First, I truly apologize for how long it took me to respond to your comment. I haven’t blogged in a bit! I appreciate your questions and comments, and I promise to be better about updating in the future. If you have direct questions, I can be reached at sales@goalfitnessandnutrition.com as well… I check that email daily.

Okay, on to your post. I honestly think you know what to do. Even if you read back through your post you basically say what you should be doing! Easier said than done…. I know, and I empathize…. It’s really easy to know TOO much that we end up talking ourselves straight into being psychotic! This is true with all things. A little tweak here, a little tweak there, pretty soon we’ve created a whole new monster. Since I don’t know everything about you (body fat %, height, shape, etc.), I can only give you generalizations towards what I would recommend to anyone in this situation. I’ve seen it happen many times.

Here is my advice to you my dear:

1) Take a week off. I know, you’ll probably go into a deep depression, you’ll gain those 100 lbs back, and life as you know it will end. WRONG!!! You’ll probably end up losing weight and be in a better mood!!! As long as you are keeping proper nutrition (which is 80-90% of results) you will never gain. And you can go for a light walk and enjoy nature if you’d like. But no weights, no running, no zone 2 or 3. Enjoy the break. It feels great!

2) Change your routine. Do something different for exercise. Try a new class, play a sport, go outside if you’re usually on the treadmill, use a new piece of equipment… something new that you can enjoy! You’ve completely killed the soul of exercise for yourself. Bring it back.

3) Cut back on your hours. I agree with you when you suggest cutting back the amount of workouts you do. You should always keep those 1-2 rest days each week. How about 60 minutes 3 days/week and 30 minutes 2-3 days/week?

4) Lower your intensity for good. There is no reason you need to be in zone 3 for that long. You are destroying your muscles and joints and your body hates you for it! Take it back to Zone 1 most of the time. If you creep to zone 2 that’s okay every now and again. Cut out the zone 3 for a month…. yes, a month. After that you can bring it back in 1-2 times a week for a max of 15 minutes in a session. Do this only if necessary and you feel up to it. Otherwise, ditch it.

5) Weights. Are you lifting them? If not, this will help greatly to boost your metabolism and get your fat burning machine going again. If you already do, keep it up and sprinkle it throughout the week in 2-3 total body circuit sessions. If you don’t lift weights you will never reach any goal you set for yourself. Every person, without weights, will never get to the next level. Fact.

I’m glad you are healthy. Exercise addiction can be a serious problem and can lead to other disorders. Please take this seriously and do everything you can to change this behavior now. Otherwise, you may deal with issues of bone loss and other serious problems when you are older. Here’s a great article and resources for help:

http://www.brainphysics.com/exercise-addiction.php

All the best to you. Please don’t hesitate to email if you need anything else.

Regards,
Katie Kottmann, CFT, SPN
Vice President
Goal Fitness & Nutrition, LLC
sales@goalfitnessandnutrition.com
http://www.GoalFitnessandNutrition.com/Online

I found this blog and blog post while Googling the concept of overtraining possibly causing fat gain, since I now see for sure that this is my problem!

I’m 50 yrs old, was a runner in my youth, then put on a lot of weight when I got married (age 23); I then later gave birth to three children, and in 2001 when I was 41, I began eating right and working out.

I dropped about 100 lbs (I went from 305 to about 210). I have continued to work out 5 days/wk and eat right ever since, so that means I have been working out strenuously and eating right now for almost 10 years.

I know I am addicted to exercise; I have not been on a week vacation in 10 years, preferring to take weekend vacations so I can use my 2 days/wk off for the vacation. I even schedule appointments around my morning exercise time (yes, I know…I have a serious exercise addiction problem!)

But here is my current problem: after reading the symptoms you outlined of overtraining, I realize I have every symptoms (I also have most of the symptoms of exercise addiction which I found in FITNESS Magazine, but that is another story, though interrelated.)

My current issue is this: I have gained some of my fat back (about 20 lbs of it) over the last 10 years, and I suspect now that its due to overtraining, because I am not eating more (or less), and although I actually work out less than I did 10 years ago, I am working out at a far greater intensity (80-90%, zone 3, rather than the zone 1 I used 10 yrs ago.) I have always thought it odd that when I worked out more moderately (in both intensity and amount), I lost much more fat!

I need some serious professional advice. I have exercised myself into a corner now.

Could you give me a detailed breakdown of how much and how often I should work out to go back to losing fat and also feeling emotionally less irritable?

I’d like to go from 60 mins/day, 5 days/wk to maybe 60 mins/day. 3 days/wk OR 30 mins/day, 5-6 days/wk.

Also, I will remember to mix up zones 1, 2 and 3 and stop staying in zone 3 all the time.

I know its hard to believe that a woman my age and weight can be this physically active without any trouble, but it took me 10 years to get this conditioned internally.

My friends are amazed that I can walk 3 miles, talking the whole time, and not be winded!

As for my health: my doctor says it is excellent. My blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol are all perfect (in fact my dr, who is a runner and a thin guy, says my numbers are better than his). So health is not an issue here, just overtraining is.