Still Struggling

I’ve dropped from 211 to 190, but I have not conquered my bad eating habits. I do try. I also am trying to do cardio but then I wonder if I have energy to do cardio after a workout then I didn’t workout hard enough. I think my head is in panic mode. I did go to the Biggest Loser website for a while, but I actually would love to achieve being muscular, not just slim. I am not the typical poster. But I do read and I keep falling and getting up, I just need to work smarter, not harder.

I think my question got lost in my rambling. I enjoy doing some cardio, but when do you do it? Do you do it completely separate or before or after lifting? Is HIIT better than steady state for fat people?

Isabelle

First of, don’t be so hard on yourself. We are all a work in progress…everyone slips up. The important thing is that you wipe off the crumbs and move forward. Dwelling on last night’s pizza doesn’t make it go away.

IMHO, cardio or HIIT should not be the Rx for a slip up in your diet. Just get back on track with your clean eating as soon as you can.
Secondly, what are your goals? You have established that you want gain some muscle…
What does your training entail?

Sorry to be so brusque, but I’m sick and tired of women agonizing over their diet instead of focusing on getting stronger and building some muscle.

[quote]Belle Curvy wrote:
I’ve dropped from 211 to 190, but I have not conquered my bad eating habits. I do try. I also am trying to do cardio but then I wonder if I have energy to do cardio after a workout then I didn’t workout hard enough. I think my head is in panic mode. I did go to the Biggest Loser website for a while, but I actually would love to achieve being muscular, not just slim. I am not the typical poster. But I do read and I keep falling and getting up, I just need to work smarter, not harder.

I think my question got lost in my rambling. I enjoy doing some cardio, but when do you do it? Do you do it completely separate or before or after lifting? Is HIIT better than steady state for fat people?

Isabelle[/quote]

You sound like you are overthinking this. There are many ways to skin a cat. You have to find out what works best for you. Can you go to the gym in the morning to do cardio then hit the gym after work to do weight training? If so, then try that. If not, then do a longer session of steady state cardio on the days that you are not weight training, and maybe do 20 min of HIIT (including Tabatas) after you lift.
As far as diet is concerned, the trick is to have a plan and to stick to it. On the occasion that you have strayed, just get back on the path and keep on going. Neither building muscle nor weight loss is done in one hour or day. It is a long term trend of activities.

Hey Belle!

Well, how did you get from 211-190? Thats awesome!

Imo, I wouldn’t worry too much about what kind of cardio to do at this point…and I respectfully disagree,in that diet plays a major role in losing fat…I’ve only begun making progress as of late(after 2+years) by sticking to my diet and being HONEST about everything that goes in my mouth…

You have to create that deficit…if you are having bites licks and tastes of everything, it can really add up!

You can’t really build muscle without extra food…but I DO agree that women focusing on fat loss should LIFT HEAVY to MAINTAIN there muscle mass…

[quote]skyel7 wrote:
Sorry to be so brusque, but I’m sick and tired of women agonizing over their diet instead of focusing on getting stronger and building some muscle. [/quote]

x2. the importance of diet isn’t to be negated, but the finer details at this point are all consistency. there’s 168 hours in a week,and hopefully you’re not spending more than 10 hours in the gym. thats still 158 hours of eating and NEPA to screw up.

cardio isnt the answer or a quick fix. at 190lbs, just keep going! keep eating clean, keep working out. the extra weight didnt show up overnight and it wont be gone after tomorrow morning’s shat.

(when i said x2 i dont include the apology. i am definitely not sorry. glad, however, that youre interested in building muscle. just put things in perspective.)

Hello, this is my old thread. So thank you Skyel and CBear, I do train with weights. My question was specific to the timing of cardio. =)

Hi Mom in MD, I kept walking and working with what I could do and trying mostly to eat well. I always brought my lunch to work. I did go out for dinners sometimes, but I was always good with lunch and breakfast. I do feel better, I just want to run and jump some! =)