Fat burning "zone": Do you believe in it?

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Dumspiro
Dumspiro Posts: 28
in Fitness and Exercise
HI Everyone!
I've been trying to get to my goal weight for awhile and can't seem to get past 150lbs. I always training at a high intensity because I've never believed in the whole "fat burning zone" theory. I feel like you need to work hard to get results. I found this though:

"Keep intensity very low during endurance workouts designed to burn fat. Burning carbohydrate is definitely not the optimal way to reduce bodyfat. A carbohydrate deficit will not lead to bodyfat loss. Since burning fat requires more oxygen than burning carbohydrate, as intensity increases, fat burning decreases. At a light intensity, fat burning is highest. At moderate intensity, the body burns more carbohydrate than fat. At moderately hard intensity (lactate threshold) and higher, fat burning ceases completely."

I see this a lot...what does everyone else think? Should I modify my schedule to include half low intensity stuff or just bag it??

Thanks in advance!
Teri

Replies

  • pajamamama
    pajamamama Posts: 61
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    I have no advice but am interested in hearing what others have to say, so... bump! :laugh:
  • mrecker
    mrecker Posts: 34 Member
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    According to Runner's World:

    The "fat-burning zone" lies between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. When you exercise at this low intensity, your body draws energy from fat. As your heart rate goes up, more energy comes from carbs. So it seems logical that to lose fat you should keep your heart rate low, says Jason Karp, Ph.D., owner of Runcoachjason.com. But that's not the case.

    "Running at higher intensities causes you to burn a lower percentage of fat calories in favor of carbs," says Karp, "but you use more total calories." And that's the key to slimming down. Plus, since you torch more total calories, the absolute amount of fat burned actually increases, too. So it pays to pick up the pace.

    Of course, lower intensity exercise still has its place. Long, slow runs build aerobic fitness and endurance. But to kickstart a pokey metabolism, you need intensity. Karp suggests interval training (condensed runs that mix in intense efforts with recovery) because studies have found these workouts burn more calories during and after exercise (see "Torch Calories" below for Karp's interval workout). "It also cuts down on boredom," he says, "which makes it more likely you'll stick with your program."

    http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304--13443-0,00.html
  • sjcply
    sjcply Posts: 817 Member
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    interesting question.......I too am in your same position and would like to know any info anyone has!!
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
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    bump

    But I agree with the calories in vs calories out.

    Keep in mind that high intensity workouts force your body to build muscle. It's not a rapid process, but once you're at a healthy weight, you may have a battle losing those pounds. Switch to measuring yourself rather than weighing. It will tell the tale better.
  • maryann73
    maryann73 Posts: 763 Member
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    This was posted on the women 40 + thread today by DeeDeeLHF:

    Article link: http://ezinearticles.com/?Fat-Fallacy---Slow-Down-to-Burn-Fat-Faster&id=2638251

    Article text: Have you ever stopped to wonder why some 'fat burning' classes actually recommend low to moderate intensity and try to keep your heart rate down? Or why some exercise machines have a chart showing low intensity workouts as being within your 'fat burning zone' and higher intensity workouts as being within your 'aerobic or endurance zone'?

    The reason for this is the "Fat-Burning Zone" theory (which is right...in theory). If you exercise at a lower intensity then the percentage of fat that you burn will be higher. However, since you are exercising at a lower intensity you will actually be burning less fat and at a slower rate than if you were to exercise harder!

    Please Explain

    When you exercise harder, the percentage of fat that you burn will go down to as low as 30%. The percentage of carbohydrate that you burn may go up to 70%. However, the actual number of calories you are burning when you increase the intensity of the exercise increases by the following:


    Brisk walking burns calories 4 times faster than resting
    Slow jogging burns calories 8 times faster than resting
    Fast running up to 16 times faster than resting
    This means that the harder you exercise the more calories you burn. Although the percentage of fat is lower, the overall amount of calories burnt from fat is higher - and isn't that worth working a little harder!

    Examples:


    A 30 minute jog will burn approximately 300 calories with about 30% of those calories coming from fat - that is 90 calories from fat
    A 30 minute walk will burn approximately 150 calories with about 50% of those calories coming from fat - that is 75 calories from fat
    90 fat calories vs. 75 fat calories... The percentage of fat burnt is higher when walking but the actual amount of fat burnt is less!

    Quick Tips for Fat Burning
    The amount of fat you burn is very important, but calories do still count. Notice that if you exercise at a higher intensity you will simply burn more calories.
    The most important factor of all, fit people burn fat faster; both during exercise and at rest! How do you get fit? Aim to work a little harder each time you exercise.
    To get the best results quickly, from whatever "Huffy Puffy" exercises you choose




    Work as hard as you can in the time that you have
    Always aim to improve on your last workout
    Aim to do the same distance in a quicker time or a longer distance in the same time

    And always remember...
    "Gentle Exercise...Produces Gentle Results"

    Sonja Falvo is the Body Transformation Specialist at Real Body Enterprises and has helped thousands of people to get the body they have always dreamed of. Author of two books; The Real Body Plan and The Real Body Real Food Plan (available from http://www.realbodyclub.com/shop) and highly regarded public speaker, Sonja can show you how easy it is to lose weight without dieting, giving up your favourite foods or spending endless hours in the gym. Sonja has developed a realistic, easy to follow healthy lifestyle and weight-loss program for real people; find out more by subscribing to http://www.realbodyclub.com/members/newslettersignup.asp.

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sonja_Falvo
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
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    From experience, I've had a lot of success with intervals, the theory behind them being that over the course of your workout your body isn't allowed to get used to any given intensity, so it ends up burning more calories.

    The idea behind the "fat burning zone" is based on how the body uses energy sources--after a certain point (usually after one or two minutes of continuous moderate-intensity exercise) cells start to use fat as the key energy source (rather than carbs) because fat has more energy per gram than any other energy source. Therefore, a longer, lower-intensity workout burns more fat. I'd say you should give it a try and if it works for you, great!

    Good luck!
  • smota
    smota Posts: 62
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    I'd just say... If what you are now doing is not working, and if this new idea can not harm you, why not give it a try?! We all have different metabolisms. Besides, although I speak for myself, routine exercise becomes really boring - not only for the mind but also for the body, it gets used to it and stops responding, so I'd say give it a try. I've lost loads of body fat with two hours long very slow runs.

    Let us know how it goes ;)
  • unknownndoll
    unknownndoll Posts: 161 Member
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    I'd just say... If what you are now doing is not working, and if this new idea can not harm you, why not give it a try?! We all have different metabolisms. Besides, although I speak for myself, routine exercise becomes really boring - not only for the mind but also for the body, it gets used to it and stops responding, so I'd say give it a try. I've lost loads of body fat with two hours long very slow runs.

    Let us know how it goes ;)

    i agree with smota, maybe your body just needs a change. its worth trying if what you are doing isnt working.
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    bump to reread tomorrow
  • shellshalla
    shellshalla Posts: 263 Member
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    bump - i would like to know everyone's response to this bc im not really sure...
  • jacolyncoker
    jacolyncoker Posts: 86 Member
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    Its true.
    Your body needs oxygen to burn fat, and when you are working too hard and breathing very hard then it burns the carbs, which are easier to burn.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    The idea of a "fat burning zone" --where the body preferentially draws on stored body fat for fuel--is a myth. The body is constantly using a mix of fuel substrates --fats, carbs, protein--during exercise--mostly depending on the intensity of the activity. However the use of a particular substrate or substrate mix has NO effect on the gain or loss of stored body fat. Exercise metabolism doesn't occur in a vacuum--you cannot separate what happens during exercise from what is taking place in your body the other 23 hours a day, 365 days/yr, etc. Not to mention that the fat utlized during exercise A) comes primarily from triglycerides already stored in the muscle cells, not from those places you want them to come from and B) the total amount of fat --from wherever it comes from -- burned during exercise is only a tiny amount. A number of studies have shown that, regardless of the level of fat oxidation during an exercise workout, 24-hr fat oxidation is equal when "fat burning" and "non fat burning" exercisers are compared. In other words, whatever happens during a workout, the body compensates for it the rest of the day so that after 24 hours, total fax oxidation is the same.

    Employing various "strategies" --whether doing "fat burning" exercise zones, "fasted cardio", weights before cardio, etc --to try to "trick" the body into "burning more fat" is pointless. It falls under the heading of "stupid exercise tricks".

    Now, that having been said, it is important for most people to include endurance cardio as part of their routine. For optimum results, we all need varied training stimuli (not "muscle confusion" - another myth) -- a mix of intensity and duration). Unless you are an elite athlete training for competition, a mix of endurance cardio, tempo cardio, and interval cardio is essential to making steady progress and avoiding overtraining and plateaus.

    HIT, HIIT, intervals, etc are the new "pet rocks" of exercise training and they can be effective, but following a routine that is too locked into one technique is never a good idea.

    All HIT and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I see this a lot...what does everyone else think? Should I modify my schedule to include half low intensity stuff or just bag it??

    Thanks in advance!
    Teri

    What was that in your profile about an "all or nothing attitude"? :wink:
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,291 Member
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    Azdak, well put.....and I agree that you will waste your time if you only work in the "fat burning zone"....you can't expect to get full results from doing only half the work, which for someone like me, staying that low in the zone is boring at best. I don't believe in muscle confusion either, and would believe that different workouts of varied intensity will net the best results (HIIT one day, resistance training the next, anaerobic exercise afterward, and so forth). However, aside from all this talk, I'm also a firm believer that your weight is 75% what you eat/the nutrition taken in and 25% exercise......but to answer your question, no I do not believe in the fat burning zone
  • cynthials
    cynthials Posts: 213 Member
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    I believe in interval training along with changing things up often to keep the body guessing and not getting too "used" to one thing.
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    I believe in changing stuff up ever so often.....If you havent been losing, it wont hurt to try something.....Its recommended to shake things up every six weeks or so.......Try something new and see what it does for you, it surely cant hurt

    At the end of the day, they are all excercise, and whether some work faster than others, at the end of the day you will lose weight

    So shaking things up cant hurt

    Goodluck

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