Tom_B said:
ok thanks emma, you always have such great info
You are welcome
about how long should I wait before I eat my meal after the cardio?
If you are doing higher intensity cardio (HR at 70% max or above) then treat it like a weights workout. You should be having your whey + carbs meal within 15 minutes of stopping. Some suggest you should be sipping the drink as you put down the last weight/step off the treadmill but others, due to the blood distribution to the muscles at this time, find that eating AS they finish working out just causes them to feel ill (no blood is going to their stomachs to help with digestion so the meal just 'sits' there). If this is the case with you then just stick to making sure you have in in the first 15 minutes after finishing.
If your cardio is of lower intensity (HR less than 70% max) then having food with in 30 minutes of finishing would be fine.
I've also limited my cardio to 3x a week (days i don't lift weights) and god I miss it so much.
I can understand this... I love being active as well and I am one of those freaky people who enjoys cardio too! Hang in there - If you love running/walking etc then just think of it as a short-term 'siesta' from these and know that once you get your weight under control you will easily be able to add another few sessions back in!
Take that focus you had for your cardio and fixate it on making sure your weights routine is HARD and HEAVY. Who knows - you might find a new love and cardio may just seem less inviting!
The problem with increasing my carbs anymore is I'm afraid I might gain alot of water weight which I don't want, I want to know I gain a fair amount of muscle before I go on my cut.
Ok... Think about this logically - in all reality why are you concerned about some 'water weight'?
Water weight - aka: glycogen (which is the kind of water weight you are talking about, not sodium/bloat related water weight) is not a big deal and it is certainly not 'your enemy'. Sure, if you are trying to
cut for a comp it is not the best, but in terms of athletic potential and having available energy for anabolism it is GREAT!
What this type of water weight is, is water that is drawn into your muscles (and liver) in association with re-filling your energy stores. It will mean your muscle (and liver) glycogen supplies are full and this means your body has energy to use when you train, as well as energy for your muscles to repair and grow (AND by having your liver glycogen full you are giving the rest of your body - like your brain - enough energy to function as well!!!)!
This is ESSENTIAL for what you are trying to achieve!!
So now tell me - what is so bad about it?
Also - Do you constantly feel tired? Run down? Mentally Slow? Or do you not have enough energy to jump around and be active (other than your 'essential' workouts?)? If so, then you might find that you will really benefit from replacing your bodies glycogen supplies and making this energy available for your body to use when it needs it! You might just find you FEEL BETTER when you allow your body this energy!
Now - You can not gain HEAPS of water weight - the
average 70-75kg male (150-164 lb) can only really store 100g of glycogen in the liver and ~400g glycogen in his muscles... So someone your size is likely to only have the capacity to store a maximum of about 80g of glycogen in the liver (this is equivalent to ~0.75lb 'water weight') and about 300g glycogen in your muscles (~ 2.6 lbs)! So, at the end of the day, if your glycogen stores are full, you would have gained ~ 3.4 lb in water... This is not a big deal and certainly not worth compromising your recovery and gains for!
Really - try it and see... What have you got to loose?
, I can't wait, and I'm really gonna concentrate on my weights lol by the end I might just end up liking weights more than cardio, but nothing will ever beat my hour walks 
