Thoughts on overtraining?

TiredTrophy

Re-nutrients...my very active youngest son became exhausted and was found to be very low in vit D and Iron after blood tests. He had been following the diet from his training manager which the doctor thought was very good but the lack of sunlight at this time of year is a big factor in tiredness, it was said. Why not add a multivitamin tablet? And the odd pint of beer for relaxation and B vits:)

MarcBarker

Over training is more often than not simply a matter of “underrecovering.” Eat right, sleep well, and be smart about how you spend your time outside the gym, and you’ll make steady progress.

Angry_Bear

MarcBarker wrote: »

Over training is more often than not simply a matter of “underrecovering.” Eat right, sleep well, and be smart about how you spend your time outside the gym, and you’ll make steady progress.

On reflection, this sounds MUCH more like this issues I've been facing.
It's not that I've been "doing to much" or even "eating the wrong stuff", more that I just haven't allowed myself to chill out. I had yesteray off work and took the bike out for a (daylight) ride, just for fun with no pressure, and I had a great day out for the first time in a while.
I don't know whether it was the lie in, no stress, extra daylight or change of routine, but it was great :T

jenniewb

I used to have a bit of a gym obsession (15-20 classes a week, 15-20 hours of cardio a week and about 5-7 yoga or Pilates classes a week and then stretching time...in addition to walking a few hours a day, no, I had no life and didn't sleep much either!) I'd describe the years I spent doing all that as absolute hell.


I was exhausted physically yet couldn't sleep (possibly due to upsetting my system by exercising so much I was physiologically stressed and on high alert all day and night). It takes time to cool down and a decent cardio session can crank up your body for anything up to 36 hours depending on how used to it you are and how healthy you are in the first place.


I had to cut back on what I was doing, to cut a long story short, I lost weight as I took down the exercise. I've no doubt some of that loss was muscle but I also think some of it was water loss (muscles require water and will often look pumped up due to retaining water) but I also slept better.


OP; remember, when exercising, your routine is only as good as you rest. If you don't give your body time to recover then it just ends up "stressed" and this causes all sorts of knock-on problems. Rest enough, take days off exercising so much to give your body the chance to recover and you will find you are able to do more when you come back.

chuckley

any particular reason why your snacks are the worst kind?

You're puttin in a lot of work everywhere else but your snacks, and you therefore think you're 'eating less' but your actually filling up on sugar.

I swear just 1 creme egg is KFC calories?

Angry_Bear

chuckley wrote: »

any particular reason why your snacks are the worst kind?

Because, when I'm hungry I eat what is easily available and I fancy. When I plan in "snacks" I tend to have something healthy available (hence chicken breast snack packs), but when I haven't planned a snack and I get hungry I eat what is easily available.

You're puttin in a lot of work everywhere else but your snacks, and you therefore think you're 'eating less' but your actually filling up on sugar.

As I've said before, I'm aware these aren't healthy snacks (other end of the scale ) but I hardly think what I've posted is excessive for a week for someone who isn't actively trying to restrict their diet.
Also, a few hundred calories a week is pretty far away from what it takes for me to "fill up" :rotfl:

I swear just 1 creme egg is KFC calories?

It's equivalent to exactly one chicken wing (and really, who has just one).
On balance, I really doubt that one creme egg is significantly worse for you than one chicken wing, and I know for sure which one I'd rather have!
For me balance is key, and I'd MUCH rather have the occasional chocolate naughty than waste calories/fat/salt on KFC.

snowscreamer

So, I had the same thing after 5 months of cutting back calories and excising far more than I was used to. I lost 1.5 stone in that time and at the beginning it felt amazing. I actually think what it boiled down to was lack of nutrients, and too much focus on training and not enough on recovery. I felt I already ate healthily (low sugar, low sat fat, little processed food) so I cut down calories simply by reducing portion size rather than the contents of what I was eating.

I think my new smaller portions, whilst helping to keep the weight off, simply didn't provide enough nutrients. I introduced 10ml of Floradix a day (not trying to advertise here just saying what worked for me) which is half the amount in says on the bottle but it seems to have restored my energy (and my concentration span) back to a healthy level. The weight has setlled to what I'm happy with, I still go to the gym regularly but ensure I put as much care into relaxation as I do into workouts. And I have "relaxed" into my routine. I don't spend hours thinking about what's working, isn't working, how can I improve etc etc. I think that may be the key actually!!

chuckley

Angry_Bear wrote: »

Because, when I'm hungry I eat what is easily available and I fancy. When I plan in "snacks" I tend to have something healthy available (hence chicken breast snack packs), but when I haven't planned a snack and I get hungry I eat what is easily available.

What on earth is this carp? Some pre packaged thing?!


As I've said before, I'm aware these aren't healthy snacks (other end of the scale ) but I hardly think what I've posted is excessive for a week for someone who isn't actively trying to restrict their diet.
Also, a few hundred calories a week is pretty far away from what it takes for me to "fill up" :rotfl:

It's very excessive when your diet is weak with too few calories, hence your cravings for the worst kind of sugar. if someone was eating properly the sugar stuff actually wouldn't even be as bad... However they wouldn't be eating as much anyway as their diet would be slow release sustainable food, so you wouldn't snack/crave that level of sugar


It's equivalent to exactly one chicken wing (and really, who has just one).
On balance, I really doubt that one creme egg is significantly worse for you than one chicken wing, and I know for sure which one I'd rather have!
For me balance is key, and I'd MUCH rather have the occasional chocolate naughty than waste calories/fat/salt on KFC.

it's not occasional with your diet, it's an every day PURE SUGAR filling.

you don't see the high sugar as a 'waste' but in the same breath say you'd rather not load up on salt and fat? all three are good and bad.

Interesting.

Angry_Bear

chuckley wrote: »

...

Deleted - thought about it and decided not to reply. You obviously want to be judgemental and I don't really want to get into it. I'm happy with my diet and don't intend to let you make me feel crap about it.

andygb

I have just conme across this thread, and would say the diet is not good at all for someone doing or hoping to do a good exercise regime.
Where are the fruit and vegetables every day, and I don't mean potatoes and carrots, I am talking about greens, fresh fruit, natural sources of vitamins, fibre and complex carbohydrates.
I cannot remember the kast time I ate sweets, biscuits or chocolate.