Too much cardio burns away muscle!!! Wtf!

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dasskinny
dasskinny Posts: 56
in Fitness and Exercise
So i am a cradio freak! I will burn 1000 calories on the eliptical on a daily basis, so why aren't i seeing the results i want!! B/C
i found out that too much cardio burns away muuscle!! WTF right??? who would of thought? so i started lifting more and doing less amount of cardio and im already seeing more results!!! Any suggestions ...... xoxo :-)
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Replies

  • ansonrinesmith
    ansonrinesmith Posts: 755 Member
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    Yeah. Same reason diabetics will be thin and have medical problems.
    If you body doesn't have enough readily available energy to burn, it will turn to fat, muscle and internal organs!

    If you want to keep up the cardio, up your calorie intake.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Weight training combined with cardio is the way to go. I love the way running/cardio makes me feel in the short term, but I love how weight training makes me look and feel in the long term. :)
  • birdlover97111
    birdlover97111 Posts: 346 Member
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    Wow...I didn't know that...Good excuse to pick up those weights.... :flowerforyou:
  • PatientBear
    PatientBear Posts: 92
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    Yeah. Same reason diabetics will be thin and have medical problems.
    If you body doesn't have enough readily available energy to burn, it will turn to fat, muscle and internal organs!

    If you want to keep up the cardio, up your calorie intake.

    Bingo. This is why people who don't eat their exercise calories don't lose weight. You HAVE to fuel your body or it will find whatever fuel sources it can.
  • ItsMeLori
    ItsMeLori Posts: 346
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    I didn't know that either. I guess I'm ok then, I do both
  • jenblowsbubblez
    jenblowsbubblez Posts: 112 Member
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    bump!!! thanks for the info!!
  • kellykat2
    kellykat2 Posts: 87 Member
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    Do you really lose if you eat all your exercise calories? I've been trying it both ways, eating them all back for a week, and lost nothing. Then I kept it about 300 under my exercise calorie allotment and I lost weight 1 lb that week. It is getting very frustrating for me!
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
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    You want a balance of both... the strength training is to maintain/ build your muscle while you are losing weight. You don't want to burn off all that fat and just be flabby. As someone else mentioned, you also want to fuel your body properly, so it doesn't start burning the muscle.
  • ansonrinesmith
    ansonrinesmith Posts: 755 Member
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    Do you really lose if you eat all your exercise calories? I've been trying it both ways, eating them all back for a week, and lost nothing. Then I kept it about 300 under my exercise calorie allotment and I lost weight 1 lb that week. It is getting very frustrating for me!
    You wont' see the real result of your change in diet and exercise in a week.
    If you record your exercise, then keep your Daily Goal in the ball park.
  • shelbygeorge29
    shelbygeorge29 Posts: 263 Member
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    There are a couple facts to this whole weight loss game that often get muddled.

    1. When you are losing weight, you are going to lose some muscle. You can keep it to a minimum by eating plenty of protein and weight lifiting, but you are still going to lose some muscle.

    2. You can not simultaneously add muscle and lose fat, with the exception of what is called beginner gains. Beginner gains happen when a very out of shape and overweight person starts a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately beginner gains don't last that long, which is why people have such a hard time when they are struggling with the last 15 lbs.

    It's fairly basic:

    We need to eat at a deficit to lose weight, and while at a deficit you can not build muscle.

    To build muscle your body needs there to be a surplus of calories; can you build a house without materials?
  • sgrinavi
    sgrinavi Posts: 80
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    Sounds like you found the sweet spot, congrats
  • PatientBear
    PatientBear Posts: 92
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    Do you really lose if you eat all your exercise calories? I've been trying it both ways, eating them all back for a week, and lost nothing. Then I kept it about 300 under my exercise calorie allotment and I lost weight 1 lb that week. It is getting very frustrating for me!

    If you have a lot to lose, then you will lose weight even without eating your exercise calories because your body has plenty of extra to fuel it. If you only have a little to lose, then it is essential to eat enough to fuel your body. Otherwise, since your body doesn't have the fat to burn anymore, it will turn to whatever it can to get that fuel. That's when muscle starts being burned instead of fat.
  • pen2u
    pen2u Posts: 224 Member
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    I'm frustrated too. I'm thinking my body just doesn't metabolize carbs, and I've been eating fruit and a few whole grains in addition my usual lower-carb diet while keeping under my calorie goal by around 200 most days. I lost 8, gained 2 back. Grr.
  • dasskinny
    dasskinny Posts: 56
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    Thanx!! That totally makes sense!! :-)
  • kyleskrinak
    kyleskrinak Posts: 17 Member
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    Sure I've seen this in me.

    I alternate between cardio and strength training. On my cardio days, my weight loss is almost nil. On my strength-training days, I might see a 1 - 2 pound drop. HOWEVER, I wish to do both. My blood pressure is always better when I'm active with my cardio routine, not so with a strength training.

    I expect you'll see different results with your routine and body. The key is that by keeping a diary (MFP) you'll better understand the relationships and what to expect. While I see a calorie burn of, say 850 calories, I now know that means that I only put half of that towards my intake allowance. It's almost inverse with weights. Weights build muscle; muscle consumes more calories in a resting state but your overall cardiovascular health takes a hit.

    I'm not sure I agree that "cardio burns muscle." I think too much is made about the whole fat versus weight impact on body weight.
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
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    Do you really lose if you eat all your exercise calories? I've been trying it both ways, eating them all back for a week, and lost nothing. Then I kept it about 300 under my exercise calorie allotment and I lost weight 1 lb that week. It is getting very frustrating for me!

    I have to eat most of my exercise calories or I don't lose weight, I stall.
  • PatientBear
    PatientBear Posts: 92
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    I'm not sure I agree that "cardio burns muscle." I think too much is made about the whole fat versus weight impact on body weight.

    Regardless of whether or not you "agree" with it, it's true. If you are close to your goal weight and aren't eating enough calories, your body WILL find the energy by breaking down muscle.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    Cardio does not burn muscle.

    Starving yourself burns muscle.
  • Edithrenee
    Edithrenee Posts: 546 Member
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    So doesnt that mean eat more to? Well good food that is.
  • dasskinny
    dasskinny Posts: 56
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    Actually too much cardio at high intensity for a long duration of time does burn away muscle, i was shocked myself but i have already seen a difference in lowering the amount of cardio and adding more weights :-) Before i was doing more cardio than weights, now i do about the same.

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