Can body be too used to exercise?! Need help!

[Kane.o]

I am 26 years old and I have been exercising fairly regularly since I was 15 (when I lost 50lbs). As an adult I haven't ever really been overweight, just a bit bigger than I would like. Though I exercise quite often, there are times when I eat too much or badly I guess. But most of the time, I seriously do eat pretty well. Anyway, I jog around 35-60 minutes 3-4 days a week and have done so for 10 years. But it doesn't seem to help me lose weight. I have tried joining a gym and doing weights and cardio machines, etc, but I only ever lose a few pounds. I am wondering if body is just too used to exercise? Am I just going to have to eat a lot less calores (like 1000-1200)? When I was 15 yo and lost 50lbs I remember just running around 25min a day 3-4 times a week and the eight dropped off! I currently weigh about 144 and am around 5'5. I'm getting married next year and would really like to get down to pre-college weight of 125lbs. Anyone have a similar problem? Or any suggestions???

Am getting frustrated and less motivated to exercise as I am getting such little in terms of results...ugh!

[cassiegose]

I am 26 years old and I have been exercising fairly regularly since I was 15 (when I lost 50lbs). As an adult I haven't ever really been overweight, just a bit bigger than I would like. Though I exercise quite often, there are times when I eat too much or badly I guess. But most of the time, I seriously do eat pretty well. Anyway, I jog around 35-60 minutes 3-4 days a week and have done so for 10 years. But it doesn't seem to help me lose weight. I have tried joining a gym and doing weights and cardio machines, etc, but I only ever lose a few pounds. I am wondering if body is just too used to exercise? Am I just going to have to eat a lot less calores (like 1000-1200)? When I was 15 yo and lost 50lbs I remember just running around 25min a day 3-4 times a week and the eight dropped off! I currently weigh about 144 and am around 5'5. I'm getting married next year and would really like to get down to pre-college weight of 125lbs. Anyone have a similar problem? Or any suggestions???

Am getting frustrated and less motivated to exercise as I am getting such little in terms of results...ugh!

It is very likely that you're body has adjusted to your workout routine and no longer has to work as hard as it did 10 years ago when you started. I definitely recommend changing up your routine, adding in some weights, and altering your cardio to challenge your body. You definitely don't need to drastically decrease calories... To do that would shut down your metabolism and make it even more difficult to lose weight. When you went to the gym and did the weight training did you notice any changes in your body? Just going by the scale is not an accurate way to tell if you're making progress as the weight training may have caused you to build muscle while losing a bit of fat resulting in only a small change in scale weight but a more significant change in body composition (decreased body fat and increased lean mass).

As Les suggested, please post your diet so that suggestions can be made. Also, do you have access to a gym now? I highly suggest cutting back the running to maybe 1-2 days per week while adding weights 3-4 days per week and HIIT or plyometrics 1-2 days per week. So for instance if you do the weights 3 days per week, you could do HIIT 2 days per week and then run one day per week. OR you could do weights 4 days per week, run one day per week and leave one day for HIIT.

I know it can be frustrating to feel like youre working hard and not seeing results as a result of that hard work. We just need to tweak things a bit to find a plan that will challenge your body.

Hope this helps.

Cassie

[sandigirl06]

Cassie, trainer just started me on plyometrics. Man, they are haaaard!!!! Sooooo, I have a question. You say to cut back on cardio but when you were in the leaning out phase of your comp weren't you doing cardio in afternoon everyday? I am just asking because I am very confused on the whole cardio idea of less is better. Recently I have added some evening cardio sessions to routine and began losing fat again (I know is fat because chest is much smaller than last month...but that is another thread! LOL). So it seems to me that more cardio burns fat. I am doing weights, intervals, plyometrics, kick boxing one time a week and evening cardio. As I said I am not questioning you I just don't get the theory of cutting back cardio. Calorie burn=fat loss if diet is good, right?

[cassiegose]

Cassie, trainer just started me on plyometrics. Man, they are haaaard!!!! Sooooo, I have a question. You say to cut back on cardio but when you were in the leaning out phase of your comp weren't you doing cardio in afternoon everyday? I am just asking because I am very confused on the whole cardio idea of less is better. Recently I have added some evening cardio sessions to routine and began losing fat again (I know is fat because chest is much smaller than last month...but that is another thread! LOL). So it seems to me that more cardio burns fat. I am doing weights, intervals, plyometrics, kick boxing one time a week and evening cardio. As I said I am not questioning you I just don't get the theory of cutting back cardio. Calorie burn=fat loss if diet is good, right?

Plyometrics are AWESOME!

As far as cardio goes... Basic weight loss is simply matter of calories in vs calories out (I say basic because there is actually MUCH more to the equation than that but lets keep it simple). So yes, if you weren't doing cardio before and added some in then you would most likely see some weight loss as a result of the increased calories being burned. HOWEVER after a few weeks/months you'll need to change that cardio by either making it more intense or increasing the time as your body will adjust to the work being done and will become more efficient, meaning that it doesn't have to work as hard to do that extra cardio as it did when you originially added it in.

Yes, the further along I get in contest prep the more cardio I do however I'm not really a good example as I am attempting to get body fat into the single digits so have to do everything in power to get body fat down. This results in more cardio than I would ever recommend anybody else doing. Plus, I have to rely more on long slow cardio than HIIT because body tends to fall about when I do large amounts of high impact stuff.... Sooooo I'm more of an exception than the rule when it comes to fat loss and cardio. I am however slowly cutting back on cardio in favor of more intense forms of exercise this last 6 weeks in order to prep for next show.

Basically less can definitely be better if you're in need of a change of pace and you've been doing large amounts of long slow cardio. Often the best way to shock your system is to replace the daily 45 minute run with a 20 minute INTENSE HIIT session, or replace the 30 minute elliptical session with 15 minutes of hard plyometrics. This just shakes it up a bit and forces your body to work in a different manner than it is used to.

Does this make sense?

Cassie

[Kane.o]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!
Here is a typical day's diet for me:

Morning: 2 slices wholewheat toast with 2-3 TB peanut butter OR bowl of whole-grain Cheerios. Coffee with semi-skimmed milk. Sometimes also a banana.

Lunch: salad with tuna, feta, dressing, and avocado if at home OR if at work a sandwhich with chicken/ turkey and lettuce, tomato, mayo, cheese. Water and a diet coke.

Snack: almonds-about a large handful. Coffee or black tea with semi-skimmed milk.

Dinner: Chicken breast, sweet potato fries, green veggies. Glass of wine. OR bowl of chilli OR pasta with sauce and cheese... Always a homemade dinner as fiance loves to cook and he is pretty healthy.

Snack: yoghurt OR fruit OR more almonds. Water.

I usually eat VERY well until dinner. Then even though dinner is healthy, I have a larger portion size. And I always snack later on in the evening after dinner. I think this is downfall. Even if its healthy snacking, I feel like I should probably not be eating after dinner at all. Any thoughts about the no eating after 7pm thing? Is it a good idea? And what sort of calorie intake should I be aiming for? I think I hit between 1700-2200. I am 143-145lbs and 5'5ft. I would like to lose 2lbs a week!

As for the exercise tips, you are probably right. I think I have hit a mother of a plateau. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend a gym right now. We are temporarily living in Sydney, Australia, and until we head back to America in August I have no gym!! That's why I am so dependant on the running. BUT this is one of the greatest places in the world for outdoor activity. I have started a once a week 10km bush hike on Saturdays. And I could possible go to the local yoga studio once a week. Also, there is a neighborhood pool nearby...but I am not the best swimmer!
I do see that I need to vary cardio. As for weights, when I used to do them last summer at the gym, I definitely felt more toned and stronger. It made a difference in how clothes fit, but I still wore the same size (US 10/12) as I do now.
So any suggestions on creative outdoor cardio sessions? And weight training using own body weight as I have no gym access? Not the easiest I know, but I appreciate the help!!
I feel like I sweat buns off working out (even when I used to hit the gym) and never get any smaller!

[sandigirl06]

Thank you soooo much, Cassie! Yes, you are a very good example and someone I admire a lot! I follow yours and LaReina's journals and I noticed you two were doing mad cardio so I stepped it up and added on and since then I have lost 5 more lbs!! I think the plyometrics will help too. That is some crazy stuff!!!! Yes, is a simple but complicated process especially when down to your last pockets of fat. uuuugh! Oh, Cass I know that is another thread but I commend you for being honest with yourself about competing. I know that is hard to do about something you love. I give you tons of credit just for being there and doing what it takes along the way. You are a true athelete and I really respect you for that! Sorry to hijack your thread, Kane!

[Boss Man]

Morning: 2 slices wholewheat toast with 2-3 TB peanut butter OR bowl of whole-grain Cheerios. Coffee with semi-skimmed milk. Sometimes also a banana.

(Have the Banana as an alternative Carb source ot the other things, if you're tagging it sometimes with other foods, as on those days you'll just crank up Carb intake and run a risk of more excess conversion to Fat.

You need to address the Protein intake too. I'd say go for something like a few Egg Whites with a Yolk, some Chicken, Turkey, Ham etc etc.)

Lunch: salad with tuna, feta, dressing, and avocado if at home OR if at work a sandwhich with chicken/ turkey and lettuce, tomato, mayo, cheese. Water and a diet coke.

(Good choices and more importantly no regular Tuna intake so you're not risking long-term heavy metal issues from Tuna, as it's high Mercury and could also contain Cadmium and Lead.)

Snack: almonds-about a large handful. Coffee or black tea with semi-skimmed milk.

(Add this in as a snack mid-morning too. Add something like a portion of Berries with, or a Tangerine to boost Carbs, as you get some in Almonds anyway, then give the Fruit about 10-15 minutes to digest to help digestion. Add a bit more Protein in like Chicken or Turkey, or a small portion of Low Fat cheese. If you use Cheese trim back the Almonds, as the Cheese will ahve some Healthy Fat in anyway.

For the afternoon, forgo the Fruit and have something like a small Sandwhich as an example with the Nuts.)

Dinner: Chicken breast, sweet potato fries, green veggies. Glass of wine. OR bowl of chilli OR pasta with sauce and cheese... Always a homemade dinner as fiance loves to cook and he is pretty healthy.

(This should be adequate.)

Snack: yoghurt OR fruit OR more almonds. Water.

(Have the Yoghurt. Eat Nut ones, then you don't need the Nuts.)

(You should be aiming for about 2,100-2,200 calories a day, as you need about 1,800 as a female when sedentary, then the other 300-400 a day for exercise.)

[Carlos1980]

Hey,

You should try to have higher intensity workouts using full body compound exercises done at max speed.
Then pick 2 days of the week for HIT.

Your diet does seem good until dinner so what i would do is use it as post workout meal so i can stll enjoy that food while letting it help me.

Hoped I helped