Too much Cardio??

bobie1978

Can I do too much of it?? I know it sounds stupid but I recently quit smoking and the weight is not coming off like it normally does. I know not to do do strength everyday but If I do Cardio 2x's per day that's fine right?? Even if I'm burning 300-500 calories per workout is that too much???

I'm getting discouraged because I'm always hungry and I know its also because I quit smoking. Its really hard for me to stay away from things!

Kristinemomof3

I think the body can get "overworked" to an extent, but If you feel ok, I would think it's fine, but if you become tired and really sore, I would let your body rest. Your diary is not open, so I can't comment on food. If you work out a lot, just make sure you are eating adequate calories and not starving yourself.

MikeSEA

As far as general weight loss goes, I'm not sure you can do too much cardio. I think the one can probably do enough cardio to cause other health problems and perhaps injuries--at least in my case, that's true. It depends on the cardio, though. I suppose if you're doing a ton of cardio, and losing weight while doing so, you'd also be more likely to lose more muscle mass along with the fat if that's a concern.

I'll be curious to see what others say, but if you're hitting plateau, I'd suggest just trying a different cardio workout for while and make sure you're eating enough.

wheezybreezy

If you do too much cardio, you might end up burning off some of the muscle you built up with your strength workouts. Also, make sure you're eating at least half of those calories back. My husband just recently quit smoking, and he's struggling with snacking as well. The actual quitting of smoking won't make you gain weight, it's the adding of food to deter cravings that will. Keep up the good work though, and you'll see results.

tuffytuffy1

I was just reading about this today because my trainer told me it was overkill to do an hour of uphill walking on the treadmill. He said I should instead do less time (maybe 30 minutes, 45 max) or split it up into two sessions in the day. Also, while all cardio is healthy, there comes a point where it is apparently not going to necessarily burn fat. So the other recommendation I got was to do a shorter amount of interval training which will burn fat for much longer after I am finished than just cardio I do at a steady pace. Hope that helps! I'm definitely not one of the experts on this forum, but that is what I have read and heard from my trainer.

bobie1978

Yes that is what it is!! I'm wanting to eat!! Also smoking does speed up your metabolism so when you quit your body needs to adjust.. My smoking was my stress relief.. I think I have replaced it with food!! ahh!

andrejjorje

Generally speaking what studies have shown is that more than 6h/week of cardio can be counterproductive with the weight lose.

InsaneMontae

i quit cold turkey..today is day 27..Drinking lots of water and eating higher protein foods is helping me a lot!!

snowchj

Cardio can interfere with weightlifting progress, but that doesn't seem to be your priority. You seem to be most concerned with pure weight loss. In that case, do remember that the point of cardio is to improve your cardiovascular heath (endurance, resting heart rate, etc.), while weight loss is going to depend almost entirely on diet. If you've ever heard the phrase "cuts are made in the kitchen," then you know what I'm talking about.

But I'm getting off topic. "Too much cardio" is possible, depending on your goals. Four hours a week is pretty average.

clkuchtyn

Whenever I really want to "kick" my metabolism into over-drive I workout twice a day. I can't do it for an extended period of time because I get a bit overwhelmed eventually. But, it really makes the scale move, or the tape measure Just make sure you are staying well hydrated and eating back at least 50% of your exercise calories, otherwise you might unintentionally slow down your metabolism. Good luck.

chubbybunnee

With the exception of the past 4 days (gallbladder problems) I have been doing 3 hours a day of cardio in average of 1000 calories burned in addition to weights and or any extra cirriculars like softball. As long as you eat enough calories, its not going to be too much. You can get to a point you build endurance and aren't burning as many calories because your body becomes efficient but you will still lose weight. I was on the 1200 calorie diet through mfp and when I started increasing my exercise and cardio, I upped it to 1600 and Im dropping weight easily now. I lost 5 pounds in 1 week from more exercise and eating more. Its different for everyone but in my experience, if you do more cardio, then do intervals to trick your body and burn max calories. My friends and I take turns every 2 minutes choosing our incline and speed. It keeps it fun and challenges you as well as gets your heart rate up and down instead of keeping it steady.

CharSimms

Hey the best way to burn fat is to keep your heart rate low and excersice for long periods. If you do too much vigerous cardio you start to respire anerobically-that is you dont use your fat stores! So keep you work outs chilled, in th fat burning heart rate (mines about 130) and keep going even if you're really bored.

If you really want to burn fat, get up early on an empty stomach and get on the gym bike for 40 min :-)

TexasGirl_Amie

Bobie,

One thing you might try that helps me not to snack as much on junk is chewing sugar free gum. I know it sounds silly, but it helps me.

wells0707

I quit smoking last November and put on roughly 15 pounds. Congrats on quitting!