New Year: weight loss tips

[mr.72]

How does one calculate where their best heart rate is for working out.
I know, those elipticals at the gym have a nice little thing on there that tells you what *zone* you're in, but I know from previous experience that it is more detailed than that.
and how does that change? I know that as your cardiovascular system gets stronger, your zone is going to change...

There are various so-called "zone" calculators all over the internet. Google it and you will find something to get you an estimate. But it's just an estimate and the only way to really test it is to do a test to actually find your lactate threshold.

To do such a test you use a heart rate monitor and you need some means to gradually increase your resistance and exertion level over a period of time, then monitor and log your heart rate on a chart, logging every few seconds. For example you could use a treadmill and begin at a walking pace, level surface, and then gradually increase the speed and incline over about a 15 minute period. Monitor your heart rate and plot it on a graph. Continue increasing the speed and incline until you cannot go any harder, and you are about to pass out.

Then you look at the graph of your heart rate. Hopefully you will have basically a linear increase with two points of inflection. The low point of inflection will be your transition from fat burning to carbohydrate, and the higher point of inflection is your transition from carbohydrate to protein (this is your LT, or lactate threshold). If you keep your heart rate below the fat-carbo transition, then you will be more likely to burn fat at that exertion level. If you stay between the points of inflection, you will burn carbohydrates (blood sugar and glycogen stores). If you exceed your LT you will burn muscle.

FWIW for anyone new to exercise, or who is out of shape, this won't work because even walking pace will be beyond your "fat" zone and as soon as you start to run you will exceed your LT. So you have to be pretty fit in order to do this. In fact, you have to be pretty fit to do anything other than sleeping or sitting on the couch watching TV without exceeding your fat metabolism rate.

Now as your lung capacity and cardiovascular efficiency increases, the lower transition (upper bound of the "fat" zone) should increase, while your heart rate at any given level of exertion will decrease. What this means is that you improve the exertion level at which you can continue to burn fat. If you were a serious athlete then you would want to train at two levels: just below the upper boundary of the "fat zone" and just below the upper boundary of the "carbohydrate zone", and repeat this test every so often to see if you are raising the limit of both zones.

Most people would never consider doing this. Any serious competitive endurance athlete will do this regularly. Even recreational cyclists do these tests and monitor their heart rate if they expect to win their class in local competition.

[DoubleJ]

I run two miles a day, does that count as fit?
thanks, I will have to look into this LT thang. My previous trainer had a chart, you'd plug in height/weight/age/other stuff and you'd get a basic zone for fat burn. Fat burn was always the low one, but you had to work out for about 20minutes before you burnt off the sugar in your blood to make your body start burning the fat (the process you described earlier).

thanks for the info. I am actually using it to supplement my workout info, and it has helped a good bit. the thing you said about learning to live hungry made a lot of sense, and I see that as a training thing, too.
I ain't dyin', I'm just full of keytones.

which is different than being full of Keystones, but that's a conversation for another day...

[mr.72]

I run two miles a day, does that count as fit?

Probably. :)

thanks, I will have to look into this LT thang. My previous trainer had a chart, you'd plug in height/weight/age/other stuff and you'd get a basic zone for fat burn.

That's a gross estimate only.

but you had to work out for about 20minutes before you burnt off the sugar in your blood to make your body start burning the fat (the process you described earlier).

Well, this, again is a result of training. Your body may not be trained to preferentially burn fat, but you can train it to do so, so that you burn fat from the first step of your workout, and only burn blood sugar when you exceed your carbohydrate threshold. This is the whole idea of zone training anyway. If you are serious about learning to do this, then you need to read "Lactate Pulse Rate Training". It covers this in great detail.

Intervals are the way to accomplish this training. But you need a heart rate monitor or you need to be able to sense the transition from carbo to fat and sense your LT approaching.

thanks for the info. I am actually using it to supplement my workout info, and it has helped a good bit. the thing you said about learning to live hungry made a lot of sense, and I see that as a training thing, too.
I ain't dyin', I'm just full of keytones.

Right on man! Glad it helps.

[TexasComputerDude]

After reading this post and applying it I'd like to announce loosing 10lbs since it first posted. whooda thunk math would help me lose weight lol.

my dr. was very pleased.

congrats! Now take a walk around your neighborhood while holding a 10 pound weight in your hands....it will help you to remember just how much weight that is.

Jason

lol I carry my 20lb laptop case nearly everywhere I go, lol, I know exactly how much weight it is.

[DoubleJ]

Well, this, again is a result of training. Your body may not be trained to preferentially burn fat, but you can train it to do so, so that you burn fat from the first step of your workout, and only burn blood sugar when you exceed your carbohydrate threshold. This is the whole idea of zone training anyway. If you are serious about learning to do this, then you need to read "Lactate Pulse Rate Training". It covers this in great detail.

Intervals are the way to accomplish this training. But you need a heart rate monitor or you need to be able to sense the transition from carbo to fat and sense your LT approaching.

just ordered the book. I think that the gross esimates will work for now. I did an hour of cardio last night ~ 700calories, so no matter what "zone" i'm in, I'm sure that i'm doing myself some good!
I just want to maximize that time. thanks again.