Tracking calories, feeling good, but not seeing any fat loss? The problem could be that you’re burning a lot less calories than you think.
Here are the 3 most common mistakes I hear clients make when they think they’re doing everything right, but not losing as many pounds as they’d like. And be sure to watch my video below for the nitty gritty of each mistake!
#1. That HIIT Class Says I’ll burn 800 calories in 45 minutes!!!
STFU! Exerciser BEWARE! The amount of energy exerted in a class varies from person to person. Is every person in the class moving at the same rate? Hitting the same distances? Doing the same number of reps, sets and at the exact same tempo? Heck NAH! These questions need to be answered for an accurate calorie burn count. Your best bet? Wear a heart rate monitor, the ones with a strap you wear across the chest. Your heart rate is a WAAYY better measure of calorie expenditure than taking it at someone’s word!
#2. The Elliptical said I burned 500 calories – now I can eat that piece of pie!
As a certified personal trainer, I’ve heard this from my clients time and time again: “But the elliptical machine says I burned 500 calories in an hour, even though I was moving at a snail’s pace!”
These machines are programmed to give estimates as to how many calories you’re actually burning. They typically don’t know anything about you: your body size, weight, body fat or exertion level. Many machines only account for how fast you’re going, so they provide an inaccurate estimate of how many calories you’re burning. So PLEASE – don’t use the cardio machine calorie count as your guide! Again, wearing a heart rate monitor will give you much better data. AND if your goal is body fat loss, I recommend NOT including your exercise calories burned into your total allotted calories to eat. Don’t bump up your calories to eat more just because you worked out! My Fitness Pal defaults to this option, so I always tell my clients to turn that setting OFF and to go strictly by the calorie guidelines we set together!
#3. Do you know how much yard work I do? Why must I do different cardio?
If you’ve been doing the same routine for years. You’ve eaten the same way for months. Your activity that you do know feels hard, so why doesn’t it count? Well, sorry to say that your body is hella smart and it KNOWS when you have focused on the same workouts and the same restricted calorie diet. When your body gets used to a certain type of exercise or activity, the amount of calories you burned initially aren’t necessarily the same amount that you’re burning after doing that routine 25 times. It’s science, bro. Your body is a brainy and efficient machine. It always wants to complete work with the least amount of energy required, so over time, it will learn how to do that same activity quicker, smarter and of course, with less energy. Don’t believe me? Search that shit.
To prevent this from happening, try to change up your workouts every couple of weeks. Mix up your cardio and include as much strength training as possible. Consider high intensity interval training using weights, instead of traditional HIIT cardio routine. Keep things new and exciting!