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April 2008, Brett
Training for Weight Loss
Stop by your local gym, track, or other fitness facility and ask people why they are active. What will you hear? The response may vary from losing weight, training for an event, or a shrug with an “I don’t know.” This is not unusual; in fact, the most common answer will be an amorphous “get in shape” response. In reality, one of the biggest obstacles to achieving your goal is not having one. How you train should be a direct reflection of your intentions. If you are looking to lose weight, your training plan is quite different than that for gaining muscle.
Training for your goal is actually quite simple: your body adapts to the specific demands placed upon it. For instance, say you want to lose weight. That would require a diet that is lower in calories than what your body would require to maintain weight, coupled with an exercise plan that maximizes your calorie expenditure without losing muscle. Aside from the food aspect, if you are working out in the “fat burning zone” on a machine, you are actually not really in a weight loss zone. The “fat burning zone” is based on the idea that at lower intensities you will burn a higher proportion of fat.
For instance, you are in a “fat burning zone” as you sit in front of your computer reading this article, you just aren’t burning enough calories to make a difference. The higher the intensity and the longer you stay at that intensity, the more likely to are to burn enough calories to make weight loss possible. In this case, try aiming for the “cardio zone” to keep your intensity high enough to get the benefits. You can also use the talk test: be able to speak 2-3 words per breath, but not sing. If you can’t get 2-3 words out, it is likely too hard; if you can sing, your intensity is too low.
In addition, if you are just doing cardio, you may not be getting all of the benefits you could from being active. When you are taking in fewer calories, your body is placed under stress to maintain itself for survival. This means your body will look at what it requiring the most energy and decrease it to survive. Unfortunately, this is not fat in most situations. Because muscle mass requires more energy, your body will begin to breakdown muscle, while tapping into fat resources comparatively little. You will lose fat, but losing muscle just makes continued weight loss and maintenance very difficult.
Losing weight can be tricky, and perhaps a bit frustrating, for one main reason: your body loves to be in balance. If you take in fewer calories, you may not feel as energized and ready to exercise. If you exercise more, you may feel hungrier than normal. Ideally, when you eat a healthy diet that is full of fruits and vegetables, you can eat more bulk, but get fewer calories. Contact our Registered Dietitian at Healthy Utah for more details. If you have questions on this or any other fitness topic, contact Brett at bmciff@utah.gov. Keep Moving!
