– Does your body burn more fat when your heart rate is elevated, even if you’re not exercising?

Question

I wear a Fitbit that tracks my heart rate. I’ve been really stressed recently which is causing my heart rate to spike at times. When this happens, Fitbit tells me that I’m in the “exercise zone” and that I burned a ton of calories. I’m assuming this is because my heart rate falls into the exercise “fat burn” zone, but does my body actually burn any more fat than usual if I’m just sitting at my desk and anxious? Seems way too good to be true…

In: Biology

Answer 1

You’re burning more calories than if your heart was at rest. You’re only burning fat in a calorie deficit. You could be in a calorie deficit even if your heart rate was at resting by eating less calories than you burn.