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Fat Loss vs Fat Burning

Questions to Ponder:
1.  During which activity will a person burn the highest percentage of fat?
               a. resting    b. 5 mile walk    c. 5 mile run

Answer A. There is a prevalent blurring of the distinction between fat loss and fat burning. At rest your
body can utilize fat as its primary fuel source because it doesn’t have a need for quick energy. As you
increase in exercise intensity, the amount of energy your body uses from carbohydrates increases as
does your total amount of energy used, measured in calories. Along this thinking some say that lower
intensity is better for fat loss. WRONG! Lower intensity is better for fat burning (and rest is better than
any activity) while fat loss only occurs when calories out are greater than calories in. Higher intensity
exercise burns more calories during and after the activity than lower intensity exercise.


2.  Fat loss is a simple equation:  Calories in < Calories out

               a.true             b.false

Answer A.True. Unfortunately, many take this to mean that fat loss is just this easy and we know it isn't
so. Why? It is because we have no good way to determine the number of calories on either side.  
Calories in? Sure, you can look at what you ingest, but how many of those calories does your body
absorb? Do you know that it varies? Calories out? Sure we can estimate exercise expenditure and
metabolism, but many people don't fit the textbook and on top of this things like chronic stress can
actually decrease the amount of calories your body will burn. Some newer research indicates that your
body's response to what you eat and when can determine how much fat your body will carry and where
that fat is stored.


Definitions
Weight: relative heaviness; mass; the force with which a body is attracted toward the earth or a celestial
body by gravitation and which is equal to the product of the mass and the local gravitational acceleration

Fat: stored energy


The Fat Loss Equation: Calories In < Calories Out

Increase Calories Out        Decrease Calories In
• level of activity                 • when you eat
• hydration                          • what you eat
• intensisty of activity          • how much you eat


Estimates for 130 pound female         Low Intensity       High Intensity
                                               60-65% MHR      80-85% MHR  

Total Calories expended per minute          4.86                    6.86
Fat Calories expended per minute             2.43                    2.7
Total Calories expended in 30 min.            146                    206
Total Fat Calories expended in 30 min.        73                     82
Percentage of Fat Calories burned              50%               39.85%
From The 24/5 Complete Personal Training Manual, 24 Hour Fitness, 2000