If our thinking is results-oriented, instead of trying not to think that way anymore, we can redefine results. Feeling better, having more energy, better moods, stronger workouts, better mental focus, improved sleep, these are all fantastic results. Acknowledging and celebrating them improves consistency, and consistency produces the changes we kept trying and failing to achieve with extreme measures.
Overtraining can undermine everything, even calorie-burn, by leaving us feeling fatigued and sluggish. If I want to bounce around all day with lots of energy and enthusiasm, playing, dancing, walking, chasing, chopping down trees, then my formal workouts can't kill me. An hour of extreme energy expenditure can put the smash on all activity for the other twenty-three hours of the day, which are the ones that really count in terms of metabolism and how much food you need.
I love a hard workout once every week or so. Most of my workouts are medium intensity, many are easy, and a few are hard. That's sustainable and fun, which improves consistency, which improves results.