Sport Am I burning enough calories?

Sport Fitness
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bubbles89

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I went to the gym the other day and on the treadmill for 35 mins (I ran approx 5k's) and the stationary bike for a further 8 k's and I burnt less than 500 calories. I have this awful feeling that I'm not burning enough calories. Can anyone help me out with exercises and if this is really the situation.

I've started to gain an addiction to this forum. I've found so much advise and information. I've found stuff that my personal trainer hasn't told me.

Also on another note if anyone can help me out with this. I'm aiming to get my thighs much slimmer than what they are but last week I tried putting on a pair of jeans that I bought about 5 months ago and I can't pull them over my legs. I've noticed that my legs are getting bigger which isn't what I'm after. What can I do to get the muscle definition in my legs (as in nice tonned legs) without having big chuncky legs? Please help.
 
Well first off...whats your diet like? Are you counting calories to know how much you are taking in compared to your BMR? Are you lifting weights?
 
Yeah, 2 good questions. Tell us what you eat in a given day, how many cals? Don't worry so much about how many calories you burn at the gym. If you are eating in a deficit, say 400 calories less than maintenence, you are already putting your body in a position to lose weight. Any extra calories you burn are just that, extra. They will help speed up fat loss.

This is all of course assuming that you are weight training. Without it, you run a risk of your body burning muscle with the fat. If you are weight training, your body will have a reason to keep the muscle intact and burn only fat, which is obviously what you're after. So what kinda routine are you doing?

Oh, and on the personal trainer note...some are good, some are probably great, but beware that others suck ass. I don't know yours, so I won't say anything, just be sure to do your own research and don't take anything he or she says as gospel. I've known PTs who didn't give a damn, didn't really care whether their client had sucess, in fact the less success the client has, the longer they get business...

You can get your legs right where you want them to be, you just need to be patient, learn what you need to do to get there, then execute. Don't get frustrated if your pants aren't fittin like you want them to, you can change that if you apply yourself and work that ass. ;)
 
are you competing in a fitness pagent? if not...you are being overly critical and counting things WAY too much for it to be good for you.

seriously. You know what kind of person monitors calories in and calories out religously? The kind of person who might have an eating disorder.

I've seen the photo you posted...you are skinny. Not skin and bones...but I don't see how you think you need to shed any weight.

I'm honestly a little concerned that you might have an unfounded negative body image that's only gonna get worse unless its dealt with.


I mean seriously...how tall are you and how much do you weigh? cuz in your photo, I don't see someone who's got weight to lose.
 
Sorry guys I think you may have got the wrong idea about my question. I don't actually count my calories. I wouldn't have a clue what i'm putting in. My question was more so the question that is it possible that I'm working out at the gym running 5k's and doing weights burning only 500 calories. Sorry I may not have made myself very clear.

As for the comments on my pictures I'm not really looking at the weight loss side of things. I know that I'm not fat by far but I'm ultimately looking at having a healthy lifestyle, looking after myself and getting a little tone to create definition in my body (as the photo shows I'm pretty much straight up and down and not a great deal of shape). I'm far from having an eating disorder. I'm the last person to have that. I enjoy my food and eat regularly and as said earlier I wouldn't have the slightest clue about the calories I eat each day.

My only issue with my legs is my main problem. The jeans I bought about 4 months ago I think and they fit fine and since I started working out over about a month i've noticed that I can't get them over my thighs. They aren't the super skinny jeans there's no way in hell I'd be pulling them over my calves let alone my thighs I'm just confused as so why (since working out) I can't fit them when I could at the start. Is it because I'm jaining muscle in my legs?

I guess at the end of the day alot of my questions are for knowledge. I've learnt alot from this website and the information everyone provides is excellent. Sorry if I've given out the wrong vibe with my question
 
Sorry guys I just reread my question and it does imply that I want to loose weight. Sorry about the false indication. That's not my intentions at all.
 
bubbles89 said:
I enjoy my food and eat regularly and as said earlier I wouldn't have the slightest clue about the calories I eat each day.

Is it because I'm [gaining] muscle in my legs?
Click to expand...


You answer about your thighs is right there in these 2 sentences. You could be eating more calories than you need on a daily basis and that could be leading to the increased leg size.

The added use of your legs is definitely creating muscle growth. don't take it as a bad sign. if you watch what you're eating and are close to your daily requirement calories wise then they won't continue to grow.

Now I am not saying go out and start counting ever single calorie like you have OCD but at least be aware of what you are eating now, how you were eating prior to starting to workout (while, I am assuming, you maintained a steady weight in that nice frame of yours) and how much activity you are doing on a daily basis.
 
Yeah, my GF complained of the same thing about a month into me teaching her training moves. I got her started on all the good stuff, deadlifts, squats, lunges, and of course all the upper stuff...

Anyways, she was complaining about how she was going to lose fat, and now her pants didn't fit. And I know for certain she eats in a deficit. So I told her, look, this is stuff your muscles have never really done to this degree, they are responding, filling with more glycogen, swelling up, growing, don't panic, enjoy it. In a month's time, she has made huge gains on all lifts...

So, I don't know if your situation is the same, but don't freak out, just keep doing your thing, make sure you eat well at maintenence or a little below, and you'll do great.
 
bubbles89 said:
My only issue with my legs is my main problem. The jeans I bought about 4 months ago I think and they fit fine and since I started working out over about a month i've noticed that I can't get them over my thighs. They aren't the super skinny jeans there's no way in hell I'd be pulling them over my calves let alone my thighs I'm just confused as so why (since working out) I can't fit them when I could at the start. Is it because I'm jaining muscle in my legs?
Click to expand...

What do your legs look like in the mirror? Are they fatter or are they muscular? Maybe your jeans are shrinking. I've purchased jeans that shrunk about an inch everywhere. When I went to get new ones, the identical size fit perfectly.

I buy the widest legged jeans I can find. They still fit skin tight because designers seem to think women's legs look like cigarettes. Am I worried? No. Because I know why my jeans fit tight. It's called "muscle". So I don't care what size I buy or how tight they are. I just want them to look good in the butt.
 
Gotcha...sorry to get all 'after school special' on you...but we have had people before with eating disorders and the sooner we help those people get help the better.

Yes, its quite possible that you're only burning 500 calories between those exercises. Remember that the computers on those cardio machines are just making estimates based on data collected from research. Scientists will throw 30 men, all the same age and same physical fitness level onto a treadmill, run at the same pace, and the scientists can determine average calories expended.

That then becomes the value that the computer calculates as you run.

But everyone's unique. I'm a horrible runner...I just don't progress very well, but I can cycle forever. My body's just good at cycling.
That probably means I'll burn fewer calories cycling since I"m efficient at it, but more calories running.
And to add another variable...I might weigh the same, same age, and same height as those test subjects, but my body fat and fitness levels are different, so that'll factor into the equation too.

So in your situation, you're not counting calories in....so I wouldn't bother with watching calories burned. Your goals are to be fit, or more fit, and to fit into those jeans.

You may want to try swimming. Its not gonna bulk up the thighs, and will help with your back, shoulders, arms and chest. Its a better 'whole body cardio' than running and cycling...which are just 'from the waist down' type cardio.
 
Thanks for the info guys, I do apologise for the original question after re-reading it I realised I did kinda sound a bit that way I was like whoops no wonder i got the response did hehe sorry :$. I have a feeling that my jeans may be shrinking. My legs do look a little bigger but I'm confident that it's muscle.

I had a training session yesterday and my trainer looked at me funny when I told him about my jeans. He said asked if they were too small when I bought them because he's confident that my leg's haven't got that big (I was wearing tight training pants last night so you could see the size of my legs clearly). He said that I have awesome muscle definition appearing at the tops of my knees and has given me some exercises for my inner thighs.

My session last night smashed me but it felt good. I was so sore at the end but I figure that there's no point having a training session and walking away thinking there was no point in that.

With the carories issue I actually truthfully struggle with counting them I guess that's why I haven't really bothered. Because majory of the food is based on like 100g or something and I use less I don't really know how to work it out. I don't have scales and I kinda think that it's way too involved to think about it that way. I feel that I'm eating pretty healthy. I might sneak in one or two cheats which I do feel guilty for afterwards but I figure that I'll break my good eatin habits if I don't.
 
It's interesting that only guys replied to your questions, when they clearly don't get it. Let me just start by saying that YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EATING DISORDER!!!

I know exactly what you mean about the enlarged leg problem. About a year ago I started lifting weights at the gym, focusing on my legs and upper body. While I got great results in my upper body (stronger arms, pronounced abs) my legs did get larger and I couldn't fit into many of the jeans I had. It was very frustrating as I knew I hadn't gained fat. But I did notice my body felt more solid from the weights and more bulky.

Last summer I started running outside instead and found that the running seemed to lengthen my leg muscles out and tightened my butt and the back of my legs. My legs also got smaller around and my jeans fit great again. I am definitely more lean than I was before. I have progressed to being able to run for up to 8 km and feel much better about the size of my legs. All of the squats, lunges, leg presses etc. just didn't give me the same results that running did, though I still do upper body weights.

Running is the way to go - I feel more energized, and much lighter on my feet. I don't focus on how many calories I burn in my workouts at all. Instead I focus on each run and trying to go a bit faster and farther each time. It's not about the calories, but about reaching new personal goals! I am currently training for the Niagara Falls Half Marathon in October 2010.

This is all combined with eating sensibly throughout the day with a balanced diet of whole grains, dairy and fruits/vegetables. I eat red meat once a month for iron but otherwise eat chicken, turkey and fish only.

Don't know if this helps, but I thought I'd share my experience.
 
This thread is WICKED old. October 2008 was the last post.
 
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