Weight lifting doesn't burn fat
Options
Replies
-
Jeffagner2 wrote: »I was at a plateau at about the same weight. I reduced my sugar and starchy carbs but kept the calories the same and I have seen a significant drop in body fat. I'm not in ketosis. I eat starchy carbs before I exercise or do something that is physically active and then some sugar (fresh fruit usually) afterward. The rest of the time, I stick to lean meat, non starchy fresh vegetables and one ounce servings of nuts or seeds. A change in what you eat might help. It won't hurt to try.
if the calories remained the same and you dropped sugar and starches it was water weight you lost. dropping those things dont result in fat loss either, fat is lost in a deficit. I eat a lot of carbs and lost a lot of fat and weight in a deficit. Im maintaining right now and eating over 200g of carbs and starchy foods including bread and still losing some fat.keto is just a way of eating.7 -
Danicandothis wrote: »
.Well yes and no. If you aren't losing weight, then it is because you are in an energy balance. So you need to change one side of the equation. In that context, the advice to up your cardio (given that it has a higher burn rate than lifting) is not entirely unjustified.
As others have said, exercise is an (important) accessory to weight loss, but is usually not the main factor. However, again, you need to change the status quo, so upping overall exercise calories may help. To be honest, Zumba is not a big calorie-burner.
Based only on what you have reported, I don't think the doctor is wrong.
Per my fit bit I burn 500-600 calories during an hour of Zumba. What should I be doing instead?
Ignoring your Fitbit for calorie burns for anything but walking and running.11 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Danicandothis wrote: »
.Well yes and no. If you aren't losing weight, then it is because you are in an energy balance. So you need to change one side of the equation. In that context, the advice to up your cardio (given that it has a higher burn rate than lifting) is not entirely unjustified.
As others have said, exercise is an (important) accessory to weight loss, but is usually not the main factor. However, again, you need to change the status quo, so upping overall exercise calories may help. To be honest, Zumba is not a big calorie-burner.
Based only on what you have reported, I don't think the doctor is wrong.
Per my fit bit I burn 500-600 calories during an hour of Zumba. What should I be doing instead?
Ignoring your Fitbit for calorie burns for anything but walking and running.
or cut your calories in half so if it gives you 600 make it 300 and so on.and see how that works.3 -
Here's something different you could try: figure out your maintenance calories for the weight you want to be, and start eating that much. I am not sure what your goal weight is- but at 5'1" I imagine your maintenance calories are going to be under 1800. I've been at maintenance for about 5 years now. My maintenance is 1620 and I am 5'8" (usually about 135 lb). I do eat back my exercise calories, and I eat them back according to estimates from gym machines or MFP. I know a lot of people say they are inaccurate but they have worked for me, for 5 years.5
-
Danicandothis wrote: »Are you eating your exercise calories back? Fitbit doesn't work for many people. Hey, it gave me the same calories for a 14km run as for a 14km walk! And the running was already too high by about 350kcal! Running burns more than twice the calories as normal walking. Thus please be careful if you're eating your exercise calories back.
I don't eat back any of my exercise calories
None of what you are saying makes any sense.
Please open your food diary here so we can take a peek and help you. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
at the bottom, click "Public."
6 -
1) how long ago did you start lifting?
2) are you using a food scale to weigh your portions (everything, including prepackaged foods and oils; liquids like water and milk in measuring cups)?
3) how long since you started eating in your deficit?
4) are you measuring yourself and taking progress pictures?
5) start weight and current weight?10 -
Even if my calories are off on my fit bit I don't eat any of them back so shouldn't I still be in a calorie deficit even if the calories are overestimated3
-
I don't get that because I do around 1.5 hours of cardio in the gym, and burn around 400 odd cals, then I do some weight lifting0
-
Danicandothis wrote: »Even if my calories are off on my fit bit I don't eat any of them back so shouldn't I still be in a calorie deficit even if the calories are overestimated
Perhaps-depending on your overall activity level- but based on your initial post, I don't think you are at nearly the deficit that you think you are.7 -
Activity monitors that you wear on your wrist are well known for making poor calculations of your calorie burn during exercise. As an example, I'm about to send back my latest device (a Garmin Vivosmart HR+) which consistently awards me more than double the calories it should for every exercise recorded, despite displaying fairly believeable HR data.
I'm not saying it's impossible to get an activity monitor which does give pretty accurate calorie burn results, just that there is a much greater chance that yours is telling you fairy tales.
So that's the first thing. Don't rely on that data in your calculations of calorie deficit.
More importantly though, as has been stated by several people in reply to this topic, the primary factor when trying to achieve weight-loss isn't how much exercise you're doing, it's how much food and drink you're consuming.
If you're not losing weight, bottom line is you're consuming too much.
This article will help you identify where you're getting it wrong:
http://physiqonomics.com/eating-too-much/
Don't be hard on yourself, most everyone gets caught in some of the pitfalls mentioned in the article, but knowing this stuff helps you to get better control.
6 -
The fitbit is overestimating. If you're getting a 4000 calorie deficit weekly, that averages out to a 570 calorie deficit everyday. While you could be at a deficit that high between diet, cardio, and lifting...570 would be tough to hit without a combo of at least 2 of those factors per day. You're calorie burn WHILE lifting is probably overestimated by the fitbit too.
I lift heavy (competitive powerlifting) 5 days a week and generally only factor in 100-200 calorie burn for lifting for an hour to 1.5 of intense training. I just use the weight training option in the MFP database, and that has been accurate enough for me to successfully cut and bulk.
Don't stop lifting. My suggestion is to stop counting it towards your calorie deficit and see if you start to lose weight by adjusting your calories and cardio.7 -
Are you using your fitbit to estimate your calorie burn during your weight lifting sessions?0
-
She already said she doesn't eat exercise calories.
OP, I can't for the life of me think why you titled the thread this way if you don't bother with them, but that's neither here nor there at this point.
You're not losing weight.
Shall we start from the beginning?
Can you open your diary? Perhaps those of us with experience can spot where the issue lies.
I suspect there's something afoot with how you have things set up to lose weight that's not working for you.15 -
If you're not losing, what's happening? Are you maintaining your weight?
If so, and you've been maintaining the same weight for a few weeks, then whatever you are currently eating is your maintenance calories with your current exercise regime. So if you reduce that by 250 calories a day, you'll start losing half a pound a week.2 -
That seems completely mind boggling. I'm 5'4" and 222lbs. I have lost 10lbs in 3 weeks using MFP and Fitbit. According to Fitbit, I am burning between 3,000 and 3,500 calories per day. I eat between 1500-1700 so that I am only eating half of the total calories I have burned and it is WORKING. I am pretty much right on track. I weigh everything I can with a food scale and I will over estimate on items I cannot weigh (just in case). It's been an amazing and life changing experience. I would definitely get a full panel blood test to make sure you are healthy otherwise. It really makes no sense at all unless you are eating an extreme amount of sodium maybe??5
-
The Fitbit isn't just giving her 500-600 calories for the hour of Zumba though, it means she is burning 500-600 more calories than what her MFP activity setting would have given her.
Most likely somewhere is off with logging, or water retention.1 -
Tbh like the others I suspect the activity monitor is overestimating calorie burn. It's the most likely answer - it seems to happen a lot.2
-
Also, if you are wearing your fitbit during Zumba, you shouldn't be also tracking it on the log. Because fitbit is already tracking your movement and heart rate during the class. The only thing I log into MFP or Fitbit exercise log is swimming because I physically am not able to wear the device during that time.8
-
Regardless what her activity monitor says, a TDEE calculator puts her at around 2500 calories if you use moderate, and 2300 if you use light activity. Going by either choice, she should be losing weight on 1800 calories if her logging is accurate.
Something is amiss, and an open diary might help.13 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Regardless what her activity monitor says, a TDEE calculator puts her at around 2500 calories if you use moderate, and 2300 if you use light activity. Going by either choice, she should be losing weight on 1800 calories if her logging is accurate.
Something is amiss, and an open diary might help.
^^This. I said the same thing...crickets...8
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 390 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 921 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions