<<In 12 weeks, I've gained about 15 lbs of muscle and lost more than 20 lbs of fat>>

Thank you for the replies....another question about this statement...does that show a net loss on the scale of 5 pounds?
And, how can you figure out how much fat you are loosing/muscle you are building?

I still don't understand the concept of why the body will burn muscle with longer cardio training. I thought I'd read that the resistance exercies were the best for burning calories because the larger muscle groups burn more efficiently, is this different than burning fat? I just kinda figured that if I were really sweating and working out hard...and that I had no ready carbs to use for feul and I was in ketosis...that all the energy needed to work out would come from the fat on my body...can someone straighten me out on this I love exercise, but I want to loose weight. I am about 201 and would love to be around 170 now. Should I concentrate on "fat burning exercise" and what exactly is the best of that type of exercise??

I guess if I had to pick, I'd want to loose the fat and then work on definition, I have always been muscular...but right now it's just hiding under a layer of fat so it doesn't get scratched

Again, thank you so much for the replies...OH, something I read about cortisol buildups...can this be explained again or can someone post a thread where I could find info on that too??

Thanks tons!!

Michelle