Best heart rate for weight loss?

[2GetSkinny]

I have recently lost 43 pounds on the way to a total of 90 - almost halfway.  And I am stalled.  Started walking and using my Fitbit again June 1st and now I am trying to get serious to push my weight loss back in gear.  Here is my dilema - is it better to be in Peak - Cardio - or - Fat Burn to loose weight?  It's confusing to me.  Can someone explain that to me?  Thanks!

[Dominique]

Weight loss isn’t really about HR, it’s rather about energy balance (= calories). You can lose weight  exercising in any HR zones, as long as you’re in a caloric deficit overall. In fact, you can lose weight without even exercising at all, if you are able to create a deficit with your diet alone. However, exercising usually makes it easier (it allows you to eat more), plus it has benefits of its own (health, fitness etc.).

The fact your weight loss has stalled suggests you may have lost too much too fast, which caused metabolic adaptation to take place. The law of diminishing returns applies to weight loss: the more weight you lose, and the faster you lose it, the more effort is needed to continue losing.

It’s difficult to give more advice without knowing more about yourself (age, height, starting weight, time it took you to lose the 43 pounds, general activity level, e.g. average step count).

[WavyDavey]

@Dominiqueis right about the calories being the key.

In terms of your question about heart rate,  it depends. Peak will burn more calories than cardio zone, and cardio will burn more calories than fat burn. But fat burn zone uses proportionally more fat than either of the other zones. But in absolute terms, cardio or peak will burn the most calories overall. I really like walking as a fat burning exercise. It can be done more casually in fat burn zone, or more strenuously for cardio.

Congrats on your weight loss so far.

[linda3214]

Here are three easy ways to calculate your fat-burning zone:

• Figure out your max heart rate (Max Heart Rate = 220 – your age). And then determine your fat-burning range, which is 60% to 70% of your max heart rate.
• Use a fitness app, like Wahoo Fitness, MapMyFitness, or RunKeeper, to calculate your 5 heart rate zones.
• Do a Field Test or Home Test with the Wahoo Fitness app, which will identify your Burn and Burst Zones.

[Dominique]

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@linda3214 wrote:

Here are three easy ways to calculate your fat-burning zone:

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This is nice to know information, but it won’t help the OP to lose fat any faster or easier. Even if she managed to spend all her time exercising in her calculated "fat burn" zone, actual fat loss would still be determined by her overall caloric deficit.

[2GetSkinny]

I am 5'6", currently weight 194.  And it took me 6 months to lose 43 pounds.  I think when I started exercising it freaked my body out and it went "Hold on to everything you got!"  This week is much better!

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

Do you mean the stalling of your weight loss coincided with you starting to exercise? If so, I think it’s merely a coincidence. More likely reasons are the magnitude of your weight loss (43 pounds is 18% of your starting weight, which is quite a lot) and its duration (6 months of uninterrupted losing is quite long).

I suggest you have a look at one of my favourite resources for weight loss, the Losing All Your Weight at Once video, by Dr. Mike Israetel.

He makes the following recommandations for losing optimally and minimizing the effects of metabolic adaptation:

1. Lose no more than 1% of your bodyweight per week
2. Lose no more than 10% of your starting weight in one uninterrupted stretch of weight loss
3. Lose for no longer than 3 months before taking a break / switching to maintenance

You meet the first criteria (43 pounds in 24 weeks = 1.8 pound per week = 0.75-0.9% per week, depending on whether it’s based on your starting weight or your new, lower weight), but not the other two. See whether the rationale given makes sense to you.

It’s not like "starvation mode" works with an on/off switch. Metabolic adaptation is a gradual process. It’s inevitable when losing weight, but you can mitigate its effects by losing at a reasonable pace (as you did), and taking breaks at suitable times (rather than attempting to do it in one go). 

[2GetSkinny]

WOW - I feel like a weight has lifted off me!  It seems like it has been OK to maintain for 6 weeks - even a good thing.  I so appreciate you sending me the link!  I have changed a few things this week and am back on track.  Also, trying to speed up my walking and move my arms more - not going more distance.  I feel great and am ready to get started again!  You Rock!

[Dominique]

Yes, the key is to view maintenance as something positive, that will set you up for success during your next phase of weight loss.

Increasing the intensity of your walking is a good idea: it will let you burn a few extra calories in the same time, but above all improve your fitness and stamina. Something you may want to try is Nordic walking. Hugely popular over here.

[2GetSkinny]

Interesting!  I have recently started using swing weights which I suspect may have a similar effect as Nordic.  Time will tell on that score.  I do notice it the impact in my arms and my heart rate is definitely up in Peak more now.  Thanks again for all your input.

[Cold_Dog]

Very good article -- bottom line any motion is better then no motion.  

Walking vs Running  

Having said all that there are about 3200 cal in a pound of fat soo a person will need to run/walk about 32 miles to loose 1 pound.   Diet is a more easy path to weight lose IMHO.

[2GetSkinny]

Thanks for the article -  I am definitely moving more and more!

[Sadieonthemove]

Hello- 

I read a book about HR and how it effects your training (first of all its an amazing book.)  but HR is a really good way to tell if you have over trained by your bpm, what your stamina and all that fun stuff is. I personally only train by heart rate. There are formulas to figure out where each of these sit for you and Fitbit tends not to know what your exact zones are.  As for if you should be in peak or not, peak only lasts for a couple minutes and isn't meant for long times. What happens with weight loss when you get stuck is its time to change your diet. This means either eating more or less or even cleaning up your diet as eating more protein or less. With weight loss you tend to want to eat slightly less protein and more veggies/fruits. (I hope this helps) 

[Dominique]

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@Sadieonthemove wrote:

What happens with weight loss when you get stuck is its time to change your diet. This means either eating more or less or even cleaning up your diet as eating more protein or less. With weight loss you tend to want to eat slightly less protein and more veggies/fruits. 

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Of course, it’s always possible to improve the quality of one’s diet. However, I’m pretty sure @2GetSkinny didn’t lose 43 pounds in 6 months eating a very "junky" diet, so my guess is there isn’t much potential for "cleaning it up". I personally don’t view her as being "stuck" in this context.

[2GetSkinny]

Hi Sadie - Did I miss the title of the book?  I would love to learn more.  Thanks!