Confused. Any Suggestions?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Confused. Any Suggestions?
11
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 3:15am

Ok, so they say that in order to lose weight you have to burn more than you consume. For example:

consume 2000 calories a day and burn 2000 calories a day and you maintain your weight consume 2000 calories a day and burn 1500 calories a day and you gain weight
consume 2000 calories a day and burn 2500 calories a day and you lose weight. Easy enough.

However, if someone like me were only eating between 1200-1600 calories a day and exercising for 30 minutes a day (walking for example), how am I supposed to lose weight? I ask because I found a website (and several others like it) that said that "Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace for ONE HOUR burns only about 345 calories for someone who weighs 190 lbs"!!! That's upsetting to hear! Especially since I most likely DO NOT walk at a rate of 4.0 mph. God, how long do I need to exercise a day just to lose some pounds? I can't possibly lower my caloric intake anymore than it is now. I also don't see how I could have the time to workout at least 4 hours a day (based on the 345 calories an hour described above...in order to burn more than 1200 calories that's how much time I would need to be walking based on those figures).

I finally got my Richard Simmons 80's Blast Off tape on Friday and have been doing that. But, I don't think that burns much either based on the figures I'm getting from various websites. I also have been alternating the tape with my Brenda Dygraf Glider. But I'm sure that doesn't burn too much either. No matter what exercise I do, I do it for at least 30 minutes.

So, I guess what I really want to know is: What kinds of exercises do you all do? And, how long do you do it (duration and times a week)? Finally, have you seen a loss in weight doing those exercises for that amount of time?

I'm almost starting to believe what I am reading because I've been eating healthy for 3 weeks now (keeping the cals to 1200-1500 a day) and the scale still hasn't moved! So, maybe I'm not burning enough calories? I don't know! This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to give up. I almost feel that nothing is good enough. That I can never exercise enough, eating less doesn't matter, etc. I just don't have tons of hours to spend exercising. And, I also refuse to lower my caloric intake anymore than it already is. Thanks for listening.




Edited 5/12/2005 5:19 pm ET ET by disruptivespirit

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-12-2005
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 7:02am
First, I have to tell you than I admire you for exercising--that's my hardest thing. When you exercise, you build muscle which burns more calories all day long. Did you measure before you started exercising? Measure now if you did not, then measure once per week. You may be losing inches at first, but not pounds. A friend at work has lost 85 pounds. She exercised every day for about 4 weeks before she saw any poundage lost, but her clothes were falling off of her! She had lost about 8 inches overall before she ever lost a pound. Also, are you spacing your food out every 3 hours? That will increase your metabolism. The best diet I ever did required that you not go more than 4 hours while awake without eating. It was mandatory. You could have anything you wanted every 4 hours and as much as you wanted as long as you did not eat over 5 fat grams. That kept you to about 30 fat grams per day. Also, made you watch your portions. But my metabolism skyrocketed with that diet! Dont give up, though. You are definitely improving your health by exercising. You may find that counting calories does not work for you. It doesn't for some people. You may find that counting carbs or fat grams will work better for you. Just don't give up! We've all gotta stick together and stay motivated and get the weight off!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-01-2003
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 7:03am

Calm down!!! You DO NOT need to burn 1200 while excercising to lose weight. Here's what i know about weight loss: (warning: this is a long post, sorry!)

1. It is true that you need to burn more than you consume to lose weight. But you do burn calories in your everyday activities. Your body need fuel (=energy from calories) just to keep you up and running. So you burn calories even in your sleep. This amount of burned calories depend on your "sitting metabolic rate" which varies from one person to another(if you have more muscles, your burn more, etc)

2. Use this approach instead: You need 500 less calories per day to lose 1 lb a week. This can be done by various ways, if you originally consumed 2500 calories then:
have 2000 calories,
or have 2200 calories + burn 300 through excercise,
or burn all 500 from excercise

3. Be sure to drink a lot of water. 8 cups min and more if you excercise. This is essential for weight loss

4. Very important: it is not recommended to drastically lower your calorie intact because your metabolism slows down (so you don't burn as much when you are doing normal activities). Plus it is not good for your health.

5. Although you can lose weight on diet alone, but excercise is good as it revs up your metabolism and helps you lose faster and maintain easier. recommendations are for 30 min. 5 times a week. most of us here start slowly and build up along the way. It is important not to feel exhausted while you excercise.

6. You may not be losing weight because of any of those reasons:
a. Your calories are too low
b. You may be retaining water weight (so expect a sudden drop soon)
c. Bec you excercise, you may be losing fat and gaining muscle. Muscle weight more than fat, yet is smaller in size, so you may be losing inches and not pounds (are your clothes fitting better?) the scale is not the only indication for weight loss. soon enough you will start seeing the pounds drop fast.

Please don't give up now, you are doing a terrific job already!!
Mary

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 7:22am

Thanks for responding.

I did not measure myself before I started. That is something I need to do though because I do feel my clothes fitting better.

Yes, I do space my meals out. I eat about every 2-3 hours. I also watch my portions.

I am hoping calorie counting will work for me as it's the only thing really I haven't tried over the years. LOL! I did low carb about a year ago for 4 months (in conjunction with Curves 5-6 times a week) and lost only 1/2 lbs. I did lose inches, however. But, since the scale didn't move I gave up like a fool on both.

I'm really not too worried about the scale not moving right now. My big fear is being able to burn off what I'm eating. Based on what I said in my previous post I just don't think I'm burning enough to lose. This is why I wanted to know what others are doing as far as exercise. And if it has been working for them. Thanks so much for responding!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 8:08am

Ok, my RMR (resting metabolic rate) is 2023. So, I don't exactly know what that means. I am lost when it comes to RMR and weight loss, exercise, etc.

I also drink at least 128 oz. of water each day.

I am also exercising 30 min a day 5-6 times a week. These exercises include exercise tapes/DVD's, glider, bike riding and walking. I usually do one or the other.

Also, my clothes are fitting better. And, I do know that muscle weighs more than fat. That's why I'm not too worried about the scale as of now. Just worried that I'm not burning enough calories to lose weight. That's my biggest fear.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2003
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 8:37am
Have you checked out fitday.com? It will tell you how many calories you eat a day. Then go to the activity part and it will tell you how many calories you burned through exercise and through everyday activity. That might help.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 8:41am
Yes, I use Fitday every day as well as www.mypryamid.gov.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 10:46am

Hey there, I just wanted to tell you not to get discouraged. First off, those online calculators for calories burned can vary widely depending on which one you use, so one might say you burn 200 calories in half an hour while another says you burn 100 doing the same exact thing. Secondly, you said that your RMR was over 2000 calories, which means that if you laid in bed all day and did nothing, you would burn 2000 calories. Right there, if you are only eating 1200 calories a day, you would lose about 1.5 lbs a week. You may want to worry about not eating ENOUGH calories, and that may be what is stalling your weight loss. If you are active in your every day activities and are working out regularly, you could easily be burning around 2500-3000 calories per day. I don't know your height, but I just did some estimates with your weight, and it said your BMR is around 1500--that means the basic number of calories you need to sustain life. If you eat less than your BMR, you run the risk of stalling your fat loss if your body goes into "starvation" mode.

Although it would be nearly impossible for anyone to burn 1000+ calories in a day, if you are looking for something that burns more calories than walking, you might try an exercise bike or cycling. You could easily burn upwards of 500 calories an hour if the intensity and resistance is high enough. I hope this information has been helpful, and please keep us updated on your progress!

Staci


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 1:10pm

Hey Staci. Actually, they weren't calculators I was using. They were charts listing how many calories a wide variety of exercise burn. I looked at several of them and they were all pretty much the same. But, I do know they can vary like you said.

I've also been worrying I haven't been eating enough too. So, on many days I take my calories up to about 1800 or even over (on some days).

As for my RMR and BMR, I used a calculator online where I had to enter my age, height, weight and what exercise I did. These are the figures it came up with:

Totals: 244 calories in 30 min

Female 32, 5'6", 283 lb: BMI=45.7 BMR=2,043 RMR=2,010
Walking - for exercise (3.5 mph)
244 calories in 30 min

Which is almost exactly what I know about myself. Meaning, the BMI and RMR have always been the same for me no matter what calculors, mathmatical figures, books, etc. I use. But, as you see, 244 calories burned isn't a lot of calories burned in a day.

I also bike ride. I bike, I use the exercise tape, a glider and I walk. Not all in the same day of course. LOL! Like Friday I did the tape, Sat. and Sun. I walked, Mon. tape, Tue. glider, today most likely bike or glider again. No matter which I do I always do it for at least 30 minutes.

You all have been very helpful as usual. Thank you! I will try to up my calories AGAIN for now to see if that makes a difference.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-14-2005
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 2:41pm

I may not be as technical as everyone else but I have always stuck to my method.

1 pound is 3500 calories . you eat 1200 calories a day. Forget about the calories burned

by exercise....A very active person. Multiply weight by 15

A moderately active person multiply by 13

A sedentary person multiply by 10

For example In one week: I weigh 253 pds X 13 = 3283 calories burned per day x 7 days =
23023 calories burned per week. This figure incorporates my activety level because of my workout.

I eat daily 1200 calories ..SO 1200 calories x 7 =8400 a week.

now 23023 burned a week - 8400 food calories = 14623 left that i have burned

14623 divided by 3500 = 4.17 pounds lost In one week . It works for me I lost exacty 8.5

pounds in 2 weeks. If you already know all this forgive me...I am still in the dark ages

but it works for me Claudette

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Wed, 05-11-2005 - 3:07pm

Hi again. You said that 244 calories isn't much to burn in a day, and that's true, but you also have to remember to add that to the 2043 that is your BMR, which is what you burn just by living. If you really want to see a more accurate count, try going to www.caloriesperhour.com click on the CALCULATE BMI, BMR and CALORIES BURNED link, and input EVERYTHING you do in a day. It has tons of different "exercises", and can give you a pretty good count of how many total calories you burn on top of your BMR. You can put in how many minutes you spend eating a meal, preparing food, sitting and watching tv, sitting and talking on the phone, standing and talking on the phone, walking around at work, standing and talking on the phone, folding laundry, ironing, pretty much anything you could think of or possibly do, including sleeping! Enter everything for 1 day, and get the daily total hours of activity up to 24, and you will see how many calories you really burn, and it's a lot more than 244!

Staci




Edited 5/11/2005 3:09 pm ET ET by weird_me2


 


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