I've been exercising pretty hard for the last 2.5 weeks, 4-5 times a week on the treadmill for about 45 min., really pushing myself - running and sweating! I'm also taking a Running Room clinic. During our clinic this week, the instructor talked about target heart rates and was saying the fat burning zone is a really low heart rate (a much slower run than anyone in our beginner clinic is doing).

I'm kinda in a dilemma, because do I really push myself to increase my fitness, or slow it right down to burn fat? As I near the second month on the program, I have only lost about 4 lbs which I feel is a little discouraging with the amount of effort (eating and exercise) I am putting in.

I'm wondering if anyone can share their personal experience with exercise and losing and am wondering if it might be the reason I'm stalling a bit?? Needing some advice.

Thanks, Sarah

Oh, Sarah.........I wish I could help.....I am the world's WORST exerciser. One day, I will do better. I am a busy mom with a lot of kids.......but that is really all the more reason I ought to be exercising. The one thing I will tell you is.......whatever you do......don't stop working out. You have almost made it a habit.........as they say it only takes 21 days to create a new habit I am sure someone here will have some words of wisdom for you Hang in there
XOXO

Hi Sarah,

I'm no expert, but I've been hearing that the whole "fat loss zone" is an outdated concept. Anytime you exercise and burn calories, you're losing fat AND muscle, and while the ratio does change slightly, it's not enough to offset the huge difference in the total number of calories burned. Here's a link to an article that explains it very well:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art596.asp

Are you encorporating strength training? That's a surefire way to get your metabolism burning even hotter.

Cheers!

Thanks Nicole, I think I'm almost there with making it a habit. I'm not going to be able to make it today and feel like I'm going to miss it. It's a great feeling when you get to this place.
I don't know how Mom's do it. I give you a lot of credit! I can barely fit everything in and I only have to take care of myself and my dog

Sarah

Great article. Thanks! It makes sense...that's what I was thinking. What is the point of not pushing myself and burning less calories..to try to be in the "fat burning zone". I think I will go back to challenging myself!

Kathy smith has a vidoe called fat burning (or something like that) Anyways at the beginning she addresses all the different ideas of hwo to burn fat...interval training long slow workout strength training etc. Her philosophy is they are all great and you need them all so the rest of the video is segments from her other videos. 2 strenght training segments, 2 long slow, 2 interval training. You can do a segment or put them together to create a workout. Each segment is about 15-20 minutes.

Hello "Livingmybestlife" I wish I had an answer to your question. I am not sure if you go to a LAWL/Pure Center but you should ask your counselor if you do. Maybe there is something they need to do to the food plan you are on such as add or take away. If you are not currently going to a center maybe a member of this forum reading this thread can ask that question for you the next time they visit their center. I myself would ask for you if I did got to a center but unfortunately they are no longer here in NJ. I know I have heard people say many times before things like "How does your clothes fit?" and "How do you feel?" as opposed to concentrating on weightloss (easy for people to say). I am like very much like everyone else who struggles with their weight I WANT TO SEE THAT SCALE MOVE

Good Luck with everything - and as MAMA NICOLE said don't stop working out. It takes a lot to get to where you are (somewhere where I wish I can be in the near future)

I do not know that answer to your question. However, I recently started working out and the center told me to let them if I started working out more than 5 hours a week. I think that they have to put you on more calories when you start exercising. Because if you get to few of calories you will not loose weight .

I hope you have a great day.

Thanks for all your comments and words of encouragment. I have asked my centre about working out and the counsellor said something about it taking your body a few weeks to adjust to exercise and then hopefully I'll start losing.

Sarah

Livingmybestlife,

I find that sometimes adding exercise will slow down weight loss, but not fat loss. So it is likely that you've lost maybe 6-7 pounds of fat and gained 2-3 pounds of muscle. Often you will shrink faster than someone who doesn't work out, and you will look firmer and feel better.

I find it best to kind of mix it up a little bit. Do some days of high intensity, pushing yourself and some days where you are just kind of taking it easier on yourself and maybe are more in the fat burning range. I found that my fitness gains were greater when I had one really killer day a week, 2-3 mediums and 1 easy work out day... Add some weights or if you really hate the weights try some sort of toning class like Pilates or something like that.

I did not lose as much as I expected, as I had gotten much lower in weight before, mostly due to losing a lot of muscle mass previously when I dieted in a more crash diet. So I weigh about 10 pounds heavier than I thought I would get to, but I'm smaller than I was even 10 pounds lighter. I feel great too!

Plus there is the very real benefit of maintaining your weight on a much higher calorie level if you work out regularly. Most people who keep their weight off exercise a lot. I believe they are more successful due to the fact that they have a way to burn off what they are eating.

So anyway, there is really no "wrong" way to exercise. Go ahead and push yourself like crazy one day and walk the next.. it all adds up...