Resting Heart Rate

nannascot
nannascot Posts: 48 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I am 61, my weight varies between 154 and 159 and I have been on a plateau for many weeks now. :grumble: I have been reading all your comments on HRMs, eating calories burned off etc. and have tried everything.
My concern is that I have a resting heart rate between 42 and 47 and when I am exercising at my hardest I only reach 125. I can be working pretty hard and never go over the 100. Could this be why I find it so hard to lose weight??? Any ideas out there? :ohwell:

Replies

  • nannascot
    nannascot Posts: 48 Member
    I am 61, my weight varies between 154 and 159 and I have been on a plateau for many weeks now. :grumble: I have been reading all your comments on HRMs, eating calories burned off etc. and have tried everything.
    My concern is that I have a resting heart rate between 42 and 47 and when I am exercising at my hardest I only reach 125. I can be working pretty hard and never go over the 100. Could this be why I find it so hard to lose weight??? Any ideas out there? :ohwell:
  • tpdance
    tpdance Posts: 21
    well actually 95-125 should be your target exercise rate, so going over that is not necessary and possibly not healthy. As far as how ur body is responding to the exercise you may want to get fitness evaluation done to better help you (by a professional). And for the weight loss, you may be right where u need to be and maintaining your weight may be all that is necessary, however there are several other details that we would need to know this. :-)

    hope this helps or gives u some direction
  • carvan
    carvan Posts: 377 Member
    Are you on medication? Many meds slow down the Hr. My hubby is on meds and he is huffing and puffing, and his monitor reads 125.
  • nannascot
    nannascot Posts: 48 Member
    Thats encouraging, thanks. I thought I ought to be able to raise it higher than that to lose weight. I am fairly tall - 5ft 9ins but I should be about 7lbs lighter to reach my target weight.
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    Not sure what your goal weight is but I advise taking into consideration your body frame size when deciding a goal. Many people look at the range of recommended weight and go with a number somewhere in there that they'd like to see on a scale. But body frame must be considered. The ideal weight for my height is 115-140 but I have a large frame and know that 115 would have me looking horribly thin, so I'm shooting for 140.

    It's possible that you might just need to "tone" what you've got and not lose anymore.

    Plus, the last few pounds will be the hardest.

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating your exercise calories?
  • nannascot
    nannascot Posts: 48 Member
    I'm pretty good at eating my exercise calories though sometimes I don't quite make it. My frame is average and my target is 150lbs but I hoped to get a couple of pounds under that to allow for "winter weight"! I fear that its the old age thing - I never had a problem losing the extra weight before but now its a mammoth effort! Without the support this site gives I would still be wallowing in the pool like a whale! Thanks for your advice.
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    Make sure you're eating enough, for one. Not sure what you're eating now but you should probably be at 1400 or so--too low will sabotage your effort.

    Reading your profile, you've had a lot of victories, too! Not sure how all that plays into it but if the non-loss continues, you might want to check with your doc.

    Age has some impact but not a whole lot. I just posted an article yesterday about a 68 year old man who lost 170 pounds!
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20122-never-to-old-68-yr-old-loses-172-lbs

    I've been plateaued for 3 weeks now and I understand how utterly frustrating it is! So, just hang in!
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