The Hungry Pharmacist

 

Now that you’ve finally adjusted your diet and, with some ups and downs, noticed slow but steady weight loss, it’s time to add physical activity into the mix. Constant exercise alone can’t beat those bags of chips, sodas, or pastries you constantly consume, nor can you create a large enough calorie deficit just by lying on the couch all day. In theory, you might still see results this way, but it’s much harder. Why? Because when you’re inactive, you’re more likely to think about food, and watching TV increases the unconscious intake of food. Daily movement, however, can help you reach your goal.

I once had an acquaintance who ate constantly, didn’t choose what he ate, yet remained at an ideal weight. This was long before step counters became common on our devices. I always wondered how he could eat so much and still have almost a six-pack. Later, when he started counting steps, it turned out he was walking 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day. Beyond that, he was constantly on the move, sleeping regularly, and often doing physically demanding jobs (like warehouse work). Without stepping into the gym, he maintained an ideal weight and a lean body.

I often wondered why I had to watch every bite I took—keeping my sugar and fat intake in check, trying to avoid gaining a few pounds, let alone losing weight. Then I realized my daily “unconscious” movement was around 4,000 steps, which is relatively low (though probably more than most people). I had to supplement this movement with running or walking, usually late in the evening, to keep the balance.

How to Move for Weight Loss

How many times have you decided to train, whether it’s strength training or jogging, only to return home feeling extremely hungry, with an increased appetite, and end up consuming double the calories you burned that day? This can often have the opposite effect because, after physical activity, the body craves what it lost. If you did high-intensity training, it’s likely you’ve depleted glycogen from your muscles, and glycogen is nothing more than sugar stored in the muscles. Since your body may lack control at that moment, it’s possible that you’ll consume sugar to replenish glycogen stores—but you might end up eating more than you actually used, which is stored back as fat.

So, what should we do? Should we eliminate movement entirely? That would be a paradox. Instead, it’s important to find the optimal level of activity for fat loss. To determine this, we rely on heart rate, or the number of heartbeats per minute.

For a healthy adult, a normal resting heart rate ranges between 60-80 beats per minute. This is the rate when you’re at rest, and after any physical activity, it should return to this level within a few minutes. People with high blood pressure often have a resting heart rate above 80. Increased physical activity raises the heart rate, and the maximum heart rate can be calculated as 220 minus your age.

For a 36-year-old, the maximum heart rate would be:
220 – 36 = 184 beats per minute.

During more intense physical activity, the heart pumps faster, blood circulates more quickly, and the body requires more oxygen. Based on the heart rate, we can determine five different zones, and in this article, we’ll focus on Zones 2 and 3.

• Zone 3 (Cardio Zone): This is the zone where we reach 70-80% of our maximum heart rate. For a 36-year-old, this would be between 130–148 beats per minute. In this zone, the body primarily burns glycogen stored in the muscles. Since glycogen stores aren’t huge, the body needs to replenish these stores with new sugar.
• Zone 2 (Fat Burning Zone): This is the key area for fat loss, where we reach 60-70% of our maximum heart rate. For this 36-year-old person, this would be between 118–130 beats per minute. This is the aerobic metabolism zone, which uses oxygen and primarily burns fat. The body recognizes that it doesn’t need glycogen for this type of exercise and uses fat reserves instead.

Benefits of Zone 2 Training

1. Improved cardiovascular fitness
2. Better fat metabolism and using fat as fuel
3. Long-term improvement in endurance
4. Low intensity, reducing the risk of injury or fatigue, which often occurs with beginners who push themselves too hard too quickly.

How to Know If You’re in Zone 2

There are both subjective and objective methods to measure whether you’re in Zone 2.
The recommended training in this zone involves brisk walking, cycling, or running, where you should still be able to talk comfortably. If you’re on the phone during the workout, someone who can’t see you will still notice that you’re working out. These are the easiest methods, but they’re not always the most accurate for tracking your heart rate.

For a more objective approach, using technology is ideal. A smartwatch can track your heart rate zones with reasonable accuracy, helping you adjust your intensity when necessary. I personally recommend the Xiaomi Smartwatch S3 (under $150) or the slightly more expensive Garmin watches.

In the following image, you can see approximately the running speed at which I reach the threshold of Zone 2. In my case, it’s ideally around 7.5 km/h (approximately 4.66 mph). At this speed, I can still talk normally, although the person I’m speaking with might notice that I’m currently running on a treadmill.

By incorporating Zone 2 training into your routine, you can optimize fat burning, improve cardiovascular health, and maintain a sustainable workout routine.

This type of training typically does not cause hunger immediately after the workout, as it doesn’t use muscle glycogen as fuel, which contributes to more effective maintenance of a caloric deficit