Exercise Addiction

Just a word of warning....

Over the last year I overcame a condition referred to as exercise bulimia.  I would run 16k in the morning - followed by a 7 mile cycle throw in another 10k run....and sometimes would do even more.   I plummeted to 5'4" 100 pounds....and then i noticed even will of my excessive exercise and lack of eating I started to gain weight - I threw off my electrolyte balance so badly i had problems with my potassium and sodium - I started retaining water like mad my fingers balooned and i gained 10 pounds of water weight over the course of a month.  My doctor and nutritionist worked out a plan for to get my body back in check. 

Anyway for the last yr I've gone down to exercising no more than 1 hour of cardio a day with weight training - and i'm a healthier 110 pounds. Just wanted to share my story and let people know too much exercise really isn't safe...even right now sometimes I know I'm pushing my limits....but one thing that I would really advise is drinking the proper amount of fluids and eating properly before and after you work out.

Yeah exercise addiction is an actual condition that people develop. I remember reading an article on it, that states if you are exercising more than 7-8 hours a week, you could suffer from it. You can end up getting hooked on the endorphins that are released into your body from intense exercise. Another thing that happens is that people forget along the way that rest is just as important as exercise and think "The more I exercise, the better shape I will be in." While this is true to an extent, you can also do too much exercise and overtrain. Glad to hear that you are recovering successfully from it. Although doing an hour of cardio a day is still a bit too much IMO. You only need 90-120 minutes a week to maintain cardiovascular fitness.

My current routine :

Wed/Fri/Sun - I lift on a full-body routine for 45 minutes. After lifting I will do my HIIT. This is hard as hell to do, especially since the FBR really takes it out of you. However, lifting puts your body in a fat burning state, and hitting the cardio after helps to speed up the process. Especially HIIT. Plus, by doing HIIT on my lifting days, it gives me more recovery time.

Thurs/Sat - I walk for 30 minutes at a brisk pace to help aid with recovery and do some light stretching/foam roller work.

I take Sunday and Monday off resting up and taking it easy. I have found that taking two days off a week, works best for me.

This is very interesting.

I weighed 288 lbs a year and a half ago.  I lost over 100 lbs in five months and ended up losing a total of 154 lbs in 14 months by changing my diet and becoming an exercise bulemic!

It has taken me about six months to wean myself off the 30 miles a day on the recumbent bike!

My wife and I walk now and I lift weights.

I have one question now that you have lightened up the exercise do you eat the same amount to put weight on or do you eat less?

I still eat a ton but it is not coming back real fast so I am trying to up calories.....I am trying to put 20 lbs back on!  :)

i think i ate a lot more when i was working out so hard but it wasn't good food - it would be like 1000 calorie binge on crap followed by a 1500 calorie work out - looking back it was absolutely insane. now i just eating regular breakfast lunch and dinner usually between about 2200-2800 calories depending on my workout regime....i feel a lot healthier now b/c i try to go by a 90:10 healthy:nonhealthy food ratio...so i will allow myself half a cup of frozen yogurt everyday...just not the whole tub lol. it's crazy to think that when i was 100 pounds i was eating a litre of frozen yogurt....it's pretty sad.

It's very easy to get into the exercising so you can eat trap.  I have been there before.  Not good.

I also think I am 'slightly'  addicted to endorphins and can get  really cranky if I dont do any form of exercise for a day or two. 

Sometimes, I just have to walk, if that's all I can do and find my mood dramatically lifts.  Like recently I have been on holiday, and couldnt really run daily or do weights, so I was getting exasperated.  

But now, post-hols I am back to running daily and circuits, and I feel a bit better. 

I always feel like I could do more and want to keep the adrenaline and endorphin levels up.

I also wonder how people who do NO exercise can feel happy...which is odd. 

I with you TurnerTower.  2 days and no exercise I go stir crazy even thought I'm busy with other things.  I recently found myself doing 2 spinning classes regularly every week (one after the other with a 30 min rest between) and circuits followed by body combat in the same session.  Thing is, I feel energised by the 1st class for the second class -if that makes sense.  Sure I'm exhausted brieflyu at the end but I I recover super quick and have no aches or pains next day unless I've done weights/resistance...

I AM addicted I guess - but it's better than being addicted to pies, big macs and cigarettes I reckon.  As for overdoing it, I reckon the body tells you when to stop or slow down...I am forcing myself to have at least one sometimes two rest days a week now though - thanks to advice from Vyperman7....

Original Post by wildizer:

I AM addicted I guess - but it's better than being addicted to pies, big macs and cigarettes I reckon.  As for overdoing it, I reckon the body tells you when to stop or slow down...I am forcing myself to have at least one sometimes two rest days a week now though - thanks to advice from Vyperman7....

Glad to hear it man. With how much exercise you were doing it before, it is good to hear that you were able to start taking some time off.I recently took my first week off from exercise ever. Apparently, you are supposed to take a week off strenuous exercise every 2-3 months. I had never done this before. I was going out of my mind half the time while doing it. However, at the same time I think it re-energized me and brought back my enthusiasm again.

The funny thing is that I used to be the exact same way with wanting to exercise everyday. However, I have actually gotten better results exercising less than I did exercising almost everyday of the week. I have found that by lifting on a full-body routine and doing HIIT, I am able to put more intensity into my workouts, which allows me to get better results in shorter time. This lets me feel better about taking a few days off a week. Plus, my body definitely thanks me when I take the time off too..LOL