Calories and Exercise to maintain?

Stats: 5,4', 111-ish pounds (keeps fluctuating, i don't even know anymore), and 16 years old. Very active. 

Strength Training: 1X a week bootcamp, 1X a week, weight training w/ my personal trainer (1/2 hour) not super heavy weights, weight training by myself 1X/ week (about 1 hr, although I want to start keeping it to 1/2 hour). 

Cardio Training: 2X/ week XC practice (where I do 6-9 miles), 2X/week running on the treadmill (usually some type of fartlek workout, about 1/2 hour), then I usually end up doing spinning, zumba, a bike ride, or even another run (only 3 miles), 1-2x/ week, for a total of 6 days of cardio (it has been vary-ing). For about the past month, it's been 6.

Basically, because i'm so active, I was told my my former nutritionist to eat 2800 calorie per day. I was hungry for every calorie, so I did this, but ended up gaining 4-ish pounds that have barely budged (I think i've lost 2, but i'm not sure). I used to be 108, so I am quite pissed off about it. But, in an attempt to intuitively eat (and honestly to lose a bit of weight), and not over-eat, i've been eating an average of 2200-2400 calories/ day. Sometimes the under eating has been unintentional, as I don't have time to eat after XC practice, and I just want to go to bed. I would be fine with this, but I used to eat this much (if not more) when I was doing significantly less exercise. I don't want to end up malnourishing myself, and slowing down my metabolism, but I also don't want to gain at the rapid pace of 1 pound/week as I was. I also want to be able to not count calories, go to a party, and eat what I want in moderation (which I did last night, whoo!) but I don't want to gain whilist doing this. 

For a while, I was beginning to think that I may have been over-training, and that was somehow leading to weight gain, despite all the calories i'm burning (not sure if this theory makes sense). I used to feel extremely tired doing 6X/week of cardio, but now, I feel as if I can take it, and I feel really good while doing it most of the time. But, despite this, I still feel I might be over training, when I look at all the stuff i'm doing. 

So, my two main quesitons are as follows:

1) How many calories about should I eat to maintain my weight/day now? What if I cut back on exercise?

2) Should I cut back on my exercise? If I do, will it stop the weight gain? My goals are to attain a more ripped-looking physique, and be/stay a good cross country runner. If I should cut back, what parts of my routine should I cut out?

I really didn't know any of that o.o I had a feeling I may have been over training, but I wasn't sure because 1) I have the energy for it, and 2) pro atheletes. But, they do have the perfectly timed meals and everything, which I didn't really think about.

Since I'm exercising more than 45 minutes/day, could that be the reason I haven't been getting a 6 pack, and more toned stomach either, due to the increased cortisol? 

Also, what would you reccomend my training entail so I don't over-do it? And so I can eat 2400-2500 calories, as well as get ripped?

I know my weight is kind of low, but I don't look underweight at all really. That's why i'm very nervous about gaining. 

Sorry for all the questions, I really appreciate the reply!! Also, I saw your profile picture and you look freaking amazing (keep it up!) what do you do to train??

Thank you so much!!! 

It doesn't show in my profile picture, but I do have pretty nice arms already, and legs, but the only thing is the abs. I heard that cortisol makes you store fat in your stomach, so I thought maybe that might be it. 

Also, I really can't control how long the cardio will go for sometimes due to XC (which I am making the priority). Sometimes, we run over an hour, depending on the times. I also enjoy the bootcamp class, but I know it isn't exactly beneficial to my goal of getting shredded. I was going to continue with it for august once a week, because I won't get to do it anymore come september due to XC practice. I would like to get shredded, but I also want to conquer my inner ED, and focus on having fun as well. 

What i'm thinking of doing now, is lifting mondays and fridays (once w/ my PT), w/ a 30 minute HIIT session after (for a total 1 hour), bootcamp wednesdays, then XC practice 2X a week, and 1 easy run 1X per week. Would that be okay? too much? I was thinking a 4 mile run before bootcamp but i'm not sure if that would be beneficial or not. There are also practices on mondays and fridays in the morning; I was thinking I could do those instead of HITT, but although it's cardio, it's not exactly the right kind. You did say though that 1 day of HIIT coudl work too, so maybe I could comprimise depending on how I felt that week, or what was going on...

I work with my trainer, and she has me doing a lot more lighter weight high reps stuff (which doesn't seem to be doing any harm). I think i've seen some improvement in my abs too, but it's only been a week or 2, soooooo. Even if i'm not lifting heavy, would additional calories still go to muscle to repair? or is that just wishful thinking?

I'm skeptical of lifitng heavy personally. Not because I don't hear that it works, or that I think i'll get bulky (because it's obviously worked for you based on your pics) but from personal experience, I didn't think it worked really. I tried doing NROLFW at the end of track, beginning of XC season, and I didn't see any results. I did become stronger, but I didn't get visibly more ripped as i'd hopped. I assumed possibly all the muscle I was building was getting burned on my runs (I followed the program for a good 3 months).

When I did eat 2800 (I forget how much I was lifting at the time), I gained, but my therapist actually said "have you lost weight?" and I said "i actually gained 3-ish pounds". I was lifting heavy during these 2 weeks (just looked back at my log) So, was that the muscle gain?? if so, should I keep eating? Should I just ditch the light weights and lift heavy again? I like the bootcamp and stuff so much, but I also want to get ripped eventually...

I'm not going to make excuses either; i'm not buying a HRM. It'd be too triggering for me where I am now. 

Honeslty though, should I ditch the trainer? I'd feel really bad, because she's awesome. I also really enjoy the bootcamp class, and want to continue doing both for august, while I can (yolo~) lol! I won't be able to do any of it in september unfortunately, because XC will take up so much time... Plus, how much harm can a month do? It'll take a month to get back on track, which I could handle. I also do think I am getting results but i'm not sure. I 'm just so incredibly confused. Nothing's gotten worse, which i'm glad about... which leads me to my next dilema... 

Once XC starts, it's 5-6 solid days of running (including races). That's at least 1/2 hour of cardio each time, if not, more like an hour of hard core cardio. With races (1-2 times per week), it'll be more like 20 but a hard core 20 minutes. What am I going to do then? I don't want to over train, but with weights, how should I handle it? Keep lifting, not lifting?? Would I be able to lift heavy, and do the cardio in addition to XC, and get that ripped physique then, even if i'm doing the XC practice while lifting heavy? I'm sorry, just worrying. 

Thanks so much for bearing with me, I really appreciate it!!!

Original Post by littlemili:

I actually suffered from non purging bulimia and compulsive over exercising so I completely understand your position.

The reason you don't look ripped is that you don't have muscle. Muscle is really hard to build. It requires you to eat more calories than you burn. It IS possible to gain muscle and weight while lowering your body fat percentage (I know, I've done it). What is happening to you is that your body is unable to repair the muscles you are working because you aren't eating enough. Basically your body is eating the muscle to fuel all your cardio. Cardio is amazing for losing weight, but it does not discriminate between burning fat or muscle for fuel after a certain point. That's why marathon runners don't look ripped and often have osteoporosis and infertility, whereas 100m runners are muscular, shredded, and typically more healthy.

Here is what I would recommend. I am not a personal trainer but I am very well read on the subject of exercise, nutrition, overtraining and the biological repercussions of working out. What I recommend is what I do.

Workouts: Lift 3 days, cardio 3 days. Warm up and cool down by doing 5 mins gentle low HR cardio before and after lifting. Before you lift, also do some dynamic stretching. Lift for max 30 mins including rest. Do either 3 sets of 8 or 5 sets of 5. Free weights are better if you know how to use them. On cardio days, you will achieve a balanced physique by mixing up your choice of exercise. Swimming, cycling, running and circuits are all good. Do 1-2 days HIIT with a warm up and cool down. One long cardio per week is fine, but otherwise keep your workouts under 45 mins. It will force you to be efficient and thoughtful in your workouts.

Food: Get a HRM and record you exercise burn. Eat a mix of carbs and protein 1-2 hours before working out. After working out, eat at least as much as you burned. On cardio days, focus on replenishing glycogen by eating plenty of carbs (a sandwich works fine, or a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit). On lifting days, get a good balance of protein and carbs (you could use a protein shake, or Greek yoghurt with granola, or cottage cheese with a banana). If you don't eat at least at maintenance calorie levels, you will not build muscle, instead you will destroy it. Generally, try to get 1g protein per lb of total body weight. Eat plenty of fibre. You burn a lot of calories digesting food, especially foods which are high in fibre or protein. It will also really help your digestive system cope with an increase in calories. A good meal plan is to eat 3 main meals, a post workout snack and 1-2 further snacks per day. This is how my day works out often: breakfast (300), post workout (500), lunch (500), afternoon snack (400), dinner (500), dessert (300) = 2500. If you eat healthy food, and eat at or slightly over maintenance calories, your body will NOT get fat. You WILL gain weight - firstly your glycogen will be replenished which is like free muscle mass (yay) and you will have more food in your stomach. It probably won't take more than a week for that initial gain to settle. After that, you'll be gaining muscle. I. Promise. I have photos of myself to prove it too. I still eat 3000+ calories a few days a week and I can't seem to gain a damn lb on it. I actually an under active thyroid which makes it even more remarkable.

Also please bear in mind that I weigh about the same as you but I'm 5'1. I have visible abs, and I can run 6 minute miles, or run 10k in 46 minutes, and leg press twice my body weight indefinitely. I am still trying to gain more weight despite having gained 15lbs altogether so far, and I know that if I gain 1-2lbs per month it will go on as muscle. When I gained my first 15 lbs, I actually lost a dress size on top, and went from having a flat but flabby stomach to rocking abs.

If you want to know anything else just ask ok? I really want other people to be able to get healthy like I have! I feel like I have something to offer you from having made mistakes myself.

Awesome workout advice. I think I'm going to give this a try as I am getting sick of doing so much running and then have to make myself lift after. Out of curiosity, how much do you generally eat in a day on this workout plan to maintain?

Original Post by ilovemj909:

Original Post by littlemili:

I actually suffered from non purging bulimia and compulsive over exercising so I completely understand your position.

The reason you don't look ripped is that you don't have muscle. Muscle is really hard to build. It requires you to eat more calories than you burn. It IS possible to gain muscle and weight while lowering your body fat percentage (I know, I've done it). What is happening to you is that your body is unable to repair the muscles you are working because you aren't eating enough. Basically your body is eating the muscle to fuel all your cardio. Cardio is amazing for losing weight, but it does not discriminate between burning fat or muscle for fuel after a certain point. That's why marathon runners don't look ripped and often have osteoporosis and infertility, whereas 100m runners are muscular, shredded, and typically more healthy.

Here is what I would recommend. I am not a personal trainer but I am very well read on the subject of exercise, nutrition, overtraining and the biological repercussions of working out. What I recommend is what I do.

Workouts: Lift 3 days, cardio 3 days. Warm up and cool down by doing 5 mins gentle low HR cardio before and after lifting. Before you lift, also do some dynamic stretching. Lift for max 30 mins including rest. Do either 3 sets of 8 or 5 sets of 5. Free weights are better if you know how to use them. On cardio days, you will achieve a balanced physique by mixing up your choice of exercise. Swimming, cycling, running and circuits are all good. Do 1-2 days HIIT with a warm up and cool down. One long cardio per week is fine, but otherwise keep your workouts under 45 mins. It will force you to be efficient and thoughtful in your workouts.

Food: Get a HRM and record you exercise burn. Eat a mix of carbs and protein 1-2 hours before working out. After working out, eat at least as much as you burned. On cardio days, focus on replenishing glycogen by eating plenty of carbs (a sandwich works fine, or a bowl of cereal with milk and fruit). On lifting days, get a good balance of protein and carbs (you could use a protein shake, or Greek yoghurt with granola, or cottage cheese with a banana). If you don't eat at least at maintenance calorie levels, you will not build muscle, instead you will destroy it. Generally, try to get 1g protein per lb of total body weight. Eat plenty of fibre. You burn a lot of calories digesting food, especially foods which are high in fibre or protein. It will also really help your digestive system cope with an increase in calories. A good meal plan is to eat 3 main meals, a post workout snack and 1-2 further snacks per day. This is how my day works out often: breakfast (300), post workout (500), lunch (500), afternoon snack (400), dinner (500), dessert (300) = 2500. If you eat healthy food, and eat at or slightly over maintenance calories, your body will NOT get fat. You WILL gain weight - firstly your glycogen will be replenished which is like free muscle mass (yay) and you will have more food in your stomach. It probably won't take more than a week for that initial gain to settle. After that, you'll be gaining muscle. I. Promise. I have photos of myself to prove it too. I still eat 3000+ calories a few days a week and I can't seem to gain a damn lb on it. I actually an under active thyroid which makes it even more remarkable.

Also please bear in mind that I weigh about the same as you but I'm 5'1. I have visible abs, and I can run 6 minute miles, or run 10k in 46 minutes, and leg press twice my body weight indefinitely. I am still trying to gain more weight despite having gained 15lbs altogether so far, and I know that if I gain 1-2lbs per month it will go on as muscle. When I gained my first 15 lbs, I actually lost a dress size on top, and went from having a flat but flabby stomach to rocking abs.

If you want to know anything else just ask ok? I really want other people to be able to get healthy like I have! I feel like I have something to offer you from having made mistakes myself.

Awesome workout advice. I think I'm going to give this a try as I am getting sick of doing so much running and then have to make myself lift after. Out of curiosity, how much do you generally eat in a day on this workout plan to maintain?

I agree completely. I'll take your advice into consideration as well!

I am a cardio junkie. Normal for me to do 60 mins of cardio 5 days a week and then hit the weights for 30 minutes or so. I noticed that my arms are getting more definition because I've been curling heavier weights but my abs still need work.

I am in the same boat as you, mochacafe - I feel like I may be overexercising & undereating. Actually, I recently began eating 2300-2500 as opposed to 2100-2200 and I ALREADY see results, and that was about 2 weeks ago. I really want that ripped and lean look - and I am pretty thin, but I could still use a LOT more definition. Considering all of the work I do in the gym, I feel like I should look as ripped as I feel like I should be. I guess I just have to hit the weights as opposed to camping out in the cardio room!

If you like the bootcamp class, you may as well keep going since summer's almost over anyway.  I would suggest trying to get a six pack after XC season and going back to heavy lifting then.  You can still run if you want to, but I would suggest putting weight training as your priority.  You can also do metabolic workouts as your cardio.