Am I walking enough question.

[lorelei]

LOL

I'm asking, in another forum, about the fat fast because losing weight is a very, very slow proposition for me.

Anyway, I walk one to two hours per night at a steady 15 minutes per mile clip - a pace I easily maintain for the duration and hit the THR. I also have three or four hours most days when I'm out running errands, and do a great deal of walking then as well.

To make story short, I've been on Atkins for most of the past year. I wound up going off for a period of months when I was living at a job location eating the food that was provided. I gained back fourteen of the twenty eight pounds I had lost. In the middle of February, I went back on Atkins full time, and have lost eight pounds in those two months. Since my weight loss was so slow, I spent the past two weeks, monitering everything I ate to make sure I wasn't accidently eating stuff I shouldn't and discovered that I was actually doing quite well in sticking to the diet. Anyway, in those two weeks of meticulous induction, I lost three pounds.

So, is there anything I should do differently?

[Isabeau]

Personally, I think any exercise is better than none, and walking is great. I think a combination of cardio and weight training is great for fitness. I'm also a believer in cross training, doing different exercises to use different muscle groups. For example, swimming and walking. Good for you for being active!

[snorkelman]

First off, walking when doing errands does not count as the type of cardio exercise that you need to be doing.

I suggest you do cardio 4-6 days per week. You said that you do 1-2 hours per night in your target heart range? Something doesn't add up. If you are doing atkins (nutritionally correct), then i think the problem is with the exercise.

Cut back from 2 hours and keep your exercise to 1 hour max. Anything more will result in deminishing returns.

I tend to think that a 15 minute per mile clip is not that fast, and i ask you to re-evaluate whether you need to increase this pace.

THR is a "range" and maybe you are just at the bare minimum of that range, which means that you have plenty of room to increase the speed.

Bottom line, cardio is the key. When you get in a stall, the best response to to kick up the intensity a notch.

How do you know you are really in your THR? DO you have a Heart Rate monitor or are you just guessing and periodically taking your pulse?

[lorelei]

If I cut it to an hour,

I can easily maintain a twelve minute per mile pace - which I frequently do at the two hour time period also but I haven't targeted maintaining that speed. I do have hills that I deal with as well though they aren't steep.

I don't have a heart monitor but I was a licensed nurse's aid in college, and i do know how to take a pulse.

[apollo]

its true that some exercise is better than none .. i think weight training helps alot since it builds muscle and muscles burn calories and fat faster than plain old fat does

[ttdriver]

You may want to consider getting a HRM, even though you are taking your pulse. The HRM is so much more accurate and takes into consideration wind resistence, inclines, etc., that you can easily misjudge if you are taking your pulse yourself.

HRMs vary in price depending on what bells and whistles you are looking for, but a basic unit including a chest strap shouldn't be too pricey .. POLAR is the kind I recommend and they are available online, at ebay, and also at most sporting goods stores.

I wouldn't think of running without mine and I, too, know how to take a pulse! :guns

Betty

[2big4mysize]

as the trainer on the treadmill next to mine pointed out to me if you can easily maintain the pace you need to increase it.

Walking is great exercise and at your speed it is an aerobic workout. As our bodies get lighter it takes less energy to do the same things we were doing at our heavier weigfht so we either need to increase the amount of exercise by increasing the duration or intensity or we need to eat less cals. SInce cutting doewn the cals has other consequnces it would be easier to just increase your workout intensity a bit going faster for the total workout time staying the same.

What are you doing for the mandatory resitance training part of your Atkins?

Happy low carbing.