cardio question...

[will7128301]

ok I really don't need to work on muscle building as much as I need to lose weight.

I have fallin in love with the cardio machines.

Is it true that in cardio it will burn muscle tissue as well as fat if you dont work them? what I want to do and is it ok to do like do cardio every night and like 3 of those nights do muscle building first.

I just love the feeling I get after a good cardio! this will sound gross but I love being covered in sweat afterwords it screams BYE BYE FAT!!!!

[2big4mysize]

if you are not fueling properly then your body will go look for fuels and can in intense exercise consume your free amino acid pools stored in your muscles and many bodybuilders consider this eating their muscles.
Since you know your muscles are not being eatting by your exercise because your Atkins is and does properly fuel folks for cardio that isn't the reason your muscles you are not working during your cardio will "shrink". If you don't use body parts the don't see a need to grow more tissue their and don't as those nice large muscle fibers you have created get old and die your body seeing no evidece that you need them any more conserves energy resources and fuel and just doesn't replace them and your scsavengr parts go to work removing that old dead muscle tissue microscopic cell by cell until you only have the amount your body feels it needs and then it activly repairs that tissue. increase the load on them and poof they get busy regrowing that tissue once again.

It is your choice about wanting to keep your large muscles or leting them grow smaller again.

Happy low carbing.

[ttdriver]

Eat lots of protein .. that will safeguard your muscles!

Betty

[will7128301]

what is the best source of protein for atkins? Whip out venison from the freezer and make my own jerky?

[2big4mysize]

actually the 30% protein on your Atkins is all the protein humans need to increase muslce mass doing Atkins. If you increase your protein intake too much it will be converted to sugar in your liver and that sugar will spike insulin to use or store that sugar and while that insulin is running around your dietary fats will be being stored and your body fats will be stuck in the fat cells waiting to come out and play.

Eat your Atkins do your cardio and keep doing your resistance program at the same level you are currently doing it. SInce your load isn't increaseing those muscle will not be getting bigger just keeping themselves fit and burning off your body fat for you.

Happy low carbing.

[ttdriver]

I respectfully disagree that 30% protein is not enough to protect the body from canabalizing itself if you are doing rigorous strength training and/or running a marathon....

I eat alot of protein and have yet to have the insulin spikes and/or weight gain from eating over 30% protein. Matter of fact, I credit the protein for giving me the long-run endurance to run 10 miles or more without the need to 'carb up' as most of the runners magazines insist upon.

Betty

[snorkelman]

I am not real sure exactly what your question is but what i can tell you is as long as you want to lose fat, then you should be doing cardio a minimum of 4 days per week (30-45 minutes /day). 3 days of cardio will just keep you where you are usually. 4-6 days of cardio will result in fat loss.

Yes, keep weight training too because muscles will love the protein you eat on Atkins. Also more muscles meal that they will be burning more fat (your metabolism increases the more muscles you have).

The biggest mistake that most people on Atkins make is that they think it is great that they lost all this weight, but they don't realize what they lost. What kind of weight was lost? How much of it was body fat and how much was water, glycogen and lean tissue? This is why a body fat analysis is important - you can buy clipers cheap (even digital ones are only about $30). Most people on Atkins lose muscle mass.

For the best results you should do cardio 6 days a week and if you can do weight training 3 days that will be good.

[2big4mysize]

got to dissagree with you there. fat is the fuel of choice for enduranvce running, not protein. Our bodies will get more energy carbon for carbon from fats then from carbs or proteins. Proteins also require much more energy to break it down to make sugars. Check the actual reactions and you will be surprised at what you find. When the muscles use up the Phosphogens and the glycogen stored in them blood sugar drops and the fat burning hormone glycagen is produced and muscles turn to fatty acids they are stored inside themselves for fuel not protien and liberate lots and lots of enegry throught beta oxidation of them and then the TCA system.
Don't fall for the stuff in the mags, view the studies that go with it. Dr Atkins talks about the myth of carbloading and there are many may weight loss plans out there but if you are going to do Atkins then the proteins stay around 30% and the fats are the primary fuel for all phases.

The head of the Akins Center Dr Stuart Taugar using the Atkins Nutritional Approach has run marathon like the Boston, NYC. the Hawiian Ironman and ultra marathons. He was already an overweight runner when he started Atkins.

You can do any plan you want to and there are many mnay low carb carb higher protein lower fat plans. but to be doing Atkins the fats for all phases are the primary fuel.

[six footer]

Re: cardio question...

2big, this is an old post but I would like to resurrect it and ask you what source material you are using for your post? I'd like to read it. Thanks.