How much cardio is too much cardio?

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newengland11
newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started going to the gym and eating right at the beginning of October, I would do 30-45 minutes on the elliptical six days a week. It was working, I lost 10lbs but lately I've been noticing that I can barely make it 20 minutes now, I feel so tired and sluggish. I was trying to research if maybe I'm doing TOO much cardio but I can't find very good info. Can anyone here help me out? And does anyone know how much I should be doing? I'm 159lbs, 5'2" and I'm trying to get down to at least 135lbs...or wherever I feel comfortable, whether it be higher or lower.
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Replies

  • desiresdestiny
    desiresdestiny Posts: 175 Member
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    You started about a month ago, I wonder if you hit the the cardio part too hard. Also how's your eating? Are you doing other exercises? Any strength training?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    I wouldn't consider that anywhere near too much.

    What is your calorie intake like?
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    desiresdestiny wrote: »
    You started about a month ago, I wonder if you hit the the cardio part too hard. Also how's your eating? Are you doing other exercises? Any strength training?

    Thanks for replying! That's what I'm wondering as well. I stay below 1340 a day, at the beginning I was doing really well with eating great but will admit I have slacked off in the past week, I still stay within my calorie limit but the foods I'm eating aren't all that healthy, I ran out of healthy food and didn't have the money for groceries so I kinda had to eat what we had but I made sure to not eat anything like chocolate, ice cream, burgers, etc. I do strength training, I haven't setup a routine just yet but on some days I'll do legs and abs, the next will be legs and back, etc. But I do cardio all 6 days I work out.
  • desiresdestiny
    desiresdestiny Posts: 175 Member
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    newengland11 wrote: »
    desiresdestiny wrote: »
    You started about a month ago, I wonder if you hit the the cardio part too hard. Also how's your eating? Are you doing other exercises? Any strength training?

    Thanks for replying! That's what I'm wondering as well. I stay below 1340 a day, at the beginning I was doing really well with eating great but will admit I have slacked off in the past week, I still stay within my calorie limit but the foods I'm eating aren't all that healthy, I ran out of healthy food and didn't have the money for groceries so I kinda had to eat what we had but I made sure to not eat anything like chocolate, ice cream, burgers, etc. I do strength training, I haven't setup a routine just yet but on some days I'll do legs and abs, the next will be legs and back, etc. But I do cardio all 6 days I work out.

    How did you calculate your calories? On MFP or are you following TDEE?
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    desiresdestiny wrote: »
    newengland11 wrote: »
    desiresdestiny wrote: »
    You started about a month ago, I wonder if you hit the the cardio part too hard. Also how's your eating? Are you doing other exercises? Any strength training?

    Thanks for replying! That's what I'm wondering as well. I stay below 1340 a day, at the beginning I was doing really well with eating great but will admit I have slacked off in the past week, I still stay within my calorie limit but the foods I'm eating aren't all that healthy, I ran out of healthy food and didn't have the money for groceries so I kinda had to eat what we had but I made sure to not eat anything like chocolate, ice cream, burgers, etc. I do strength training, I haven't setup a routine just yet but on some days I'll do legs and abs, the next will be legs and back, etc. But I do cardio all 6 days I work out.

    How did you calculate your calories? On MFP or are you following TDEE?

    MFP.
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    I wouldn't consider that anywhere near too much.

    What is your calorie intake like?

    I do 1340 or below.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    newengland11 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?

    The number of calories MFP gives you already has a deficit. For example, I'd you entered that you want to lose 1# a week, MFP tells you to eat 500 calories LESS each day than you need to maintain your current weight. The deficit is built in. It's designed to have you lose weight WITHOUT exercise. Adding exercise just increases your deficit if you don't eat back exercise calories.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    newengland11 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?

    MFP gives you a calorie goal to lose weight without exercise, so if you exercise, you eat some of the calories back and you are still in the same deficit. It's a beautiful thing. You can eat more.

    I hate cardio so just don't do it and eat less-ish.
  • desiresdestiny
    desiresdestiny Posts: 175 Member
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    mkakids wrote: »
    newengland11 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?

    The number of calories MFP gives you already has a deficit. For example, I'd you entered that you want to lose 1# a week, MFP tells you to eat 500 calories LESS each day than you need to maintain your current weight. The deficit is built in. It's designed to have you lose weight WITHOUT exercise. Adding exercise just increases your deficit if you don't eat back exercise calories.

    This+1

    Or to make it easier you can calculate your TDEE as long as you are consistent with your workouts
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    edited November 2015
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    If you're exercising to increase your burn vs intake, you can get the same effect by skipping the exercise and not eating however much you'd typically burn from exercise. But, if you're exercising for fitness, then you should be fueling your efforts properly. Not fueling your exercise will fatigue you and make it less likely you'll want to continue exercising
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    mkakids wrote: »
    newengland11 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?

    The number of calories MFP gives you already has a deficit. For example, I'd you entered that you want to lose 1# a week, MFP tells you to eat 500 calories LESS each day than you need to maintain your current weight. The deficit is built in. It's designed to have you lose weight WITHOUT exercise. Adding exercise just increases your deficit if you don't eat back exercise calories.

    So that's why I lost 10lbs so quickly. I was working out and eating way less. Thanks, that actually makes sense now.
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    Protranser wrote: »
    If you're exercising to increase your burn vs intake, you can get the same effect by skipping the exercise and not eating however much you'd typically burn from exercise. But, if you're exercising for fitness, then you should be fueling your efforts properly. Not fueling your exercise will fatigue you and make it less likely you'll want to continue exercising

    Thanks, I think that's exactly what I was doing.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    newengland11 wrote: »
    mkakids wrote: »
    newengland11 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?

    The number of calories MFP gives you already has a deficit. For example, I'd you entered that you want to lose 1# a week, MFP tells you to eat 500 calories LESS each day than you need to maintain your current weight. The deficit is built in. It's designed to have you lose weight WITHOUT exercise. Adding exercise just increases your deficit if you don't eat back exercise calories.

    So that's why I lost 10lbs so quickly. I was working out and eating way less. Thanks, that actually makes sense now.

    Have some dessert tonight.
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    Your BMR is: 1431 Calories/Day
    Your TDEE is: 2560 Calories/Day

    That's what I got when I did TDEE...so does that mean I burn that many a day or I can eat that many a day?
  • newengland11
    newengland11 Posts: 27 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    newengland11 wrote: »
    mkakids wrote: »
    newengland11 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    This will probably sound VERY stupid but I'm new to this so bare with me! Eating back the calories you burn...I thought that was like defeating the purpose. You're supposed to burn more calories than you lose, right? So how can I do that if I'm just eating whatever I burn?

    The number of calories MFP gives you already has a deficit. For example, I'd you entered that you want to lose 1# a week, MFP tells you to eat 500 calories LESS each day than you need to maintain your current weight. The deficit is built in. It's designed to have you lose weight WITHOUT exercise. Adding exercise just increases your deficit if you don't eat back exercise calories.

    So that's why I lost 10lbs so quickly. I was working out and eating way less. Thanks, that actually makes sense now.

    Have some dessert tonight.

    :) Thanks! I just might.
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    edited November 2015
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    newengland11 wrote: »
    Your BMR is: 1431 Calories/Day
    Your TDEE is: 2560 Calories/Day

    That's what I got when I did TDEE...so does that mean I burn that many a day or I can eat that many a day?

    Tdee is what you burn in a day. Eating at tdee will maintain your weight. Eating less than tdee will cause you to use more of your stored body fat to fuel your activity. This is the way to lose weight.

    Bmr is base metabolic rate, which is the calories you burn being sedentary and laying down sleeping/comatose. Eating that little will fatigue you if you typically burn 2560.
  • casandra_zamarripa
    casandra_zamarripa Posts: 133 Member
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    I do 50 60 mins of cardio so ur def not doing near to much but I. Wondering if your not getting enough water? Or food? When I eat less or drink less I feel terribly sluggish or like the elliptical is super heavy but all in all it's my eating
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
    edited November 2015
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Yeah. You're supposed to eat back your exercise calories. If you're not, no wonder you're tired.

    Y'all beat me to it.

    @newengland11 - just to complicate things, many consider the exercise burns to be inflated so recommend only eating back around 50% of them. You can manually change the number given in the calories box.

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