Walk a mile...

[Azure]

I've heard a lot about this lately....people walking a mile, or 2 miles, or 3 miles.

Its a good idea, really....walking is better than sitting around on the couch in the evening. But I just talked to 3 different people who have quit the program because they haven't been losing weight.

Apparently the original idea was targeted at people with heart problems, and walking a mile was supposed to help them 'correct' their heart problems. Of course, that is a load of crap. Losing weight, eating healthy, and raising your heart rate ABOVE 150bpm during cardio is going to help correct your heart problems. How many people here could get their heart rate up above 150bpm by walking? Even speed walking. I know I can't.

But of course, everyone wants the quick, easy fix to their weight/heart/health problems, so they walk a mile thinking it will help them. And when they can't lose weight, they quit out of frustration.

The quick, easy fix is HIIT. Period.

But try convincing people of that. Even MIIT would help more than walking a freakin' mile. Because walking is essentially LIIT, and one would have to walk almost 5 miles to equal the work I do in a little over 20 min on the stationary bike.

Now, I'm not slamming the fact that people get up and walk. I often do the same thing; walk instead of drive, stuff like that. Being active helps. But you're NOT supposed to walk a mile as your primary source of exercise. It is NOT real cardio, and NO it will not really help your heart in the long run. I can raise my heart rate to 120bpm watching a good hockey game.

Even my doctor said he is appalled by the amount of people who come to him for a checkup, and when they get concered over their heart problems, he asks them how much exercise they get. A LOT of people say, "Oh, I walk a mile every day, isn't that enough?"

/rant off.

Now, I really wanted to start another fitness thread to find out how Photon and a few others who started losing weight a few months ago are doing. And I can't find the old thread....soooo.

[ken0042]

You lost me with the acronyms.

But as far as my own weight loss, I'm down almost 20 pounds since last fall. It's been on a plateau for the last few weeks, but before that it was a nice consistant pound per week.

[Azure]

HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training. Very tough to do....I last about 20 min before I have huge lactic acid buildup, and have to quit.

MIIT = Medium Intensity Interval Training, and what most of us do. Although we usually don't do it in intervals.

LIIT = Low Intensity Interval Training, or just low intensity training.....something like walking. Does basically nothing, considering it burns very little calories, and doesn't do much for your heart rate.

bpm = Beats per minute. Duh.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Last February, I started the low carb thing. Lost 60 by September. I was a big guy to start so I had a lot to lose, but I did pretty damn good. I did lots of excercise, ran every second day, played tennis on the off days, so I did work at it. After September, I started eating the foods I loved and I really fell off the wagon around Christmas and since Sept to now, I gained back about 30-35. I'm back on the low carb thing again, but it's even tougher now.


But to your post, the acronyms totally lost me.

[Azure]

Atkins style low carb? Or something different?

[Sylvanfan]

I'm still down about 25 pounds or so from September. I'm not particularly active but my two dogs pretty much demand that I run them around 2km at least once a day and I do bike to my office a couple times a week which amounts to about 10km of riding each day. The biggest thing for me has been portion control of what I eat and cutting out a lot of sugar from my diet though.

[macker]

I run 26.1 miles......actually only 4 marathons completed so far but I think what they are getting at is to try to get people walking before they run/roller blade/bike etc. etc. I think one thing leads to another and walking is a starting point as anyone can do it and it is free. I agree that you need to get your heart rate up to get even better results but you got to start somewhere. I find that running, biking or roller blading with nordic poles I can get my heart rate up to 170-180 range and with walking I can get no where near this. I always think that I run so that I can eat and I can now eat just about anything without having to worry about it as I know I am going to burn it off on my next run. I also would not have a use for my ipod without running and running can give you a 6 pack feeling if you do it long enough. Dr's are always good for scaring some sense into us! I was told I had high cholesterol a few years back and that got my attention and that got me running! Good luck with your healthy living!

[Daradon]

Walking well help, but it's no miracle cure. The best way to lose weight is any type or aerobic exercise. Also, to strengthen ones heart you also need to do aerobic exercise, though doctors will have you aim for a longer time at the easiest end of your scale, rather then really working up a sweat or going into that anaerobic range (which can be dangerous for a weak heart, heck any heart)

But ultimately walking will help you burn lots more calories than not walking.

[Iggy's Forehead]

Walk a mile in my shoes. Then you won't excercise ever again.

[Locke]

I think the general idea is, for people who cant run for one reason or another its better than nothing.

Besides, if you're so healthy what were you doing talking to your doctor anyways?

[Azure]

Don't get me wrong....walking is good. But like Daradon said, its no miracle cure, and a lot of people are going to get frustrated and quit because they're not going to lose weight.

The elliptical is better though, as is the stationary bike.

I have a genetic history of heart problems, so I check with my doctor about once a year to have a blood test done.

[macker]

Originally Posted by Locke

I think the general idea is, for people who cant run for one reason or another its better than nothing.

Besides, if you're so healthy what were you doing talking to your doctor anyways?

I see doctors as a valuable resource if you can get a good one! I go every couple of years for blood work etc. as a preventative measure. Getting older I guess and wanting to keep on top of things! Kind of like taking your car to a mechanic before a road trip etc. Just my opinion on Doctors but OP may have a different take as to why he goes....

[Azure]

Originally Posted by macker

I see doctors as a valuable resource if you can get a good one! I go every couple of years for blood work etc. as a preventative measure. Getting older I guess and wanting to keep on top of things! Kind of like taking your car to a mechanic before a road trip etc. Just my opinion on Doctors but OP may have a different take as to why he goes....

Yeah, I do it for the same reasons.

Better safe than sorry, and going for a blood test once a year is not a big deal. In fact, doctors are usually glad that you're looking after yourself that way, and encourage you to come back the next year.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Azure

HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training. Very tough to do....I last about 20 min before I have huge lactic acid buildup, and have to quit.

MIIT = Medium Intensity Interval Training, and what most of us do. Although we usually don't do it in intervals.

LIIT = Low Intensity Interval Training, or just low intensity training.....something like walking. Does basically nothing, considering it burns very little calories, and doesn't do much for your heart rate.

bpm = Beats per minute. Duh.

I thought that for High Intensity you would only do this for about 20 minutes and that was enough anyway?

[OutOfTheCube]

I'm gonna buy Wii Fit.

Trust me, it'll be an improvement on my current level of exercise.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Slava

I thought that for High Intensity you would only do this for about 20 minutes and that was enough anyway?

Yeah, it usually is.

Even medium intensity for 20 min is pretty good for most people. Provided you follow a pretty active lifestyle.

But walking? Come on.

[photon]

I've lost over 100 pounds on mostly diet, but have been adding exercise recently.

I'm "off" the diet right now because of budget (it was a plan that wasn't cheap) though.

I have been doing the elliptical half an hour every other day, but just a normal way.. set it on the cardio program, keep my heart rate at 145-155 (80% max for me).. But I realize this isn't really doing anything for my weight loss, though I'm sure it's helping my cardio (of which I have none).. they wanted me to increase that to an hour, that's a lot of time.

So I guess the question is if I wanted to transition to a HIIT or MIIT style program, what should I do? I've still got 80lbs or so I'd like to lose, and my base cardio isn't great so I don't want to give myself a heart attack by trying to do too much, but the idea of doing 20 minutes instead of an hour is appealing.

[Azure]

Usually when I do HIIT, my heart rate is sitting around 180-190 bpm, and I've even registered around 200bpm at times.

Obviously, that isn't a good idea for you. But, in your situation, I would probably keep on doing what you're doing, and slowly increase your heart rate from week to week. Say, shoot for 155bpm for a few weeks, and push yourself a little harder after that, perhaps to 160bpm. Make sure you check with your doctor though; I have a healthy heart, so its no problem for me to max it out as much as possible. But I had to start slow too.

How hard do you go with your elliptical? And what is your diet like? The 100lb loss is simply fabulous, but as you're almost certainly aware, you have to adopt a pretty good diet, and eat healthy to avoid gaining most of that weight back.

IIRC, you were eating at a pretty low calorie total last time we talked about this, so I assume you're off of it. The best option would probably be to figure out your BMR - basic metabolic rate - making sure you include the amount of exercise you do everyday. Find out what this is, and slowly bring up your calorie amount each day, until you're 500-1000 short of that.

Here is a site that calculates it for you.

http://www.tlbc.ca/blog/index.php/bmr-calculator/

I'm at 2300, resting, meaning that is what my body would burn if I lay in bed all day. Add my activity level in, and suddenly I'm up around 3600. So, I'd have to eat around 3000 calories in order to lose 1 lb per week, and around 2500 to lose 2 lbs per week.

Once you have that figured out, adjust accordingly, but make sure you 'slowly' bring yourself to that level. Meaning if you're eating 1000 calories right now, 'slowly'....even if it takes you a month, bring yourself up to 2500(if that is what it'll take to lose at a rate you're happy with). Reason for this is because your metabolism has adjusted itself based on the diet that has lost you 100lbs. You'll slowly want to adjust it back to a different level.

Exercise is beneficial....diet is fundamental. Weight lifting would be an added bonus; muscle burns more calories at a rested state than fat does, and for someone who is overweight, you can burn fat for energy to gain muscle.....which helps immensely because you won't have to eat at a calorie surplus in order to create that muscle.

I'm going to post 2 different links to different threads that explain weight loss, and diet better than I ever could.

Here:
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ad.php?t=19229

And here:
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/s...ead.php?t=1222

Both of them have helped me completely change my life. Bookmark them, or even sign up on the forum if you have other questions. And read them often.

Also www.fitday.com is a online resource that helps you track calories eaten, and calories burnt. Check it out....pretty simple to use, and motivating for someone starting out.

Hope this helps you out.

Oh, I wouldn't recommend watching the scale, or weighing yourself more than every 2 weeks. Keeping tabs on your body fat is a much better idea, and I have a home test spreadsheet that I can send you, where you basically input the measurements from all over your body, and it gives you a pretty accurate result. Within 1-2% for sure.

Here is a link in regards to scale watching...

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspart...ight/scale.htm

[photon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Usually when I do HIIT, my heart rate is sitting around 180-190 bpm, and I've even registered around 200bpm at times.

Obviously, that isn't a good idea for you. But, in your situation, I would probably keep on doing what you're doing, and slowly increase your heart rate from week to week. Say, shoot for 155bpm for a few weeks, and push yourself a little harder after that, perhaps to 160bpm. Make sure you check with your doctor though; I have a healthy heart, so its no problem for me to max it out as much as possible. But I had to start slow too.

Hm.. Yeah I guess I'll have to consult with my doctor on that.. I don't really feel overly stressed with what I'm doing now though, I mean I sweat and breathe hard, but I don't feel like I'm going crazy, though if I go past 45 minutes my legs do feel a bit weak afterwards, but not for very long.

How hard do you go with your elliptical? And what is your diet like? The 100lb loss is simply fabulous, but as you're almost certainly aware, you have to adopt a pretty good diet, and eat healthy to avoid gaining most of that weight back.

I keep my heart rate up around 150, usually going between 145 and 155 on the cardio program which goes up and down with resistance 5-6 times over 30 minutes.

Yeah, been not too bad since I went off a few weeks ago, but I can see myself slipping too much already. I'm considering joining a different, lower cost program like L.A. Weight Loss just to keep up the constant monitoring.

Either that or I was thinking of going the other direction and trying to do something like Body for Life and doing the weight training.

IIRC, you were eating at a pretty low calorie total last time we talked about this, so I assume you're off of it. The best option would probably be to figure out your BMR - basic metabolic rate - making sure you include the amount of exercise you do everyday. Find out what this is, and slowly bring up your calorie amount each day, until you're 500-1000 short of that.

Here is a site that calculates it for you.

http://www.tlbc.ca/blog/index.php/bmr-calculator/

I'm at 2300, resting, meaning that is what my body would burn if I lay in bed all day. Add my activity level in, and suddenly I'm up around 3600. So, I'd have to eat around 3000 calories in order to lose 1 lb per week, and around 2500 to lose 2 lbs per week.

Once you have that figured out, adjust accordingly, but make sure you 'slowly' bring yourself to that level. Meaning if you're eating 1000 calories right now, 'slowly'....even if it takes you a month, bring yourself up to 2500(if that is what it'll take to lose at a rate you're happy with). Reason for this is because your metabolism has adjusted itself based on the diet that has lost you 100lbs. You'll slowly want to adjust it back to a different level.

Lol I should have asked a few weeks ago.. the slowly's been blown out of the water for sure, and I paid for it too, felt pretty crappy for a bit.

Thanks for the link tho that's a good idea, I can still find my rate and go with that.

Oh, I wouldn't recommend watching the scale, or weighing yourself more than every 2 weeks. Keeping tabs on your body fat is a much better idea, and I have a home test spreadsheet that I can send you, where you basically input the measurements from all over your body, and it gives you a pretty accurate result. Within 1-2% for sure.

Hm, interesting. I got used to watching the scale 3 times a week on the diet so I got used to the small swings and not worrying about those, and concentrating on the larger moves which were what I was after. So I'm used to not being discouraged easily, while the constant feedback really helps me feel engaged.

Thanks for all the great info!

I'll do some more reading and try to figure out which way I want to go, either back onto a lower calorie diet with the general cardio exercise, or more into a body for life weight training with cardio, while I know the first way already since I've done it for a while and I could probably lose the rest that way, the second way might be better overall as I still really need to learn to be more active so that I don't have rebound problems.

[Flames09]

I lose about 2 pounds a week, I eat when I'm hungry but I eat food that has less than 3g of fat, no pop, no chocolate, no fast food. I do go out to a restaurant a couple of times a month because otherwise I would flip, I don't eat stuff that doesn't taste good, I dont skip meals, I dont excercise every day. I try to do some weight training once or twice a week, I go for 1 hour walks 2-3 times a week. This isn't a diet for me this is honestly a lifestyle change, it sounds corny but it's working I'm down 25lbs since mid February, and I'm still going strong..

This is my opinion but I hate the elliptical I use to like it until I realised I dont lose any weight on there, I tried the elliptical with the same meal plan back in January and it did nothing for me, I then started lifting weights and walking on the treadmill or going for walks in February and the weight started coming right off.