Lost 80 lbs. / Find it harder to reach Cardio / Peak

[BubblesAreFun]

Hello 

I have lost 80 lbs (pat self on back) and live / breathe by my Fitbit to keep me in check. I have noticed over the last couple of months, I am not reaching cardio or peak doing the same routines. I am worried I am not going full out (which I find hard because I lay on the floor for minutes afterwards trying not to die) or if the fact I lost weight that I need to do more to reach higher BPM and calories burned. 

I would apprecite feedback so I can stop worrying 

[cathm]

Hi @BubblesAreFun 

Congratulations on the weight loss!!!

Your body might be adapting to the routine.  Sometimes it is helpful to change up your routine 😊

[BubblesAreFun]

That's the weirdest thing... I change up my routines every 30 days... Hmmm... Wonder what's up

[WavyDavey]

Hi @BubblesAreFun,

Welcome to being fit. It has a lot of upsides. One downside I've noticed is, with increased heart health, the heart doesn't have to work as hard. You can usually see this reflected in a lowered resting heart rate. It just seems as you've reported more difficult to get into cardio/peak the better your cardio gets.

The only advice I can give, is you have to work harder for those zones the more fit you become. If you are walking, start running. If you run, run faster/longer/sprints. If you are doing treadmill, add inclines. HIIT training is another way to up the intensity. Your body may need increasing intensity to reach what was easier before in terms of HR zones.

At some point you may feel like you've reached your cardio goals, and don't need to keep pushing.the zones. But if you want to keep and stay in peak zone, I'm afraid it will take more work than before. Hope this helps.

[BubblesAreFun]

@WavyDavey 

Thank you for the information! I have noticed my resting heart rate has dropped significantly

I am waiting for my new treadmill to get delivered. I am still very self conscious about working out where I can be seen so right now running is a no go until treadmill arrives... I know, weirdo alert. I will keep pushing my limits and working to get back to cardio/peak. 

[cathm]

@BubblesAreFun 

Some changes I make are increasing intensity (ex. increasing resistance, incline and/or speed); increasing time; performing HIIT, incorporating different cardio machines (bike, treadmill, elliptical, rowing); also the cardio step is always fun and a nice change.  My favorites are high incline treadmill, rowing machine and the cardio step 😊

[Heybales]

Great job with loss, and getting fit.

Those 2 combined are reasons why you are seeing the effects you are.

Now - you could just remain at you might say maintenance level for the workouts.

It was that pushing harder that caused improvements.

But for sure the weight loss effects things, since the heart is a muscle, it might be useful to compare to weight lifting. When you start your muscles get stronger merely from better form, and nerves getting better at firing what muscles you want to use - the weight you lift goes up at first not even because you've gotten stronger or more muscle - merely from using what you've got better.

Say after a month of lifting though, so you are past those types of improvements. Now it's time for the muscles to get stronger, or grow more of them.

After 9 months of doing squats - say you added 80 lbs to the bar. Slow and steady progress.

Looks good.

But during the same time - you lost 80 lbs off your body. Slowly and steady loss.

Did your leg muscles actually get stronger?

No. They stayed the same. And that's fine if intent was to be at maintenance for the muscles - but if it still feels just as hard - there has been no improvement.

How bad would it be to have lost 100 lbs off the body in this case?

In a diet like that, actually that's a very bad thing, probably means muscle mass was lost.

So with aerobic fitness.

And this is where a low intensity workout like perhaps only walking has a problem, since it kind of maxes out on pace unless you power walk.

Say you start out pushing 4 mph and HR is really up there.

You get more fit so HR drops of course doing the same pace.

Then you drop weight, and it's so much easier to move less mass around, less calorie burn and less effort, less of a workout for the heart and muscles, everything. HR drops more because of that.

Well, by the time 80 lbs is gone, if you are doing the same pace (and likely are) - you are now putting less of a load on your body than you were prior - it's actually less of a workout now.

I have seen people in this position actually lose fitness.

This same effect happens with aerobic classes where not only is there a slight improvement to the efficiency of the motions, but if you drop weight, there is many times no way to increase intensity because you can only move so fast, and many times the beat of the music doesn't go faster.

This is where the idea of switch it up came from. On workouts where there is no ability to increase intensity - switching to something more intense is the answer.

If it's merely different but not more intense, it may be harder until the movements are more efficient again.

So great plan with treadmill to be able to increase intensity.

Depending on your goals for the running (endurance for races, heart health, extra calorie burn to allow eating more), the zone you are aiming for can be helpful.

Lifting is just as easy to increase intensity to make up for weight lost - add weight to the bar.

[Heybales]

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@BubblesAreFun wrote:

Hello 

I have lost 80 lbs (pat self on back) and live / breathe by my Fitbit to keep me in check. I have noticed over the last couple of months, I am not reaching cardio or peak doing the same routines. I am worried I am not going full out (which I find hard because I lay on the floor for minutes afterwards trying not to die) or if the fact I lost weight that I need to do more to reach higher BPM and calories burned. 

I would apprecite feedback so I can stop worrying 

---

To this specifically about laying on floor dying after a workout.

This may be the same effect as doing stairs. Even a marathoner on outside course training can bound up a couple flights of steps at what seems a reasonable pace for their fitness level - and have to stop with burning quads and panting.

It's just anaerobic to the muscles being used - and for most stairs does this - unless you train on them specifically.

The other potential for your HR - perhaps these other movements, or thinner arm - are preventing a good accurate reading of HR during the workout.

Ever hit a peak of effort, and then immediately take your pulse at neck to confirm Fitbit is right?

[BubblesAreFun]

@Heybales 

I appreciate your input!
Currently I am:
1. Lifting Weights
2. Cardio (or attempting since this is the reason for my post -haha)
3. A pliates / yoga mix with a lot of body weight poses / cardio.

I have become 80% stronger and have really changed by body shape. Right now I am working to become lean, continue to maintain my weight loss, and try to get rid of the "loose skin" . There was another reply that said to incorporate more HIIT and other various cardio exercises. I have ordered a HIIT program that will arrive tomorrow, so I think I will add this to my current regimen and see if I can get my heart rate back up

Now with the note about FitBit accuracy. I have never checked my FitBit pulse anywhere other than wearing my Fitbit on my wrist. I have never heard of this... 

If you have anymore tips, I am all ears!

[Heybales]

Some people have accuracy issues with Fitbit and pulse from the get-go.

Like maybe it maxes out at say 130 and can't read higher.

Or rarely the HR goes higher and the Fitbit reads nothing.

Just take a neck pulse for 6 sec and compare when it seems the Fitbit is lower than you think it should be.

Your's could have been much better at being accurate, and became worse as your arm changed shape.

Good workout combo's, good variety - resistance, stretching, cardio.

[FoCoHiker]

Get a smart scale which would allow you track where you're holding your weight (body weight, body fat%, muscle mass%, water weight% and BMI).  I've purchased a mountain bike (more resistance than a road bike), I've added 70 pounds to my backpack to hike during my lunch break, I eat throughout the day instead of (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner), I've changed my goal from weight# to hike a very difficult trail from 16 hours to 12.  I believe muscle confusion regularly will allow me to obtain my goal, working smarter and not necessarily harder.

BTW great work losing the weight!