Are there nerds here who don't exercise and use eating plan to maintain/lose weight

[Goldie]

I wondered if anyone on the boards chooses not to exercise and just follow an eating routine to maintain/lose weight? Or perhaps you did before introducing exercise.

What is an average day like? How has your progress been? Why do you opt not to exercise?

I've been working out intensely for a year and a half and I would like to reign it in a little. I exercise at 5am to fit it in and get it done and over the course of the year and a half i've had to double my efforts to see the same results (recently it's not been working at all!) I got in to a 'if a few days a week are good, everyday will be brilliant!'. This was fine when I was doing 30 mins a day but now i'm doing an hour its tiring me out.

Yesterday it just seemed to cave in on me a bit! I'm tired, I feel extreme guilt over missed workouts and the stress really grinds on me, its starting to effect my social life (I opt not to go out or see friends if I feel I've had a bad exercise/food day) and this may sound really nuts but I feel uncomfortable in my own skin like I don't know who I am anymore! It's the most unnerving feeling!

After a sit down and a review of my plan I realised because I initially lost weight on introducing intense exercise I've become completely focused on this as the only way. My diet has gone by the way side and I'm not taking any rest days. I'm on a poor poor 'health' track.

So I'm thinking of going back to basics. Maybe take 4-7 days off from exercise to get rested and then review my exercise plan and start fresh. I need to take some time off from exercise and look at my eating (currently i notice when i exercise hard everyday and I'm tired I eat to try and get energy which is not exactly getting me to my goal!). I also need to take 1-2 rest days a week and make sure that when I start exercising again I stick to this.

I'm more sharing this to get any advice if people have had the same sort of issues or could give me advice going forward at all? I'm nervous but I know that trying to carry on doing this when it's making me anxious, a little unhappy and not getting the results I want is madness and I have to make changes.

[Kristen]

Yesterday it just seemed to cave in on me a bit! I'm tired, I feel extreme guilt over missed workouts and the stress really grinds on me, its starting to effect my social life (I opt not to go out or see friends if I feel I've had a bad exercise/food day) and this may sound really nuts but I feel uncomfortable in my own skin like I don't know who I am anymore! It's the most unnerving feeling!

We all have breakdowns now and then, and that's normal. If you just seemed to hit a wall, taking a break to reassess your plan is exactly what you need. But if this is a persistent feeling you may need to seek help, and not help of the internet forum variety. Too much of a good thing can ultimately hurt you, and thoughts like this, if they are recurring or very strong, can push you in that direction. I really hope that's not the case, and I'm overreacting, but that comment just hit my concern button in a big way and I couldn't ignore it.

Diet and exercise are both important. You need to manage both. I don't know you or your situation, so I don't want to give specific advice, but you are exactly on the right track--you need to figure out what needs to change about your diet, and yes! you need those rest days! I would encourage you to take a few days or a week off and come up with a new plan.

[weirdquark]

If you're tired, then you should definitely cut back or otherwise change up your exercise routine.

What is your current exercise routine? I do exercise every day but on some days I lift weights for an hour and on other days I do stretching and yoga-like things so I can get some recovery in.

[Goldie]

Thanks everyone. I felt a little goofy as I was writing it down but when I reread it as though it were someone else on the board it didn't seem so crazy and it made me feel less lost. Yesterday i felt really broken! This morning, onve i put it all down I could see a number of ways out of my current rut!

Athena - that's encouraging to know. I imagine for a woman it would be a little slower to focus purely on diet. Do you follow a very strict paleo diet? Do you do cardio and weights or focus mostly/purely on weights?

Kristen - thank you. When I reread it I sort of thought 'i sound quite mature trying to fix this rather than carrying on down a destructive avenue!' but I wanted to ask on here more for reassurance than to find an answer I think. I think you're right in the sense that perhaps I have some underlying issues which might be causing obstacles to suceeding and I need to address those and my relationship with food before I can put a plan in place.

Weirdquark - I've been toying with the idea of yoga because I imagine after a few tough sessions it must feel really nice to do a thorough stretch out. Probably good for the mind also. Currently I rotate:

day 1 - run for 50-60 mins

day 2 - circuits: (15 press ups, 15 20lb squats, 550 jump rope reps) x 8

day 3 - 1 hr skipping

day 4 - circuits

day 5 - run

and so on....!

I haven't been taking any rest until today - i did go for a 6 mile walk (half with the dogs and half on my own) - it felt lovely and relaxed!

[sumdawgtwigg]

It sounds to me like you're over killing it on the exercise a bit. The trick I've found is to do enough to make it difficult but still enjoyable. I've tried being really hardcore and working out ever single day but it doesn't take long for it to lose it's luster. Maybe even try switching up what you do everyday? Not a lot but hopefully that will be of a little help to you

[weirdquark]

Thanks everyone. I felt a little goofy as I was writing it down but when I reread it as though it were someone else on the board it didn't seem so crazy and it made me feel less lost. Yesterday i felt really broken! This morning, onve i put it all down I could see a number of ways out of my current rut!

Athena - that's encouraging to know. I imagine for a woman it would be a little slower to focus purely on diet. Do you follow a very strict paleo diet? Do you do cardio and weights or focus mostly/purely on weights?

Kristen - thank you. When I reread it I sort of thought 'i sound quite mature trying to fix this rather than carrying on down a destructive avenue!' but I wanted to ask on here more for reassurance than to find an answer I think. I think you're right in the sense that perhaps I have some underlying issues which might be causing obstacles to suceeding and I need to address those and my relationship with food before I can put a plan in place.

Weirdquark - I've been toying with the idea of yoga because I imagine after a few tough sessions it must feel really nice to do a thorough stretch out. Probably good for the mind also. Currently I rotate:

day 1 - run for 50-60 mins

day 2 - circuits: (15 press ups, 15 20lb squats, 550 jump rope reps) x 8

day 3 - 1 hr skipping

day 4 - circuits

day 5 - run

and so on....!

I haven't been taking any rest until today - i did go for a 6 mile walk (half with the dogs and half on my own) - it felt lovely and relaxed!

I'd count walking as 'active rest' -- it's not intensive enough to hurt recovery unless by walking you mean 'through the mountains with a 25+ pound backback all day.'

So my next question is -- do you like doing that much running/cardio? Because the best exercise is the kind you enjoy doing, but if you're getting worn out and not having fun, then there's no reason to keep it. It looks to me like you're pretty much doing all cardio -- I know you have two days with weights, but they're light and you're doing them in a circuit so it's still more conditioning than heavy lifting.

I admit that I am biased towards weights because I like them and I don't like cardio -- I do conditioning circuits sometimes and I ran 5K once a week for a while, but whenever I try doing more cardio than that I get bored. Actually this last six weeks or so I've been doing circuits/supersets and alternating between two pairs of two exercises and just trying to go as heavy as I can.

I'd suggest trying using fewer reps so you can use heavier weights. A lot of beginner weight routines do start you on fifteen reps of whatever it is so you can get used to the form but once you have that down, try picking a weight that you can only lift 6-8 times and do that for three sets. If you can lift it for eight reps, try a slightly heavier weight.

My focus is on strength and not weight loss at the moment but my best weight loss results were when I wasn't doing any cardio at all. I was lifting weights and counting calories. It was the restricting calories that made me lose weight -- the lifting meant I was keeping muscle so most of the weight loss was fat.

[Goldie]

I'd count walking as 'active rest' -- it's not intensive enough to hurt recovery unless by walking you mean 'through the mountains with a 25+ pound backback all day.'

So my next question is -- do you like doing that much running/cardio? Because the best exercise is the kind you enjoy doing, but if you're getting worn out and not having fun, then there's no reason to keep it. It looks to me like you're pretty much doing all cardio -- I know you have two days with weights, but they're light and you're doing them in a circuit so it's still more conditioning than heavy lifting.

I admit that I am biased towards weights because I like them and I don't like cardio -- I do conditioning circuits sometimes and I ran 5K once a week for a while, but whenever I try doing more cardio than that I get bored. Actually this last six weeks or so I've been doing circuits/supersets and alternating between two pairs of two exercises and just trying to go as heavy as I can.

I'd suggest trying using fewer reps so you can use heavier weights. A lot of beginner weight routines do start you on fifteen reps of whatever it is so you can get used to the form but once you have that down, try picking a weight that you can only lift 6-8 times and do that for three sets. If you can lift it for eight reps, try a slightly heavier weight.

My focus is on strength and not weight loss at the moment but my best weight loss results were when I wasn't doing any cardio at all. I was lifting weights and counting calories. It was the restricting calories that made me lose weight -- the lifting meant I was keeping muscle so most of the weight loss was fat.

If I'm honest I started out loving it but as i increased the time spent doing it i'd become more 'bored' of it and as i got more tired I felt more unwilling to do it! I was fuelled on by the dream of dropping lbs (which isn't happening anyway!). I prefer short and intense so when I was doing 30 mins of jump rope that felt good. The 60 min sessions make me tired and relcutant to get out of bed and do! I think going forward i need to cut down the amount of time I spend on cardio sessions. Back to 2- mins whee it felt good to complete.

Before about 3 months ago I was doing only cardio. The circuits are the introduction of any weights at all. I've seen changes in my body (more muscular thighs!) but not really what I wanted. If anything I feel bigger - I'm willing to keep trying though I'd just like my efforts to throw me out some results. Are there body weight moves I can do with fewer reps? I do push ups and squats but i only have a 20lb weight to work with. Maybe i need to do 2 days with 30 mins of cardio, 2 days of pure weights, 1 day of circuits and 1 rest day.

[Goldie]

Just wanted to check back in and say thanks to everyone who posted advice especially while i was feeling so lost (I am still aware how daft that sounds but i really was feeling unsure of what action to take to make myself feel better!).

I took Sunday as an active rest day and then cut my workouts in half so they were intense yesterday and today but only half an hour rather than an hour.

I'm feeling less tired and less sore already and my appetite has dropped considerably. In the space of two days! I feel less anxious around food and i'm thinking about it less. There were days when I was literally hungry all day long. I guess there is a point where you're exercising too much and it's actually detrimental because you're undoing all the work with your increased appetite. The 30mins intense exercise allows me to push harder but not feel starving afterwards. I'll keep an eye on that and see if it continues to improve.

Generally i'm cutting myself some slack. I have friends and colleagues who don't do any exercise at all, ever! In that sense I'm doing a great job! I'm going to continue with the 30 mins of intense cardio a day and perhaps do bodyweight challenges each day so i keep my muscle mass still. Also when i feel the need for a break i'm going to take one. More listening and appreciating my body and what it does for me than pushing it to breaking point.

Life is too short.

[lyranedara]

Glad to see your taking care of yourself. You might find this article interesting. Her experience was more intense, but she offers some great tips.

[Goldie]

Thanks Lexphoenix

That made interesting reading and there was an element of reassurance. The overwhelming guilt and fear for missing a workout was extremely noticeable. When i finish my half hour sessions now it takes a huge amount of willpower to not carry on for a further 30 mins. She describes herself as crying with frustration and there are times when i feel that way! I see people jogging during the day and think to myself 'you should be doing more'.

Also the fear of getting fatter is totally enveloping. I literally believe in my rediculous irrational mind tht i could gain stones in a matter of days! Trying to break that crazy idea is so hard. I don't weigh myself and just go by clothes. I seem ok - I'm trying to take it with a pinch of salt as I'm headed in to the time of month (sorry any guys reading this!)

so a week in and i'm doing half hour sessions. This allows me an extra half hour in bed (always appreciated) and it allows me to workout harder because i don't get tired as much during my workout. My appetite is more controlled and i think about food less. The first few days I just wasn't hungry at all - xmas dinner was a very poor effort where I was stuffed after eating only half a plate! This has been quite overwhelming. I hadn't realised how much food and exercise had started to take over my life rather than being something enjoyable. I don't know when this change happened but now I have had all sorts of emotions flood through me which i think were being hidden by the strains i was putting on myself mentally and physically. It's been quite overwhelming!

[GoToTheGround]

My Mother took my advice - now lost 130 or so lbs at an average of 2lb/week for well over a year now with absolutely ZERO exercise. Proud of her.

[Raidne]

I'm a little late to the conversation, but wanted to add...

I got a lot out of this article from Mark's Daily Apple:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-deal-with-overtraining/#axzz2H0ybyPGV

I came off 5 months of marathon training, went straight into half-ironman training, went straight into 5+ day a week CrossFit for almost a 1.5 years with little "real" recovery.  I was so burnt out (not to mention the complete clusterfuck my metabolism became).   I took almost 2 months completely off and just nailed the diet.  I stopped the rapid gain (because at the time, even with all exercise, I was gaining 7-9 pounds per month for six months) and am slowly recovering my metabolism (work in progress, and work with professionals now)

 

MDA advocates (as well as my coach) taking "real" time off.  Not just one day, but a week - two weeks - more.  

Best of luck.  

[secretlobster]

To answer your original question... I've taken hiatuses (hiatii?) of several weeks without losing muscle mass, strength, or putting on fat. It comes down to diet. I totally advocate rest periods for sanity more than anything else, and it sounds like you're overdue for a rest. As long as you don't use it as an excuse to give up on life, you'll be fine. Also, if you want to drop pounds while in "rest mode", you're going to have to cut your calories significantly compared to what you were consuming during your rigorous workout days. I totally know what you mean about food and exercise taking over your life... Sometimes the obsession can be really unhealthy. I've experienced this, too. Maybe this is a good time for you to focus on other priorities you have in your life that don't revolve around your physical body, while still taking care with your eating?