working out too much or too hard?

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waverly9876
waverly9876 Posts: 605 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all! I was just reading some posts and I see that many people are working out and burning ALOT of calories. That is awesome. (I dont want to offend people, just asking) Some people want to burn over 1000 calories a day. To me, that seems a little obsessive. I understand that everyone wants to lose weight and be healthy..but what is too much? Now, I am NOT trying to offend people.. Im just asking... What is too much? I was partailly paralyzed almost 4 years ago so I am not able to run, jog, hop, etc. I do the ellyptical or bike for about 20-30 min and I work with a free personal trainer in our apt for circuit training. I am feeling great after. I am only burning 150-350 calories but I FEEL GREAT. How do you all work out so much and burn so many calories? If I burned that much, I think I would overtire myself and give up easier...now this is JUST MY OPINION...
So I am wondering, working out and burning over 1000 calories seems alot to me...why overwork your bodies? Wouldnt u get so tired that you give up sooner?
Please let me know..I am not offending anyone..just curious :-)
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Replies

  • ladyphoto
    ladyphoto Posts: 192 Member
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    Well, first of all, I'm not offended at all- but I understand why it seems extreme if 150-300 cal a day feels good to you. I think everyone is different really. To me, 150 cal burn would not be enough and would make me feel like it's going to tak forever... also, there are personal goals for each of us- for me, I used to be a competitive rock climber- I was very strong and very lean- so what I expect out of myself may be different than other people. 1000 calories a day is a must in my book- not every day, but it is what I strive for.
  • bachooka
    bachooka Posts: 719 Member
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    I love food. I really really do. And 1200 calories is doable... but I like to eat all day. haha. So I try to burn as much as I can most days so that I can eat those back and still lose weight. Different strokes for different folks I suppose!
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    I burned that much initially because my body was able to handle that much deficit. Now that I'm closer to my goal weight, I've changed my output goals to that of fat loss, as I was burning muscle with such an astronomical burn. But, I'm pretty athletic, so burning that much isn't a problem for me. I just put in what I burn out. To each their own.
  • stitcherbeth
    stitcherbeth Posts: 52
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    I feel best when I burn at least 250-400 calories a day but there are days when I burn around 600-700 to balance what I have eaten. Those higher burn days take their toll on me and I can only do those about 2 days a week. Everyone is different. I am glad I am learning what works for me. If the 150-300 works for you and you feel good and see results, then stick to it!
  • andreacord
    andreacord Posts: 928
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    For some reason, I have a lot of energy when I go to work out .. so I just work out til I'm almost tired, then go home. I think I burn a little bit more because I always have whatever I'm doing on resistance like on the bike or elliptical or if i'm on the treadmill incline, because to me I feel good if my legs are pushing against resistance. So yes, some days I burn like 1000 calories or upwards of 500. Regardless, any sort of workout makes me feel good. I obviously was missing out before!
  • zenfocus
    zenfocus Posts: 106 Member
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    I totally know what you mean. I get so frustrated with this because I had a back injury for a year and a half. The most I can do now physically is walk for about an hour... and sometimes I still get weird nerve firing sensations. Coming from a place of injury back to health it is critical that you don't overdo the exercise thing. People who've never been injured seriously and for a long time can't possibly understand what it's like. That's okay. You do the best for you and they will do the best for them. I think the most heart breaking thing is seeing other people being able to burn 500-1000 calories and knowing that that's a success for them... and knowing that a success for me is walking for thirty minutes without nerve firings, or just laying down without pain. My level of exercise is about 100-200 calories max. And this is my success... several months ago I wasn't even walking right sometimes without limping and not lifting over five pounds. I still don't lift things over ten pounds because I am still recovering. To those of you who've had injuries... you get where I'm at and that my successes are amazing and incredible. To those of you who wouldn't understand... that's okay. You have your own level of successes and your pace, while mine is at my pace.
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
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    I think it depends on the person...personally for me MFP is set at 1200 / day....I like to eat, and that is not near enough for me...so I work out to burn 500-900 calories a day...so I can eat what I want within reason. I have changed my diet alot (less sugar, carbs and sodium), but if I want pizza, I will eat pizza and make sure that day and the next day I have a great workout.....

    I have also been an active member of the gym for over 7 months at least 6 days a week...so 150 calories would not even break a sweat for me...

    I say don't worry about anyone else, do what you can do, what your comfortable with and eat well, and if your losing weight - then you are doing well :)
  • murphsings
    murphsings Posts: 1
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    Overtraining happens. You have to listen to your body and support it with good nutrition if you want to avoid burnout. Watch your sleeping patterns and your performance in your normal workouts. If you are reaching burnout you have to take time to rest. If you are sleeping well and eating well you should be able to keep up with an intense workout routine. Here is more good reading on the subject. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/overtraining/
  • waverly9876
    waverly9876 Posts: 605 Member
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    I wish I could burn more calories. I have lost 13 lbs and feel amazing. Im almost back to my high school weight. I now weigh 131.2 and I look toned. Since I have gone through 3 brain surgeries and was paralyzed, I should be grateful that I am able to work out. I am still sweating my butt off after the gym. :-)
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 844 Member
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    Burn whatever you feel is comfortable. If 150-300 a day works best for you and you feel great, then stick to that. Just remember, the more you burn off, the more you should be eating back to fuel your body. Always always always keep your net calories at 1200.
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
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    plus u have to remember, the more you weigh has alot to do with it as well. If someone who weighs 100lbs more than me does the elliptical the same amount of time & intensity as I do they will still burn more calories.
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I wear a HRM and I work out 3x a week at the moment (I'm 29 weeks pregnant). Before I was pregnant, I worked out 5 days a week and usually for about 1.5 - 2 hours a day. During that time, I would burn between 900-1200 calories and that was fine for me because I was used to it and I liked it. Now I ate a LOT during that time and would eat all day long but I guess it didn't get to me because I was eating enough to cover the deficit. I think it depends on how you feel and what your abilities are. I certainly didn't start off burning 1200 calories a day and I certainly don't do that now but as I got stronger I worked out with more intensity and kept at it harder.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I am one of those burners, and I ask myself where the energy comes from as well. Some days, like last wednesday, I don't have it in me, but I push because I preplanned my food LOL, but generally it's spread out through out the day, and I love every moment of it! I wouldn't recommend someone shoot for it daily, and the people that do.. i agree, seems like overworking your body. On top of it, my metabolism is really high, so even with a regular 45 minute workout I end up burning more than I think i would.
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
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    I have too much fun at the gym, and usually burn between 800-1500 per time (i do 1-3 hour sessions, each class lasts an hour and do atleast 2 at a time).

    Its not everyday though, as I have other things to do like work/college or the classes I like arent on.

    However working up into that, was a challenge for me, as 30mins used to be hard, when i started going 5 years ago, heck, i HATED exercise back then.

    But you should do what makes you feel comfortable and what you are able to do.
  • HelenTheKitchen
    HelenTheKitchen Posts: 383
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    I'm training for the warrior dash right now and a couple of other races this summer so I burn upwards of 1,000 calories a couple of days a week. But I eat the majority of that back. I didn't used to, and felt sick constantly. I think it depends on your reasons for working off that much. I'm not doing it to lose weight, and I'm sure once my races are over I'll go back to burning off between 300-500calories a day which I think is more typical. I get concerned about people trying to burn off everything they eat, I may be wrong but I think that a form of bulimia.
  • cerysrhi
    cerysrhi Posts: 262
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    there are alot of factors to be considered when burning calories my friend and I do the wii fit and while we are similar weights she burns more calories than I do because I am fitter than she is. One of my MFP friends only burnt 636 cals on her HRM doing the 30 day shred and 4 hours of spring cleaning but I can burn 480 cals on the shred alone and 4 hours of cleaning for me is over 1000cals. She is quite a bit lighter than I am and she seems to be a lot fitter than I am also. I have noticed that some people are obsessive with their exercise but in most cases these people eat back their calories and can do it day after day meaning that they are not pushing their bodies to an unsafe point. I have seen some cases where people feel there is no point in exercising if you are going to eat the cals back and quite often in these cases they try to burn every calorie they consume this is obviously taking exercise too far and is not healthy for them. I think each person knows their limits and as long as they are exercising in a healthy way by giving their body the fuel it needs then there is no such thing as too much x
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    I had to kind of giggle at your post. I work out doing intense exercise 6 days a week. When I started my new path to a healthy lifestyle, I had 40lbs to lose and hadn't exercised in several years due to a bad car accident, I have pens and needles numbness on my left side, I let this restrict me from several things. As I ate better, I did more exercise as I could do more. I started out running 1 mile and on the elliptical at my best possible rate for 15 minutes. I pushed a little harder each time and could do more. I had never ran in my life, I've since completed a marathon and am pleased at my fitness level.

    I became thinner and healthy with the loss of 40lbs and since that time have since toned, decreased my resting heart rate, have super great blood pressure and my blood work looks great. I went from a size 12 to a size 0. I love the challenge and push myself harder. At 40 years old, I'm in better physical shape then I was cheerleading in high school. I'm stronger with muscles I've never had before.

    I don't work out to burn calories, I track them but it's the least of my concerns. I work out to feel good. I love the intense push and feel so much better afterward. I love that i can run 10 miles, and feel like I could keep going for miles longer. I love the fact that I can bench press my own weight, throw kettlebells that most women wouldn't lift and push myself on Insanity bringing my fitness to a new level.

    I liken your post to the fact when people find out I run - they respond "I only run when people are chasing me". It's funny to me that someone who doesn't have a higher fitness level would even question why I do.

    The bottom line IMHO - Is because I can!!

    My question back would be why don't you push yourself to a higher level? You might impress yourself.
  • beastmode_kitty
    beastmode_kitty Posts: 844 Member
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    You could also vary it too, somedays do 600-700 and some do 300-400. Keeps your body guessing!
  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    I have wondered this too. But It pushes me to push harder. But I have felt maybe I'm pushing myself too hard lately. I don't know. It just takes everything out of me to get 400 cals burned in 60 to 70 min.
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
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    I aim for somewhere between 350-400 each time I go to the gym. If it's more, great. But I've only got an hour or so to invest at the gym each day, and I can only realistically get up to about 600 cal. / hour. Also, I only realisitically make it to the gym 3-5x / week. Once I've counted in the time it takes with showering and changing and getting there and back, it takes almost 2 hours to do a 1-hour workout.

    A hard core routine wouldn't work for me because itt's not realistic that I would be able to continue a routine of 1000 cal. 5-6x / week. That would be almost 3 hours of my day, every day. And I want more balance in my life than that.

    I say, if it works for you, fine. Go for it. But it wouldn't work for me.

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