Am I over exercising?

I have gotten a little compulsive about my workouts. I've always been very good about going to the gym 5-6 days a week, usually for an hour of cardio and 15-30 minutes of weight training.

A few weeks ago I upped my cardio to 90 minutes plus a full 30 minutes of weights. I did this to max out my calorie deficit, I'm trying to lose a few more pounds before my fortieth birthday.

I think my plan has backfired. I have not lost any more weight, despite 1000+ calorie deficits. I am also extremely tired (but have insomnia), constipated (despite high fiber and water intake) and really irritable. I'm having trouble thinking, but that could be the lack of sleep.

Stats: I'm 5'9" female 144 pounds, GW is 140. Lost 4 pounds in the past month untill stalling about ten days ago.

I eat 1500 - 1800 cals a day with 2600 burn on gym days. I eat 1400 on my day off from the gym for a -300-400 deficit.

I ate at maintenance for two days, I didn't feel any better. Then I ate w/ a -800 deficit for the past two days, still the same. No weight loss, still exhausted/constipated/spacey.

Am I over exercising? I'm having trouble convincing myself that I am. Is my deficit too big for my normal BMI? Maybe I'm just getting a bug?

Thank you for any advice or input.

You have some of the symptoms of over training.   2 hours of exercising 5-6 days a week is a LOT.  You can do an Ironman on that :-)

Doing less during the week and more on the weekend when you have more leisure time is a good idea.

Stay hydrated.

Get enough sleep!  Your body releases growth hormone when you sleep and this is how it repairs torn muscle fiber.  If you are having issues with insomnia, you are going to wear yourself down.

Consider consulting a nutritionist.  You need to not only eat the right amount of calories to lose weight, you have to eat the right kinds of calories.  If your body thinks its in starvation mode, it will shed not a pound.

Good luck!!

Original Post by wesmckean:

You have some of the symptoms of over training.   2 hours of exercising 5-6 days a week is a LOT.  You can do an Ironman on that :-)

Consider consulting a nutritionist.  You need to not only eat the right amount of calories to lose weight, you have to eat the right kinds of calories.  If your body thinks its in starvation mode, it will shed not a pound.

 Thanks, Wes! I will cut down on gym time.

I go to bed early every night with the intention of sleeping, I just can't sleep. I took Ambien twice this week to knock me out, but I hate how it makes me feel.

What kind of calories should I be eating? I don't have resources for a nutritionist. More protein?

And would my body be in starvation mode from these past few weeks? I did eat at maintenance two days this week, to no avail.

I just know that there is a key to eating the right number of calories to lose weight.  It's dangerous for a woman to eat less than 1500 or 1400 calories.  I forget which.  Go by and check out Marni's blog.  She's got some good stuff on there AND she answers emails!!

http://trimarni.blogspot.com

You're already at a good weight for your height, considering your exercise level.  Everyone's different, but I'm also 5'9", small frame pear shape, physically active.  At 145 I'm a healthy stick.  155-160 is my ideal weight range to be both healthy and shapely. 

I also put in your stats as very active, and you should be aiming at 2000 calories a day with your current routine.  Even if you go back to the hour and a half (listen to your body), you should still be eating 1800-2000 a day.  Also, keep in mind that you're already at a good weight, so your body is going to resist further weight loss. 

At this point I would focus more on how your clothes fit, use a measuring tape to monitor progress, not the scale.

I hope this helps, and take care of yourself!

Wes: Thanks for the blog link, looks like a good source of info.

Opusanna: I am a small-framed pear, too! But at 145 I still feel a bit heavy in my US size 10 pants. I feel better at 140, size 8, where I was a year ago. I know size isn't everything, but something about turning forty in a few weeks has me wanting to look better. It's that dang Jennifer Aniston!

Should I be eating 2000 to lose or to maintain? I agree that my body is resistig further weight loss. I often get "stuck" around 145.

Thanks again for your posts. :)

The 2000 is for losing.  

nekochama, I just want to add a few things to what everyone else is saying. I think that your calorie deficit is OK. If you cut down on working out, you can either maintaing the same deficit by eating less or by settling for a smaller deficit - keep in mind that 500 cals deficit is also good. I personally think this much working out is not harmful, but of course it depends on how you feel.

about you not losing - there is a reason that we stall from time to time, and it is not because we are not losing, but because we are not losing weight, but rather inches - keep track with a tape. the time that we don't lose weight, we allow our skin to tighten and become less loose (I call this 'investing' lol). The weight will start coming off soon enough, don't worry!

in terms of what calories you should be eating - cut out anything processes, regardless of whether it is a lean meal, or other crap like that. cook your own meals from scratch, and eat as many raw vegetables as possible! what works for me is also cycling my sugar intake (and I don't mean processed sugar) - so days with fruit altarnating with days without fruit. I know this is controversial, but I've made my choice.

that's all from me - good luck!

Original Post by nekochama:

I have gotten a little compulsive about my workouts. I've always been very good about going to the gym 5-6 days a week, usually for an hour of cardio and 15-30 minutes of weight training.

A few weeks ago I upped my cardio to 90 minutes plus a full 30 minutes of weights. I did this to max out my calorie deficit, I'm trying to lose a few more pounds before my fortieth birthday.

I think my plan has backfired. I have not lost any more weight, despite 1000+ calorie deficits. I am also extremely tired (but have insomnia), constipated (despite high fiber and water intake) and really irritable. I'm having trouble thinking, but that could be the lack of sleep.

Stats: I'm 5'9" female 144 pounds, GW is 140. Lost 4 pounds in the past month untill stalling about ten days ago.

I eat 1500 - 1800 cals a day with 2600 burn on gym days. I eat 1400 on my day off from the gym for a -300-400 deficit.

I ate at maintenance for two days, I didn't feel any better. Then I ate w/ a -800 deficit for the past two days, still the same. No weight loss, still exhausted/constipated/spacey.

Am I over exercising? I'm having trouble convincing myself that I am. Is my deficit too big for my normal BMI? Maybe I'm just getting a bug?

Thank you for any advice or input.

First of all, you shouldn't exercise more than 7 hours a week. Your body needs time to recover and actually lose the weight, if you're over exercising you don't give your body time to do so. Secondly, get more sleep and drink plenty of water if you insist on exercising so many hours a week. You may not be losing weight due to (1) a plateau, to overcome that plateau, change your exercise routine up (muscle confusion)(2) you may be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat (2) your BMR changes as your weight changes, so fnid out what your BMR is at your curent weight, age and height, and create a calorie deficit based on your BMR. Remember 3500 calories = 1 lb.

Good luck.

Original Post by cansas:

First of all, you shouldn't exercise more than 7 hours a week. 

Blanket statements such as this should always be looked at with suspicion.

The more hours you put in, the more important it becomes to mix it up, like cansas said.  Planning becomes important.  Eat complex carbs to fuel your workout and follow this up with lean protein to facilitate recovery, like Marni sez.   Recovery, including sleep, becomes much more important.

Give yourself some time.  Mix it up.  Find what works for you....

I exercise over 18 hrs a week! Annnd, the point is..that is NOT overexercising..for me [trainer and competive runner]. It's all subjective to each individual. I have not read all the posts but I just want to say that if you are not sleeping well and have an overall feeling that is just not right...I suggest you take some time to figure out what is wrong. Concentrate on getting a good nights sleep [preferably without ambien - which makes me want to ask you..why were you prescribed ambien? How long have you not been sleeping well? Other factors that are contributing to stress/sleep patterns?] and concentrating on your daily diet.  You wrote down numbers for your diet but not what you are actually eating.  What you eat or don't eat can absolutely affect your energy, mood, sleep patterns, weight plateuing, etc. 

7 hours a week is a good rule of thumb for a beginner/intermediate.

For an advanced athlete, the dose/response curve is very, very different, and depending on the sport you're involved in 6-8 hour a day can be a good number. Don't confuse advice intended to keep beginners from killing themselves with advice to advanced athletes, you know ;)

 That said you at least have some of the symptoms of overtraining so you're probably at least pushing it a little relative to your current capacity. In the two-factor model it's called overreaching - and it's especially common when you're both increasing exercise and calorie deficits; diet is in itself a stressor and increases your sensitivity to stress while simultaneously lowering your recovery capacity. If you were doing planned overreaching you'd have noted the symptoms of overtraining and eased back a bit to allow the accumulated stress/fatigue to dissipate before going back to your training schedule that's just slightly over what your body can handle.

 'course everything affects everything; this is just something extra to think of on top of what Fitnessgirll have already said.

Original Post by melkor:

7 hours a week is a good rule of thumb for a beginner/intermediate.

That makes sense to me...  and is specific :-)

Thanks for all your replies! You've given me a wealth of information.

Fitness girll: I have had insomnia for over twenty years, it comes and goes in cycles. I did notice it getting worse with the increased exhaustion due to 2 hour workouts.This morning I slept in til 7am, skipped the gym (I had a doc appt) and feel pretty good.

Melkor: I think you hit the nail on the head: Overreaching + bigger diet deficits = stress. Yesterday I shaved 20 minutes off my workout and 200 calories off my deficit. Today I did not go to the gym and will eat maintenance. Tomorrow I'll workout and eat maintenance (going out for tapas and wine for my birthday.)

I usually eat well, try to get most of my protein from beans and lowfat dairy. I eat red meat and seafood a total of about three times a week. I only eat whole grain bread and hate most processed foods. I have turkey on multigrain health bread after every workout, fills me up and keeps me on an even keel. I eat every 3-4 hours, starting with Kashi Golean and almond milk before the gym, turkey on toast after, frozen Amy's at work, raw carrots, 17 almonds and nonfat Fage yogurt for snack, and a variety of foods for dinner. I drink wine on the weekends, 1-3 (sometiimes 4) glasses/night, which I know is not ideal but hey I get one vice, right? I also eat at least one piece of fruit a day, usually after dinner for dessert.

At the docs today my BP was 100/70, resting HR 46. Last year my total cholesterol was a low 114. I'm 5'9" 143 lbs (went down another today!), am about to turn 40 years old. I've been going to the gym 5-6 days a week since 2001. It's just recently that I've started overdoing the elliptical in hopes of losing weight.

Let me know f you have any suggestions from what I've added here. And again thank you all for your fab input, it really helps me.