Walking

[damianchandler]

Whilst walking, Is it better to maintain a walk in the fat burn zone or walk quicker to get in the cardio zone, my reason for asking is that i want to loose weight quicker

[wmchapman]

Well, of course, a trainer will tell you burn more calories - burn more fat and carbs.

The real world we live in (out of the gym) tells us our body needs fuel daily and left over fuel is stored as "weight". Find the best balance between calories in and calories burned for your body - everyone's different.  Being healthy is more important than a number on a scale, in my opinion.

I got my first fitbit when the Surge was introduced, any fitbit tool makes you more conscious of your activity which is the first step to uncovering a way to lose weight. Over the last two years I have gone from an uncomfortable 206 to maintaining between 182 and 188 - as you begin your journey you will soon discover the number on your scale changes hourly depending on how much fuel you take in, not what zone you are in.  I tracked calories in my first 90 days with the fitbit food tile to translate my meals into fuel numbers (everybody pretty much has there favorite foods and prepares routinely) once I had the numbers there was no longer a need to track - just adjusted the portions to fit my daily calories burned numbers.  Your goal is to have a higher calories burned each day than calories taken in.

Through practice I've learned my body needs a 3000 calorie "loss" to eliminate (notice I didn't say "lose" because it is gone forever) a pound of body weight. 

I can adjust my weight 3lbs every month with activity if there are no eating binges, or the binges are followed by walking an equal number of calories. The more fit you become, the longer it takes to push your body into the "fat burn zone" which is why you have a tracker. A few years back I was in the zone after 5 minutes; but as I became lighter it took ten. Now I find the zone just after 15 minutes, I budget 40 minutes of steady walking for 20 minutes "in the zone, or a 175 calorie burn - equal one brownie bar, one beer, or bag of chips (not at the same time - lol)

Rather than thinking "fast" @damianchandler, my suggestion is you use your fitbit, and its tools, to learn realtime how your body works and sculpt it into what you want rather than hit a target weight number.

Love my fitbit!  Welcome to forums, stay here and let us know how your goals come together.

[Rich_Laue]

My feeling has always been, science backs this up, to loose weight make your portions smaller and move more. With this fomula i lst 30 pounds or a little over 2 Stone for those on the other side of the pond.

@damianchandler since its not a hardware problem, but about losing weight, I've moved your post to the Manage Weight Discussion Board. 

[wmchapman]

Excellent idea @Rich_Laue moving the post here.

@damianchandler, now we are in the manage weight section if you want ideas on some of the fuel substitutes that worked for me specifically once I opened my eyes to calories in - just ask, I'm sure both Rich and I have some obvious, personally proven, ones for you out of the gate. 

[bcalvanese]

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@damianchandler wrote:

Whilst walking, Is it better to maintain a walk in the fat burn zone or walk quicker to get in the cardio zone, my reason for asking is that i want to loose weight quicker

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I think the cardio zone is best because keeping your heart in the cardio zone for 30 minutes non stop will increase your cardio fitness level. It will also burn more calories.

I went from barely being able to walk a mile to being able to run 5 miles in 2 years. I lost over 50 lbs. so far, and my fitness level is way better now.

[Dave001]

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@damianchandler wrote:

Whilst walking, Is it better to maintain a walk in the fat burn zone or walk quicker to get in the cardio zone, my reason for asking is that i want to loose weight quicker

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Fat burn zone? Cardio zone?

Neither! Walk in the Happy Zone!

Walk lots, walk often, walk with a smile on your face. Enjoy the world around you. Smell the fresh air, admire the myriad colours that nature paints her canvas with. Offer passers-by a cheery "Hello".

These things will keep you walking for weeks, months and years. And keep you enjoying your walking whilst reaping the many benefits (weight loss is only one of many benefits of regular walking!).

Worrying about fat burn or cardio zones will only put a frown on your face and you risk getting disheartened and quitting if you're not in the "right" zone.

Any walking is better than no walking! And happy walking is best of all. 

[Dominique]

You need to consider this: weight loss isn’t caused by walking, running, exercising in any given heart rate zone, eating this, not eating that etc. It is caused by being in a (hopefully sustainable) caloric deficit for long enough. You can create the required deficit via exercising, nutrition, or a combination of both.

Regarding exercising, you need to consider your constraints. For instance, how much time can you dedicate to it? Is exercising at higher intensity safe for your joints, your heart etc.? Walking is great, because it’s an activity many people can sustain for a long enough period at a time (e.g. one hour). Jogging/running is nice for people who are short of time, because it burns more calories per unit of time; OTOH, not every one is fit enough to jog/run, especially if they have been sedentary for a long time and/or carry a lot of extra weight. Resistance training (e.g. lifting weight) doesn’t burn as many calories as the aforementioned cardio activities, but it is useful for maintaining lean body mass when losing weight.

You shouldn’t spend too much time thinking about heart rate zones at this stage, especially not about their impact on weight loss. As someone already said: any activity is better than no activity, and any activity will burn calories (and should improve your health, if done safely).

Also pay attention to nutrition. There’s a saying that you can’t out-exercise a poor diet, and I believe it is true in most cases.

[Bill_k]

Yes you will burn more calories if you can manage to keep your heart rate elevated for extended times and it will be reflected on the fitbit screen.

One thing you should watch though is that you don't hurt yourself doing it .

I started walking a lot more and faster and ended up having muscle,joint  pain issues . I ended up having to rest more often so this wouldn't happen.

Maybe you're in better shape than me though.

As well i don't know what calories you are consuming but if you are on low low input and you extend yourself too much with this exercise you could end up getting dizzy sometimes or affecting muscle mass as well as fat weight.

This is just my opinion from experience though and i am not a nutritionist.

Good luck with it.

[Mukluk4]

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@damianchandler wrote:

Whilst walking, Is it better to maintain a walk in the fat burn zone or walk quicker to get in the cardio zone, my reason for asking is that i want to loose weight quicker

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Push yourself (even a bit at a time).  There is a difference between "skinny fat" and "fat skinny"

[wmchapman]

Here's my morning walk - use the tracker tools to see what works for you, if you want to speed up what is a natural process.  In stead of watching a weight number watch this number after each event.  I already know I consume 2600 calories a day, so I need to burn 2600 a day for par. My goal is 250 calories per 40 minute walk.  I boosted the number for you by climbing the steps at two local churches I pass along my route - look at the chart above, can you spot those times?  You are in control, push for activities during activities, they are easier to accomplish.  It's the "accomplish" that creates results.

[MJAF]

I totally agree.  If we are walking, we are not sitting on the couch, eating!  I was so focused on trying to keep up my speed while walking outside, that I was missing my surroundings.  I find myself revitalized & renewed by taking a slower pace, but still hitting my mark in steps.  There is a reward, at least for me, in enjoying the beauty of the outdoors & saying hello with a smile to all that I meet.