Exercise stunting weightloss
Scoobies87
Posts: 379
Since I began MFP 4 months ago I have maintained regular exercise, anywhere from 3-6 times a week.
Some weeks however when I have not been feeling very well or have been busier I have exercised less. I was looking back through my food diary today to try and work out if there is a pattern to my weightloss, as sometimes I won't lose anything for a few weeks then bam, 2 lbs in a week.
The only pattern that I noticed was that I seemed to lose more weight on the weeks I have exercised considerably less. I know it can't be water as I have kept this weight off and water weight fluctuates.
So, has anyone else had this happen? It's not that I am thinking of quitting exercise, I am just wondering if I am over doing it.
Some weeks however when I have not been feeling very well or have been busier I have exercised less. I was looking back through my food diary today to try and work out if there is a pattern to my weightloss, as sometimes I won't lose anything for a few weeks then bam, 2 lbs in a week.
The only pattern that I noticed was that I seemed to lose more weight on the weeks I have exercised considerably less. I know it can't be water as I have kept this weight off and water weight fluctuates.
So, has anyone else had this happen? It's not that I am thinking of quitting exercise, I am just wondering if I am over doing it.
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What kind of exercise are you doing? Do your measurements change? You could be in the muscle building phase vice fat burning arena...just a thought. Muscle weighs more than fat. Do you notice being more toned?0
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Are you eating enough?0
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food.0
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This is a thread about what I read yesterday on this topic: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/377325-m-f-caloric-intake-suggestion-vs-mfp-caloric-intake-suggest0
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YESSSSSSSSS same thing happens to me. I only lose 3 plus lbs when I work out 4-5 days a week. When I over do the workouts, I dont lose not even an ounce! So maybe we should not over do it and give our bodies some rest time
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I found this to be water retention (for me at least). Your muscles do retain water when you exercise, so make sure you are hydrated and are stretching properly. I've also noticed if I have a rest day directly before I weigh in (so I rest on Thursdays, no exercise, and drink lots of water), I usually have a better weigh in than if I exercise the day before.0
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rest and recovery days are very important for weight loss. over training can be counter productive.0
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I never thought to look back and see - but that could explain why I've hit a wall was well.0
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Are you eating enough?
Yes, I am never hungry. I eat 1,200 calories a day and eat into exercise calories most of the time unless I am full. I am not an under eater. I also have a day off a week to eat at maintenance.0 -
From what I've heard, when we exercise, it causes tiny tears in our muscles, which hold onto fluid while they repair. It's not like water weight bloat we get from too much sodium, but still inflammation.0
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You need to keep in mind that exercise is important for SO many other things than just weight loss. Not sure how old you are, or whether its occurred to you to be concerned, but just take a good look next time you see one of those older women hunched over because of osteoporosis and ask yourself if you want that to be you! Don't you want to be toned when you reach your weight loss goals?
There are a lot of reasons to maintain a lifestyle that includes healthy diet AND exercise together, abandoning exercise just doesn't make much sense.
EDIT...I just realized you said its "NOT" that you're thinking of quitting, and I thought you were saying the opposite.
Oh well...leaving this post up anyway - it might help someone else!0 -
Yes - I have noticed this too. And when I'm asked "what did you do this week to have such a great loss?" I feel like an idiot saying, "I skipped the gym". Seems kind of backwards to me!0
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Two things come to mind:
1.) What is your eating like on your exercise days? Are you eating at least some of your exercise calories back? You don't HAVE to eat your exercise calories of course, but if you're eating too few calories to fuel your workouts then your body is likely to revolt and hold on to everything it can.
2.) Are your muscles sore? If you're working out to the point of sore muscles, there is a good chance you'll have some temporary water weight -- those muscles tend to suck up water in order to help repair themselves. Any weight gain (or lack of weight loss) because of this will be temporary.
Also, maybe you might want to try zig-zagging your calories (eating more on some days than others). This trick is what has helped me consistantly lose when I was stuck. This calorie calculator can give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating, and it has a zig-zag button you can click to see what a sample zig-zag week would look like:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Hope this helps!0 -
Working out 6 times a week is far to stressful for the body to lose weight no matter how in shape you are. It is likely that you will maintain weight but not gain it. It is caused by cortisol release when they body feels over worked and has to maintain its body fat. In other words it sends your body in panic mode thinking it needs to store up calories. I would recommend cutting back the work outs to 3 a week at most.0
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bump.
thanks for this, i needed to hear a reminder today
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I am the same exact way! So I am taking a break from working out to focus on how I am eating. This way I can get to my goal weight. I am pretty toned so I am not concerned about being too flabby when I drop the weight. I definitely think you have made a great observation.0
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There are a lot of reasons to maintain a lifestyle that includes healthy diet AND exercise together, abandoning exercise just doesn't make much sense.
I have no intention of abandoning exercise, I enjoy it far too much and it makes me feel amazing! I am just wondering if I a overdoing it. Sometimes I will do 2 workouts in a day to burn 900-1100 calories and then I feel crappy the next day and I am so sore.0 -
You're not alone.... my daily goal is around 1400 and hwen I go to the gym 5-7x a week, I pretty much stop losing. I wear an HRM so I track my calories burned pretty accurately and I usually have no trouble eating half to all of my exercise calories back. Oddly, I usually lose weight when I go out of town and eat crap for a weekend, or skip the gym for a 5 days if i have a sore knee or something. I don't get it either but I'm not going to stop going to the gym - it's the best part of my day! I love zumba 0
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Are you sure 1200 calories is enough? Many times this is too low of a caloric intake even on days when we are not exercising. I found that I needed to bump my caloric intake to 1400-1500 calories a day and then I try and eat at least half of my calories gained from exercising.0
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There are a lot of reasons to maintain a lifestyle that includes healthy diet AND exercise together, abandoning exercise just doesn't make much sense.
I have no intention of abandoning exercise, I enjoy it far too much and it makes me feel amazing! I am just wondering if I a overdoing it. Sometimes I will do 2 workouts in a day to burn 900-1100 calories and then I feel crappy the next day and I am so sore.
I realized that after I posted... Maybe cutting back a little isn't a bad idea, or try some lower intensity cardio. Do you weigh daily, or once a week? I have heard that if you weigh in the day after doing weight training activities, you will show higher on the scale, so maybe if you're alternating days of cardio & weights, change up your weigh in day to more accurately reflect your results.0 -
When this happened to me I lowered my goal from 2lbs a week to 1.5lbs a week, I went from 30-45 minutes of exercise everyday and YES I eat my exercise calories for the most part! I started losing on average 2lbs a week though my settings are at 1.5lbs. Add me if you like my diary is open to friends just include a note as to why you would like to add me! 0
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I weigh in weekly, on a Friday. I always makes sure I have Thursdays off from exercise to get a more accurate reading without muscle retention. I guess I could try cutting it down (she says, getting the HRM out! It is workout day today though!)0
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I forgot to add that even with my weightloss set at half a pound a week it still recommends that I only eat 1,200 calories a day. I tried eating 1,400-1,500 and just maintained. 1,500 is what I am supposed to eat on maintenance. Sucks but there we go! I don't weigh much and I have a fairly low BMI so i think that is why I lose so slowly. I will try and exercise less though and see if I lose anything in the next couple of weeks. My goal is to lose another 3lbs by the end of November!0
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I think as long as you're seeing results (even if they're slow) and feeling good, then keep doing what you're doing. I'm into my last 10 lbs to goal, and it definitely slows down at this point, but there are worse things in life, right??I forgot to add that even with my weightloss set at half a pound a week it still recommends that I only eat 1,200 calories a day. I tried eating 1,400-1,500 and just maintained. 1,500 is what I am supposed to eat on maintenance. Sucks but there we go! I don't weigh much and I have a fairly low BMI so i think that is why I lose so slowly. I will try and exercise less though and see if I lose anything in the next couple of weeks. My goal is to lose another 3lbs by the end of November!
You look great!0 -
Working out 6 times a week is far to stressful for the body to lose weight no matter how in shape you are. It is likely that you will maintain weight but not gain it. It is caused by cortisol release when they body feels over worked and has to maintain its body fat. In other words it sends your body in panic mode thinking it needs to store up calories. I would recommend cutting back the work outs to 3 a week at most.
This.
You need enough intense exercise to trigger growth hormone yet not so much that it overstimulates cortisol, which tends to nullify growth hormone. Also, cortisol is activated by soreness and inflammation, so keeping this hormone to a minimum is important. If the stress gland is stressed, you want to avoid intense exercise. Something aerobic, calming and less stressful. It will still burn fat but mostly during and slightly after the exercise. Aerobic exercise won't burn fat 12-48 hours after like anaerobic does, but it will keep stress hormones to a minimum.
IMO only, of course, and intensity is relative from person to person, along with overall fitness level, and so on.
*edited to ask - what you are doing as exercise? I should have asked that before posting. 0 -
Working out 6 times a week is far to stressful for the body to lose weight no matter how in shape you are. It is likely that you will maintain weight but not gain it. It is caused by cortisol release when they body feels over worked and has to maintain its body fat. In other words it sends your body in panic mode thinking it needs to store up calories. I would recommend cutting back the work outs to 3 a week at most.
Was thinking along these lines too. I always gain weight when race training and then lose when I back down the exercise. However, I never gain size or measurements just weight. I went up 12 lbs this last training cycle. I've cut back this week after my last race and am already down 7 lbs. There is a theory out there with fitness that less is more. Try less cardio and more weights maybe?0 -
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