Struggling with too much exercise?

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jmath0303
jmath0303 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys,

So I have lost 150 lbs over three years. I'm looking to just maintain my weight at this point but I'm struggling to give up the exercise. I walk about 15-20 miles a day and also will run on some days. I have just been maintaining for the past few months on about 2000 calories a day. I want to stop exercising so much because it is very tiring but I'm worried that I will just put on weight. I am about 5'9 and 155 pounds. If I quit doing so much exercise will I put on weight? MFP recommends that I should eat around 3500 calories a day but I'm not losing any weight. I'm just worried that cutting back on the exercise will lead to weight gain
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Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    Could you replace the walking and running with swimming, which would be easier on your joints and also typically burns more calories in the same amount of time as walking? Biking might be another possibility.

    I agree with Kimny that you're likely burning more calories than you think. A male in his mid 20s at your weight anneed more than d activity level would normally need more than 2000 kcals to maintain. When you say you measure everything, does that mean measuring volume or weight? Weight typically is more accurate, as there's no to smush a little extra of something tasty into 100 g, the way you can into 100 ml.
  • MrMuzzles
    MrMuzzles Posts: 4 Member
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    First congrats on the weightloss. Bet you never thought the maintenance portion would be a challenge. Allow me to recommend you switch up the type of activity. You don't have to lift if you find it "boring;" you can do a variety of routines like body weights circuits (I always recommend using some type of external resistance). You can also dance for the time equivalent to your targeted caloric goal, or you can do what I do and go the intense route for less time (example: kickboxing & boxing). I bet I can adjust a few exercises in your routine and spice it up for you. Tell me, what's your first half of your lifting regimim consist of exercise(s), rep and load (resistance/weight) wise?
  • jmath0303
    jmath0303 Posts: 71 Member
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    MrMuzzles wrote: »
    First congrats on the weightloss. Bet you never thought the maintenance portion would be a challenge. Allow me to recommend you switch up the type of activity. You don't have to lift if you find it "boring;" you can do a variety of routines like body weights circuits (I always recommend using some type of external resistance). You can also dance for the time equivalent to your targeted caloric goal, or you can do what I do and go the intense route for less time (example: kickboxing & boxing). I bet I can adjust a few exercises in your routine and spice it up for you. Tell me, what's your first half of your lifting regimim consist of exercise(s), rep and load (resistance/weight) wise?

    I just started lifting Wednesday. I am very weak. I lost so much muscle with all the weight I lost
  • ericarmstrong4954
    ericarmstrong4954 Posts: 14 Member
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    I lost 200 lbs. towards the end, like the last 6 months I quit working out. I adjusted my calories making them slightly lower and I started losing weight much faster. I think our bodies get used to all the exercise and adapt. Just be sure you lower your calories if you stop working out for a while.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Think of it as a simple math equation. If calories eaten=calories burned, then you will maintain your weight.


    Also, congrats on your weight loss! That's really terrific!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    jmath0303 wrote: »
    Yes I measure everything and pretty much eat the same thing everyday. Im a 25 year old male but am usually hungry on 2000 calories. It feels like I'm grinding my joints down and am gonna have joint problems in 10 years if I keep this up

    Cycle rather than walk. You'll burn more calories, it is more fun, and won't do so much damage to your joints. :)
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
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    Congrats on the weight loss! Listen to your body- if you are tired, it’s ok to take a little break to rest and revitalize. Just be mindful of the calories. I took a little break the last few weeks as I had so much going on - I feel better and I’m ready to jump back in! Hope you feel a recharge as well!
  • jmath0303
    jmath0303 Posts: 71 Member
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    This is what a typical week is like for meczefx47xfcyc.jpg
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    Please change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • Go4health9
    Go4health9 Posts: 27 Member
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    Are you sure that is all correct? It seems WAY off and extremely unhealthy.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Weight is more about what you eat than how much you run or lift, and for many, it's genetics too.

    At some point, we get injured and for others, life gets in the way. We get pregnant, we get job promotions, we have many demands on our time. However, we still have to eat, even though our exercise may have to change. We can't all be bad-@sses forever.


  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    At this point, I highly suspect, if your calorie counting is correct, that you have issues with adaptive thermogenesis and cortisol.

    I walk a lot pretty much every day to help my arthritis and my depression and anxiety, but still fall shy of where you're at. Saying that, I do take breaks where I sprinkle in lower activity days here and there and higher calorie days to give my hormones a break.

    Please read the first post of this thread and consider pulling back on your steps to at least half of what you're doing now and incrementally upping your calories. The scale might go up due to increasing glycogen stores and more food in transit in your system, but that should even out over time. Give things a good six weeks. EAT WHAT YOUR FITBIT GIVES YOU as total calories burned, less about 4% or so (Fitbit tends to overestimate burns a bit once you get into the realm of higher step counts). Use a weight trending app to track your weight and smooth out fluctuations and don't worry about anything until 6 weeks or so of data has been collected.

    After six weeks, you can re-evalate until you find maintenance level with healthier habits.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    edited December 2018
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    jmath0303 wrote: »
    Yes I measure everything and pretty much eat the same thing everyday. Im a 25 year old male but am usually hungry on 2000 calories. It feels like I'm grinding my joints down and am gonna have joint problems in 10 years if I keep this up

    Of course you are hungry on 2000 calories wallking 20 miles a day! I am a lot smaller and female and burn a LOT less I maintain on 2350 average per week. No way you maintain on 2000 walking 20 miles a day......

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