Unable to loose Subcutaneous belly fat

(JK) #7

Yes,l track on carb manager.I do bodyweight excercise, and upper and lower body on the machines, l am going to try and workout 4 times a week .To see if it makes a difference. Could possibly be a Adrenal problem? The fat is just around the torso and belly, arms and legs are skinny.

#8

How intensely are you working out, and how do you feel towards the end? Are you totally exhausted, or do you feel ok but feel like you have done enough?

(JK) #9

Pretty exhausted, heart rate spikes at about 160-170 for a short period.
Ha1c is 5.3 ,need to get that down to under 5.

#10

Unless you are particularly interested and invested in the type of exercise you are currently doing, then I would suggest spending less time at such a high heart rate.
The 2 beat ways to scrub fat is to build lean muscle, so that you raise your metabolism, and spend much more time in phase 2 activity.
That would be cross trainer, rower, bike, up hill walking, stepper, etc. Working at the rate where you get hot and sweaty, but can manage 40mins to an hour with a steady heart rate. You should be just as exhausted but have burned way more calories.

Very roughly speaking, HIIT is good for fitness, but not very efficient for burning fat.
Long slow exercise is very efficient at burning fat.

(JK) #11

Forgot mention, l do approx 15000+ steps a day as part of my work .Will so steady state treadmill and bike 2 twice a week as well .Thanks for the advice

#12

thats a good amount of steps. but that is still phase 1 exercise. steps are great conditioning and will raise your metabolism, but phase 2 is when your heart rate rises a little, you get hot and sweaty, and after 30mins you will have burned off all or most of the energy you store in your muscles, blood, liver and stomach. Then the next 30mins you are pushing your body to break down your fat stores.

If you are fairly fit, then the treadmill is ok, but for many people the treadmill will take you out of phase 2 and into phase 3, 4, 5 where you are pushing your heart rate up, stressing your system. In the higher phases of exercise your body can fall into stress mode and actually want to retain its fat stores. This may be ‘bro-science’ but I have been told that in the higher ranges of exercise your body may even prefer to break down muscle for glucose, rather than fat for ketones.
So be aware not to go to hard on the treadmill. a hard uphill walk is better than a run.

Any way you approach your goal, if you have reached a plateau then usually the best thing to do is totally change your routine rather than add something extra.
so whatever you are doing now, it might be a good idea to try something totally different for 8 weeks and see how it goes.

(JK) #13

Thanks will try.

(JK) #14

Also any thoughts on Sauna and ice baths not for only for fat loss ,but general health?

#15

Absolutely. I wish I had access to a sauna. So much good science on the benefits of both.

I have a cold shower, but its bloody horrible. After a normal shower I turn the hot water off and try and count to 20. I fairly make it to 15.

#16

Ha. I do this too xD

#17

Sauna all day long, Ice Baths? Ever do one? Pure hell and pain for overhyped benefits IMO.

(JK) #18

What should be the ideal phase 2 heart rate For fat burning for a 55yr old?

#19

Is there an ideal heart rate for fat burning? I haven’t heard this.

#20

It would be bases on your resting heart rate.
But essentially, it would be whatever exercise you can maintain without stopping or slowing down for 40-60mins but still be totally exhausted at the end.
Ideally you would need a sit down and rest for 5mins, then be fine to carry on with your day. Obviously you wouldn’t want to kill yourself so that you can not function.
Also, it is a %age range. Not a fixed number.
So it may be 120 after a few mins, but if you hit 150, you might need to slow down.
Ideally speak to a gym instructor for more specific advice.

#21

Its not so much that there is an ideal heart rate, but an activity level you can maintain for a long time without putting your body in to shock, but hard enough to burn lots of energy and break down some fat stores.
The heart rate is more of a guide.

#22

Yes and no, that was pushed for a long time (mainly from Cardio equipment) but there is some truth to it, but ultimately it’s kinda been pushed away since many people find the ranges given for “fat burn” vs “endurance” don’t really line up with what works for them. HIIT seems to burn fat off the fastest, Intervals on cardio eq is really good as well.

#23

Yes, but most people’s ideas of HIIT is 10 x 1min with 1min rest so your all done and dusted within 20mins, which is way early to finish a workout if you want to burn some fat.

The whole ‘fat burning zone’ was always a bit BS when they base it on heart rate. But sticking at a speed/tempo you can keep up for an hour is the most sure fire way to ensure you are not only burning your dietary energy, but also breaking down stored fat.

One of the reasons agaiat HIIT being good for burning fat is when, like myself, someone does not have the metabolic condition to provide enough energy for the higher intensity.

For someone who is as unfit as I was 6 months ago, HIIT just doesn’t work. I would have had a sugar crash after 5 sets and not been able to continue. Which means that i would have done 5mins to total exercise.

But I do agree that for someone who is fairly healthy, HIIT ‘can’ be the fastest way to burn fat.
I have started HIIT again after 20 years, its hard work but I am seeing marked improvement every session.

(JK) #24

What about the rise in Cortisol on HIIT compared with steady state training, for a 55yr Old?

#25

From what I understand, a short spike in cortisol actually does some good; it’s only sustained stress/cortisol levels that need to be avoided. But then when I do HIIT I keep it to an absolute max of 10 minutes to just get the overall health benefits, and am not going for fat burning with it.

(JK) #26

Thanks for the info.