Hi, I had a few questions that I wanted to ask.

1. Fat Loss vs Cardio Training.

I read somewhere that if you do the fat loss (lower heart rate target) on excersize machines vs the Cardio (higher heart rate target) then you get a better benefit in the fat loss, if you want to lose fat. It said that the Cardio is good if you want to increase your lung capacity, but not as good if you want to lose fat. I assume this is because it is harder to maintain the cardio heart rate for a length of time that would be good for weight loss. My question is, if I can keep up the cardio heart rate for 45-60 min, then isn't that better for fat loss than 45-60 min at a lesser heart rate (not working as hard)? For my age and weight, the machine's target fat burning heart rate is 135 bpm, while the cardio one is 155 bpm.

2. Machine cardio vs running.

I am starting to think that machine cardio is not doing much for me. What I mean is, I am so out of shape, that I get winded climbing up the three flights of stairs to the lab that I work in. I can't run much distance at all without having to stop. Yet I can go for an hour on the ellyptical machine in the gym and for much of that, my heart rate is in the 160-180 bpm range. In that hour, the machine says that I burn on the range of 900-1100 Calories, and run about 5 miles. Why is it that I can go so long on the machine, yet am still so physically out of shape? One of the main goals for me in losing weight is to be able to run around, play sports and such, without being doubled over and sucking wind after 5 minutes. Should I switch to running? The reason why I like the ellyptical glider at the gym so much is that I can watch SportsCenter while excersising. I think running outside is pretty boring.

3. Diet.

I am trying to work on what I eat. I have switched to the whole grains in the bread I eat. Lowered my fat intake, and stuff like that. Does anyone here have any suggestions on what I can eat that is not out of this world expensive? I am a graduate student, which means I have very little money. It seems that all the cheap stuff is bad for you. Can anyone give me suggestions? Thanks.

Welcome aboard!! A couple helps regarding your questions.

1. From what I have learned regarding fat burning at different heart rates is that when you are going at 60-75% of your THR that is considered aerobic and after a while during aerobic excersize your body begins to burn fat at a steady rate. On the other hand, anything over 75% of your THR (target heart rate) is considered An-Aerobic. At this point you are working the cardiovascular system pretty intensely and your body tells itself it is in for a grueling workout so your brain tells your body to go into "starvation mode" and it begins to store fat and use it very sparingly.

2. I empathize with you as I consider running outside boring also...the best way to make it more fun is to find someone to run with you and to find several different routes that you can take throughout the week. I notice results using the elliptical as well as running. The elliptical I see more steady results and is more consistent in fat burning, however Running I see quick results, and it is more of a full body workout than ellipticall as well. Usually I run and do the ellipticall several times a week for different cardio sessions...who says you cannot do both? Also, when I hit plateau's (like right now I am about 7 pounds away from finishing my cutting phase) I find that runnning more often than usual (substituting it for sesssions on the ellipticall) help me break through those plateau's.

3. Find a market that has produce at great prices if you can where you live. (there are two in my area, Springbrook Market and Michael's). The produce is usually very inexpensive there. Shop once a week to two weeks so that you always have fresh fruits and vegetables in the house...cannot say enough about the effects of including lots of green vegetables, tomatos, avacado (limited...full of fat...but good fat) grapefruit, bananas (one a day especially on weight days afterwards for muscle recovery). Definitely a great move to switch to whole grains...that will do you a world of good!!

Good luck, keep up the hard work and you will be racing up those stairs unwinded in no time! :tu:

Great article here about your first ?

http://www.naturalphysiques.com/cms/index.php?itemid=115&catid=4