How Much is too much Exercise?

I here some people say they are exercising 3 hours a day. How do I know how much is too much. Will my body think it's starving if I don't up my calorie in take.

I have heard of exercise induced anorexia. I don't want my body to think it's starving because I'm burning away everything I'm eating. But then again I want to loose weight fast so I can just start to maintain it.

I keep thinking about extreme make over story and the Biggest looser. They worked out all the time and alot of them lost 30-60 lbs in just 12 weeks.

Is it healthy to think if I'm exercising more to loose weight faster?

Fri. Jul 21, 1:09pm

I think your body will tell you when it's too much. I have found that on some days I can do far more than others and some days I can't do much of anything. I understand what your saying though about too much. I don't really "need" to lose weight, I am at a healthy weight for my height and body type and I'm not really trying to lose weight but I have become quite addicted to exercising. I keep adding new things without taking anything away. Some people give me hard time about it. I enjoy it and I feel like it is a positive way to reduce stress and maintain a good attitude. (I'm not unhealthy, I eat a lot, I love food and this gives me a way to enjoy it more) Today I added quite a bit to my normal routine and I didn't feel very good, I pushed through it but I'm going to rethink it, I want to feel good when I workout, I don't want to be miserable. I hope this helps.

Friday, July 21, 2006, 1:52 PM

realistic expectations

Yes, you will lose weight faster if you exercise more. Yes, your body will go to extremes if you are not eating enough. Your metabolism slows down and if your body doesn't have enough fuel to keep up with the exercise, you will eat away at not only fat but lean muscle tissue. That means once you "stop" your exercise program (because you won't be able to keep up with three hours a day forever), your metabolism is really out of whack because you don't have enough muscle left to keep burning the food you eat, which you are probably going to eat more of because you have just been restricting yourself on a diet.

Another concern is overtraining, which can lead to injury lack of energy, insomnia, headaches, and a lowered immune system.

I am also concerned about this statement "I want to [lose] weight fast so I can just start to maintain it." Of course we'd all like to drop 50 pounds overnight... but that's unhealthy. And if you could do that, you wouldn't develop lifelong healthy eating and exercise habits. You should have a weight loss goal of about 2 pounds per week. And, plan to eat now what you think you can eat forever, and exercise the amount you can do forever.

Maintaining doesn't mean going back to your old habits. I am maintaining a 35 pound weight loss (which took nine months to lose), and I still watch what I eat and I exercise the same as I did before (about an hour a day, six days a week).

Friday, July 21, 2006, 2:12 PM

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