Can a ~500 calorie deficit cause cardio problems?

[dsiomtw]

Long story short ... I'm 38 ... competitive tennis player ... I play at least 12 hours of tennis a week and workout 4-5 days a week for a total of another few hours (short, basic full body workouts). I sleep a good 7-8 hours a night.

I'm trying to lose a bit of weight so I've been eating at about a 400-500 calorie deficit and losing about a pound a week for the past 2 months.

Lately it seems my cardio has gone to ****. During my tennis match this morning I was literally out of breath like never before. Something isn't right. Can a ~500 calorie deficit cause cardio problems? I feel like my energy levels are OK but cardio wise you'd think I was totally out of shape.

I can't think of anything else I've changed that could cause this. So specifically I'm wondering if under eating can cause this type of thing, or would it simply lead to lower energy levels etc?

The only other thing I can possibly think of is a basic case of overtraining (which I don't think I've ever experienced before).

The last tidbit, and I don't know if this is related or not, is that for the past 2 months or so I've been waking up in the middle of the night a lot. This is unheard of for me as I normally sleep like a log for 7-8 hours straight. Is this just my body being pissed off that I'm eating at a deficit? Tonight I'm going to eat a bunch of cottage cheese or something before bed and see if it still happens ...

Anyone??

[bigtallox]

So specifically I'm wondering if under eating can cause this type of thing, or would it simply lead to lower energy levels etc? The only other thing I can possibly think of is a basic case of overtraining (which I don't think I've ever experienced before).

Anyone??

Well, I feel that way when I don't eat. And yes not eating enough can eventually cause your body to enter a state of overtraining ( when it wouldn't be if you were eating enough ).

[ironwill2008]

Anyone??

Never heard of anyone on a moderate calorie deficit complain of shortness of breath.

There's an easy way to find out; go back to eating a little above mainteinance for a week or two and see if the symptom goes away.

[dsiomtw]

Never heard of anyone on a moderate calorie deficit complain of shortness of breath.

OK... Could overtraining reduce cardio performance?

[ironwill2008]

OK... Could overtraining reduce cardio performance?

Sure.

Real "overtraining" is a systemic affliction, brought about by long-term overwork/under-eating/under-resting/any combination of the three. It's pretty rare.

Again, the way to find out, if you think this might be your problem, is to stop all activity for a week, eat at a slight surplus, and see how you feel.

[dsiomtw]

Thanks. I'll do that ASAP but it's going to be at least another month before I can take a full week off of tennis.

In the meantime I'll lay off the other work outs, eat a little more, and maybe try to get even more sleep I guess...

[DMloop]

It has happened to me during my cut cycle and for me turns out mostly due to my lack of carbs in my diet. Though, there's a lot of underlying reasons for a decrease in performance and such. I say look over your diet and maybe tweak around with the macros and see if that does anything. If that doesnt work then like the above poster said, go back to maintenance and see if the diet is what really causing this problem. Best of luck!

[bigtallox]

OK... Could overtraining reduce cardio performance?

Of course, but it sounds like your "over training" is caused by lack of food not too much training. The term "overtraining" has to do with more than just training. You can also be over trained because you're under stress, not sleeping enough, not eating enough or enough of the right stuff, ...., or you're training too much.

[dsiomtw]

Thanks for all the replies, that all makes sense. I may have to wait until my "off season" to lose the rest of the weight I want to lose ... I guess I'm just being impatient and trying to do too much all at once.

[Bro8675]

Michael Russell is that you?

[amandajgrey]

Long story short ... I'm 38 ... competitive tennis player ... I play at least 12 hours of tennis a week and workout 4-5 days a week for a total of another few hours (short, basic full body workouts). I sleep a good 7-8 hours a night.

I'm trying to lose a bit of weight so I've been eating at about a 400-500 calorie deficit and losing about a pound a week for the past 2 months.

Lately it seems my cardio has gone to ****. During my tennis match this morning I was literally out of breath like never before. Something isn't right. Can a ~500 calorie deficit cause cardio problems? I feel like my energy levels are OK but cardio wise you'd think I was totally out of shape.

I can't think of anything else I've changed that could cause this. So specifically I'm wondering if under eating can cause this type of thing, or would it simply lead to lower energy levels etc?

The only other thing I can possibly think of is a basic case of overtraining (which I don't think I've ever experienced before).

The last tidbit, and I don't know if this is related or not, is that for the past 2 months or so I've been waking up in the middle of the night a lot. This is unheard of for me as I normally sleep like a log for 7-8 hours straight. Is this just my body being pissed off that I'm eating at a deficit? Tonight I'm going to eat a bunch of cottage cheese or something before bed and see if it still happens ...

Anyone??

Sounds like over training to me. Reduced sport performance, fatigue and sleeplessness and lack of motivation are often signs of over training.
I'd cut back by half initially and see how that pans out.

We all have bad cardio days, but if you seem to be going backwards and not progressing then it's time to back off for a while.

[jayluk4600]

500 calorie deficit isnt much, but what is your maintenance ? 2000, 3000 ? I know 500 cal for me is like a snack on the way to the truck in the morning I would never even notice that. If suggestions above do not work I suggest seeing a doctor. I am a weightlifter not a huge cardio person BUT I do enjoy my cardio and certain times of the year I get more winded then other times due to allergies but the symptoms were so mild I could not figure it out and the doc did for me. I am not a fan of the doctor but lets face it as we get older we need to make sure we are as healthy inside our bodies as we are on the outside.

Good luck

[Kraken]

Overtraining and over reaching...learn the difference. Some days I feel like a broken re rod with all of the over training claims.

[dsiomtw]

Overtraining and over reaching...learn the difference. Some days I feel like a broken re rod with all of the over training claims.

Yes Sir! And thanks so much for your wisdom and helpful advice. This thread just wouldn't be the same without you and your broken re rod!