Bonk 2

[Dogmama]

If you exercise at a higher rate, e.g., doing intervals, you will burn more calories and that will burn more fat.

[Cassandra_Cain]

I don't remember all the details - or maybe I never knew them - but anyway...

To use fat as a primary source of fuel, I think you have to be going at a rather low pace. Everything I've read suggests that the body much, much prefers carbs as its chosen fuel. Once you bonk....

Either that or the light a fire under your backside theory may apply

[velogirl]

So many myths surrounding fat burning, ladies.

Remember, you have dietary fat (ie the fat you eat) and adipose (the fat you store around your middle). We do not use adipose for fuel during exercise.

We are always buring a combination of carb, fat, and protein. While fat is burned in a higher ratio during lower-intensity exercise, you're also burning fewer calories for the duration, so the logic that there is a "fat burning zone" or that you'll melt away your middle by exercising at a lower intensity is a myth. Our bodies are very inefficient using fat or protein as fuel. Carbohydrate/glycogen is the preferred fuel source (and our bodies are very good at utilizing it).

We lose weight/fat by increasing our caloric expenditure (burning more calories through activity) and/or decreasing our caloric intake (eating fewer pints of Ben & Jerry's). It's that simple. It really doesn't matter what intensity exercise you do. Move more and eat less.

If you want to lose fat (or you want your husband to lose fat), you're referring to adipose (the stored fat). The only way to lose that fat (besides liposuction) is to deficit yourself 500-1,000 calories/day. This equals a weight loss of approximately 1-2 pounds a week (3,500 calories = 1 pound). If you deficit yourself more than 1,000 calories/day, you will also lose muscle mass and/or your metabolism will respond by slowing down.

Weight gain was a gradual process -- you don't become overweight overnight. Weight loss is also a gradual process, so be patient.

[Kano]

So, Velogirl, what you're saying is that the answer to his question is "the rest of the day," yes? And then, when he wonders what's the point of the biking, the answer is "to build muscle and what all that will burn the fat," AND "to build strength to cart it all around while we're burning it!"

I was sharing the information about how we need to keep "carbing" while we ride -- run out and we're done for, and then he wanted to know about the fat thing. The idea that "we start burning fat" part way into the session, well, that makes sense to a point -- but then, there would be no such thing as bonk, at least not for a lot of us, because there's just no way I could ride long enough to run out of that fuel!!!

Karen in Boise

[velogirl]

As long as he's burning more calories than he eats, he's chipping away at his subcutaneous fat. Gotta keep him moving, Kano -- that's the secret to weight loss. Calorie restriction + exercise is more effective together than either one alone in losing weight in a healthy fashion.

BTW, one of the greatest mistakes I see new cyclists make, especially those who begin cycling to lose weight, is thinking that riding a bike is a free license to eat anything they want. Because you burn more calories (than if you didn't ride), you're also more hungry. But you need a basic understanding of how many additional calories you're burning. Riding an hour a day doesn't merit increasing your caloric intake by 2,000 calories. I recommend using a tool such as FitDay.com to estimate your caloric needs. And if you find you're gaining excessive amounts of weight, you might want to rethink your overall nutrition plan.

Oh, something else I found interesting is that when folks begin an exercise program (such as cycling), they also sleep more (at night) and take more naps. Remember, you burn roughly half as many calories during sleep as you do at rest, so by sleeping more, you reduce your daily caloric need. If you reduce it more than you've increased it by exercising, you actually need to reduce your caloric intake to offset the difference even though you're now exercising.

[Dogmama]

I found this on pub med:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Citation

If the sciences makes your eyes glaze over, here is the conculsion:

In conclusion, these results reinforce the notion that for a given level of energy expenditure, vigorous exercise favors negative energy and lipid balance to a greater extent than exercise of low to moderate intensity. Moreover, the metabolic adaptations taking place in the skeletal muscle in response to the HIIT program appear to favor the process of lipid oxidation.

In other words, high intensity training is actually better for fat loss than endurance training. High intensity training spares the muscles - and muscles burn fat at a faster rate than fat. Endurance training tends to use muscle mass - not something you want if you're trying to lose weight.

Also, the notion that a calorie is a calorie is being disproved. Studies are showing and all things being equal (energy expenditure and calorie intake) women who eat a hgher protein diet lose more fat weight and retain more muscle than other types of diets.

Your husband will not build appreciable muscle on the bike. He needs to be in a gym lifting weights to build muscle.

I love my endurance training. I'd much rather ride 3 hours than do anything else. But, these days I keep it at a minimum, 1 - 2 times/week. I concentrate on hills, sprints and short rides at tempo for most of my riding. And I lift weights to retain/build muscle mass. I don't want to be one of those menopausal women who can barely carry groceries to the car.

[Bad JuJu]

And I lift weights to retain/build muscle mass. I don't want to be one of those menopausal women who can barely carry groceries to the car.

Right! And the weight training also strengthens our bones and protects us from osteoporosis--no broken hips!