How much fitness have I lost?

I have been very physically active the past few months: running, walking, lots of at-home strength. However, I have not been working out as hard the past 2 weeks and I've been binging really badly. I noticed that my six-pack abs are fading away, my arms seem a little flabbier, and my thighs/butt are a little jiggly lol  I was wondering how long does it take for muscle to disappear? Have my months of hard work all gone to waste???? I've switched from running to biking. I bike at least 5-10 miles a day and I go as fast as I can. I've gotten a few strength work outs in. I walk A LOT, too. But still, Ahhhh freakin' out! I know I've gained weight dang it!

I don't think your muscles are disappearing, I think they're just getting covered in layers of fat.  You still have the muscle you had when you were working out a lot with gusto, it's just getting covered up.

Okay -- I see your problem.  But 2 weeks is a pretty short interval.  You have switched to biking -- one of my favorites and you are riding hard  for 5 to 10 miles a day.  That won't qualify you for the Tour de France but so what.  Fitness is always measured in terms of some goal.  I have been challenged to ride back to back centuries so I am riding 100+ miles per week.  That is insane.  It is a big investment in time and energy but has little real value.  I would probably be just as well off cutting that in half.  But I wouldn't be able to meet the challenge, if I cut back.

I have no doubt that you could get back into your workout routines in a week or less, if it was worth your while.  But you should be looking at your lifestyle.  How much time do you need to invest in exercise to maintain your gains and sustain an acceptable level of exercise?

I would would guess that an hour a day would be pretty good.  Supplement your biking with some calesthenics and resistance work and try to walk as much as possible.

Good luck

You're exactly the same amount of "Fit."  Fitness shouldn't be just about your muscles showing.  As long as you've been exercising, you have probably at least upkept your progress.

HOLY Good GOD! 100 miles per week..

hmmm can I see your legs please? LOL

girl.. you cant loose muscle that fast... its just the battle of the bulge.. you have been carbo loading havent you?

 Pay attention to the sodium content your taking in.. and the carbs as well.. have you ever noticed when you have a carbo loading night( or way to many beers) while in front of the TV, how fat your face looks in the morning when you wake up??? LOL well.. carbs bloat... eat vegies after 7 pm... NO carbs.. eat diet ice cream if you have a munchie attack.. But dont worry about loosing muscle.. you cant loose it that fast!

You're tooooo funny....

Original Post by saraswift:

HOLY Good GOD! 100 miles per week..

hmmm can I see your legs please? LOL

girl.. you cant loose muscle that fast... its just the battle of the bulge.. you have been carbo loading havent you?

 Pay attention to the sodium content your taking in.. and the carbs as well.. have you ever noticed when you have a carbo loading night( or way to many beers) while in front of the TV, how fat your face looks in the morning when you wake up??? LOL well.. carbs bloat... eat vegies after 7 pm... NO carbs.. eat diet ice cream if you have a munchie attack.. But dont worry about loosing muscle.. you cant loose it that fast!

You're tooooo funny....

Technically veggies are carbs.  They are just mostly low GI carbs which means they come with a lot of fiber.  They also have a high water content which helps with any excess sodium and what not inside your guts.

And your going to now tell me that vegies are bad carbs too right? LOL I dont think that the vegies are whats to worry about here.. everyone knows vegies have carbs in them.. and everyone needs carbs.. good carbs... not pizza, pasta,sugars and alcohol..

Sorry I guess I needed to be more specific... everyones a critic

HELL NO!! Veggies and fruits are NOT bad carbs.  I'm sorry you felt like I was criticizing you.  I just read a lot of threads (probably too much) where people seem to group foods into categories that are too narrow and don't explain their method of categorization to the OP or the person to whom they were addressing their post.  I'm just trying to prevent people from getting misinformed. :) Sorry.

Original Post by saraswift:

HOLY Good GOD! 100 miles per week..

hmmm can I see your legs please? LOL

girl.. you cant loose muscle that fast... its just the battle of the bulge.. you have been carbo loading havent you?

 Pay attention to the sodium content your taking in.. and the carbs as well.. have you ever noticed when you have a carbo loading night( or way to many beers) while in front of the TV, how fat your face looks in the morning when you wake up??? LOL well.. carbs bloat... eat vegies after 7 pm... NO carbs.. eat diet ice cream if you have a munchie attack.. But dont worry about loosing muscle.. you cant loose it that fast!

You're tooooo funny....

 Sugar Free ice cream would be a better choice than a low cal/diet ice cream... if you want a sweet, cheat-day type of dessert. But, don't make a habit out of eating any kind of ice cream during any part of the day!