Should I do less exercising?

[WinterQT]

If your primary goal with all this cardio is to lose weight, you actually have to eat more to increase your metabolism and stay healthy. A guy of your size needs to eat and can't stay healthy and in shape with barely maintenance food not to mention you will burn all your muscle mass if you don't get enough protein cause your body will try to make up burning all those calories. Currently you're always tired because your body has no fuel to run on because it burns all it's resources on all that cycling and running.

You need to eat full carbs like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat etc and add lots of veggies and protein to your diet. Have at least 1-2 eggs a day and start having healthy lunch which contains a serious portion of meat. Preferrably meat without much fat in it like chicken breast or turkey. Instead of eating pasta or rice at lunch you can always cook or open some canned lentils like peas or beans.

Keep it going with cutting down on the sugary drinks and snacks off your diet. I've not had any of those stuff for ages. I only allow myself a cheat meal once a week to keep my sanity :P And the results speak for themselves. Over the past year I dropped around 20 kg extra weight.

Keep it going with the cardio, dude! If you don't have time for running or want to change things a little you can always opt in for HIIT - high intensity interval training, it's notably more effective than jogging.

edit: Try having the biggest meal of your day within an hour after your cardio session. It burns lots of the intake calories and puts them into building and restoring instead of straight into fat.

If increasing your caloric intake doesn't change your state of fatigue i'd suggest checking your Thyroid gland at your doctor. Changes in it's hormonal output have been a known cause of fatigue.

[Deleted]

You're actually 6.26 feet.

I've always used feet and inches talking about height, I just converted it wrongly. I'm 198cm

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If I were you, I'd eat more for lunch, because cereal and two slices of rye bread (even if big) sounds like very little energy for two 13 km bike rides and a full workday.

They're not intensive bike rides, I mean, they can take me between 35 and 45 minutes depending on traffic. And it's almost through the centre of Copenhagen, it is mainly my transport instead of exercise.

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You need to eat full carbs like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat etc and add lots of veggies and protein to your diet. Have at least 1-2 eggs a day and start having healthy lunch which contains a serious portion of meat. Preferrably meat without much fat in it like chicken breast or turkey. Instead of eating pasta or rice at lunch you can always cook or open some canned lentils like peas or beans.

edit: Try having the biggest meal of your day within an hour after your cardio session. It burns lots of the intake calories and puts them into building and restoring instead of straight into fat.

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

I'm trying to avoid carbs a bit, started a month ago using sprouts instead of potatoes and now I'm trying sliced carrot instead of pasta, I don't know much about the carbs thing but it helped my mom, and I might as well cause I don't mind it too much.

I'll definitely research that and do it if that can help, thanks very much!

[WinterQT]

I hope this helps - I started with this guy's plan:
Tim Ferris
That meal plan of his is totally legit. The only difference I did is adding lots of fresh fruit and cutting down to one cheat meal a week instead of a whole cheat day + adding Freeletics 4-6 times a week. Freeletics is a sort of body weight exercises in high intensity. Requires zero equipment and you can do it everywhere. Plus it barely involves any running, which I loathe. Check out both of those things. They worked like magic for me =)

[durrtygoodz]

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

I'm trying to avoid carbs a bit, started a month ago using sprouts instead of potatoes and now I'm trying sliced carrot instead of pasta, I don't know much about the carbs thing but it helped my mom, and I might as well cause I don't mind it too much.

I'll definitely research that and do it if that can help, thanks very much!

If you want to lose weight you're definitely going about it the wrong way. Do some research into maintenance calories and how macro nutrients work. Right now you're surviving on a poverty diet of like 1500 or so calories a day. For a man your height that's going to shed 2-3 pounds a week, without exercise. The recommended amount to lose a week and stay healthy is 1-2 lbs. Even if you weren't doing exercise you can afford to eat a little more. But since you do so much you can easily add another 1000.

Carbs are really important if you're working out a lot. Your body needs this shit. If you carry on with this meal and exercise plan you're basically borderline anorexic.

[Midnightaura]

I've had a few threads before asking about running, but now I want to know if I'm doing too much because I find myself being very fatigued lately.

For the last 2 months, I've ran 3 times a week, between 5 and 6.5km, couple of times I've went up to 10 or 11km... sometimes every other day, and beginning maybe a month ago I started cycling to work because it was cheaper.

I cycle 13km there and 13km again in the afternoon home. And I can't find the strength the last week or so to keep running so much, I'm thinking of going down to 2 times a week, I know I could keep running as much as I have but I wouldn't be able to perform at full capacity, as my 5km time keeps showing. If I do it 3 times a week I get to about 28-29minutes for 5km, but if I have longer breaks like I did last week I can get it down under 27m.

What should I optimally do? Thanks in advance!

Hey. This from a guy that did the tenby marathon last year. you can train as much as you like, so long as you EAT and SLEEP. I was doing your mileage this time last year and i was having to eat so damn much. when you run a half marathon 4 times a week, you need to take in fuel to keep that motor running. Also, protein. i found protein helped a lot in terms of recovery. Chicken pasta bake for tea every night pretty much ^_^ and the more you train, the more your body needs to rest and recover. Get to bed early!


EDIT: - sorry read further on and saw people talking about weight loss instead. take a look at http://www.nerdfitness.com/ that guy changed my outlook on training and i am now happy with how i look in the mirror. Cant say that i felt that way after the marathon =D Paleo diet, lifting weights. Cardio for weight loss is inefficient.

[badaku]

You have to eat carbs at least ~2 days a week so your body doesn't forget how to poop.

[Deleted]

It's great that people come with different ideas, but I am losing weight, I've lost a decent amount already. Gone from a size 40 to 36

[Trickname]

It's probably already been mentioned but are you getting enough calories? this isn't to ask are you eating "clean" but are you only taking in like 1700 calories a day or something? When I first started exercising about 7 years back I did this, I trained for 2 hours a day on around 1800 calories and quickly became fatigued and suffered injuries. Aside from fueling yourself be sure to take enough protein etc for muscle repair and growth.

I had the same issue, for it's just that it's fucking boring to exercise. This bullshit that people spread that once your used to it it becomes fun is silly. I'm sure some people find it fun and relaxing, the majority do it to stay fit.

I find the mental challenge to keep exercising harder then the exercise itself.

I wouldn't say I find it fun but its certainly addictive once you see results, it requires motivation and you really have want to do it, if not then motivation to exercise becomes a real challenge.

[Revi]

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

I'm trying to avoid carbs a bit, started a month ago using sprouts instead of potatoes and now I'm trying sliced carrot instead of pasta, I don't know much about the carbs thing but it helped my mom, and I might as well cause I don't mind it too much.

I'll definitely research that and do it if that can help, thanks very much!

Just keep what he said in mind, if you want to lose weight in a healthy (and sustainable) way, you can't starve your body. With the level of activity you're at, you'd be loosing weight as long as you eat somewhat healthy, and you really want to avoid pushing your body into a state of desperation, that's just counterproductive to weight loss.

[Deleted]

Just keep what he said in mind, if you want to lose weight in a healthy (and sustainable) way, you can't starve your body. With the level of activity you're at, you'd be loosing weight as long as you eat somewhat healthy, and you really want to avoid pushing your body into a state of desperation, that's just counterproductive to weight loss.

Can I just eat a shit ton of fruit then?

[Aeula]

Less exercise is always a good thing.

[Spectral]

I wouldn't say I find it fun but its certainly addictive once you see results, it requires motivation and you really have want to do it, if not then motivation to exercise becomes a real challenge.

Yeah, I use the word "satisfying" instead of "fun". Not every moment has to be about fun.

[brimdog]

Bump up your water consumption to between 2 and 3 gallons / day (8-12 liters-?).

Listen to music on ipod/mp3/headphones/Walkman, unless you already do then just switch it up.

Stay with the diet you are on now; don't change the way you eat, except for one thing. Eat 1 piece of fruit between each of your main meals, so 3 apples a day give or take.
Let us know how you are doing in a few weeks.

[Reg]

It's great that people come with different ideas, but I am losing weight, I've lost a decent amount already. Gone from a size 40 to 36

Losing weight too fast isn't exactly a good thing. It's really one of the big reasons that people put weight back on after they lose it. They ultimately starve themselves instead of making a lifestyle change.

[Granda]

I've had a few threads before asking about running, but now I want to know if I'm doing too much because I find myself being very fatigued lately.

For the last 2 months, I've ran 3 times a week, between 5 and 6.5km, couple of times I've went up to 10 or 11km... sometimes every other day, and beginning maybe a month ago I started cycling to work because it was cheaper.

I cycle 13km there and 13km again in the afternoon home. And I can't find the strength the last week or so to keep running so much, I'm thinking of going down to 2 times a week, I know I could keep running as much as I have but I wouldn't be able to perform at full capacity, as my 5km time keeps showing. If I do it 3 times a week I get to about 28-29minutes for 5km, but if I have longer breaks like I did last week I can get it down under 27m.

What should I optimally do? Thanks in advance!

Eat carbs afterwards, you're not replacing your stores of glycogen and that can lead to severe fatigue.

Link for you: http://www.livestrong.com/article/41...-long-workout/

[Mavecryst]

The best advice here has been given multiple times already: don't forgo your carbs. Sustainable weight loss is not something you can achieve quickly, and you don't want to shock your body. You're feeling weak because you don't have enough carbs, simple as that. You don't need to care about the formulas, the diet plans, the thorough debates on what healthy food you should be eating.

Your exercise plan at the moment sounds like it far outweighs your intake of carbs. Carbs aren't evil, stop seeing it as such. You need it to function, and to fully utilise all that exercise you're doing. You're wasting some of that exercise by not taking in carbs.

I exercise about 5-6 days a week. If I ate that little (and I'm quite a bit smaller than you, only 174 cm), I'd have wasted away and given up awhile back. I basically eat whatever I want and whenever I need it and am hungry a lot. I'm not saying you should do exactly that at this point since our goals are different, but you need understand that YOU NEED SOME CARBS.

[Alvito]

Make sure to get some protein in after you run/bike within the next 30 minutes you should have some to feed your muscles. It doesn't have to be a lot just something so they feed on that. Being that your in Scotland/Denmark you may not have it there but a spoonful of peanut butter or some on celery once I finish working out is a common cooldown quick bite for me. Stay hydrated too, from my experience those 2 things are the common killers for people that just started working out.

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Can I just eat a shit ton of fruit then?

Watch your sugar intake if you start doing that and don't eat any of it too late in the day.

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Keep your calcium in take up also. Your body goes haywire if your calcium drops. If you can't eat a lot of dairy calcium chews are a great supplement.

[Searattables]

First things first – if you are pushing your body, you need plenty of sleep. Do you think you are getting good quality sleep or just average? Some of the others hinted at it, but if you require more of your body, you might need to increase your caloric intake a bit, even if it is just healthy food.

[vitabis]

Your diet needs to be improved

as breakfast, drop the cornflakes. It's sugar in a bowl.

Get some oatmeal and some almond milk to start with. or yogurt with nuts and seeds and some proteine powder.

eat fruit in the morning too.

As lunch focus on chicken, white meat, fish, and loads and loads of vegetables, raw or cooked. Add some olive oil or avocado oil or something like that. Look on the internet what's good with protein, things like chickpeas for example.

as a 4'o clock thing eat fruits, nuts, chocolate,

as dinner go with something light if you do your running in the evening. like chicken soup, or any other soup.

Before your training you can eat a banana, up to half an hour before your start. This will help tremendously.

On days you do a heavy training, eat more carbs, like pasta, potato's etc...


all sugary things, like crisps, candy, soda and fried things like chips etc, are just empty calories that will make you think you are gaining energy but it's just a rush that will fade quite rapidly.

[lookperfection]

You can try to run half an hour each time and three times per week. Do too much sports might affect your health.