Heart rate monitor training etc. Update.

[Realfoodieclub]

Well I have been heart rate training for a couple of weeks now so I thought I would post a little update.

As usual I have be reading around my subject and it has thrown up so much stuff to take onboard.

With this training phase I am in I have two goals. To get my heart rate to a more consistent lower rate and lose some weight (belly fat to be precise.)

The heart rate training is frustrating to say the least. I seem to be doing a lot of walking to keep my heart rate in the recovery zone. I now know I have been running a lot of my runs far too fast as far as my heart rate is conserned. The out come is maybe more walking but a faster pace is emerging. (But there is another reason for this see below) also my recovery rate from runs is getting better. I don't come in from a normal run so beetroot faced and by the next morning I am over my run. I still do one fast run a week and that is really good fun. All in all I think my body is responding to HRM training and I have probably been over training without realising it.

The second part of my journey came from trying to lose some fat. Since learning to run I have become more confident about my body image and had accepted me for me. When the kidney donor consultant asked to me to lose some belly fat it started a whole lose weight thing again.

My problem for the last few years Is that if I exercise I cannot lose weight but if I stop I can. So I was very close to spending £165 which I don't have to find out my resting metabolic rate. I told myself I have to try an experiment before I spent the money and it's been the answer I was looking for.

It has

Begun the weight loss

Brought my resting heart rate down by nearly 10 points

Given me tons of energy

Made me sleep better

Made my runs stronger

Made my moods better.

What is it? Nothing faddy or anything.

I NEEDED TO EAT MORE!

I was eating between 1500-1800 kcal a day.

The 1st weeks experiment I didn't do much exercise at all

I started at 2000 kcal a day and In the first week lost 3lb

I now have 2000kcal as my baseline and eat back my exercise calories and I have a weight loss of 1lb every 5 days.

I always make sure it's good food as usual just more of it. I have settled with a low GI - 50% carbs 25% fat and 25% protein. I know from past experience and my thyroid meds this is a good breakdown for me, we can all be a little different.

I have lost 0.6% body fat in that time. 2.5 weeks.

The reason for the weight loss share is it is easy when you want to lose a few pounds to forget running takes fuel and if you haven't got that fuel the body will adapt and not always in a good way. So please keep a little check that you are eating enough. I have been so surprised at how much energy has appeared after eating more. I'm not physically so exhausted after each run and recovery is so much better.

I will keep you updated as I go along

Wishing you all a happy healthy running week

RFCx.

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

I really love reading your updates on your learning as I am rubbish at reading long books and you summarise it all so nicely. That is truly food for thought and so fascinating..... does it involve alot of time planning, working out what you can eat etc etc?? Thankyou for sharing

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to ju-ju-]

Thank you so much. I use my fitness pal and it logs all my food and breaks all the macro nutrients down for the day. you just have to look at the pie chart and all the work is done for you. It also has a button where you can go into it all In depth. I have a good basic knowledge of nutrients that I got from an Internet nutrition diploma so that helps me. I am finding with running though I seem to get cravings for things I am a bit down on. A few months ago I got a massive craving for a sausage roll with puff pastry and It just wouldn't go away, I checked my food and realised I had gone a little to low fat so I had some avacoado and nuts. The body seems to have its own way of asking.

[Bazza1234 Graduate10]

I think usage of a HRM for a little while does teach you a lot. For example, it has been hot and humid here and my HR has been affected by this - I "think" that the mechanism involves increased body heating. For example, I did a slow and easy , non-stop running 5K @ 7:30 mins per K over flat ground . My HR initially jumped to a certain level and stayed there for around 20 minutes but then started to rise again to a higher level ( which I could feel physically) making the same unchanged pace much more difficult.

When running using run/walk, I can see that my HR comes down during each walk break (obviously ) --- but I do not get this constant increase in HR over the longer period.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to Bazza1234]

I am getting to the point now where I can tell my heart rate by my breathing. I think soon I will be able to be a more intuitive runner without my hrm.

[AnnieW55]

Thanks for that rfc. I don't have thyroid problems but the rest of your post sounds like me. Looks like I need to follow your lead. However, I must be one of the few that doesn't get on with mfp 🙁

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to AnnieW55]

If you don't want to count calories, which I must admit I hate doing, just try a random check every now and then to make sure your getting enough. Before my fitness pal I used one called tap and track which was quite good.

[AnnieW55 in reply to Realfoodieclub]

Thanks for that. It's not the counting cals, it's just using mfp (didn't get on with the spark people one either) I can't get on with. Maybe I'll have another go as I would like to know the micros.

[Bazza1234 Graduate10]

BTW -- when I got my new HR belt with the Garmin 220 watch, it came with instructions to rinse the belt after each run and to wash it with detergent every 7 times - it said to do this to prevent erroneous readings. I had never read this anywhere before . My previous belts all went "crazy" sometimes - whereas this new one so far has been very good and stable.

Also - have you read this book by Roy Benson racunalnistvo-potocnik.si/p...

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to Bazza1234]

I did not know it could put the readings out. I always put the belt in the washing machine with my running gear. I do a 30 degree quick wash and the belt goes in with them every now and then. It comes up lovely. Always double check to make sure the removable bit is removed. Thanks for the Link for the book I will check that out.