|
too much cardio/physical work?
Is there such a thing as too much cardio? Could it lower my metabolism, or prevent me from losing fat? I'm pretty sure I've heard that it can cause muscle loss... could there be anything to this relating to my situation? Since I want to lose fat and retain/gain muscle, should I not have physical work that includes large amounts of cardio 5 days a week?
I started a little over two months ago a new job on bike patrol where I am bicycling around a large campus and through a handful of parking garages as well as two parks for an eight-hour period, five days per week. (I do get a lunch and breaks in there, of course.) I actually started without knowing how to ride a bike at all--I grew up in the country and I never really had an opportunity to ride. Anyway, within a few days after getting the job offer, I had gotten the hang of it, and I started doing it full-time. Now, there is some coasting based on how I ride, and how many calls I get, but there are some intense uphills I have to do each "tour," making it probably about 40-45 minutes out of each hour that I'm really biking hard.
I've also completely changed my diet in the last few months to the basic healthy high-protein low-glycemic calorie-controlled healthy-fats type diet, consisting mostly of this stuff:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- white albacore tuna
- 1% milk
- steamed brown or jasmine rice
- broccoli
- baby spinach (salads) with light italian dressing and various brightly-colored veggies
- Splenda-based light yogurt
- whole wheat bread
- lean ground turkey
- almonds
- the occasional string cheese as a snack
- peanut butter
- eggs
As well as various protein shakes, RTDs, bars, etc. And I take a Centrum and I'll irregularly pop a Hot Rox or two if I'm feeling tired or need a boost (probably a stupid way to use thermogenics, in retrospect).
I try to get in at least 4-5 meals a day, one as soon as I wake up, and then I try to make sure I'm getting at least 30+ grams of protein but not too much more than 50 per meal (because I've heard the body can't absorb much more than that). It's weird now though because I don't get a pre- or post-workout shake in because I'm not working out--I'm too damned tired and fatigued because of this job.
My query is, why have I only lost like 5-7lbs in the past two months? I have cheated no more than one day a week. (This week I had lunch at Panera and probably had too much carbs and fats, last week I got a Zingers out of a vending machine and almost vomited when I realized it had like 700 calories in it and 50-some grams of fat in a tiny little package!!!) Am I doing too much cardio?
I'm weighing in at 241 as of this morning and I'm 6'2" tall.
Thanks in advance to anyone who has any advice or has been in this position. Maybe I need to find another job that's less physical, because no job is worth sacrificing my goals at working out and losing weight.
|
Crazy!
Linear Mode
