re: Biology, Chemist and Biochemist OTers: Help me understand weight loss.

Don't do HIIT if you're in ketosis. Your body can't break down fat for energy fast enough, so it just says "frick it, burn it ALL!". That's when you go into a catabolic state where your body is breaking down muscle for energy too. If you're in ketosis, keep your heart rate between 120 and 135 during cardio.

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During low intensity exercise your body will tend to burn less fat. High intensity interval training you'll burn more

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Don't do HIIT if you're in ketosis. Your body can't break down fat for energy fast enough

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These quotes are from two different posters, but goes to show that you are going to get a lot of half truths. These two statements are in direct contrast to one another.

From everything I've read, during high intensity exercise, your body needs glycogen. So when you are doing HIIT, you aren't burning fat (or at least you won't make it very far if you are relying on that fat burn). Where it is beneficial is that you burn calories, and can keep a higher metabolic rate post workout which burns more calories. This in turn burns fat due to caloric deficit.

Low intensity training can actually burn from your fat stores since the rate of energy usage is lower. So you actually are burning fat. It's why it's called the fat burning zone. But, if you have glycogen stores, it will turn back into fat. In the end, it's still how many calories you burned and you running on a caloric deficit.

Difference between HIIT and aerobic exercise is how you burn calories. One burns a good bit quickly, then helps burn the rest throughout the day. One burns them moderately quickly, but you also have the energy to go longer, therefore burn more per session. All depends on your routine.