Okay so this is the thing i just went 2mph @ MAX incline for 20:00mins and my heart rate when finished was 159pulse, THIS IS THE THING....it says after all my hard hard work for 20 straight minutes it says i only burned 153 calories! Is there anyways it could be not accurate? PLUS i sweated like NO OTHER. I mean my machine is brand new and it was VERY expensive so i know the machine isnt defaulting(for lack of a better word) BUT how does it say a 298lb person burns 153 cals in 20mins max incline as a 140lb person does at max incline for 20mins!?!?! This is so frustrating. I feel like i jump on the elyptical and i loose 580 cals in 30 mins but it is WAY harder than walking on the treadmil. It hurts my knee and i feel like i am just too damn big to be on that machine. Is this treadmil regimen even worth it? Also, can someone else give any input on wether my 1,600cal diet is acceptable for a 298lb person to loose signifigant weight if i combine it with 20mins EVERY day on the treadmil at max incline? NOTE: MY MAINTENANCE CALORIES ARE 2,783, SO IM ALREADY CUTTING MY CALORIES BY NEARLY 1200 CALORIES A DAY.......
And Yes My 1,600 Calories Are From All Healthy Foods!
LAST THING...
If i take diuretics will that also kick up my excess water weight loss?. I WILL drink at least 3 water bottles a day/treadmil/and 1,600 cal intake. Is there anything else i can implement to shed the pounds fast?
My thoughts are that you would probably be better off lowering the incline and gradually increasing your speed instead. Your current workout isn't going to burn loads of calories, because even up a very steep hill it is still essentially a very slow twenty minute walk.
If you are restricted to walking and not increasing to a jog (which I'd put at 4.5-6.5mph) then the only way to burn more calories is to exercise for longer periods of time.
People often recommend swimming for those that have issues with their joints.
I don't think that calorie burn sounds too off for walking 20 minutes, even at an incline (though I think Calorie counters on machines are often inaccurate...the elliptical number might be an overestimate of what you are burning). Walking s a healthy habit, but it does not blast tons of calories. Exercise can help weight loss, but the eating part does more. (Exercise is better at improving endurance and fitness...which I think is also very important.) A heart rate monitor might provide a more accurate estimate, but I don't think you would find that you burned tons more than what the machine said.
Fast weight loss is weight easily put back on...IF diuretics make you lose more (and I have no idea if they do), that weight could go back on just as quickly.
Last edited by straightahead; 03-16-2013 at 06:27 PM.
That sounds right to me. I burn about 90 calories in the same amount of time on a treadmill, even though I feel like I'm going to die doing it. I burn around 350 with 40 minutes of circuit training (DVD) and I don't feel like I'm going to die doing that. I would look into DVDs and a heart rate monitor.
I agree with the general consensus here that weight is primarily lost in the kitchen, but for me, I don't lose at all without exercise more days of the week than not. So, it's very worth it for many people, even if it doesn't seem like its burning that many calories.
Last edited by L J; 03-16-2013 at 08:30 PM.
Reason: Typo
that treadmill estimate sounds about right to me...i read somewhere that 1 mile equals 100 calories burned regardless of how fast it takes someone to do a mile (slow walk vs fast run)
i have 45 minutes for treadmill at my gym...i alternate walking at 3.6 speed and running 6.0 speed and increase the incline from 1.0-5.0 each intervals...for example walk at 1.0 incline, then run at 1.0 incline, then up to 1.5 etc until i reach 5.0 incline...then i raise it to max incline and walk 3.8 speed and slowly bring the incline down to 6.0 for the rest of my time on the treadmill...all of that leaves me drenched in sweat...all of that burns 320 calories on the treadmill
i take it for what it's worth...it's shaping my body, it's improving my heart and my endurance...but really what helps me lose weight is reducing my calories...exercise helps in that i'm burning a few of those calories...but really most of my weight loss depends on what i eat
And yes, as a beginner walker, it's much more important to get good form and good rhythm and to build speed than to do so much incline. If I were you, I would set the machine at intervals or random so that it mimics walking outside (some uphill, some flat), etc.
I've read a couple of your posts so far on this forum. I'm not going to tell you to not try anything, but I'm curious as to why you're so intense on the weight loss coming off super fast? I read in your welcome post above that you're interested in losing 80lbs in 5 months.
I can only share from my experience and from others on this board.
Weight loss is not an exact numbers game. You shouldn't expect x amount to come off each week if you eat x amount even though a calculator says you should. Sometimes you'll lose, sometimes not, and sometimes gain. There's so many other factors that can play a role in the rate at which you lose weight - TOM, salt intake, or the color of the sky that day.
Also, for most people, diet is the primary contributor to weight loss and not exercise. I've lost all my weight with no exercise on 1200 calories a day. Would I be healthier with exercise? You bet. As you've discovered, aerobic exercise does not burn as many calories as people assume. I think many people on this site actually prefer weight lifting.
Diuretics may shed a few pounds in water weight for a week, but it will come right back on. You're also in danger of flushing all the salt and potassium out of your body which is a life threatening situation, regardless if you're drinking lots of water.
I agree with some of the other advice on posts of yours. See your doctor if you can. Get labs drawn that take your sugar and cholesterol so you have a starting point. Take measurements. Sometimes you may not see a weight loss on the scale, but you're still losing inches.
We all want to lose weight fast. I wish I could have undid everything I did to my body immediately, but it's taking time and patience. I swear the time will go be faster than you realize.
My advice is that you should slow down and start back at the basics. If you have only started exercising, your body is not used to physical activity and you will only end up burning yourself out or getting a major injury - and you'll have to stop exercising for 6 weeks or more. My doctor has just given me similar advice because I've inflamed my pectoral muscles (I thought I had breast cancer!) and my entire back is constantly aching on account of the weight in my boobs and stomach from pushing myself too hard.
Weight loss is a long-term commitment; in fact, it's a lifetime commitment. The wonderful advice I've been given on this forum is that you should be aiming to lose 2 pounds a week and 10 pounds a month. Losing weight fast will cause your skin to sag because it hasn't been given a chance to contract with your new body weight.
As for the calorie count on the machine. Ignore it. A machine can't tell you how much you have sweat or what level of fitness you are. It's all numbers and bolts. Use the mirror and the way you feel after your workout as your judge.
Be careful when it comes to water because you can actually die from drinking too much. I'm serious. Google it. Just remember that there is water in everything that you eat Keep away from things that starve your body of water and concentrate on losing weight at a slow and even pace. You sound like me when it comes to committing to something and, yes, it sucks to be told to slow down (and I know you probably won't listen straight away), but just remember that you only get one body.
I weigh 240 and eat around 1600 a day, that was the lowest I could go safely to lose two pounds a week. I can't tell you exactly what I have lost because I'm anti scale but I AM losing because the measurements keep shrinking. I walk about five hours a week fairly slowly. It isn't a race the weight won't come off over night but it will come off. Please don't use diretics their not the way to lose weight.
Hey! 1600 should definitely get you weightloss. And yes, your treadmill is not taking into account weight; you burn different calories, depending on your weight. For walking on a flat surface, the net calorie burn is supposedly .3 x your weight, so about 90 net calories per mile (20 minutes-ish), and .53 gross calories, so about 159 gross calories. And that's not taking into account the incline. So yes, you're probably burning more. And no on the diuretics. They're just temporary dehydration.
It sounds like you are really rocking it, and I'll bet you are going to see some fast results. :-)
Even though you had it on max incline and you did 20 minutes you still have to figure in the fact that your speed was only at 2mph. I would suggest though that you lower the incline since your knee was bothering you. I know you want to be able to push yourself in order to get to your goal weight but keeping up that incline if you're in pain is only going to irritate your knee and you could seriously injure yourself which you then set you further back because of healing time. Put the incline at something that you feel more comfortable with and that you can maintain for a few weeks while your body adjusts. Also, try increasing the speed to 2.4 at an incline of about 2 or 3 since most machines max out at 5. See how that feels. Good luck and I hope the advice works
mmaldonado22, I've read several of your posts also and the word that kept coming to mind was frenetic.
As others have said, you need to stop, take a deep breath, and realize this weight is simply NOT going to come off overnight. And it's not going to come off by you completely burning yourself out in the gym - which will happen sooner rather than later if you try to keep up this pace.
A slow and steady approach is best. This may not be what you want to hear, but you asked for help. And the best way we can help you is to tell you the truth.
First, you need to know that you probably aren't burning as many calories as you think you are on the elliptical, especially if you are using the numbers it is giving you. Those machines are notoriously inaccurate.
If you really DID burn 153 calories in 20 minutes (and that might be wrong too) then that IS great.
I agree with the other posters that you should try to do things that won't burn you out or hurt your body!
Finally, I started out at 300 pounds, and I lost 100 pounds in 55 weeks. Mostly I stuck to 2000 calories a day, especially at first, and dropped to 1800 well into the journey. And I didn't exercise much for the first few months, but gradually worked regular exercise in, first cardio and then weight lifting. And I rarely worked out 7 days a week, but by the time I worked in weight lifting it was more like 3-5 days a week total.
Everyone is different, but I can tell you the key to my success was CONSISTENCY. Consistently eating calories below maintenance especially. The exercise will help keep you fit and is very important for your health, but less so for losing weight. Calories will do that for you. And you don't need to starve yourself to be successful!
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I would look into DVDs and a heart rate monitor. 
Sounds about right
