Can anyone help me out?

Kkonowal

Hey all!! Ok so I was wondering if my current routines were ok or harmful to my metabolism in the long run.. Basically I'm asking if its ok to take long exercise breaks.. I strictly monitor my calories and exercise from march til about November then slowly taper off and prettying much stop exercising all together but still eating healthy.. Usually put on about 7 pounds or so during this time ( been doing this cycle for about 3 years) and when I start exercising and counting calories the weight comes off pretty quick and I see results fast... This might be a dumb question but I know yoyo dieting isn't good so was wondering if the up and down with weight and exercise stretched out over months was detrimental to health/ metabolism in the same way..

obscuremusicreference

Is gaining and losing the same seven pounds yo-yo dieting? I thought yo-yo-dieting was gaining and losing larger amounts.

Kkonowal

You're probably right but I guess I'm asking if working out and cutting calories half the year then stopping can affect negatively metabolism in the long run

Phoenix_Down

I think there's quite a few people who gain over certain periods of time, some people do so intentionally like weightlifting and bulking/cutting cycles. Being in a calorie surplus is actually beneficial to your metabolism, to my understanding.

firedragon064

I don't know what is your NET calorie input. But you should not go too low because the heart is also muscle mass.... Otherwise I don't think it would damage your metabolism.

TimothyFish

I have some experience with that and what I've found is that the lack of exercise results in my resting heart rate increasing and other indications that I'm out of shape. Short breaks are okay, but not longer breaks.

SergeantSausage

The human body has evolved to constantly put on weight during times of plenty, and draw on those stores during lean times. You can kinda say it's built into the design. Only in relatively recent times (evolutionary speaking) has abundant food been available full time. Staying a constant weight is NOT, historically speaking, the norm for humanity.

Don't worry. You're not breaking anything. It works that way on purpose. It's built into the program.