Does Low RHR affect my ability to lose weight?

skriekle
skriekle Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am female, 28 yrs old, 5'4",147lbs and about a size 30 jean (I believe that is inches at the waist sizing?? I don't know how clothing sizes work haha). I have been active and fit basically my whole life and have always been involved in some sort of physical activity several times per week...except when I was pregnant - which happened twice and resulted in some extra lbs that I can't get rid of now :). My youngest is now almost 2, and I have been working diligently to get back to my pre-baby size of 127lbs and a size 28 jean. When I say diligently, I mean eating 1400-1600 well chosen calories a day, excercise a minimum of 3 days per week - and since I was ok'd to excercise post delivery I have lost a whopping - wait for it - 3lbs. WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!

Recently I went to the walk in clinic, and during my visit the Dr mused about my very low heart rate, and asked if I was an athlete. Since then, I have worn my HR monitor for a few 24 hr stretches on both the days when I work out and the days I dont to get an idea of how my body works. My HR when I wake is around 48bpm, while relaxing at home and while at work it averages 54bpm. During a work out it usually averages 120, and peaks at 180-190. Could my low resting heart rate be what is impacting my ability to lose weight? I really am at a loss here.

Replies

  • kitkat4141
    kitkat4141 Posts: 379 Member
    My RHR is very low as well but I still lost the weight, albeit slowly. But I'm also in my fifties. I would think with caring for two small children and exercising you should be eating more calories. Also do strength training.
  • Lammerchops
    Lammerchops Posts: 68 Member
    I wouldn't think a low RHR would affect your weight loss. Calories in vs. calories out is likely the culprit.

    I read your post but maybe I missed it - how long did it take you to lose those 3lbs? Also, how are you tracking your caloric intake? Are you weighing everything or using measuring cups or eyeballing portions?

    What type of exercise are you doing, and are you eating back your exercise calories?
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    No, your heart rate has nothing to do with weight loss.
  • skriekle
    skriekle Posts: 7 Member
    HI Thanks for your responses, The timeframe for that weight loss approximately 1 yr of minimum 3 days per week, since then I have upped the ante, and train quite hard 5 days per week with a mix of weight training with active rest periods. I won't say that I have not seen results, because I have in strength, speed, flexibility, and energy level. There has been some visible toning, but no real size/weight loss, which in the end, I don't even mind that much because I feel so great. My workout partner has been in the same rut as I have though, and we decided to do a bit of research and try something new. What we found is that programs like my fitness pal are telling us to basically starve ourselves. 1200 kCal/day (what MFP is recommending for me even with ACTIVE lifestyle selected) may work to achieve weight loss goals to an extent, but once our bodies start adjusting to that we can expect to a) plateau and b) store fat/burn muscle to preserve the few calories we are taking in. The worst of it is that we actually worked with a trainer for a period of time who also gave us very low daily calorie intake as well as very low carb. I have been looking into maximum caloric threshold, or basically the maximum amount of calories I can eat and not gain weight, but to do this, I basically have to reset my metabolism to use the fuel I give it, the way I want it used. We have decided to eat using recommended macros over calories, and to start - those macros put me in the 2400-2600 calorie range. We are using the 6 week shortcut to shred program to kick us off, and reset how our metabolisms use food (see bodybuilders.com for details), then I plan to eat maintenence macros of 1g/lb carb/protein 0.5g/lb fats, & gradually up my calories by 100-150 per week until my weight starts to go up as well. THAT will supposedly be my max calorie threshold, and cut cycles from there should be a LOT easier in theory (because eating 2200 calories is much more doable than 1200). Anyone have thoughts/experience on this? I plan to try it out, and I will definitely post how it went at some point.
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    I'm 25 and 5' 11'' 144lbs. I doubt it. I was at the doc yesterday and when they measured it, it was 41BPM and this was after I ate lunch. I'm a distance runner so that's probably why it's low. I do have a ridiculously fast metabolism though. Maybe it's related. IDK.
  • blackkat70
    blackkat70 Posts: 1
    This cut and shred program sounds like the one I did when I was body building. It does work, but it can be very unhealthy if you abide by it for an extended time. The best way I have found to lose fat is to build muscle. I wish you luck.

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