Ok, so this is also going to go along with the more cardio thread on this forum. I've always found myself that doing more cardio leans me out more but i'm finding that this is double edged sword for me. I did Meso 1 and did 30 minutes of cardio after the STS workouts 3 days a week and i did 3 days a week of Cardio coach as well. Well, b/c i have a hard time eating more than 1500cals per week i ended up binging by the end of week four b/c i was so tired, hungry, and overtrained. Plus, with workouts lasting up to 90 minutes in length (STS followed by cardio) i was so exhausted after i just sat on my butt for the rest of the day and didn't want to do ANYTHING! So in reality i was doing less total physical activity even though i was working out more. So i'm starting to rethink this whole more is better thing in regards to cardio. I find that when i do more cardio i cheat more on my diet and i'm not honest with myself when it comes to how much i'm eating. I feel that b/c i did cardio that i can sneak an extra serving of PB in the middle of the night or overmeasure things. So i'm tryng to re-evaluate everything i'm doing. I think i should really pay attention to my diet and stick with the 1200-1500cal range. I think that doing 3 days of lifting and 3 days of cardio is more than enough as long as one is in a caloric deficit. The thing is i kept telling myself that i was eating 1500 cals a day and i was doing cardio 6 days a week along with STS but i'm not losing any weight or looking any different. The only thing that I feel is exhaustion. Another thing i'm trying to wrap my mind around is muscle bulk. When you think about muscle, one always says it takes up less space then fat. Well if thats true then you won't be bulky with muscles but you will be bulky if you have a layer of fat over your muscles. So i wanted to know if you all have any opinions on what i just posted or if it makes any sense or am i just rambling. All i know is that i'm exhausted and i don't have 90 minutes to do workouts which aren't giving me the results i want anyway. I'm starting to really believe that diet is the king of weight loss but now i have to figure out how many cals i can eat and lose while doing the 3 days of cardio and 3 days of weights.
having an "ah ha" moment
- Thread starter kariev
- Start date
2121
Cathlete
I agree with you. The more cardio I do per week, the more exhausted I am and also eat more. The key for me is keeping my eating under control. I do better and feel better with between 40-60 minutes of cardio 3 times per week. When I feel great, I think, why not add on more? Well, your post answers that question. Frankly, I don't have the time or see the need to do more than an hour of cardio a session. What works for some, does not work for others. Melissa
ldy_solana
Cathlete
i still get hungry but i crave more healthy stuff when i do more cardio. and i don't seem to eat as much. i ate 1/2 cup of fruit salad after my cardio and i was satisfied with that. whereas after heavy weight training i would have probably eaten the whole bowl which is about 2-3 cups!! then still be hungry for something and overdo my potatoes and bread or something fatty. i remember one day after heavy leg day i wanted to come home and have bacon and eggs for dinner LOL.
its seems with my 2-3 days of weights or weight/cardio circuit i am craving my veggies and fruits more and that was hard the other way around. i knew i get better results with my eating if i just ate my veggies but i didn't want too LOL.
kassia
its seems with my 2-3 days of weights or weight/cardio circuit i am craving my veggies and fruits more and that was hard the other way around. i knew i get better results with my eating if i just ate my veggies but i didn't want too LOL.
kassia
jansherman
Cathlete
kariev, I think you are right on with your post. Diet is 90% responsible for the way our bodies look, and like they say - you can't outwork a bad diet. If you expend more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most people drastically underestimate the quantity and quality of food they eat. Logging eats and figuring percentages of carbs, protein, and fats, even for a few days, will give a more realistic picture of changes that need to be made. And thanks to the internet, there are numerous free programs that will do that for free! Caloriecountplus, fitday... I think many people have eating habits that they know aren't helping, but are unwilling to give them up. Bottom line, that "little piece" of chocolate, or nightly glass of wine does make a difference and can affect the results of your exercise.
The thought of giving up my weight lifting and doing only cardio would scare me silly! It's not about what the scale says!!!! Two people can weigh 115 lbs. - if one has muscle and is tight and toned, and the other is skinny-fat, guess who looks better! Cardio is important for fat loss and heart health, but weight training is important for bone density, and is really the only way to change how your body looks.
A few diet suggestions - only have 1 serving of fruit per day and make it berries, an apple, or 1/2 grapefruit. Get your carbs from vegetables (plain, not butter or cheese covered), sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice. Forget the bread, unless it's Ezekial or homemade whole grain. Eat 5-6 SMALL meals per day and have each one contain lean protein and veggies. Limit your starcy carbs (sweet potatoes, oats, rice, bread (if you must) to early in the day. I promise you'll see a big difference in the way you look, and probably a difference on the scale.
The thought of giving up my weight lifting and doing only cardio would scare me silly! It's not about what the scale says!!!! Two people can weigh 115 lbs. - if one has muscle and is tight and toned, and the other is skinny-fat, guess who looks better! Cardio is important for fat loss and heart health, but weight training is important for bone density, and is really the only way to change how your body looks.
A few diet suggestions - only have 1 serving of fruit per day and make it berries, an apple, or 1/2 grapefruit. Get your carbs from vegetables (plain, not butter or cheese covered), sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice. Forget the bread, unless it's Ezekial or homemade whole grain. Eat 5-6 SMALL meals per day and have each one contain lean protein and veggies. Limit your starcy carbs (sweet potatoes, oats, rice, bread (if you must) to early in the day. I promise you'll see a big difference in the way you look, and probably a difference on the scale.
bitmover
Cathlete
I read about a lot of people feeling really hungry after heavy weight work, but like you, I am hungrier after cardio -- after thinking about it, to me that makes a lot of sense. My body is really good at regulating calories in/out -- it knows I've burned more calories on a cardio day and it wants to fill them in! This revelation hasn't changed anything I do -- I'm pretty much maintaining -- it was just an interesting observation for me.
-Beth
-Beth
RapidBreath
Cathlete
You aren't eating enough. Eat more fat and protein. Thats all thats wrong with you at all. Thats why you are so tired and hungry. Don't over measure cause lying to yourself doesn't work, you know you are doing it, right? Measure, be honest. And seriously, I don't think you are going to lose weight on STS. Its for muscle building. Some of us put on muscle easily. If you want to weigh less, I suggest a rotation with circuits rather than STS. Just a thought.
Well, thats kindof the thing that i'm confused about. I thought diet was the determinant of fat loss not the workout routine?