gaining weight (fat) with 'intense form of cardio'

[kylecortez]

Wai is right once again! Get this. Genetically, I tend to be a little bit heavier set. Latley though, I've been getting a bit bored so I decided to start skateboarding again. It is a very intense form of cardio because basically all's I'm doing is jumping in the air when I do my tricks. Jumping takes alot of energy, especially with my body type. It's a fun form of exercise so i can easily end up going for 2 or so hours. It would be considered intermittent exercise (kind of like interval training) because I'm not constantly jumpimg. I sweat alot from it. Usually, I'll end up doing it maybe 4 times a week.

So anyways, what's been happening is I've been noticing my stomach and it's been HUGE! Very protruding in nature. And my diet has not been bad at all. I stay away from all the high glycemic carbs that have made me gain weight in the past. This might be the fattest I've ever been.

I remember this summer, I wasn't super active, and I wasn't paying attention, AT ALL, to what I was eating. And I remember, girls were telling me how flat my stomach was. Also, I had a job as a patient transporter at the hospital, which required alot of walking.

So take these 2 scenarios. My leanness this summer was exactly in accordance with what Wai said - walking to loose weight and eating as you go. And my overexercise recently has probably just been seen by my body as too much stress and it has simply started gaining weight out of fear of this intense exercise.

Who would have guessed?! Every person, when they think of weight loss, just think of intense cardio and dieting, and that just yields no results (or at least transient results)

Way to go wai and fellow researchers!
-Kyle

[RRM]

Thanks for the report, Kyle.
Yes, available 'explosive energy' requires filled up glycogen stores, and filling up those glycogen stores generally coincides with filling up fat depots. Both are insulinogenic.

[kylecortez]

And something I remember reading is you guys said that when you deplete the glycogen, you have "no choice" as to whether or not to refill it. You've already dug your own grave if you are doing too much cardio. Whereas walking on the other hand, no threat to glycogen = ideal

[Oscar]

Whereas walking on the other hand, no threat to glycogen = ideal

Also with walking you will use glycogen, if the bloodsugar level gets low and the body needs glucose. But it's far easier to regulate, if you keep replenishing the bloodsugar.