Counterintuitivity: too much exercise ?

sleepytexan

Counterintuitivity (is that a word?): Can you exercise too much? Does it make you gain weight?

Here's a long story, to go with the question, and an idea, if you're interested:


I've been working out nearly every day for 9 years. My weight has mostly been stable for my entire adult life except for an 18-month period where I gained 15 lbs. and couldn't figure out why. After joining MFP I realized that my weight gain corresponded with my adding a new activity and increasing my weekly workouts from 6-8 hours a week up to about 10-12 hours per week without a change in eating. I read about eating too few calories and, long story short, I decided to eat more.

It worked. I lost the 15 lbs. within 6 months and kept it off for over a year.

5 months ago (June) I started teaching dance again after many years' hiatus. My exercise went from 10-12 hours per week to 20-22 hours per week. I immediately gained 8 lbs in one month (July). (t is fat, not muscle -- clothes are tight, BF% is higher, face is rounder, etc.)

To be fair, in addition to adding all the extra hours of dance, there were some other variables too, back in June: I had done a Primal diet experiment for the entire month of June where I cut carbs down below 100 gr/day, instead of my normal 150 - 300. The experiment led me to realize that I was gluten intolerant, but not lactose intolerant as I had previously believed. My weight did not change at all during the experiment month of June. I went back to eating normal carbs in July (when I gained the weight), but have remained gluten free and have reintroduced dairy.

I track food and exercise calories religiously. I've been on here doing it for over 510 days. I've even kept a spreadsheet for over a year of my daily calories - gross, net and exercise, as well as daily weight. I know my TDEE and my BMR. I eat in between them. I lift heavy, I dance, I paddleboard, I teach spin and I cycle. I increased my caloric intake with my increased exercise.

I've been playing with the net intake over these 4 months since the gain -- I always give it about 3 weeks before changing; but my weight has been sticking solidly since the end of July right in the same place, usually within .4 fluctuations. That's it.

So here I am, perplexed. Why did I gain after having maintained? Big increase in exercise? 1-month low carb experiment rebound? Removing gluten from my diet? Reintroducing dairy to my diet?

It seems that the most likely conclusion is that I am exercising too much--not having enough rest and recovery time. I've read that too much exercise can cause overproduction of cortisol, the stress hormone, and underproduction of leptin.

So . . . I've decided that I need to make a change and stop working out (cardio) so much - COUNTERINTUITIVE!!!

I thought about what to give up. I've decided it will be spin. While I've been doing it for 9 years and I do like it, I like teaching dance more, dance is more flexible (I choose my own scheduling for private lessons), and it pays more than twice as much (easy choice, huh?).

I've been lifiting heavy 2 days a week and I will continue, or possibly increase to 3.

I'm putting cycling on hold for a while (getting cold anyway).

I'm going to force myself to take rest days. I took one today, and last week I just returned from traveling for 10 days where I only did one 2.5 -hour hike the whole time. I also ate without logging for those 10 days and came back weighing EXACTLY THE SAME grrrrrrr.

What do you think?

sleepytexan

anyone?

WinnerVictorious

i'd have a hard time believing that too much cardio can cause you to gain weight. the laws of physics are fairly immutable. you burn calories when you exercise. the more you exercise, the more calories you burn. calories are afterall a unit of energy. it has to be something to do with your metabolism itself... your BMR/TDEE are probably no longer as high as they used to be for a variety of reasons. can you try and get your true BMR measured to compare against the value you are currently using?

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

sleepytexan

i'd have a hard time believing that too much cardio can cause you to gain weight. the laws of physics are fairly immutable. you burn calories when you exercise. the more you exercise, the more calories you burn. calories are afterall a unit of energy. it has to be something to do with your metabolism itself... your BMR/TDEE are probably no longer as high as they used to be for a variety of reasons. can you try and get your true BMR measured to compare against the value you are currently using?

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

how would I get my BMR tested? Why would my BMR be lower now than last year? BMR calculators online all use the same formula, including age, if that's what you're alluding to . . . . Why would my TDEE be lower if I am exercising more? TDEE calculators indicate the same TDEE for 6 or more days of exercise regardless of hours. At 20-plus hours per week, I'd say I hit the highest category.

I believe my BMR to be 1340, and TDEE to be 2014 - 2240, BTW. Typically net 1500- 1700 cals per day. Also used bodybugg on rest days to establish baseline -- hit 1900 - 2030 each time. Use HRM for exercise burns. Measure everything. hmmmmm?

Yes, it is very counterintuitive, but yet, this is not unheard of.

It's not that I'm overweight, I'm not. Nor am I striving for an unrealistic size. I'm 44 years old, 5'4, currently 135.8 lbs with a goal of 130 lbs. Currently size 6, most clothes I own - size 4. Yes, I lift heavy, but no one gains 6 lbs of muscle at once.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Are you eating back your exercise calories? MFP tells you that you burn like twice as much as you actually burn, so if you eat back exercise calories then stop. Working out too much can cause you to gain lean tissue, but not fat.

wordpainter09

I believe this could easily happen. Have you heard the Fat2Fit session on running and losing weight? They discuss a case much like yours, where a listener is exercising several hours a day and eating too little for her amount of exercise. She ends up putting on weight. By cutting back her activity, she actually loses about 25 lbs.

Sarauk2sf

There are facilities that you can get your BMR tested - you should be able to find one in your area by a google search.

The problem with the online calculators is they are just averages and do not take into account all variables in an individuals situation. The same is the case for HRMs and bodybugg type devices. They use a bunch of algorithms and are not always accurate for an individual. The best way to work out your TDEE is your individual results.

ETA: all the hormonal issues you noted can totally impact your TDEE and this will not be included in the online calculators nor necessarily the HRM and bodybugg type deviced either.

chubbygirl253

I don't know what to tell you except that I have lost most of my weight from exercise. I work out 4 hours a day/6 days a week usually. Are you taking measurements? Because my weightloss on the scale has slowed quite a bit than in the beginning and in Sept I only lost 7 lbs the whole month (half of what I expected) But I did still get results. I lost 19 inches in one month. Good luck, I hope you find what works for you.

sleepytexan

Are you eating back your exercise calories? MFP tells you that you burn like twice as much as you actually burn, so if you eat back exercise calories then stop. Working out too much can cause you to gain lean tissue, but not fat.

I use an HRM. I eat between BMR and TDEE. Actually too much cardio does reduce lean body mass. Only lifting heavy increases lean body mass.

sleepytexan

I don't know what to tell you except that I have lost most of my weight from exercise. I work out 4 hours a day/6 days a week usually. Are you taking measurements? Because my weightloss on the scale has slowed quite a bit than in the beginning and in Sept I only lost 7 lbs the whole month (half of what I expected) But I did still get results. I lost 19 inches in one month. Good luck, I hope you find what works for you.

Thanks. Yes, I already made it to goal and maintained for more than a year, then had this 6 lb. increase.

sleepytexan

I believe this could easily happen. Have you heard the Fat2Fit session on running and losing weight? They discuss a case much like yours, where a listener is exercising several hours a day and eating too little for her amount of exercise. She ends up putting on weight. By cutting back her activity, she actually loses about 25 lbs.

I haven't heard that particular one, but I lived that same thing a few years ago.

kelly_e_montana

I don't know if this applies to your situation at all, but I remember this really good article from 2009 in Time Magazine about how exercise may be good for health but not necessarily for weight loss. It really mad sense to me. Check it out:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1914974,00.html

osualex

Too much cardio could reduce your lean body mass, making you "look" like you've maybe gained weight, but if you actually are eating below or at TDEE, there is no way you could actually gain weight (barring some crazy metabolic order I guess). Your body cannot make something out of nothing, it would defy the laws of physics. Also, intense exercise without appropriate calories could stress your body, to a point where losing weight would be difficult, but I'm pretty sure it cannot actually make you gain weight unless you are over-compensating calorie-wise (which many people tend to do) I would get your BMR tested if you have changed nothing in your eating habits and your exercise is making you gain (not maintain) your weight.

darrensurrey

I understand adaptive thermogenesis is what it's about. It's why I stay away from steady state activities as I'm not interested in endurance training - I just want to burn fat efficiently.