so what's up with 850-900 cals burned in less than an hour

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  • Donnacoach
    Donnacoach Posts: 540 Member
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    I don't think you are doing anything wrong at all. I do, however, think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "People weigh more." I am a heavy lady and I burn very high amounts of calories when I work out on the elliptical. I push myself very hard to do nothing less then a 12 minute mile and lots of times I am in the 10 minute mile mark now, and for my size I burn in the 6-700 range, once and sometimes twice a day. I also found, on Google, a page called "Health Discovery,Calorie Calculator." You punch in your weight and how many minutes you exercised, the computer then calculates calories burned for many exercises and activities. Keep your chin up, you are doing great.
  • whitleynoel
    whitleynoel Posts: 198 Member
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    You aren't doing anything wrong. Starting weight is a huge factor in the number of calories that you are able to burn. I estimate more on the low end of the scale. If you keep watching other people's numbers it can get disheartening. Just give it everything you've got!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    First off, are we talking about HRM numbers, or MFP/cardio machine numbers?

    I'm not sure I agree with the whole "you're too fit to burn that many cals" argument. I tend to think more that you aren't working hard enough to do it. Or perhaps your body has adjusted to the workout and thus it has become less taxing.

    I'm 5' 8", 170ish lbs. Am I the poster child for fitness/health? No. But I am in pretty good shape and I can easily burn 1000cals an hour mountain biking. But that's max effort for me. At the end of that hour, I've got NOTHING left and it's a chore just to get my bike back in my truck.

    Someone who's grossly overweight can run/jog/walk a mile in, say 25 minutes. That's their max effort and they will burn a LOT of cals. I can run/jog/walk a mile in 25 minutes and burn (relatively speaking) very few cals... probably something around 150 would be my guess. But it's not max effort for me. If I ran that mile at max effort, I'd probably end up with a similar burn as the overwieight person did.
  • emstgm
    emstgm Posts: 117 Member
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    I'm 45, 213 lbs (35-40 left to lose) and I do my Life Fitness Elliptical on level 10-13 (out of 16) so I'm getting up there, but by no means at max. On my most energetic day, I can burn 650 calories in 1 hour. That's going by the machine's read-out which takes my weight and resistance levels into consideration. When I plug it into MFP, it gives me 800 or 1000. Way too high, I think.

    Now I'm wondering if I got a HRM, would that even show lower than my elliptical?

    Seems clear that because you are smaller, you burn less. However, I wonder if HRM's are all pretty accurate, or is there a big variation between brands? Guess that's for another post.
  • jamielynn1981
    jamielynn1981 Posts: 232 Member
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    I am 4'11" weigh 120, use a HRM and have NEVER burned more than 450 cal in an hour. I do some pretty intense stuff too. Kinda sucks but oh well...
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    I know that i burn a lot of calories on ellipticals and arc trainers - it's not that hard for anyone to burn a lot of calories - especially if you incorporate arms - and you up the incline and RESISTANCE - it will become a good workout for anyone if you have it set right.....

    calories burned has a lot to do with your weight and fitness level (as others have said).... I used to weigh 303.4 when I started and now I weigh 201.4 - I've seen the number of calories burned go down drastically..... I have to say I wish I was at a weight where i ONLY burned 300-400 calories in an hour of vigorous activity! haha :)
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    I think gender has something to do with it, too.

    I use a HRM and use an arc trainer at the gym. 40-45 minutes on it burns 480-540 calories. There's a man who uses the arc trainer at the same time as me and he usually does at least an hour. He is right about the same age as me (I'm 45) and not overweight and in that time period, he burns 1200-1400 calories. Men in general have more muscle than women and we all know that more muscle burns more calories. It also depends on the tension on the machine. I set it at 30-32, he sets it at 50. I'd die if I tried to do it at 50!
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    Maybe I should clarify for some.. I (ME) do NOT burn 850 cals an hour. I do use an HRM and it generally has me burning between 350-400 in an hour workout, sometimes less if I do more weights (duh, not as much of an elevted heartrate there).

    But on my news feed people who (as far as I know) are about my weight and same sex - burn close to 1000 cals in a single workout. And it's often not even running, but rather a "walk off the pounds" type of exercise. That being said they say they use an HRM as well.

    I am just confused. I know I should be happy with what I'm burning. Sometimes wish I had more to lose, it may come off easier :P - at least at first.

    I would seriously recommend not worrying about it. Your burn is working for you- focus on what you can burn. You aren't messing anything up or missing out on anything, people are all just different.

    Can I just ask what would the point of burning 900 calories be? If you're eating most of them back, you can easily eat to your goal with a 400 cal burn and eating to 900 calories would be difficult without junky foods (which kind of defeats the workout). And if you aren't eating them, well 900 calories is a LOT to burn and not fuel...

    And as someone who started with more to lose, trust me, it's really not worth having it come off more easily at first. We all get to the point where you are at now and have to adjust. You just cut to the chase.

    Chillax and focus on doing what makes you feel best. Competing with others will get you nowhere fast.
  • nas24
    nas24 Posts: 880 Member
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    the only totals i really use from MFP is if im on the elliptical and i can input my weight and all that good stuff, and the calories equal the same as what mfp says, if not, i go in a change it or not eat all my calories back. I'm looking to get a heart monitor soon to really know how much im really burning.But i usually dont take what MFP says at 100%
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
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    the more someone weighs they more they burn. I only burn 60 cals running 1 mile where as someone twice my weight will burn double that. Make sense?
  • leanmachinedream
    leanmachinedream Posts: 223
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    I'm not trying to be rude but I've noticed a lot of people complaining about other people's calories burned..why? What's the point in that? How does it benefit you to complain?

    It'd be one thing if you were asking for information on how to burn 800 ca/hr but it just seems like you (and everyone else *****ing about this) are just doing it to try to bring other people down - like there's NO way they can burn that many calories because you can't and they MUST be lying.

    I would stop worrying about what other people are doing and worry about yourself.
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
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    Either your friends aren't calculating calories correctly or they're grouping multiple workouts or something. The average p90x session is about an hour and burns 600 cals. An hour of cardio with my heart-rate around 95% the whole time is about 1000 calories according to my HRM or 700-800 cals according to the elliptical.

    850+ cals in less than an hour is extremely vigorous, extremely high intensity exercise (and even is on the high side for that) no matter what your size, age, or sex. You shouldn't worry about your entries. They're probably fine. If you want to help them find a diplomatic way of asking how they calculated the calories.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    the more someone weighs they more they burn. I only burn 60 cals running 1 mile where as someone twice my weight will burn double that. Make sense?

    No. I'm not sure... maybe.

    How hard are you working during that 1 mile run? Are you giving max effort? Are you a seasoned runner?
    How hard is the heavier person working? Are they giving their max effort? Are they a seasoned runner?
  • slsmoot123
    slsmoot123 Posts: 98 Member
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    That sort of impies I don't give 110%, which I do. I seriously can't be in any more pain. I only need to lose about 15-20 lbs and an hour of Zumba (with HRM) also only burns 400-500 cals for me.

    There are several factors as to why you burn less than the other people in this thread.
    1) You're lighter than them. The less mass you have to move, the less calories it takes shake that booty.
    2) You're fitter than them. The fitter you are the less hard your body has to work to shake your booty, the less calories you burn.

    Unfortunately you're fitter than the people in this thread so to work off the same amount of calories means you have to work even longer and even harder than someone who is morbidly obese/obese or in general less fit than you.

    Exactly. This is the best answer. Your body is different from everyone else's. You can only do what you can do-stop comparing yourself. We all do it, but stop it right now! Stop trying to kill yourself before you hurt yourself and then you wont be able to do anything. Just burn your 600 calories doing different exercise, eat right and the weight will come off but you have to give your body time. Also incorporate light weights into your routine and as you build muscle your body wil continue to burn calories after you workout.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    Maybe if you want the same burn as I get during a workout, you could wear a 70 pound vest to show you really how much more work you have to do when carrying the extra weight. Of course, that wouldn't be exactly the same either because your cardio-vascular system should be in much better shape than mine too.
  • melissaw1232
    melissaw1232 Posts: 184 Member
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    Felidae I notice the same thing but the fitter you the less you burn. Dont worry about it!! Just put your all into each and every workout. I have the same issue but Ive come to realize that I will never burn that many calories and I do intervals on the treadmill at 6.8 - 9.9 on the treadmill.
    Im perfetly ok with that because my fitness indicator isnt determined by how many calories your hrm says you burned! yours shouldnt be either
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Id rather not kill myself while working out.
  • StacyFrisbie
    StacyFrisbie Posts: 159 Member
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    That sort of impies I don't give 110%, which I do. I seriously can't be in any more pain. I only need to lose about 15-20 lbs and an hour of Zumba (with HRM) also only burns 400-500 cals for me.

    There are several factors as to why you burn less than the other people in this thread.
    1) You're lighter than them. The less mass you have to move, the less calories it takes shake that booty.
    2) You're fitter than them. The fitter you are the less hard your body has to work to shake your booty, the less calories you burn.

    Unfortunately you're fitter than the people in this thread so to work off the same amount of calories means you have to work even longer and even harder than someone who is morbidly obese/obese or in general less fit than you.

    Absolutely correct! Although I wouldn't say unfortunately! If you are in better cardiovascular shape, not only is your body more able to adapt to your workouts, it recovers quicker in returning heart rate to a lower number. When I started Zumba (pretty active already) I used to burn 650-700 calories an hour. I had to take 2.5 months off with no exercise for surgery. When I returned to Zumba, I was a little heavier, and hadn't been active, and could burn 800-900 in an hour. Now that my fitness level has increased, and I have lost that weight, I am in the 600-700 range. Your age is a factor as well. Younger people burn calories easier. If burning is your goal, I would suggest increasing your lean muscle mass. Lift some weights, then when you do cardio, you have more muscle to burn more calories, and your body will be burning more fat all day long as well. :-) I can't wait to get to your point :-)
  • divamsm
    divamsm Posts: 79 Member
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    I've been wondering the same thing. The most I've been able to burn in an hour doing anything is about 350. I have 40-50 lbs to lose and am putting everything I have into my workouts. I guess though, it's really not necessary to burn that many calories because then you have to eat to make up those calories. idk either....
  • Hoakiebs
    Hoakiebs Posts: 430 Member
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    Has to do with your weight. You, if I read the ticker correctly, will burn 325 calories in an hour of walking at 4 mph at 139 lbs. while I will burn 512 calories doing that same walk at 219 lbs. So, think of it as if you walked with an 80 lb. bag of kitty litter on your shoulders, you'd burn more energy because it'd be part weight lifting, part cardio.

    see http://www.healthstatus.com/cgi-bin/calc/calculator.cgi

    or http://www.prohealth.com/weightloss/tools/exercise/calculator2_2.cfm

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