working out to much?

MrsH06

Is it possible to work out to much in a week? I workout about 60-90 mins 5 times a week and watch my calories and everything else and eat back what I burn. Am I doing this right? Didn't lose anything last week and thats what has me asking. Weigh in again Sunday.

clem7444

If you make your diary public so I can see what you're eating vs. your calories earned through exerc ise, i could be a lot more helpful

cacrat

The simple answer is yes. Its called overtraining.

hifinm

Try only eating back part of what you burn. The calculations that MFP makes on this site are in general. It is possible that you aren't burning off as many calories working out that you think you are. then by eating back all of them you are actually going over or breaking even.

hmschultz

I don't think 5 days is too much. I do hour workouts 6 days a week plus walking whenever I can. You could try eating back only some of your exercise calories. I was having no luck, so I stopped logging my workouts, but I also strictly follow the meal plan that goes hand in hand with my workout. I intake 1200-1350 and don't eat them back. Everyone is so different tho! A friend of mine found that she has to eat some but not all of hers back or her progress stalls. Just a thought... Good luck!

tigerblue

I'm not sure what would be excessive, but as far as the lack of weight loss, be careful of logging your exercise calories correctly. I now have a heart-rate monitor, and it always registers MUCH lower than the machines at the gym. In December I was using the gym machine numbers and eating my calories back, as is advised, and I noticed a slow gaining trend. Previous to that, I had been using the exercise numbers from this website, and I had been losing as scheduled. I couldn't figure it out, but it all made sense when I got the Heart Rate Monitor and saw the difference between the numbers!

By the way, for me, the numbers that MFP generates for exercise are very close (although a little low) to what my heart rate monitor says.

Before I got the monitor, I also looked up on the internet ways to figure calorie burn based on heart rate. There are some good online calculators out there if you google it. The only problem is you have to use an average heart rate, which means stopping and counting it ever so often as you are exercising, and then averaging those numbers. It is not possible to be completely accurate, but maybe this will help you compare numbers from mMFP and your gym machines and be a little more accurate.

musin

Calorie-Restriction (CR).

Popular Belief
For some time now, we've been using calorie counting as a reliable method for weight management. Even other diets today, including Weight Watchers and the calorie-restriction diet, use calorie counting as a principle way of controlling weight. Yet, in spite of its reputation and wide appeal, calorie counting fails to provide the long term benefit of staying lean and healthy.


Real Reason
Real life involves dynamic changes that aren't included in the typical calculation of calorie counting.

The human body (like other animals), carry survival mechanisms which regulate the use of fuel and generation of energy, in response to changes in conditions! Our basal metabolic rate (BMR - how many calories you use in a day) fluctuates according to changes in physical activity, food availability and overall calorie intake.

Low calorie intake generally promotes a BMR decline
High calorie intake generally promotes an overall BMR increase

Since calorie counting is based on a fixed BMR, it often fails to provide a real life measurement of energy balance (surplus or deficit of calories).



The Drawbacks of Calorie Restriction
A calorie isn't a calorie. Calories coming from sugar causes more fat gain than calories coming from grains or nuts. The human body has adapted to utilize calories derived from certain food combinations better than calories taken from others. The same calories that cause fat gain in one food combination can induce fat loss in another.

Timing is another factor which is often overlooked by the calorie counter. The same calories that could be very beneficial when consumed right after exercise, (increasing protein synthesis in the muscles) may be harmful if consumed before exercise.


Here is a list of other concerns I have with too restrictive of a Calorie Restriction (CR).

1. CR may often lower your body temperature, which may be a sign of lower hormone activity and a metabolic decline.

2. CR may cause substantial loss of your sex drive. CR is often associated with declining sex hormone levels and an impaired ability to maintain vigor, potency or fertility.

3. CR lowers one's ability to endure intense exercise and for that matter, inhibiting muscle growth.
Trail and error is probably your best weapon against these drawbacks. Listening to your body and of course not over doing it on foods :P

Using common sense and logic will help you understand your body's needs. Remember the information about diets, working out etc. are just "weapons/tools" we use to find our own style!