burn fat

[har0166]

any ideas on how long to spin cycle and at what HR to burn excess fat

[Dominique]

You burn fat if/when you are in a caloric deficit. It doesn’t matter much what you eat, what kind of exercising you are doing (and in what HR zones): if you burn more calories than you are eating, you will lose fat (and vice-versa). The higher your HR is during exercise, the more energy you will burn per unit of time. However, if you can only sustain a high-intensity exercise for 10 minutes, you will likely burn less calories than during a much lower-internsity exercise you can sustain for 60 minutes.

[har0166]

Dominique :  Thanks for the tip , the longer I spin the greater the fat burn and higher the calorie loss

                      I try to spin at a steady pace for 40-45 min.. I want to drip with sweat makes me feel

                      awesome, Do you think HIT would be more beneficial ???

John 

[GershonSurge]

@har0166,

@Dominique is correct. Losing fat is a matter of eating fewer calories than you burn. The type of exercise makes little difference.

If you have a clip-on, I suggest starting with a 500 calorie deficit, and if you have a heart rate monitor I suggest starting with a 1,000 calorie deficit. The reason for the difference is clip-ons underestimate the calories burned and the HRM's overestimate the calories burned.

When I'm losing weight, I use a "burn before eating" philosophy. I set my activity level to sedentary so it won't anticipate exercise later in the day.

I suggest tracking your intake carefully using the Fitbit food log. That way, it will interact with your dashboard.

If you want to make it really simple, calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using one of the many calculators online and eat only that amount each day while striving for a goal of 10,000 steps or whatever number you choose.

Some of us track calories instead of steps. In that case, try to burn about 1,000 calories over your BMR or whatever number is best for you.

[WavyDavey]

@GershonSurge, isn't BMR about half of the calories we burn each day? If so, then a 50% reduction in calories sounds a bit aggressive. I'm not arguing, I just don't see how only eating BMR would be sustainable. Wouldn't the body be breaking down muscle like crazy and dampen the metabolism because it actually has no energy to do the 10,000 steps?

[Dominique]

@WavyDavey: your TDEE would be typically be twice your BMR only if you’re extremely active. You can use this online calculator to see what kind of numbers you would get for yourself. For me (M/56-yo/174cm/63kg) BMR would be 1443 and TDEE at the highest activity level (5 out 5) would be 2741. With 10k steps, I think you would be somewhere between light and moderate activity. For me that would be 1983-2236. Eating about 1500 would be reasonable for weight loss at that activity level IMO.

[GershonSurge]

@WavyDavey

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@WavyDavey wrote:

@GershonSurge, isn't BMR about half of the calories we burn each day? If so, then a 50% reduction in calories sounds a bit aggressive. I'm not arguing, I just don't see how only eating BMR would be sustainable. Wouldn't the body be breaking down muscle like crazy and dampen the metabolism because it actually has no energy to do the 10,000 steps?

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 I was going to give a long answer, but decided to avoid a long discussion. I did recommend no more than a 1,000 calorie deficit. BMR gives us enough nutrients to maintain healthy body functions and not burn protein in the muscles and organs. Depending on the diet, many people will find a 1,000 calorie deficit to be too high.

Burning proteins, especially in the organs only occurs when a person is starving themselves regardless of weight. 

If someone is concerned, there is a simple test for burning proteins. Urinate in a clear container and see if it turns cloudy in about ten minutes. This will happen for people who eat too little or people who are out of shape starting an intense exercise program. In the latter case, it only lasts a few days before the body adapts.