overtraining?

curvykatie

for the past two weeks ive been going to the gym, the first week i didnt watch my food intake so put on weight, the second week i lost 2.2lbs, so far this week (starting friday) ive been to the gym twice one day burning 800cal and yesterday burning 990cal, and so far ive put on 0.6lbs, my food choices havnt been the best, but i've stayed within my cals - im eating around 1400 a day

if i was to go the the gym 3 times a week and doing gillian michaels 30 day shred 2 days -would this overtrain me, or would this be ok?

im getting so frustrated now! everytime i seem to find something that works and i start losing weight, it stops and i start gaining again

katie

SHBoss1673

patience my dear. It's pretty tough to see any negative impact from overtraining in 1 week or even 2 weeks. Overtraining is a cumulative thing that progressively lessens the effect of exercise and can cause you to be fatigued and tired. But it doesn't happen after 2 or 3 sessions. That's just normal fatigue. And seriously .6 lbs is well within the norm for daily fluctuation, patience is key, give yourself a month at least on any new program (eating or exercise), it takes a while for the body to start changing.

XFitMojoMom

Ditto on what Banks said -

But be sure you are not spinning your wheels. Are you going to the gym to build muscle or to lose weight? Find out what it is you are aiming to do and focus your program around that.

I was on the treadmill for 45 minutes to 1 hour/ 5-6 days
Did Bikram Yoga 2 times/wk
Swam laps 2 times/wk
Had a personal Trainer 3 times/wk
and walked my dog 2 miles daily...

I didn't lose a durned pound!:explode:
But my doctor asked me what I wanted to accomplish - and for me it's total weight loss (especially excess baby weight... or alcohol... not sure what it is...)
So she refocused me on hi intensity cardio - and all I need is 30-45 minutes 3 or 4 times a week! And I will continue interval training with my trainer, but adding strength with it 2 days a week.

SO all that to say - what is it that you want?

curvykatie

thanks guys

for now all i want is to lose weight

Ripgirl

I am experiencing much the same - I have 10lbs to lose (+/- 1-2lbs) and am getting frustrated! For the first few weeks I did only about 30 minutes of cardio followed by yoga 3x per week, then I turned everything on it's head.
This is week #4 of high intensity exercise - hitting the gym 4-5 days/week alternating boot camp classes with spinning classes with high intensity cardio sessions, most days adding some strength training (switching up body parts), abs almost daily. Staying within calorie limits (yes, eating exercise calories), drinking water.... doing many of the things I've read about in various posts on this site.
As of last week I made my calorie deficit smaller (MFP had me at a 400 cal deficit - 1200 net) increasing my net to 1350.

My hope is that I am just impatient and that understanding the last 10lbs are a battle, that going into week #4 I will begin to see some positive changes.
I can feel my fitness level improving and I know that is a good thing, along with the healthier diet, but I'd still love to see this muffin top start to shrink. I'm not overly concerned with the scale - it's the fat hanging around my belly that is making my crazy.

Banks - any thoughts?

KatWood

When you burn 900 cals are you still only eating 1400? That is a net of only 500 cals. You may need to eat more on the days you work out.

SHBoss1673

I am experiencing much the same - I have 10lbs to lose (+/- 1-2lbs) and am getting frustrated! For the first few weeks I did only about 30 minutes of cardio followed by yoga 3x per week, then I turned everything on it's head.
This is week #4 of high intensity exercise - hitting the gym 4-5 days/week alternating boot camp classes with spinning classes with high intensity cardio sessions, most days adding some strength training (switching up body parts), abs almost daily. Staying within calorie limits (yes, eating exercise calories), drinking water.... doing many of the things I've read about in various posts on this site.
As of last week I made my calorie deficit smaller (MFP had me at a 400 cal deficit - 1200 net) increasing my net to 1350.

My hope is that I am just impatient and that understanding the last 10lbs are a battle, that going into week #4 I will begin to see some positive changes.
I can feel my fitness level improving and I know that is a good thing, along with the healthier diet, but I'd still love to see this muffin top start to shrink. I'm not overly concerned with the scale - it's the fat hanging around my belly that is making my crazy.

Banks - any thoughts?

Yup, but you're not going to like it.

last ten pounds = 3 months of work minimum (it took me about 6 months so...) But I'll tell you what, it was worth it!

Ripgirl

Banks - I like it just fine if it means that I am on the right track and patience is the only thing I need to fight with :happy:

To be clear, do you mean that AT the 3-month mark you started to see that last 10lbs begin to shift? If that's the case I'll just keep at it and stay focused on beginning to see results in another 8 weeks or so. What I'm worried about is seeing no results at all after 4 weeks, that maybe I was off track.

Azdak

FWIW, here is my story:

Started at 256 lb

3/18/09-4/18/09 Lost 16 lbs

4/18/09-5/18/09 Lost 13 lbs

5/18/09-6/18/09 Lost 10 lbs

6/18/09-7/18/09 Lost 7 lbs

7/18/09-8/5/09 Lost 4 lbs so far.

I am working out every day, 5000-6000 Kcal/wk. I need to do more strength training and calorie intake has drifted up in past month as well.

I am actually taking this week "off", probably only going to do about 3,000 calories, because I think I am overtraining a little (only 1 rest day in the last 40 days).

But it definitely gets slower the more you lose.

Demetria

for the past two weeks ive been going to the gym, the first week i didnt watch my food intake so put on weight, the second week i lost 2.2lbs, so far this week (starting friday) ive been to the gym twice one day burning 800cal and yesterday burning 990cal, and so far ive put on 0.6lbs, my food choices havnt been the best, but i've stayed within my cals - im eating around 1400 a day

if i was to go the the gym 3 times a week and doing gillian michaels 30 day shred 2 days -would this overtrain me, or would this be ok?

im getting so frustrated now! everytime i seem to find something that works and i start losing weight, it stops and i start gaining again

katie

I would really work on your food choices if you really want to see a difference.

Make sure you are eating enough!

If you are only eating 1400 a day total even after you burn 800 to 900 calories you are leaving yourself with only 600 to 500 for the day.

The 1400 is the least amount for you to eat for just daily living. If you put in that you wanted to lose weight when you set up your diet plan then that 1400 is already minus calories for you to lose.

Like if 1800 was for you to maintain your weight so to lose they put you at 1400.

That means you are 400 calories in the negative for just daily living for you to lose weight. So if you workout, the calories you burned are taking from your essential calories. You could be putting your body in starvation mode and slowing your metabolism!

HTH,
Demetria

SHBoss1673

Banks - I like it just fine if it means that I am on the right track and patience is the only thing I need to fight with :happy:

To be clear, do you mean that AT the 3-month mark you started to see that last 10lbs begin to shift? If that's the case I'll just keep at it and stay focused on beginning to see results in another 8 weeks or so. What I'm worried about is seeing no results at all after 4 weeks, that maybe I was off track.

It depends, 3 months is about the minimum it will take if you follow the MFP plan, but you usually see some results after about a month or so (couple of pounds). The key is to not focus on weight, at this point it should be all about body fat and muscle tone. Course everyone's different, a lot will depend on your style of workout, eating habits, and genetics, but generally speaking, those last few pounds are the toughest.

The thing to always remember is, the closer you get to your "ideal" weight, the less of a calorie deficit you can afford. Not as much fat around for your body to dip into when you don't have enough energy, so you need to be far more conscious of not only how many calories you eat, but your quality of food, and when you are eating.

curvykatie

MFP put me at eating 1200, 1400 a day is my choice.
I find it hard enough eating 1400 a day as it is lol, and to me it just seems counter productive to eat exercise calories >.<

KatWood

MFP put me at eating 1200, 1400 a day is my choice.
I find it hard enough eating 1400 a day as it is lol, and to me it just seems counter productive to eat exercise calories >.<

It definitely is not counter productive to eat back at least some of your exercise calories when you are burning so much away when you work out. Higher calorie but healthy options such as nuts is a great way to get the added calories and nutrients without feeling like you are overeating.

Since you are fairly close to your goal, I would expect that you will lose the weight slowly. If MFP has you at 1200 what did you set your weekly weightloss goal at?

Just my two cents

Good luck:flowerforyou:

Valtishia

FWIW, here is my story:

Started at 256 lb

3/18/09-4/18/09 Lost 16 lbs

4/18/09-5/18/09 Lost 13 lbs

5/18/09-6/18/09 Lost 10 lbs

6/18/09-7/18/09 Lost 7 lbs

7/18/09-8/5/09 Lost 4 lbs so far.

I am working out every day, 5000-6000 Kcal/wk. I need to do more strength training and calorie intake has drifted up in past month as well.

I am actually taking this week "off", probably only going to do about 3,000 calories, because I think I am overtraining a little (only 1 rest day in the last 40 days).

But it definitely gets slower the more you lose.

I know exactly where you are coming from. It seems my trend lately has been burning 7000-9000 calories per week. My weight loss has not been as nice as yours but seems the shape of my body is changing... getting more toned I guess.