Here is some excellent information on training in your heart rate zone:

Sally Edwards

I have the same situation. I posted an "Unexpected Validation" thread on the TDC about it.

My guide to exercise (and everything else, for that matter) is to put myself in the position of one of our prehistoric ancestors, because we have not evolved significantly from them. Given that, their physical activity would have consisted mainly of hunting and gathering food. Hunting would have entailed short spurts of intense running and throwing items to kill prey. Gathering would involve walking, bending, and kneeling. There would have been no logical reason to engage in repetitious, purposeless movement, nor to expend continuous energy past the point of tiredness, muscle burn, or breathlessness. The body gives signals when it is tired, and to ignore those signals I believe is harmful.

I know that the "experts" have defined the meaning of being in shape or being conditioned, and believe people who exhibit these characteristics to be healthy, but I do not believe that to be the case. When the body is stressed past the point where it tells you to stop, cortisol is released, which, first of all, makes it difficult to lose weight--cortisol acts to retain fat in the body. Also cortisol will do damage when repeatedly released over a period of time. I have seen the results in athletic people I know. My own brother at 42 ended up needing a quadruple bypass, with one coronary artery completely occluded. He was fit, ate low fat with very little meat (not good IMO, and a contributing factor, but not the sole cause), but ate salmon every week. He worked out every morning. My other brother, 45, is a fat slob, and does not exercise. I know that doesn't mean that he won't need a bypass, but just consider who needed it first, and the extent of the damage.

At 48, I had lost weight doing low carb for 8 months doing no activity. I stalled and realized that I would need to move a little to continue to lose. I began walking for 30 minutes a day, and the weight began to fall off. I also ride my bike, but not as a cardio activity--never to the point where it hurts--if necessary I shift to a lower gear and/or decrease my speed to the point where there is no pain. The truth is that the gain (or loss, in the case of weight) comes without the pain. So keep up the walking or light activity--it will work.

I know I sound like a kook and my views are not popular--kind of like Dr. Atkins. I believe that someday I'll be proven correct.

TwilightZ, you could be just as well right as wrong. I'm in need of a hip replacement but have to work hard to strengthen my SI joint to aid the Prolotherapy I've had to tighten the ligaments and tendons. I have one doc who tells me I'm working too hard and that "less is more". I have another one who tells me to do all I possibly can, only more will help. As for the weight loss, well,.....that's in limbo right now. It doesn't want to respond to either less or more.

Just so you all feel better, I'm in the same boat. No movement on the scale for weeks and I've been doing .5 miles jogging and 1.5 miles walking 4x/wk. It's SOOO frustrating to not see the scale budge!!! I'm going to incorporate weight lifting to see if I can build a little fat burning muscle.

Also, I read on a body building website that you should take Vitamin C before and after your workout/cardio to inhibit the Cortisol release.... just a tidbit of info, if you're interested, google it.

I think it's also possible that our cavemen ancestors ran or swam until they were tired just because it feels good! And they might have done quite a bit of lifting and lugging each day as well, especially in those days before the wheel.

The first statement doesn't make sense. When food is not waiting in the fridge or easily available at the supermarket, one would hardly expend extra energy for no reason. The "feeling good" is the euphoric feeling accompanied by the release of cortisol. When under extreme stress the body believes it is in danger and the purpose of that feeling is to lessen the suffering resulting from physical injury or death.

And what would they have been lifting and lugging? Okay, I'll grant you the animal they hunted...and what else? What would women have been lifting and lugging?

The women would have been lifting and lugging babies and children, for starters. And wood for fire, and water, and branches and whatever else they used to make shelter. Also, from what I've read, a lot of cavemen migrated during the changing seasons, carrying shelter, water, provisions and, as necessary, each other. There may also have been climbing involved, to gather fruit, see in the distance, or to escape predators. I think of our ancestors as being constantly active, always on the move.

Fair enough. Still nothing they would have done resembles running or other cardio activities carried out beyond the point of pain.

I understand everyone's concern about not seeing the scale move - it hurts emotionally when we see those numbers stall, but everyone please keep in mind - I am sure if you take measurements, you are losing inches, and the scale could even go up...we know that muscle weighs more than fat. I would rather have an extra pound or two with a leaner body and fit comfortably in my jeans from years ago than to have a lower number weight-wise and be the same "flabby" me - only smaller.

Chasing wounded prey maybe, especially if they were really hungry and food had been a little scarce.

I don't know that any of us can presume to know the lifestyle of our early ancestors. Scientists have given us a good idea, but even this is subject to accuracy.

I do like Ori Hofmekler's Warrior Diet and Warrior Workout though.

Just reading the table of contents gave me a headache.