What's the best way to burn 1500 calories/day without burning muscle?

You won't burn Muscle if you have fat to burn, bit of a myth really...

Not sure if this is called for here or not, but you do know your body burns calories all day, right? Even if you don't exercise, your body is probably burning around 1500 or even more just doing what it does. Are you looking to burn 1500 cals more than that?

ank47129 wrote: »

I don't think 1500kcal/burn is hard at all and as long as you have fat like @JackTyler1990 said than you will be fine. Heck I only worked out for 25 min so far on lunch at a desk job and have burned 1,851kcal according to my fitbit

I'd say it's maybe not the easiest thing but doable. Also, take what your Fitbit says with a pinch of salt. Not 100% accurate. They reckon 80-90% however! OP, why do you want to burn that much a day? Just interested.

ank47129 wrote: »

I don't think 1500kcal/burn is hard at all and as long as you have fat like @JackTyler1990 said than you will be fine. Heck I only worked out for 25 min so far on lunch at a desk job and have burned 1,851kcal according to my fitbit

That includes your BMR and not just exercise calories. Burning 1500 calories from exercise is hard.

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It might be possible to burn 1500kcalories at the gym but only with having a big amount of muscle mass and also using it for maybe 2 hours. but for us - the standard humans - this is not the reality! ;-)

listentobeverly wrote: »

I need help! I'm shooting to burn 1,500 calories at the gym(daily) without attacking muscle. Anyone want to share their secrets? I've been trying HIIT on the treadmill, Zumba, and sauna. I need a new routine. I would like to do some weight training as well.

Why 1500? Are you planning to live at the gym? 1500 is a huge amount of calories to burn exercising, especially if you are a woman. As a 230ish pound man it would take me probably 90 minutes to do that outside in a bike, cycling vigorously into a head wind.

Just so you know, HIIT doesn't really burn that many calories because if you are doing it right you will be gassed after 20-30 minutes. Sauna's don't burn any extra calories, they just make you sweat as your body tries to regulate its temperature, Zumba might give you 300-400 calories for a class. If you want to burn 1500 be prepared to either spend a lot of time on an exercise bike, running on a treadmill with a good incline, or rowing on a rowing machine.

You don't need to burn 1500 calories at the gym to lose weight. For that matter, exercise is not primarily to lose weight it is for the health benefits. If you still want to burn 1500 calories, be prepared to eat a lot so that your calorie deficit doesn't get too large.

ank47129 wrote: »

I don't think 1500kcal/burn is hard at all and as long as you have fat like @JackTyler1990 said than you will be fine. Heck I only worked out for 25 min so far on lunch at a desk job and have burned 1,851kcal according to my fitbit

That burn includes your BMR. OP is looking for a caloric burn at the gym.
OP, 1500 calorie burn is a LONG TIME AT THE GYM. Are you looking to just be able to eat 1500 more calories from your current deficit?

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ank47129 wrote: »

I don't think 1500kcal/burn is hard at all and as long as you have fat like @JackTyler1990 said than you will be fine. Heck I only worked out for 25 min so far on lunch at a desk job and have burned 1,851kcal according to my fitbit

Fitbit records your complete daily burn, not just your exercise calories. That 1851 is your cumulative daily burn up to that point, what would be called you Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). That would be made up of your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) while your body burns whether you do anything or not, your None Exercise Activity (NEAT) the stuff you burn once you get up and start moving around, making meals, showering, etc; and you Exercise Activity, the calories you burn in the gym. For the vast majority of people the largest portion of that TDEE number is made up of BMR calories, so your 1851 calories is mainly made up of what is needed to simply keep your body alive.

listentobeverly wrote: »

I need help! I'm shooting to burn 1,500 calories at the gym(daily) without attacking muscle. Anyone want to share their secrets? I've been trying HIIT on the treadmill, Zumba, and sauna. I need a new routine. I would like to do some weight training as well.

This is 100% unrealistic, and probably really bad for your body.

Why do you want to burn 1500 calorie at the gym?

Your profile says you gained 40 pounds, why I presume is what you're trying to lose. Well, to do this all you have to do is eat at a calorie deficit. Exercise is just an added bonus, and trying to hit a certain calorie burn number, especially such a high number, is silly.

listentobeverly wrote: »

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

listentobeverly wrote: »

I need help! I'm shooting to burn 1,500 calories at the gym(daily) without attacking muscle. Anyone want to share their secrets? I've been trying HIIT on the treadmill, Zumba, and sauna. I need a new routine. I would like to do some weight training as well.

are you trying to burn off what your calorie goal is? if so thats not what CICO means.

yes. what does CICO mean? I was a little taken aback by having to burn more than consumed. Please enlighten me

What are your stats? Height?Weight? Your body burns a certain number of calories by just existing. For example my BMR is 1360. That number + activity level + exercise calories = calories out. I don't know is your stats but you should at least be netting 1200 (what you eat-calories burnt).

Right now you are aiming for - 300 (edited as I can't do math) which is a huge, huge deficit and will lead to malnutrition and serious health issues very soon. There is no way of preserving muscle at that low intake.

listentobeverly wrote: »

coralietg wrote: »

I spent two hours at the gym today and burned around 800 calories (weights, bike, elliptical). You'd have to put a lot of hours in.

I burned 600 calories an hour on the treadmill with an extremely high incline and high/low speed. I think I'm just scared to get "flabby". I usually spend 2.5-3 hours at the gym. anything more than that is excessive.

2.5-3 hours at the gym a day and only eating 1200 is excessive. Are you holding on to the railings while using the treadmill? That will cut down your calorie burn by a lot.

listentobeverly wrote: »

Thanks for your insight! I was told to burn more calories than consumed. I think that's where my confusion is coming from.

That is how you lose weight, but it doesn't mean you have to burn off that many through exercise. As others have pointed out, you burn calories all day just by living. Set up your profile on MFP with your stats and a reasonable weight loss goal (I'd suggest 1lb per week as you don't have a huge amount to lose), and eat the number of calories it gives you. If you exercise, add that to your diary and eat a portion of those extra calories, since your deficit to lose weight (the "eat less than you burn" part) is already built into your daily goal.

Be aware that most machines and MFP's own estimates for exercise burns can be very inflated (so can Fitbits and other trackers), which is why most people recommend not to eat the entire amount. As you go along, you'll learn how accurate your estimates are (based on how fast you're losing weight) and can adjust accordingly.

And 2-3 hours at the gym sounds excessive to me unless you're an athlete in training. It's really not necessary to do that much unless you really enjoy it - you can lose weight with no exercise at all as long as you eat an appropriate amount of calories.