heart rate when exercising was 180 - 190?

I was/am very fat and was very unactive when I started my diet on December 9th.

When I first started going to the gym - I would go on the eliptical and my heart rate would get up to 190 (but the average was probably 183 -185). Now, when I work out on the eliptical, my heart rate only gets up to 170.

But - I read and was told that if you get your heart rate up too high - then it will not help in weight loss?

Is that true? So much info on the web and in magazines - I have no idea what is the truth vs. fabrication!

I don't think that you -won't- lose weight, it'll just be slower.

However, consistently exercising at a lower heart rate will help with fat burn.

I exercise at around 170-180 myself, but that's because I like pushing myself to higher levels each time I work out.

when i'm running, my heart rate is in the 175-190 range, but it feels good and i can keep it up for 35 - 40 minutes without any problem.  and my RHR is in the low 60s.  and when i stop running, my heart rate drops back to normal veyr quickly.  i don't worry about it.

pretty much everything you read and hear is a guideline and/or an estimation.  as long as it doesn't hurt, don't worry about it.

Thanks for responding. So...if my heart rate is more like 160 - I should lose weight faster?

It's just that at 150 - 170, I feel like I'm not doing anything at all! That's like a 3.5mph walk on the treadmill for me. I will barely even sweat...

I can't seem to wrap my brain around this... : )

Fat burn isn't about how much you sweat. It's about exercising without hitting that 'aerobic state' in order for optimal fat burn.

To lose weight faster burn as many calories as you can for as long as you can by getting your heart rate as high as you can get and keeping it there as long as you can.

What trhawley said - keeping your heart rate down to get a larger percentage of calories burned from fat isn't as beneficial as they make it seem. Just work out, and don't think too much about zones and aerobic vs anaerobic.

As far as I understand this, and my opinion is entirely uneducated--

Most people just getting in to exercise can't keep their heart rate at a very high rate for long without becoming physically exhausted. However, they could keep it at a medium rate for a longer period, which would allow them to burn more calories with more ease. For example, I am terrible at running. I could make it half a mile before calling it quits. However, I could walk at a fast pace for six miles or so in comfortable shoes, given a reasonable amount of time. Even if I only walked two miles a day instead of jogging half a mile, I'd burn more calories at the lower intensity workout.

That's just my best guess. If someone who knows more would care to share, I'd love to learn more.

werethylacine is exactly right! Keep it moderate and doable so you can do a longer workout with ease.  This is most effective for weight loss because it is maintainable and helps prevent exhaustion and most importantly prevents injuries!  Imagine finally getting into working out and suddenly not being able to do it because of a shin splint or something.  DEPRESSING!