Fat Burn Zone?

[ChrisBair]

I am curious where Fitbit gets the evidence that a moderate heart rate burns more calories from fat. My colleague and I were having a discussion about this and I could not back up this claim.  Thanks for the help in advance,    (from fitbit)FAT BURN ZONE

Fat burn zone, which means your heart rate is 50 to 69% of maximum, is the low-to-medium intensity exercise zone and may be a good place to start for those new to exercise. It’s called the fat burn zone because a higher percentage of calories are burned from fat, but the total calorie burn rate is lower.

(from webmd)4. TRUE OR FALSE: Moderate exercise promotes weight loss more effectively than vigorous exercise.

FALSE.  Weight loss is a matter of simple arithmetic: To shed pounds, you must burn more calories than you consume. And when it comes to burning calories, the greater the exertion, the greater the rate at which calories are burned.

Working out at about 60% to 75% of your maximum heart rate (the so-called "fat-burning zone") burns fewer calories than working out at 75% to 85% of your maximum heart rate (the so-called "aerobic" or "cardio" zone).  

But caloric burn depends on a workout's duration as well as its intensity -- and it's easier to work out longer when exercising at a lower intensity.

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/the-truth-about-heart-rate-and-exercise?page=3

Edit:

I did find this to possibly help explain but it looks rather deceiving to build a product around it..

http://www.builtlean.com/2013/04/01/fat-burning-zone-myth/

30 Minutes of Exercise	Fat Calories Burned	Glycogen Calories Burned	Total Calories Burned
Low Intensity Group (50%)	120	80	200
High Intensity Group (75%)	140	260	400

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[jj91709]

The other thing I notice is that if I do a low intensity workout for 30-45 minutes I don't get hungrier from it. However if I do intervals or more running I end up getting so hungry that I end up eating a LOT more calories. I've noticed I lose more body fat when I do strength training and brisk walking. 

[RamTec]

Absolutely not the case on a keto diet I've lost over two stone, including three inches off my waist, and simultaneously gained significant muscle mass.

[Sez82]

What is the keto diet please. I am wantingb to lose about 4 stone, I have recently started doing fitness classes

[Sez82]

What is the keto diet please? I am wanting to lose about 4 stone and recently started fitness classes

[RamTec]

The Keto (ketogenic) is a low carb / high fat diet. If you input 'keto' into Google, you'll find lots of information to help you.

[Sez82]

Thank you 😀

[tobingj]

I hope it is eat healthier, less and exercise more. 🙂

[GershonSurge]

Read any of the books by Dr. Phil Maffetone. At a heart rate below 180 minus your age, a person burns 30% carbs and 70% fat. About 10 beats above this, the mixture is 30% fat and 70% carbs. 

It's not as simple as the calorie equation. A carb shortage brings on true hunger and increases the desire to eat. Of course, fat, sugar, and salt addictions do the same. By burning fat instead of carbs, the carb "fuel tank" lasts longer, and you can go longer between meals while eating fewer calories and not experience hunger.

[Captain-Canuck]

I hear ya. I was also pondering the science behind it. So pushing a shopping cart burns more body fat than 90 minutes of premier league soccer? Wheeeeee! I can quit all this high-intensity stuff and chill 😉 Said no doctor, or team trainer ever.  

I actually tried to see if it was possible for me to stay in the "fat burn zone" while walking my dogs this morning. Um...no. Period. I am just not built to walk that slow. I tried and failed. It would take me all day to just get to 10km lol.

[GershonSurge]

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@Captain-Canuck wrote:

I hear ya. I was also pondering the science behind it. So pushing a shopping cart burns more body fat than 90 minutes of premier league soccer? Wheeeeee! I can quit all this high-intensity stuff and chill 😉 Said no doctor, or team trainer ever.  

I actually tried to see if it was possible for me to stay in the "fat burn zone" while walking my dogs this morning. Um...no. Period. I am just not built to walk that slow. I tried and failed. It would take me all day to just get to 10km lol.

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I suggest reading this book: The Endurance Handbook: How to Achieve Athletic Potential, Stay Healthy, and Get the Most Out of Your Body by Dr. Phil Maffetone. This Dr. says you can quit all this high-intensity stuff and chill except for some speed work just before race season.

If you walked "that slow" long enough, your entire system would adapt to be able to eventually play soccer at the same low heart rate. You would also have far greater endurance.

With your background, I don't expect you to change. Building mental toughness is a key factor in military training. I have a bit different philosophy. That is to overtrain in a scientific way so I don't need the mental toughness to do the same activities. 

Either way gets the job done. Many types of training have worked in the past to produce elite athletes. 

[Captain-Canuck]

Well, IF you can convince the worlds elite forces and professional athletes to adopt your training regime, you should become very wealthy is a very short time.
But I fear when it comes to competitive sports it will be a “no, YOU first” sort of thing. Trying to convince “Pep” Guardiola to have his lads saunter about until just before the first game of the regular season would be a hard sell. Unless everyone of your competitors was on the same page. In a sport with a 90 minute span, and sprinting until your legs go numb and your lungs hurt is something that so far, requires intensive training year round…but I like your idea better! 🙂

[Masonmd1]

All good thoughts. Let's cut the chatter and, "anyone for a run?" Seriously, though. I've found if I push myself to peak heart rate while I'm running, I run less time. If I slow down a bit, I run longer, thus keeping my heart rate up longer as well.  I bet there are others out their in better shape who could run harder for longer. That said, I say whatever works for you, keep doing it. It beats the heck out of sitting in front of the tube eating Tostitos lime chips. Oh, I love those things! Good luck to everyone at beating the bulge and staying healthy for longer. 

[SunsetRunner]

But it clearly states that more calories are burned from fat but that they burn fewer in general. They don't need to change their wording, you just misunderstood it. 

[Captain-Canuck]

I doubt I will read that book, but thanks anyway. 

And no, slow heart rates and soccer will never meet. Not on planet Earth anyway. Well, I would LOVE to play a team with a 98 bpm rate...SCORE! ...literally. 

But seriously, the science does not favour 3 toed sloths, outrunning predators. Hence, camouflage.

I don't have "mental toughness" I go at a pace to achieve what I want to achieve. Ramp it up or slow it down to fit the goal. I don't compete.

[JordanNewton]

Not sure if this has already been said (i didn't bother to read all the comments). Whilst I don't profess to be an expert my understanding is high heart rate levels are better for cardiovascular training and not necessarily fat burning. If your heart rate is close to your vo2 max then your body has no choice but to use any source it can for energy, namely carbs etc, the best way to burn fat, in my opinion, is to do light to medium workouts in a fasted state which can help get your body into a state of Ketosis, which will help directly use your body fat as fuel. In short, yes your calories burnt will be higher in a high-intensity workout but that doesn't mean the energy sources are coming from fat. 

[Dominique]

Fat loss is determined primarily by energy balance: if you eat 2000 calories and burn 2500 calories during the day, you will burn fat, regardless of the kind of exercises you do (e.g. aerobic vs. anaerobic), of your status when exercising (fed vs. non-fed), of your diet (e.g. low-carb/high-fat vs. high-carb/low-fat).

Bottom line: if you are interested in losing fat, focus on eating a diet that suits you, on doing exercises you enjoy doing and on achieving the caloric deficit needed for the weight loss to take place. It’s going to be more efficient than (over)thinking which HR zones you should spend time in, which macronutrients you should have/should not have in your system while exercising etc.

[pickeringmt]

I agree with this. A few years ago I got some advice to simply walk on a treadmill at a pace and incline that years later (after getting a Fitbit) I found put me entirely in this "zone". I do it twice a day for 30 minutes and have lost 20 pounds in about 3 months with very little struggle (200# to 180# - I am about 5'11") Trying all of the P90X style killing myself has always had the opposite effect, where I just totally burn out, give up, and develop new bad habits. With a business to run, raising my 2 kids, and the rest of life, fitness becomes a matter of what is sustainable, and this is. I can do 2 30 minute walks a day forever, where I simply can't stick to several Massive cardio session a day for very long. So, big picture, I absolutely will burn more calories than someone stressing there body beyond what they should, becoming seriously tired all the time, and then buying the line that if they just had more willpower they could lose the weight. Not all of us buy a Fitbit to become an athlete. I used mine to live a happy and more healthy life and I am crushing that 🙂

[Gizmofire]

I took an entirely different meaning from "fat burn" than it seems others are..

Carbohydrates will burn even if you sit still, sugars are the body's preferred source of fuel and they will be used to keep your basic body functions going (you burn calories while asleep). That's just your basic metabolism.

However, if you take in more than you put out, carbohydrates will be laid down as glycogen (body fat).

If you're moving around, but not particularly intensely, you may be burning more of your energy from lipids, or dietary fat - as it burns slower and longer (think burning paper vs burning oil). They also contain more calories per gram than carbs. The calorie burn will be lower overall, and unlikely to dip into body fat  unless you haven't eaten enough calories in general (the fact that we associate our weight with fat and then have a macro named fat might be the source of the confusion). 

Once you move up into cardio and peak, your body will dip into the stored glycogen / body fat for fuel. More calories overall are burned. That's when you're more likely to be burning off the excess that is already stored in the body from those excess carbs (fats and carbs are also digested differently - simple carbs in the mouth / stomach / liver, complex in the colon. Fats are absorbed via the peyers patches in the small intestine with the aid of bile from the liver, and are distributed via the lymphatic system - hence why blood fat levels don't spike like carb levels do) 

Of course, this is merely how I read it. My understanding comes more from anatomy and physiology with a basic nutrition course at college, and I could be way off, I wasn't studying it from the point of view of fitness. 

[Dominique]

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@Gizmofire wrote:

if you take in more than you put out, carbohydrates will be laid down as glycogen (body fat).

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Glycogen (found in the liver and in muscles) is a storage form of carbs. Carbs must be converted into fat (via a process known as lipogenesis) before they can be stored into fat cells.

[CAP1085]

Hi,  I need Fitbit friends.  I just learned that was a option after finally having time to explore fitbit alittle more.  What a great feature being able to connect with others.  So cool.  Would love to make friends on fitbit.