i've sort of become worried that i've been exercising too much. i was reading an article on exercise addiction, and i have a few of the symptoms. but then again, i think some of the symptoms are just part of my personality:::feeling guilty when i dont exercise and talking/thinking about exercising/fitness/weight loss. i could just be feeling guilty because i'm breaking a commitment, etc and the whole talking about exercise thing could just be bc it's something i've committed myself to lately (and there's nothing else to do since school hasnt started for me yet).

well, i do a 50-min long tae-bo tape (total body fat blaster) 6 days a week, and i try to go the gym 5-7 days a week, walking on the treadmill (uphill intervals) for an hour each time. when im bored, i jump rope, but this isnt often, maybe once or twice a week and it lasts about 5 minutes.

do you think this is too much? it isn't as though i feel winded afterwards or anything. my muscles don't really become sore. i don't know, i mean, i feel fine, but according to that article i read, i may be exercising too much.

any opinions?

thanks

I have some of the same concerns as you. For me I don't feel like I am exercising too much but other people look at me like I am crazy. I go to the gym 6 mornings a week for cardio (30-60min) and weights (30 min) plus running two nights after work (30-60min) and a long run on Sundays (~90min). I know that I am consuming enough calories so I don't worry about that aspect but I feel like if I lower my exercise I'll gain all the weight back. Sorry this doesn't really answer your question but it gives you another perspective. We are in very similar positions as far as weight loss, too. Good luck!

Pimpishboo -- the latest government recommendations for fat loss are 60 - 90 minutes of exercise per day, almost every day, so I don't think what you're doing is out of line. Many of the maintainers in the Maintainers forum regularly exercise as much as you do, myself included.

One thought though -- you're doing all aerobic-type exercises with the treadmill, jump-roping, and tae bo (unless your tape includes weights?) How about trading some of the time you spend on cardio for some weight/resistance training? Weight training will help to maintain your muscle mass as you lose fat, keep your metabolism up, and give you a tight, toned body once you reach your goal weight.

thanks meg for your response. i'm glad to know im not overdoing it. also, i think i'll start lifting weights. i had been wondering earlier whether or not tae-bo counted as strength/weight training. i've found out that it doesnt. maybe i'll start alternating the days that i go the gym: one day for the treadmill, another for weight training, and so forth.

lizzbabe, i hope meg's answer has helped you also. good luck with the rest of your weight loss!

I think all I talk about is nutrition and exercise but I suppose that's better than talking about the neighbours or the soaps ....

I'm considering writing a book entitled "If You're Gonna Be Obsessive/Compulsive About Anything ...."

I think if you were overdoing it you would be getting overtraining aches and pains such as shin splints, fatigue, wanting to sleep all the time, but if you're not you are doing fine... I agree, of course will Meg that you should add some weight training, every second day like you said is an excellent idea...

I do TaeBo and running, and I was wondering too if I could count the TaeBo as strength training. From what I've read, some tapes are almost all cardio, but others are almost all strength. The Capture the Power series uses some small weighted balls, and the new Boot Camp series uses elastic bands. If you want to do TaeBo for strength, I would like to recommend that you buy the Boot Camp. The elastic bands make the regular TaeBo moves so much harder, and there's also a lot of push-ups, sit-ups and so on.

Good luck whatever you choose to do!

Pimpishboo,
It sounds like you are very motivated and committed to pushing yourself and seeing improvements.
A sign of excersising too much, is if you have to make up stories to "cover up" your excersise addiction. I was an excersise bulemic at one time and here are some of the things I did. See if you can see yourself in any of my situations. If not, you probably are just fine.
- excersising or going to the gym, even when you are sick and should be in bed
- excersising alone, even when it may not be safe (i.e. in the middle of the night, jogging alone in the park)
-excersising to the point where you have no social life; or you give up important family events in order to excersise
- excersising until you injure yourself ( ex: I once did so many calf raises, I bruised my calves and they turned black and blue)

It's okay to set aside time to work out and let nothing interfere, but if you are doing nothing else but that, and you are becoming more and more isolated, you could have a problem. It sounds like you are doing just fine, so keep being determined and stay healthy!