Exercising too much?

A

august vermont

0
Thought I would get some opinions on whether or not I'm... simply wasting energy.

A few specs:
Male, Few weeks shy of age 27, 5'9", 172lbs
Lacto-ovo Vegetarian
Weighed 155-160lbs at age 17 when physical development "peaked" and physical activity was high

My weight was 184lbs at the start of the year.
Between age 17 and 24, my weight had reached the low 190's due to fat gain. At age 24, over the course of 3 months I dropped 25lbs, simply running on a treadmill. Weighed 165lbs, but still carried some "belly fat"! After a job change, move, and lack of regular exercise, the weight ran up to 184 throughout late 2006 and 2007.

Beginning early January this year, I've been running in the mornings - usually 5.25 miles / 45 minutes (4-5 days per week). Lots of water throughout the day, low fat meal/snacks every 2-4 hours. Anywhere from 1300-2000 calories per day.

My goal is to break the 150's for the first time since age 17. Having dropped 12lbs thus far (6.5 weeks), hoping to kick 13+ more at a reasonable rate. Sometime in April would seem like a good accomplishment.

Question being - as of this week, I've begun to run in the evenings on two (non-consecutive) days, largely out of pure enjoyment. Based on the treadmill readings, this would be two sessions of 700+ calories burned each day. In mid-March, I plan to replace the evening 45min running with two days of moderate weight lifting and 10-15 minutes of HIIT. Obviously, caloric intake is critical. But I want to maximize opportunities and avoid just wasting my energy.

Sorry for the length. Any comments?
 
Yeah, no weights right now. Mainly due to lack of time. After running first thing in the morning, I'm out the door and most days not back in until late in the evening. This week I've managed to wedge in some time on M/W. The second week of March I expect to be able to consistently use M/W evenings for weights.

Why so skinny? I don't know... Prior to turning 18 and going off to college it seemed like I could not gain weight. So to me, my natural physique may be one that is rather "skinny". Once I cut this fat down, I hope to gain some lean mass.

Anyhow, thanks for the responses... again, just looking to maximize opportunities to get through this cutting.
 
august vermont said:
Why so skinny? I don't know... Prior to turning 18 and going off to college it seemed like I could not gain weight. So to me, my natural physique may be one that is rather "skinny". Once I cut this fat down, I hope to gain some lean mass.
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Many people under 18 cannot gain weight no matter how much they eat. That tends to change in their 20s, especially if their exercise level drops.

150 pounds at 5'9" is not "too skinny" from a health perspective, though the average 20-something year old man tends to want to bulk up larger (with muscle, not fat). Even at that weight, you could still be pretty strong if you have been weight training. If you are concerned about sport performance, small size may be an advantage for a bicyclist or distance runner, but a disadvantage for a football player.

If time is an issue, you may want to see how much exercise you can get into your daily life. For example, if you can commute to work or school by walking, running, or bicycling, you will overlay exercise onto normally "wasted" commuting time. Also, you can take stairs instead of elevators (stairs are often faster due to waiting for elevators).

How is your eating? I know some vegetarian athletes (and if you search the web, you'll even find vegan bodybuilders), but I also know some fat "junk food" vegetarians.
 
I work in an office environment, so I spend a great deal of time behind a desk. And then I'm in class on TR nights. My weekends can be anywhere from very active, working outdoors to minimal physical activity.

Generally, this is how my weekdays go...

MWF
5:45: Wake Up
6:00: 45 minute / 5.25 mile run
7:00: water, vitamins, & serving of wheat grass tabs
7:45: ~20oz fat free organic milk
8:15: 12oz V8
8:30: ~16-20oz (black) coffee
9:00: Clif Bar (250cal, 5g fat, 43g carb, 9g protein)
10:00: wheat grass tabs
1:00: lean cuisine or something similar
4:00: serving of wheat grasss tabs
5:30: used to be cereal, now a 45 minute run, soon weights
6:30: Typically a moderate bowl of GoLean cereal
8:00: Dinner*
11:00: Sleep

TR
5:45: Wake Up
6:00: 45 minute / 5.25 mile run
7:00: water, vitamins, & serving of wheat grass tabs
7:45: ~20oz fat free organic milk
8:15: 12oz V8
8:30: ~16-20oz (black) coffee
9:00: Clif Bar (250cal, 5g fat, 43g carb, 9g protein)
10:00: serving of wheat grass tabs
11:00: pb&j
1:00: pb&j
3:00: serving of wheat grasss tabs
5:00: Clif Bar
9:00: Dinner*
11:00: Sleep

I'll throw in an off day of running from time to time if my legs feel like they need some rest. A couple of times I've foregone the morning run and done 60min/6.5mile & 75/7.5mile runs in the evening.

Usually consume 70-105oz of water during the workday. In the evenings I may drink tea (made w/splenda). The wheat grass tabs, at least for me, tend to serve as a small "filler". Something like 22cals in a serving. *Dinners may consist of anything from frozen foods such as the Boca or Morning Star variety - that would be vegetarian burger patties, chicken strips, etc. to soup with a sandwhich. Usually always has a fresh garden vegetable and canned vegetable. Anywhere from 400-600 cals.

I realize it would be better to consume the 400-600 cals earlier, but it's just how things shake out.
 
i'm 22 years old (5'9") and fell from 205 pounds to 148 pounds in 3 months running 6-10 miles a day in 35-60 mins..i wasn't doing weights either...big mistake! my bench fell from 310 to 210 and now i'm working hard i got it back up to 240...DO YOUR WEIGHTS!!!
 
man you arent eating enough protein to the looks of your diet. You seriously need to fix it, or you will lose all your muscle. And if you dont weight train as well, you will lose muscle, and im sure thats not what you want.
 
The protein is always a challenge. I used to be good about getting a fair amount of egg whites into my diet, but that hasn't been the case lately. Have maybe had a dozen & half eggs this year. I also used to drink whey protein everyday (in previous years) while lifting. Wasn't sure how that was affecting fat loss. Care to throw out a # of grams of protein to aim for?

One thing I've never completely understood is what is going on with your muscles when lifting while cutting. Does it, if the diet is correct, simply "maintain" muscle mass? My interpretation is that muscle development is not possible unless their is a surplus.
 
There's a lot of debate, but most would agree one gram for every pound of bodyweight is a nice medium. Try to meet that day in and day out.

Your assumption about what's going on sounds right on. Your diet is geared to promote fat loss, being in a deficit and all. The protein needs are so that your body will be able to repair muscles after lifting. So you can see the importance of protein, weight lifting, and overall deficit dieting to achieving your goals. Muscle development is generally very limited unless in your in a surplus, that is correct.
 
MarkMyWords said:
There's a lot of debate, but most would agree one gram for every pound of bodyweight is a nice medium. Try to meet that day in and day out.
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The RDA is only about 0.36g per pound of body weight, but that is mainly in the context of sedentary persons. Moderately active people would probably want to go to 0.4-0.5g per pound of body weight; endurance athletes probably need around 0.5-0.7g per pound of body weight. Strength athletes are typically recommended 0.7-1.0g per pound of body weight, with elite level athletes sometimes going up to 1.3-1.7g per pound of body weight. Note: some sources give recommendations based on lean body weight, rather than total body weight, since body fat adds little to protein requirements.

Those cutting through calorie deficit may want to go to the high side of the range for their activity level in order to better defend against muscle loss under calorie deficit.

The 1g per pound recommendation is common around fitness forums because it falls within the recommendation for someone who is hitting the weights for either bulking (muscle) or cutting (fat, while retaining muscle), and is an easy number to remember. However, it may not be necessary for all situations (though if you are hitting the weights hard under a calorie deficit, you may want to aim for that level during that time).

Here are some web sites with protein recommendations:
 
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Thanks a bunch for the tips & insight. Got some lifting in this evening. Oh so much fun when you've been away from it for a while. :rolleyes: The quads are zapped.
 
By placing a load on your muscles, it reminds your body that you need that muscle and tells your body not to shed the muscle as it copes with the calorie deficit, simple as that.

My nutritionist told me about a recent study where woman on 700-calorie per day diets were able to put-on muscle...point being, you can maintain and even build muscle even while dieting, but keep your deficit reasonable, about 20% less your ideal needs.

My trainers have told me that common thought is that it's impossible to add muscle while losing fat, but that's just not true on account of so many people (myself included) who have done it. Do your weights, you don't have to rock the whole weight-stack either...it's been determined that it doesn't really take much to get results, just place a toll on 'em and you'll be good.

I'd like to also share an observation with you. It was around the late 20's that I saw a lot of my friends go through changes in their bodies...guys who were skinny twigs suddenly started putting on guts, guys with full heads of hair started losing it (some at alarming rates). I'm sure a lot of people don't want to read this and many might disagree....but I believe that somewhere around the age of 25 we pretty much peak in terms of having the optimal bodies that we'll ever have...after this age you have to fight & earn to keep what you can. Chemical changes happen, hormones get weird and life as you know it gradually begins to change...mostly for those who don't take care of their bodies, less for those who do.

I'm not saying you shouldn't strive to get to your college fighting-weight....but keep a realistic perspective in mind; what worked back then may just not be practical to shoot for now. But again, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try: find out what your body-fat percentage is, get some bloodwork done (never too soon), maintain a regular cardiovascular routine....the advantages & benefits of regular exercise and proper diet have been well established!

I think your calories should be closer to 2,000...never as low as 1,300. You may think you're kickin' in the turbo's and getting it done hardcore, but slow & steady is the key....ya don't wanna let your body think it's starving!

Also...many people love running, but I do not. I say there are only 2 kinds of runners; those who have blown-out their knees and those who will. I much prefer the bike, but if you have to run get the very best shoes you can and perhaps take some glucosamine with chondrin to help maintain cartlidge & joints. The thing is, if you run until problems happen, by that point you've done your damage. When you run, you apply 4x your weight on your joints, so that's about 680 pounds on your knees.....what do you think will inevitably & eventually happen?

Oh, one last thing....most guys look better with a nice-sized chest, why not incorporate some upper-body cardio into your routine? I love swimming....it'll pack some serious meat on your chest, back & arms; nothing makes a guy look like he's strong and fit like a strong chest!
 
Mister Mallik, please very much to not be spamming our website. Your distasteful remarks bring shame to the thread and disgrace the fitness community as a whole. Kindly remove yourself, leave our peaceful forum and be getting the hell out!

....please come again! :D
 
So it's a new week... the typical eating routine hasn't changed much. I get about six egg whites into my lifting days. Getting more than 1600-1700 calories and more than 80-90grams of protein into a day is sort of difficult for me right now. Trying to find a high protein drink to fit into my day... maybe those sl*mfast high protein drinks?

Fwiw, so far today:
6:15-7:00 (45 min/5.5mile run)
7:00 (40oz water, wheat grass tabs & vitamins)
8:00 (180cal, 18g protein, 24g carb - organic fat-free milk)
8:30 (16 oz coffee)
9:00 (250cal, 10g protein, 43g carb - energy bar)
10:00 (wheat grass tabs, 32oz water)

The rest of the day will follow along about like the 2/20 post, but the evening meal will have more protein in it and a few more carbs before working out.

As was the case on Monday, at 5:30 I'll go through this hour-long routine:
Bent-Over Rows, Squats, Bench, Shoulder Press, Curls, Close Grip Bench, Upright Rows, Abdominals, 15 minute HIIT

As I've repeated, I want to do this efficiently. Don't want to end up light as a feather and weak as a kitten! I can at least say I feel good, and I have plenty of energy when I work out.
 
august vermont said:
So it's a new week... the typical eating routine hasn't changed much. I get about six egg whites into my lifting days. Getting more than 1600-1700 calories and more than 80-90grams of protein into a day is sort of difficult for me right now. Trying to find a high protein drink to fit into my day... maybe those sl*mfast high protein drinks?

Fwiw, so far today:
6:15-7:00 (45 min/5.5mile run)
7:00 (40oz water, wheat grass tabs & vitamins)
8:00 (180cal, 18g protein, 24g carb - organic fat-free milk)
8:30 (16 oz coffee)
9:00 (250cal, 10g protein, 43g carb - energy bar)
10:00 (wheat grass tabs, 32oz water)

The rest of the day will follow along about like the 2/20 post, but the evening meal will have more protein in it and a few more carbs before working out.

As was the case on Monday, at 5:30 I'll go through this hour-long routine:
Bent-Over Rows, Squats, Bench, Shoulder Press, Curls, Close Grip Bench, Upright Rows, Abdominals, 15 minute HIIT

As I've repeated, I want to do this efficiently. Don't want to end up light as a feather and weak as a kitten! I can at least say I feel good, and I have plenty of energy when I work out.
Click to expand...

I have found Slimfast shakes to be not that great in terms of nutrition. Why not make some shakes yourself at home? In less then 5 minutes you can mix up a nice protein shake with whey protein and non fat milk and have one in the morning and another after your workout.
 
Thanks for your comments on the slimfast shakes. In the past I would mix my own whey protein & fat free milk. Wanted to give the slimfast a try for the convenience of a canned drink. If it doesn't get the job done though...

(btw, enjoying the weights. although the morning following an evening of weights and HIIT isn't as easy as it was prior to not working out in the evening!)
 
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