Is there such thing as

With 200 lbs to lose, I really think that's a question for your doctor.
Props to you for the determination and enthusiasm though!

Is there such thing as too much cardio for a person my size?

I get the thing about losing muscle, but I think that is geared more towards people with less to lose.
We are talking about getting rid of 200 lbs here, Am I hurting myself with 2 workouts a day? I feel like I have a lot to shed, so what is it really hurting besides the fat.

I also do 2 days of ST each week.

I'm going to give you my advice what helped me. I dropped 75lbs. the FIRST 6 months because I was weight lifting and doing cardio...I worked out 3x a day (3 - 1 hour workouts). It didn't effect my ability to lose, BUT it did affect me to the point where I was burned out. 18 months of hard working out, I fell off and gave up and gained about 30lbs. back (of my 100lbs. lost). Just try not to overdo it. You want to challenge yourself obviously, but I feel that because I did so much so soon, I got burnt out really quickly. I never took a day off, and was constantly sore in 2009, and most of early 2010. Best advice I can give is listen to your body.

Take some time to do some research... weight training is something that helps burn calories and maintain muscle at the same time. I agree that the doctor is a good place to go but if he/she has cleared you as physically healthy to begin a work out regimine, try to do cardio and weights. I certainly didn't have as much as 200 to loose but when I first began my journey I became almost a cardio anorexic and it resulted in my long term exhaustion and frustration that I was "skinny fat". I gained a bunch of my weight back and it was so annoying that I couldn't sustain the weightloss. Then I discovered bodybuilding.com and realized that I have to have muscle to help keep up my metabolism. I've really seen a huge difference in my body and seeing results like some muscle definition is something I didn't see when I did TONS of cardio. Check it out... Best of luck... Keep your eye on that prize, put yourself first and avoid self sabotoge.

I think you are going to get a lot of opinions on this one. I can see the side where more can be too much and I can also see the side of having enough to lose to warrant it.

I have been pondering this for a while now and though I haven't changed my habits yet, I was losing quicker when I worked out less. Maybe if I eat more I can still work out just as much?

Curious to read your responses...

As long as you take it easy, it is all good for you. Just ramp up slowly so your body can change. Your heart and lungs use muscles that need to tone up. Your joints and tendons, etc, need time to toughen up. 200lbs is a lot of extra weight to workout with and that is basically what you are doing. I started at 360lbs and used walking as my exercise. I ended up with torn cartlidge in my knee by the time I walked off enough weight.

I would do it all again so I'm not trying to scare you. Just take it slow. It is definately worth all of the work.

another duplicate

You don't want to overdo on the cardio because, like others said, you can injure yourself and you can burn out. I am an ultra marathoner, so I can run many miles every day but it's taken me years to get to this point. No one (including me) is immune to overuse injuries and once you are injured, it can take you out for days, weeks, even months or a year!! Listen to your body and with your weight, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor. Although, many docs really don't know a lot about this sort of thing, believe it or not. Sadly, a lot don't know much about nutrition either.

Good luck on your journey!! :drinker:

It's been recommended that some people do 2 workouts per day... once in the morning and once at night. I only work out once per day and stay at or below my calories every day and I've lost weight. I know that everyone is different, but I think 3 times a day is overdoing it. Being that you're trying to lose 200 lbs, I'm guessing you're at a high weight already (300-400 range?) so since you're bigger already, you are going to lose weight FAST just by changing your diet, restricting cals, and doing cardios once per day for 30-60 minutes. Cardio 3 times per day could also be hard on your joints

I just did a health and lifestyle planning deal at my gym today and they gave me an interesting packet of info about cardio.

Over exercising:
Many times when people begin their program, they are excited and motivated to get results and attain their wellness and health goals. One of the natural responses we see in the person's perception that if 3 days of 40 mins each day, each week of exercise is good, then 6 days of 2 hours will get them to their goal much faster. WRONG!

Aerobic exercise is important because it trains the body to burn fat. Medical research has proven that the rate the body can burn fat on a weekly basis is limited, not infinite. Therefore, if you exercise excessively or above your aerobic zone, your body will quickly reach its "aerobic limit" and stop burning body fat. It will then begin to use other sources of calories in the body including muscle tissue. NOT GOOD!

BOTTOM LINE....keep to the plan! As your wellness and health goals become a reality, you will realize and live with fantastic results!

***From the book they gave me****


That being said, I do 2-a-days of cardio a couple times a week, just because it's something to do besides sitting on my butt, haha. But make sure you're not starving yourself....try to keep your NET calories above 1200 (there's also some interesting info about semi-starvation mode in here) and make sure you're meeting your macros (carbs/protein/fat ratio). Don't do too much too soon, or you'll lose your motivation!!