Am I overtraining? Please advise... - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

coripc33 · 12-07-2004, 09:29 AM

I have been doing the Firm videos for quite some time now, and I am very happy with them. I lost approx. 14 lbs. so far, and I can tell that my clothes fit a lot better. However, I have been reading this board for a while, and I am wondering if I am overtraining. I have been doing the videos every day - I am trying to do the cardio ones every other day, and the weight ones the other days. I exercise at least 1 hour every day.

Now... every few weeks or so I have to take a business trip for about 5 days, and during that time I am not working out (except for maybe 30 minutes every other day for abs - since I don't have the equipment with me). I also escape my diet during that time, and I indulge myself with either prime rib or mashed potatoes once or twice when I'm away. I was afraid at first that, when I came back, my weight would be up again, but it turns out that it stays the same, if it's not lower.

So... should I take a break when I am home, or is 1 hour a day OK? I am afraid I have hit a platteau, and I want to start losing weight again (I have been stuck at my current weight for approx. 2 weeks now). The thing is that I feel very guilty when I am not exercising, that is why I am trying to push away the "rest" day, and it seems that no day is a good day to just skip the exercise.

FYI, my diet consists of a light lunch (a chicken salad) and a light dinner (usually some chicken with some veggies). I eat apples all day (4-5 giant ones), and during the evening I have a small cookie or something similar for desert. I drink a lot of water, and maybe 2 cups of coffee in the morning.

Please give me your opinion on what I should do to start losing weight again. I want to lose another 15lbs or so... I am a 37 year old female, 5'3", 138 lbs. I don't look very big, but I want to squeeze into my skinny jeans again.

Thanks in advance.

phillydude · 12-07-2004, 10:45 AM

I think what you are doing is fine. It's OK to do cardio 5-6 times a week... the "overtraining" thing is really more for weight training programs.

As far as the diet, you might want to look at changing up the frequency of your meals. Have you looked at your average daily caloric intake? There are specific formulas which will help you determine how much you need to eat to continue to lose weight which factor in the amount of exercise you are doing. Eating the right number of calories and doing it over a long period of time (i.e. lots of small "meals") will yield the best results.

My guess is that you are hitting a plateau because you are actually UNDEReating, and your body is now holding onto fat because it thinks you are starving yourself. Believe it or not, you might lose more weight by eating more of the "right" things.

coripc33 · 12-07-2004, 11:27 AM

Thank you very much for your answer.

I realized after I posted that I probably used the term "overtraining" loosely.

I meant that I was worried it was too much, but I am so happy to hear it's not - yay!!! I will go workout right now without being worried.

I think I understand what you are saying about my diet. The truth is that I am so worried that I will eat too much, that I often don't eat enough.

I used to eat a lot of junk before I started working out, and now I am watching everything that goes inside my body. I have noticed however that, when I eat more than I usually do, the weight stays off or goes down a little bit. I guess I should start trying to eat more often during the day - the problem is that I cannot eat breakfast no matter how hard I try! I do it for a day or two, but then I'm back to skipping it. I also don't like cereal (of any sort, except for maybe cream of wheat), and I hate milk. Are there any specific things outside of what I just mentioned that I can try adding to my diet? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - thanks.

phillydude · 12-07-2004, 11:55 AM

Here's the "big three" foods most people will tell you are the "best" things to add to your diet when you are trying to lose weight while maintaining "proper" nutrition. Of course, there are also people who don't particularly like any or all of them, so they might not work for you.

1) Eggs, especially egg whites. Hardboiled is best. Cheap and easy to make. Portion controlled and convenient to transport as well. Tons of protein!

2) Tuna, especially canned. Packed in water is best. Again, portion controlled and fairly cheap. Tons of protein as well as those "good" Omega fats.

3) Cottage cheese, especially low-fat or non-fat. Portion controlled, surprisingly filling, and tons of protein too.

Just a few ideas for you... feel free to post up if you have more questions.

phillydude · 12-07-2004, 12:37 PM

I worked up some numbers based on the information you gave us.

First, let's look at your basic caloric intake needs. At 5'3", 138lbs, and assuming you work at a desk job (sitting most of the day), you need about 1950 calories per day to maintain your current weight.

Next, lets take some guesses as to your current caloric intake.

Lunch: Chicken Breast and Small Salad with Fat Free Ranch Dressing
Calories - 225, Protein - 25g, Carbs - 20g, Fat - 4g

Dinner: Chicken Breast and Green Beans
Calories - 200, Protein - 25g, Carbs - 10g, Fat - 4g

Snack 1: Apples (four)
Calories - 320, Protein - 0g, Carbs - 80g, Fat - 0g

Snack 2: Snack Bar (I'm substituting this for the cookies)
Calories - 225, Protein - 15g, Carbs - 30g, Fat - 7g

SUBTOTAL: Calories - 970, Protein - 65g, Carbs - 140g, Fat - 15g
Let's add 10% to this total to adjust for things we missed in the analysis.

TOTAL: Calories - 1067, Protein - 71.5g, Carbs - 154g, Fat - 16.5g

OK... so far you are working on a daily caloric deficit of about 950 calories, or 6650 calories per week. Without any exercise, you would (in theory) lose about 2 pounds per week, since 3500 calories = one pound.

But since you do aerobic-type exercise for about an hour a day, you need to subtract an additional 350 calories or so from your caloric intake total, giving you a deficit of 1300 calories per day, resulting in theoretical weight loss closer to 2.5 pounds a week.

Your body, however, will only support weight loss of about 2 to 2.5 pounds a week without going into "starvation survival mode," which probably explains why you have stopped losing weight recently. Your body adjusts to the intake levels by speeding up or slowing down your metabolism to burn calories efficiently. So you have one of two options: stop exercising (not recommended) or eat an additional 350 calories every day (recommended).

Tell me if I'm close with these numbers, and then we'll figure out what you should add to your diet to bring your nutrient profile into better balance.