am i overtraining?!

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kcallas88
kcallas88 Posts: 192
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm having some problems sleeping through the night and feel exhausted through the day. I definitely still push through my workouts and generally succeed in doing them 100%. However, the hours and days afterwards, I'm out for the count. I skip workouts when im sore, and its becoming discouraging. My weight is staying constant, however my measurements arent changing and my appearance isn't changing much either.

I've had people tell me that i should probably take a week off, work on clean eating and eating healthy foods, and maybe then start back up. I generally move a lot during the days anyway.

But my questions is whether or not it would be smart to take a week off. I feel very iffy about taking a week off because i'm afraid i might lose my motivation. However, i could use it as a week to "reset my metabolism".

But another questions is...how much do I eat during a rest week? I normally try to hit 1700 calories when working out. Should i lower it a little or no?

Any help is much appreciated!

Replies

  • kcallas88
    kcallas88 Posts: 192
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    anyone?
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
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    hard to comment when you didn`t state what your training regimen is and how many calories below maintenance you`re eating.
  • kcallas88
    kcallas88 Posts: 192
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    well, i've dropped cardio mostly. i run after 6kids all day so i consider that my cardio. I use the p90x lifting discs to workout at home. I usually do 6-8reps till failure and do the workouts 100%. I normally work out using those discs 3-5 times a week. Its been less now because i feel exhausted and without the energy to do it.

    My TDEE is ~2100. I eat around 1700 a day. And honestly, most days it can be a struggle. Im working hard to met my macros daily, and reduce eating junk food.
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
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    Eating 400 cal/day below TDEE shouldn't be exhausting

    BUT

    it could just be that you have a lot of additional stresses in your day (ie. looking after 6 kids). You could also be deficient in some nutrients?

    Assuming your general health is in order and you're getting a well balanced diet, taking a week off even if it's just for a mental rest could give you a boost to get after it even harder when you return. I mean a week off eating at maintenance or 500 cals/day above maintenance isn't going to really hurt you at all in the 'long run'. The key is to make sure that the 1 week break doesn't turn into 2 weeks whcih turns into 3 weeks.
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
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    Take a week off for goodness sake. You're not some Olympic athlete with a training deadline, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

    Make sure you don't have a vitamin or mineral deficiency and work on getting that sleep problem resolved. A good night's sleep is when you recover form hard workouts, and if you're not getting it you may be a little burned out.

    Good luck to you!
  • jestersand
    jestersand Posts: 61 Member
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    This is definitely a time to push the hardest at your workout, but not rely on the kids for cardio. You can either be eating too much, or too little. As a general rule, you do need rest days in between workouts. The added stress from your work, and your willingness to lose weight will stall your progress. First you have to make sure you are eating enough. If you don't want to skip your workouts, don't. Just try increasing your calories by 500 for a week to see if anything changes. Are you eating the right types of meals? I find that I am used to eating a "low fat blueberry" muffin from Dunkin Donuts, but when it's all said it done, it is also high in fat and high in sugar STILL! A healthier alternative which makes my scale move is a small bowl of Cheerios with Skim milk or, plain oatmeal with some peach slices. Get some good rest and play a round with your calories a little more. I need to lose fat, so I have dropped my carb intake to 45g per day. I have also dropped Fat to 24g per day. You gotta pay attention to the entire label. Also, make sure you take a good vitamin supplement and rest well.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    Take a week off and do a lighter work out.
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
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    you dont have to take a whole week off. a day or two maybe..and decrease the intensity of your workouts for the week.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    you might just need a little more variety in your life. p90x 2-3 times a week, a couple of runs a week, a yoga class or a swimming session. and a full rest day, where the most you do is a walk and stretching.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Without reading other respones or looking at your diary I would say a week at maintenance calories and no working out - walking or cycling for pleasure is fine, but nothing hard. Give your body a chance to fully recover and then get back on the workouts and eat at a deficit. Every 6 weeks or so i take a week off from lifting because the book I follow (new rules of lifting for women) suggests it is beneficial for our muscle recovery.Last week was my week back to weight training after a full rest week and I feel great at the gym and am sleeping really weel.

    Edit: now that I've read some responses, you may need more food. I eat 1850 a day and still lose, but feel satisfied and not exhausted. I think your activity level is higher than you calculated.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    I would suggest changing up your cardio exercises to something different. When I hit a bump sometimes I find a new road.
  • nmcdan03
    nmcdan03 Posts: 2
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    Also, look into doing an occasional intermittent fast on one of your rest days, and a week or so later do a carb refeed day. Both tactics together within about a week of each other can really trick your metabolism. Don't do them too often though or they lose some, not all, effectiveness. Twice a month tops IMO.

    And don't worry about introducing more cardio. It doesn't matter much except for aerobic endurance ability. It's more about macros and lifting.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
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    Sleep is a super important component of your recovery. This may be more information than you want to read but ....

    http://www.cepebr.org/upload/arquivo/{86631E1F-E984-4FFA-9666-D530DC8DDDD1}_2011 Dattilo Med Hypotheses.pdf


    the tl;dr version is.... a sleep debit can result in increased body mass. lack of sleep increases cortisol levels and screws with other hormones. You need to resolve your sleep issues first and foremost. Aside from the obvious- you're tired bc you're not sleeping- it can affect your muscle recovery time and effectiveness. Sleeping less on a calorie restriction can result in less fat loss and more muscle loss than the same deficit in a person getting enough sleep. Muscle recovery is regulated by anabolic and catabolic hormones which are affected by sleep.

    SOLVE YOUR SLEEP PROBLEM. Then reassess how you feel.

    Are you not sleeping enough because you simply don't have enough hours or because your sleep quality is poor? if it's just poor quality, Valerian is a homeopathic sleep aid you can pick up for cheap at walmart or any drug store.

    ETA: I see what you say you're eating. You *may* be netting too low for your activity level. Check your TDEE and be honest with yourself- here's a good site for it. http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

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