Welcome to Weight Loss Diet - Information on Easy weight loss san diego

Q I do 45 minutes a day of cardio and work hard at eating healthfully, but the scale barely budges. To make matters worse, some of my friends can lose weight practically at the drop of a hat. Why is it so easy for some people to lose weight and so difficult for others?

A Your genes may play a significant role in how your body responds to various exercise and eating patterns, says Molly Bray, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Human Genetics Center at the University of Texas, Houston. "There are people who eat whatever they want and never gain weight, and there are others who look at food and it seems to jump onto their thighs." Bray is currently researching how different people respond to identical aerobic exercise programs, in terms of body composition and other measures. "We're hoping to identify genes that influence who responds and who doesn't," she explains.

In the meantime, Bray suggests varying the type of exercise you do. It's possible that some people are genetically more responsive to weight training than to aerobic exercise, she says, so it's wise to include both. "Don't give up," Bray says. "Your body just may be one that responds more slowly."

Take comfort--and pride--in the fact that you're engaging in excellent habits. Regular exercise and good nutrition will keep you fit, healthy, strong and energetic, regardless of what the scale says.

Q I use a heart-rate monitor on the treadmill to help me lose weight. How do I calculate my fat-burning zone?

A "The fat-burning zone is a myth," says Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego. There is no specific range of heart rates that will help you lose weight faster.

Many cardio machines feature "fat-burning" programs that purport to maximize fat loss. This is a marketing gimmick, as well as a vestige of an outdated belief that longer, low-intensity workouts are better for weight loss because they burn more fat.

The reality: During low-intensity exercise, a higher percentage of the calories you burn comes from fat than from carbohydrate (about 60 percent, compared with 35 percent during high-intensity exercise). But for weight loss, this doesn't matter. "What does matter is how many total calories you burn," Bryant says.

Still, this doesn't mean you should go all-out every time you use the treadmill. Slower-paced workouts are more comfortable, so they motivate you to stick with your program. Also, even if you do enjoy killer workouts, it's important to alternate hard days with easy ones so your body can recover. "Low-intensity workouts do promote fat loss," Bryant says. "You just have to do them for a longer period of time."

Your heart-rate monitor can be useful in countless ways for improving your fitness. (The Heart Rate Monitor Guidebook to Heart Zone Training by Sally Edwards, Performance Matters Pty Ltd., 1999, is a great resource.) However, a monitor is not directly useful as a weight-loss tool.

Send your questions to Shape, WeightLoss Q & A, 21100 Erwin St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367; fax: (818) 704-7620; e-mail: WeightLossQ&A@Shape.com.

Suzanne Schlosberg is a contributing editor to Shape.