less energy to perform the same amount of work. This is where the concept of muscle memory comes into play and is why many trainers suggest changing up your routine every 6 to 12 weeks. For the same reason the phrase "practice makes perfect" is true for playing the piano, it's true that the more you practice an exercise, the less you'll burn for that exercise.

    VERY helpful. Thank you.

    And again, thanks to those who shared their experiences. This is all beginning to make more sense to me.
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