Too much exercise for weight loss?

curvykatie

I saw a topic the other day about how too much exercise can hinder weight loss (I've lost the topic and can't find it now)

But I've recently starting working out a lot more (I lost my job so have more free time) and I'm now struggling with my eating as the exercise makes me hungrier and on the days I don't work out I'm eating the same amounts I do on a workout day. (I have always struggled losing weight whilst exercising)

So I was wanting opinions on whether you though I was exercising too much and hindering my weight loss.

(I'm currently 192lbs 5ft3 and 24yr, my fitbit tells me that I'm currently averaging a daily calorie burn on 2445)

Current exercise routine:

Monday: Moky (like Zumba)
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: BodyStep, BodyPump and BodyBalance
Thursday: Moky
Friday: Bodypump
Saturday: Moky
Sunday: Rest

ANY advice will be greatly appreciated

Katie
x

ninerbuff

You're exercising 5 days a week and I'm assuming an hour each session. That's 5 hours of exercise a week. Hardly too much exercise.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

curvykatie

each class is an hour and I do 3 classes on a Wednesday - so 7 hours a week.

Thanks for the reply

x

brraanndi

Exercise burns calories, there's no way exercise would hinder weight loss. Cardio is made for weightloss.

I've seen these posts recently and it's normally some person who isn't losing weight because they aren't actually tracking their calories or they literally just started working out and it was ( possibly ) water weight gain.

lucan07

I am 54, 233 lbs recovering from major surgery and doing approx 12 hours a week cardio, I also smoke which does not help. I am never over tired or hungry and losing at least 2 lb a week. If you are happy doing what your doing with no adverse effect I see no reason to stop.

jorpa99

Losing weight is simple (in words that is!) The amount of Calories you eat compared to what you burn must create a deficit. If you are balancing exercise with diet u are not going to see results. 3500 calories= 1 pound. So in order to lose at a pound per week. yOU MUST CREATE A 500 CALORIE PER DAY deficit times 7 days per week. Whether it be by diet alone or exercising. Find a way to do it. Also if you are constantly hungry you might be eating the wrong types of food. Try to get lots of lean healthy protein. I always follow my w/o with my BF which is 1.5 cups cherrios .5 c milk (1%) and half a banana with 1c Grapefruit juice. There is not much protein in that meal but I follow about 2 hours later with a yogurt and fruit. If you feed your body non nutrient dense foods then you are asking for weight gain. I would recommend taking a nutrition class at your local community college or at least borrowing actual text books to read up on nutrition. Best of luck-Jordan

curvykatie

Thank you for your replies and your advice

xx

grimendale

The issue, as I understand it, is not that too much exercise will hinder weight loss but that it may lead to burn out. Many people get excited early on and hit the gym hard, then find that it is taking too much time and energy and quit entirely or end up hurting themselves due to overtraining. So long as you aren't overwhelming yourself and you stay healthy, there shouldn't be any issues with the exercise you have specified.

LJCannon

:noway: I have been working out 6 -7 days a week, Lifting Weights 3 Days a week for the past 8 Months. Granted I did eat pretty bad through Christmas and New Year's, but then I got it back together and have been eating within my Calories 80 -90% of the time. I am seeing Progress in that I am lifting progressively Heavier Weights every month. Unfortunately my weight - And Measurements - have been Increasing steadily also.
As of September 1st, I have cut back on the Weight Lifting to 2 times a week and Increased my Cardio significantly. My weight seems to be sliding (slightly) downward but it is Too Soon to say for sure that I have turned the corner.
I do know that I have fastened my Jeans for the past 2 days WITHOUT Cursing, LOL!!

Stage14

It sounds to me like your worry is the food end, because you are feeling hungry now. Is that right?

If you're following MFP, you should be eating back the calories you burn from exercise. Even if you're following TDEE, you should recalculate it to include this recent increase of activity. Bottom line: you are burning a lot more calories, so you should be eating more than you were before you increased your exercise. That will take care of the hunger and allow you to still maintain a caloric deficit without feeling awful or risking binge eating.

KANGOOJUMPS

hell no.
I do 2 to 3 hours cardio a day.
go kick some *kitten*.

MinnieInMaine

Common symptoms of overtraiing include: fatigue, irritability, restlessness/insomnia, depression, chronic soreness, you seem to get sick more often (decresed immunity) and/or you stop seeing results. Feeling any of these?

If you're having difficulting losing weight, the problem more likely has to do with diet. It looks like you're not tracking your food consistently. I would recommend starting there. And when you track, try to be as accurate as possible. Weigh, measure, check labels vs what the MFP listing says, etc.

Your daily calories should fall somewhere between 500 and 750 calories less than what your Fitbit says you burn in a day in order to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week. Any more or less on a regular basis may hinder your weight loss and not eating enough could also hinder your ability to keep up with your current workout schedule.

JNick77

You do have to watch your training when at a calorie deficit for sure but it doesn't sound like you're doing anything excessive. Your body will tell you when you are.

just4uk10

Hi we are about the same size so I thought I would weigh in. My fitbit says the same thing. As long as you keep your calorie intake at roughly 1500 calories a day and eat things of nutritional value and feel full, you should see the weight come off. Start calculating your food intake and don't eat more than you are burning. I hope that helps and good luck with your weight loss journey.

TMLPatrick

I'm in the same boat.... I've been exercising 3-5 days a week since July and eating mostly healthy, especially lately, and haven't seen much change on the scale. It doesn't bother me much because I'm feeling healthy, but I *would* like to drop a few lbs, still. I can only figure that I'm building a lot of muscle that wasn't there, but who knows....

Stage14

Common symptoms of overtraiing include: fatigue, irritability, restlessness/insomnia, depression, chronic soreness, you seem to get sick more often (decresed immunity) and/or you stop seeing results. Feeling any of these?

If you're having difficulting losing weight, the problem more likely has to do with diet. It looks like you're not tracking your food consistently. I would recommend starting there. And when you track, try to be as accurate as possible. Weigh, measure, check labels vs what the MFP listing says, etc.

Your daily calories should fall somewhere between 500 and 750 calories less than what your Fitbit says you burn in a day in order to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week. Any more or less on a regular basis may hinder your weight loss and not eating enough could also hinder your ability to keep up with your current workout schedule.

This. After looking at your diary, I am not sure how you can say you are eating the same amount of calories on workout and non workout days, since you don't seem to track more than 2 days in a row at any given time, and your calorie goal bounces between 1400 and 2000 on the days you do track.

beckyboop712

5 hours a week is not too much. I used to work at a gym, you learn to spot the exercise bulimics. It's not pretty. When three different people, working three different shifts see the same person the same day, THAT'S over doing it.

michellekicks

How much are you eating? I would bet anything Fitbit is underestimating your burn. It can't determine how hard you're working at those classes; it's primarily a pedometer.

It's not too much exercise, but if you're hungry you should eat more. No need to keep more than a 500 calorie deficit each day. If your Fitbit says 2400 burned, eat 1900 or even 2000. As I said, I would bet you're actually burning more than it says.

Also, to stay satisfied, eat more protein. Get 20-30% of calories from fat each day. Eat high fiber foods. Combine protein, fat and fiber at every time you eat for the best satiety.

AllanMisner

The best way to manage your hunger isn't to stop working out. You should look at what you're eating and when you're eating.

Some people prefer to have six small meals during the day, others do better with intermittent fasting (skipping breakfast and taking all of your calories between 12 pm - 8pm). Find an eating schedule that allows you to go through the day without feeling unduly hungry.

Avoid sugary (high GI) foods and consider doing your workouts on an empty stomach (and in the morning, if possible). Consider using a higher fat (healthy fats) and moderate protein diet to keep you satiated longer. Again, this will take some tweaking to find what works best for you.

TheRealParisLove

You don't have to worry about over exercising at 2445/ burn or TDEE per day. I hit numbers of 4000-5000 TDEE at least once or twice a week, and I'm 5'7" and 130lbs. That's about 7-8 hours of cardio in a single day.

My average TDEE is around 2500 kcal per day, per my Fitbit Flex. I see myself as being moderately active.

Unless you are doing 2+ hours of cardio a day as well as other forms of exercise (like weight training), you don't have to worry about getting too much exercise.