Too much cardio?

[jlschultz]

I've been doing quite a bit of cardio for about a month now and don't really see any change in my outward appearance. I usually run about 3.5-4 miles and bike 10-15 miles on a moderate resistance 5 days per week in addition to doing about 20 minutes of abs.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Boss Man]

The issue is if your diet wasnt' right, thne the Cardio could be burning muscle.

The issue then being, that 1lb of added muscle can burn an additional 45-50 calories per day. Alternatively your muscle mass will decrease your fat burning potential if it is burned itself, so you'd burn muscle and replace it with a little fat.

Alternatively if you don't eat enough you can create something caleld a "starvation mode", where the body believes it's being starved and won't allow some or all of the fat you want to lose to be burnt.

So what meals do you eat and what times do you eat?

[jlschultz]

Thanks for getting back to me so soon!

I eat breakfast at about 8am. Usually a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. I hit the gym about an hour later. For lunch I usually have a smoothie with a cup of milk, a banana, strawberries, blueberries and a protein supplement in addition to a sandwich or a bowl of soup. Dinner varries, but usually consists of something like spaghetti, grilled bratwurst, chilli or something of the like. I tend to eat pretty healthy but I absolutly occasionally enjoy sweets and other "bad" stuff.

[Boss Man]

I eat breakfast at about 8am. Usually a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice.

(I'd have more Protein, like Ham, Eggs, Turkey, Chicken etc.)

I hit the gym about an hour later.

For lunch I usually have a smoothie with a cup of milk, a banana, strawberries, blueberries and a protein supplement in addition to a sandwich or a bowl of soup.

(Have the Smoothie after a workout, then keep the Sandwich + Soup as one meal for Lunch.

This effectively gives you the smoothie as a Brunch type option.)

(Have another meal between Lunch and Dinner like a goodly sized portion of peanuts, or Low Fat Cheese, a big Sandwich, or something quick to make like Beans on Toast as examples.)

Dinner varries, but usually consists of something like spaghetti, grilled bratwurst, chilli or something of the like.

(Not too bad.)

(You could include a small snack later on like a portion of Low Fat Yoghurt, or a Cheese or Mushroom Omelette,as examples.)