Too much cardio burns away muscle!!! Wtf!

dasskinny
dasskinny Posts: 56
edited October 1 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: 741 Member
    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
    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
    Wow...I didn't know that...Good excuse to pick up those weights.... :flowerforyou:
  • PatientBear
    PatientBear Posts: 92
    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
    I didn't know that either. I guess I'm ok then, I do both
  • jenblowsbubblez
    jenblowsbubblez Posts: 112 Member
    bump!!! thanks for the info!!
  • kellykat2
    kellykat2 Posts: 87 Member
    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
    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: 741 Member
    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
    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
    Sounds like you found the sweet spot, congrats
  • PatientBear
    PatientBear Posts: 92
    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
    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
    Thanx!! That totally makes sense!! :-)
  • kyleskrinak
    kyleskrinak Posts: 17 Member
    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
    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
    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
    Cardio does not burn muscle.

    Starving yourself burns muscle.
  • Edithrenee
    Edithrenee Posts: 546 Member
    So doesnt that mean eat more to? Well good food that is.
  • dasskinny
    dasskinny Posts: 56
    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.
  • RockHardAngel_777
    RockHardAngel_777 Posts: 68
    I agree with Rachmaree. You have to balance, BUT evryone wants different results. As well as, if you are wanting or needing to lose a somewhat large amount of weight, cardio is definetly something that needs to be a main focus. For those that are at an optimal weight and want a tone sexy body, it must be a balance. For myself I love the weeks when I do 20 min Eliptical, 20 min bike, 20 min tread incline, but I lift weights as well. The weeks I lift heavy weights, low reps, I do more cardio, the weeks I do lighter weights, high reps, I do less cardio. Its just a balance of all of it cardio, weights, food. You'll do many different trials and different combinations until you find the one that works and fits what your "goal" is.
    Have fun, good luck!
  • RockHardAngel_777
    RockHardAngel_777 Posts: 68
    Another way to visualize it: Ever heard of a "runners" body...well they are usually very long and thin. Thats not a bad thing, its just what they do...They run, and run all the time. So like I said before, it's just on what your "goal" is to look like.
  • kyleskrinak
    kyleskrinak Posts: 17 Member
    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.
    It's unfortunate when dieting takes on the same overtones as a religious debate.

    Our bodies take nourishment from various sources as needed, Too much is made of factoids in general is my main point, and nothing compares to keeping a diary as you note your personal intake, exercise and how it impacts your weight, size measurements and general mood or perception of "fitness."

    It's a radical stand I take.
  • jessicamiller25
    jessicamiller25 Posts: 20
    I totally agree with you and had the same problem. I lift weights and love cardio. For a long time I was tracking my food and cardio through MFP but not my weight lifting. I dropped fat and weight very fast, faster then I could gain muscle. I actually did not like the results. I got the wierd flabby skin around my hips and abs. I also noticed that I could not make it through the day with out a nap. Just this week I decided to decrease my cardio on weight lifting days (4x week) and leave my long cardio work outs for the weekends or non weight lifting days. I also am adding in some of my weight lifting calories to make sure I am nuturing my muscles enough to grow. I am always in trial and error but hope to see good results with these changes.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    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.

    I had to eat back most, and toward the end, all of my exercise calories *AND* lift weights to keep the pounds coming off at the rate promised by MFP, at least after the easy first 20 pounds or so. That's when I reached the point of diminished returns from cardio alone, whether or not I ate back the calories.
  • antheamclay
    antheamclay Posts: 9
    Can someone help me get this right in my head.
    I need to have my calorie intake at 1200 but may burn 75 so I then need to take in 75 extra calories so that I still lose weight, not muscle. So to gain muscle tone not lose muscle on my belly, i need to maintain the correct calorie intake and do more weights not cardio.......is that right?? I may be confused
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    The biggest problem with slavishly following the "eat your exercise calories" tenet is not that it is completely wrong, it's that there is no way to accurately determine what that number is.

    Plus, exercise makes up only one component of your daily energy expenditure, and usually the smallest one at that.

    So, when someone says "I ate all my exercise calories and lost weight" and another says "I didn't eat any of my exercise calories and lost weight", not only could both of them be correct, both could easily be incurring the same calorie deficit per day.

    The problem is aggravated by the equally slavish practice of using 1200 calories/day as the "standard".

    Increase your calorie intake to 1500 per day. Do cardio. Lift weights. Be consistent. Take a "diet break" every few weeks. Do a mixture of intensities. You won't go into "starvation mode", you won't lose significant muscle mass, you will lose weight.
  • antheamclay
    antheamclay Posts: 9
    Thanks for that!!!!
  • NitaCB
    NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
    I seem to find it an impossible balance. I'm a runner, but I'm coming back from injury. Yes I'm a cardio-junkie, not afraid to admit it. I'm doing heaps of cardio at the moment to try and keep up and get back to the cardio fitness I had before I got my stress fracture. I do lift weights, but just a couple of pump classes a week. I'm not seeing any weight loss results. I guess a large part of me thinks that large calorie burns must equal weight loss, but it's certainly not proving so with me.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Increase your calorie intake to 1500 per day. Do cardio. Lift weights. Be consistent. Take a "diet break" every few weeks. Do a mixture of intensities. You won't go into "starvation mode", you won't lose significant muscle mass, you will lose weight.

    LOL, this is exactly what I do. I don't even count exercise calories, so "eating them back" is a moot point for me. I aim for 1500 daily, I do weight training and cardio...and I lose body fat (inches and pounds) and gain strength and muscle tone on a consistent basis.
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