[Stu Pitt]

Something I came across and thought I should share this with the group...

Exercise physiologists used to say slow and sustained aerobic exercise was a great way to burn fat.  I think the target heart rate was about 60% of your maximum heart rate.  There are still charts up at gyms with the target heart rate.

The most recent studies find that it doesn't work.  It was a great theory, but after studying a lot of people exercising this way, very, very few actually dropped body fat percentage.

The newest findings are the best way to drop body fat is interval training.  For example, on a treadmill, elliptical machine, bike, etc., go at a decent pace for a few minutes, then go at an all out pace for a short time like 30-60 sec.  Repeat this for a duration like 30 minutes or so.  The amounts of time in each phase and total duration vary by who you ask.  I'm sure a Google search will bring up some good ideas.

I've tried the slow and sustained several times.  By times I mean consistantly running for several weeks at a time, on a number of occasions.  Never lost any weight to speak of.

I haven't tried the interval training, as I've had great results thus far with strength training the way I've been doing it.  Maybe if/when I plateau.  I'd probably use an elliptical machine for interval training rather than a treadmill.  Its much easier to speed up and slow down safely and easily on an elliptical than a treadmill because you don't have to push buttons to do it.  Not to mention that there's no impact on your joints.  The treadmill is probably the worst in that regard.

Men's Health has some good stuff on their webpage, including intarval training plans.  Men's Health is a very respectable magazine, as their contributing writers are all very well respected in the exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, and medical field.  I've had a subscription for about 2 years now.  No financial connections to the magazine, just a fan.  It's not a magazine like Flex or the other body building magazines where there's a ton of psuedo-science and just plain absurd stuff written in it.

Just some thoughts. 

[Tyson]

Great job Len.  By eating less and better is definitely a great way to go.  My piece of advice, which I think I mentioned here...

Watch your condiments.  Too much mayo, salad dressing, etc. can kill any good intentions without really knowing it.

What you drink is just as important as what you eat.  Up until about a year ago, I was drinking about three 20 oz bottles of Pepsi a day.  That's 750 calories and a ton of sugar that went straight to my waistline and was starting to wreak havok on my insulin levels and resistance.

People often overlook what they're drinking.  Vitamin Water and Gatorade sound like healthy alternatives.  Think of them as soda without carbonation and caffiene.  People don't think of that until they compare the ingredients and see that the majority of them are the same!

Excellent point!  Same goes for fruit and fruit drinks - tons of sugar and you don't need it!  Things like Apples, Banana's, Mango's, and Watermelon are especially bad.  If you "must" have fruit, try to eat blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, all of which have much lower impact on your insulin levels.

[Len_Dreyer]

Great job Len.  By eating less and better is definitely a great way to go.  My piece of advice, which I think I mentioned here...

Watch your condiments.  Too much mayo, salad dressing, etc. can kill any good intentions without really knowing it.

What you drink is just as important as what you eat.  Up until about a year ago, I was drinking about three 20 oz bottles of Pepsi a day.  That's 750 calories and a ton of sugar that went straight to my waistline and was starting to wreak havok on my insulin levels and resistance.

People often overlook what they're drinking.  Vitamin Water and Gatorade sound like healthy alternatives.  Think of them as soda without carbonation and caffiene.  People don't think of that until they compare the ingredients and see that the majority of them are the same!

I  agree that they're great points too. I like to cook and eat well. I get a lot of great ideas watching cooking TV shows at night. Unfortunately, I like to eat while watching those shows and eating big late at night is trouble for the waistline.

[Stu Pitt]

Excellent point!  Same goes for fruit and fruit drinks - tons of sugar and you don't need it!  Things like Apples, Banana's, Mango's, and Watermelon are especially bad.  If you "must" have fruit, try to eat blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, all of which have much lower impact on your insulin levels.

Fruits aren't all that bad.  Yeah, they've got sugar, but it's generally good sugar and it's not a lot compared to candy/chocolate.  They're also good as far as fiber and vitamins are concerned.  Eating an apple or an orange isn't going to harm you.  Drinking 3 or 4 glasses (8oz each) of orange juice on the other hand isn't very good.  It's missing the majority of the fiber.

And there's a very big difference between pure fruit juice and fruit drinks.  Look at Sunny Delight and Hawaiian Punch.  Might as well drink soda, as it's pretty much the same thing. 

[John Casler]

Skimmed through this thread a found it filled with very good information and ideas.

However, I might suggest that "losing weight" should not actually be the TARGET.

First I should say that I make the big assumption that most are more concerned with Good Health primarily and Appearance secondarily.

That said, the focus should not be on body weight, but body composition.

As well as is the case on this forum (mostly middle aged men) the greater focus should be on the distribution of bodyfat (as in not around the abdomen as in metabolic syndrome)

In general I think most who venture into a weight loss program are generally concerned with fat loss, but it is important to know the distinction since losing lean bodyweight (particularly muscle and bone tissue) at our ages, can be a health concern also.

If your weight loss program causes sarcopenia or osteopenia you may be doing as much harm as good.

[ooheadsoo]

looks like I'm in the same boat as many of you, now.  I was over 280 back in the days when I didnt like to weigh myself.  Currently fluctuating between 205 and 210 and having a heck of a time breaking that 200 mark.  Another big meal planned for this weekend...

[WGH]

That said, the focus should not be on body weight, but body composition.

Good post John. I started working out with a professional trainer (35 years of experience) 1-1/2 years ago not to loose weight or look better but to work on my core, even with all my hiking my lumbar sprain was not getting any better. My body is now healing and getting stronger quite nicely but I have a ways to go, this is something I'll have to do for the rest of my life. I lost 15 lbs in the process and am now comfortably "stuck" at 180 lbs, right now the fat is still being replaced by muscle, and this is without dieting.

My thinking so far is what is your life worth? Mine is worth $5000, which is what I pay for a year of training, so instead of new stereo equipment that keeps me on my ass I'm working on my health instead.

Wayne

[Randy]

I went from 177 to 157 over a period of three or four months. Didn't do anything special. I just lost my appetite for some unexplained reason and ate very little. I am a former cancer patient, so there were a few worries about what was going on, but all tests results were excellent. (I have follow up CTs and blood tests every six months now.) I feel better than ever, my weight has stabilized in the low 160s, and all seems well. BTW, the best way to lose weight is to drastically cut down your calorie intake. Not much mystery about that. The effects of exercise are greatly exaggerated for losing weight.

[John Casler]

Good post John. I started working out with a professional trainer (35 years of experience) 1-1/2 years ago not to loose weight or look better but to work on my core, even with all my hiking my lumbar sprain was not getting any better. My body is now healing and getting stronger quite nicely but I have a ways to go, this is something I'll have to do for the rest of my life. I lost 15 lbs in the process and am now comfortably "stuck" at 180 lbs, right now the fat is still being replaced by muscle, and this is without dieting.

My thinking so far is what is your life worth? Mine is worth $5000, which is what I pay for a year of training, so instead of new stereo equipment that keeps me on my ass I'm working on my health instead.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,

Yes, since I am in both the Health/Fitness and the Audio/Video industries, I am often surprised at how easily some will spend several thousand $$ on a system or component, and pinch pennies when it comes to their exercise gear or services

I am sad to say, I sell far more megabuck components and speakers, than home gym systems

Glad your back sprain is rehabbing.  I often work with back rehabilitation issues and have (because of my own condition) developed a significant expertise in the field of reconditioning the TSM (torso stabilization mechanism).

[Stu Pitt]

Randy -

My deepest congrats on beating cancer and staying cancer free!

I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion that exercise's role in weight loss is exaggerated.  I think that exercising without any knowledge isn't the best nor easiest way to lose weight, however there's really no substitute working hard and being intelligent about what you're doing.

I'm not saying everyone's body will respond to exercise like mine did (I'm genuinely being humble, not bragging in any way), but working out adds muscle, which raises metabolism and burns fat.  I've dieted several times and didn't lose much weight.  After the diet, i always put it all back on and then some.  Last year, I decided to make simple lifestyle changes - I stopped drinking garbage sugar-laden drinks and paid attention to portion sizes.  The changes weren't drastic by any means.

Combining my dietary changes with strength training (there's a good cardio benefit in my style of training), I lost 35 pounds in 4 months.  I had to stop exercising due to moving, a pregnant wife, and the subsequent birth of our daughter.  In the 6 months I didn't exercise, I didn't lose any weight.  I started exercising again about 3-4 weeks ago, and my weight loss rate is pretty similar as last time.

I agree that severely reducing caloric intake will help someone lose a lot of weight.  But I don't think it's a good/healthy way to do it, nor is it a long term way of maintaining it.  I'm not talking about cases as extreme as bariatric surgery, but pretty much everything under that.

Maybe I'm a bit biased being in the sports medicine field.  From my own trial and error, and from exercise physiology journals I've read, exercise isn't over rated in the least bit.  At least not when it's done correctly.

If you're saying that the slow and sustained method of exercise is grossly overrated, I agree 100%!   I see so many people on treadmills and the like for a very long duration at a light/moderate pace.  I can't say I've seen them lose any weight.  I never did either, and I've done rounds of that that on several occasions. 

[Stu Pitt]

Oh yeah...  Weighed myself this morning on a whim...

198.8!!!!

First time I've been under 200 since at least 2001.  I'm setting my goal at 177.  That was my wrestling weight my senior year in high school, which was 1994.

I'm not hung up on what the scale says, I just want to drop body fat and feel good.  I've spent too long not feeling good, physically and mentally because of it.  If I don't reach 177, but feel great, that'll be enough.  If I reach it and still feel like I've got some belly fat to lose, I'll keep going until I'm where I want to be.
Please don't take that like I'm going to developed an eating disorder.  Being 5'8, a few pounds looks like so much more than if I was 6 feet tall. 

[WGH]

Women want to loose weight too, a year ago I came across a JAMA study that tracked more than 34,000 women for 13 years. Their findings were startling.

"At the start of the study, the women averaged 54 years of age. The bottom line, so to speak, is that for women who ate a typical diet and weren't already overweight, only those who engaged in moderate exercise for at least an hour a day were able to keep the pounds off as they got older.

Women who exercised less or who were already a little heavy were only able to maintain their weight when they bumped up the workouts and cut the calories they consumed."

In order to not gain any weight over the 13 year period, women in the study exercised 21.5 MET hours per week (≈ 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity).

Physical Activity    MET

Light Intensity Activities < 3
sleeping  0.9
listening to high end stereo systems  1.0 (without beer)
writing, desk work, typing  1.8
walking, 1.7 mph (2.7 km/h), level ground, strolling, very slow 2.3
walking, 2.5 mph    2.9

Moderate Intensity Activities    3 to 6
bicycling, stationary, 50 watts, very light effort  3.0
walking 3.0 mph    3.3
calisthenics, home exercise, light or moderate effort, general  3.5
walking 3.4 mph    3.6
bicycling, <10 mph (16 km/h), leisure, to work or for pleasure  4.0
bicycling, stationary, 100 watts, light effort    5.5

Vigorous Intensity Activities    > 6
jogging, general  7.0
calisthenics (e.g. pushups, situps, pullups,jumping jacks), heavy, vigorous effort  8.0
running jogging, in place  8.0
rope jumping  10.0

Links: The articles that got my attention:

Fighting Fat In Middle Age Takes Hard Work

JAMA: Physical Activity and Weight Gain Prevention

Metabolic equivalent of task(MET)

[Badwater]

I have been a runner for 30+ years.  When I started in 1980 (30 years old) I was heavy; 215-220 pounds and very out of shape.  Three years later I set my marathon PR of 3:04 at 165 pounds.  Along came kids activities and a new job and I ballooned up to 195 or so. Never stopped running but cut way back.  Picked it in 1996 again and dropped to the low 180s high 170s on an average of 60 mile weeks. From 1996-2004 I ran several ultras and managed to hold my weight pretty constant.  During this time I didn't pay much attention to my diet and drank a lot of beer.  In 03 I picked up case of Plantar Faciitus which forced me to cut back my mileage. Since then I have been lazy and distracted.  Training became secondary to other activities and concerns in my life.  As a consequence my weight slowly crept up to 200 pounds at age 61.  I ran my last ultra a year ago and was very slow. It was a painful but I got it done.

I have just recently said to myself enough is enough and have started to run more and do some circuit training.  I work with trainer on the circuits as I would never do them on my own.  So far I have dropped about 6 pounds over the past 3 weeks.  I am also running better and don't feel like death warmed over when I am out on the trail.

I plan to stay on the weight loss kick for the next 6 weeks to try and get in the low 180s again. After that I plan to pick it up and hopefully get in shape for Green Lakes Endurance Run 100K in August.  After that who knows.  I would like to get do another 100...I think I still have one left in me. 

Thanks for listening.

Bill

[Len_Dreyer]

Oh yeah...  Weighed myself this morning on a whim...

198.8!!!!

First time I've been under 200 since at least 2001.  I'm setting my goal at 177.  That was my wrestling weight my senior year in high school, which was 1994.

Great Job! If I set my senior year wrestling weight class as a goal, it'd be 138. Being the same height then as now, 6'1", I can't believe I ever wrestled in that weight class.

[WGH]

Great Job! If I set my senior year wrestling weight class as a goal, it'd be 138. Being the same height then as now, 6'1", I can't believe I ever wrestled in that weight class.

OMG, you must have looked like Mister Fantastic.

[Len_Dreyer]

Wayne    Truly long & lean.

[LadyDog]

I'm in.  Have a good chance to win this thing as "fat" as I am.

A lot of good comments here. 

While exercise, diet, etc, all may play a part, losing weight really is very basic.  It comes down to in-take vs. out-take.

[jackman]

I'm in.  Have a good chance to win this thing as "fat" as I am.

A lot of good comments here. 

While exercise, diet, etc, all may play a part, losing weight really is very basic.  It comes down to in-take vs. out-take.

I'm going to request a do-over for myself because I totally blew my diet over the past week.  Tomorrow starts the insane cycling training schedule.  The new Powertap is on the bike and I'm ready! 

If you are going to be in this thread, please post your current weight, desierd weight, and update the status every week or so, if possible.  The theory is the group participation will keep everyone motivated.  I hope it works for me!

J

[Badwater]

Currently 195 looking to be 180-185 by Aug 31 for the Green Lakes 100K

http://www.gleruns.org/

At age 61 I will probably be the oldest runner entered.

[Tyson]

About 9 months ago I was 190, and 2 weeks ago I was at 170 and I'd like to get to 160.  I'm at 168 right now.  Mainly a result of trying out intermittent fasting.  And of course still no sugar/bread/pasta/cereal/rice/potatoes.  And walking every day.