Eating right and exercising... But very tired

cerilekara
cerilekara Posts: 9 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys! I've been eating healthy and exercising daily... Yesterday, I even got all the calories I'm supposed to eat in, with exception of the exercise calories. However, I'm exhausted all the time. What am I doing wrong? I thought exercising and getting good stuff in me would give me more energy... But I can't wait till bed time. I'm only 35!!!! I don't even have any children to blame this on... Lol. I do work long hours, but it's not strenuous work. Advice Welcome!
«1

Replies

  • lborsato1
    lborsato1 Posts: 1,011 Member
    it gets better..... I get up before 5AM every weekday to work out..... I am happy to see my 10pm bedtime every day... but feel pretty energized all day long....
  • DKG28
    DKG28 Posts: 299 Member
    ditto! same problem here. following...
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    What is your calorie intake like? And what is your goal for weight loss? If you're aiming for a 2 pound loss, you could adjust to 1.5, get 250 more calories a day. Being fatigued all the time could mean you're not getting enough nutrition, or could be a vitamin deficiency or something medical. Or it might just mean you need to improve your sleep habits. Many possibilities.
  • Cath_Taylor
    Cath_Taylor Posts: 104 Member
    Apparently beetroot is an energiser! Watched a TV programme a few weeks ago where they tested a girl on a treadmill & she could go further for longer after the beetroot juice!
  • Codilee87
    Codilee87 Posts: 509 Member
    I feel the same way - so tired and freezing cold all the time.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Checking in with your physician would not be a bad idea... You say you don't have children--any chance you could be pregnant? Also, there are lots of hormonal imbalances that strike women of childbearing years--thyroid probably being one of the foremost. Also--it is that time of the year that many people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    cerilekara wrote: »
    Hey guys! I've been eating healthy and exercising daily... Yesterday, I even got all the calories I'm supposed to eat in, with exception of the exercise calories. However, I'm exhausted all the time. What am I doing wrong? I thought exercising and getting good stuff in me would give me more energy... But I can't wait till bed time. I'm only 35!!!! I don't even have any children to blame this on... Lol. I do work long hours, but it's not strenuous work. Advice Welcome!

    well, to me it sounds like you're eating to your sedentary (or otherwise non-exercise) calorie goal to lose weight and then exercising on top of that...so yeah, that'll do it. Hmmm...I wonder why MFP gives you those calories after you log exercise? Hmmmm.....

    Hint, you're supposed to eat them (adjusted for estimation errors). You're doing more activity, hence you have to fuel that activity.
  • I just started this program so i'm very new to this, I was really fatigued and it turned out that my vitamin D was really low.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    cerilekara wrote: »
    Yesterday, I even got all the calories I'm supposed to eat in, with exception of the exercise calories.
    So, what happened every day before yesterday? You've been way under your base calorie goal, haven't you? You're supposed to eat all of your base calories PLUS a portion of your exercise calories (most people do 50-75%, because MFP tends to estimate exercise calories a little high). If you've been undereating, no wonder you're tired.

  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
    If anyone ever asked me to name the most important thing for success, I would say “weighing food”; properly tracking and logging. It’s calories-in and calories-out (burned).

    As one Mayo Clinic article put it:

    “Despite all the diet strategies out there, weight management still comes down to the calories you take in versus those you burn off. Fad diets may promise you that avoiding carbs or eating a mountain of grapefruit is the secret to weight loss, but it's really all about calories.”

    I get my workout in early, eat healthy and rarely (if ever) feel starved in any way. As someone else mentioned, more information is needed re: calories, tracking, goals etc .

    Add if you like…

    73641431.png
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    AliceDark wrote: »
    cerilekara wrote: »
    Yesterday, I even got all the calories I'm supposed to eat in, with exception of the exercise calories.
    So, what happened every day before yesterday? You've been way under your base calorie goal, haven't you? You're supposed to eat all of your base calories PLUS a portion of your exercise calories (most people do 50-75%, because MFP tends to estimate exercise calories a little high). If you've been undereating, no wonder you're tired.

    belaboring this point considering only three of us have brought it up....this is very likely the issue; you aren't eating enough. Eating healthfully means not only eating quality foods...but eating foods in the appropriate quantities.
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    I had the same problem. I set my goal to -2lbs/wk and it set me to 1500 calories. Once I researched TDEE and understood what I should be eating, then I bumped my calories up 300. I felt an immediate upswing in my energy levels throughout the day.
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    God4All wrote: »
    I just started this program so i'm very new to this, I was really fatigued and it turned out that my vitamin D was really low.
    It was the same for me. I know that opinions differ on whether vitamin D makes a huge difference and whether supplements are a good idea, but adding them helped me to pull out of that state of constant exhaustion. I think though you need to keep a bunch of other stuff in mind (are you getting enough good sleep?) and also if you could be depressed (that was my problem, and occasionally that still hits me).
  • McCrabby
    McCrabby Posts: 77 Member
    I'm with the vitamin D suggestion, as well as B12. Tracking my macros has helped me to see patterns with sluggish days and low protein or fat. It's not for everyone though... Just throwing ideas out there.
  • Hungry_Annie
    Hungry_Annie Posts: 807 Member
    I eat enough, exercise plenty, and sleep plenty. I am always tired. But i have a thyroid disease. Could be worth checking for....
    like others said, make sure you are eating enough. I know i've lost weight in the past many times by eating too little, and i was tired and miserable all the time. Maybe try upping your cals and see if that helps. I can totally relate though!
  • lbetancourt
    lbetancourt Posts: 522 Member
    maybe evaluate your eating plan. i went from eating 5 meals a day to 3 meals. lunch, small snack & dinner while aiming to stay within my weekly calorie/macro intake. skipping breakfast has been my key to not feeling crabby at work in the morning and/or nodding off at my desk around 3pm then later not feeling completely exhausted when i get home after my workout. AND, there is nothing wrong with going to bed early. if you are getting 8 hours of sleep every night that is awesome.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited January 2015
    cerilekara wrote: »
    Hey guys! I've been eating healthy and exercising daily... Yesterday, I even got all the calories I'm supposed to eat in, with exception of the exercise calories. However, I'm exhausted all the time. What am I doing wrong? I thought exercising and getting good stuff in me would give me more energy... But I can't wait till bed time. I'm only 35!!!! I don't even have any children to blame this on... Lol. I do work long hours, but it's not strenuous work. Advice Welcome!

    That's where you're going wrong. You're clearly not eating enough if you a) dont' even usually meet your NET goal, and b) you aren't then meeting your exercise calorie goal. Especially with over 100lbs to lose I'm betting you chose 2lbs/week and are sitting at 1200 cals a day, am I right? So that means you are basically almost never netting your 1200 calorie goal. Even with errors in logging you'd likely still not be eating so much more that it'd be enough to sustain your body properly trhoughout this weight loss.

    In the very slight chance it's NOT related to under-eating, can you open up your diary (make it public) so we can see if maybe your macros are not ideal and thus resulting in tiredness? The food you eat makes no difference to weight loss, its' all about calorie balances.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I eat enough, exercise plenty, and sleep plenty. I am always tired. But i have a thyroid disease. Could be worth checking for....
    like others said, make sure you are eating enough. I know i've lost weight in the past many times by eating too little, and i was tired and miserable all the time. Maybe try upping your cals and see if that helps. I can totally relate though!

    I doubt it's a medical issue, otherwise I'm sure she would have said "I've also been tired like this before I started dieting."
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited January 2015
    I get tired too...but in a good way. Like I can actually fall asleep at night because I'm moving my butt more.

    Oh and eat your dang exercise calories back.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    I get tired too...but in a good way. Like I can actually fall asleep at night because I'm moving my butt more.

    Oh and eat your dang exercise calories back.

    This does not happen to me. Legit takes me up to an hour to fall asleep :( But I think part of my issue is with not going to bed early enough on a consistent basis!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I get tired too...but in a good way. Like I can actually fall asleep at night because I'm moving my butt more.

    Oh and eat your dang exercise calories back.

    This does not happen to me. Legit takes me up to an hour to fall asleep :( But I think part of my issue is with not going to bed early enough on a consistent basis!

    Well, it doesn't happen to me anymore because I keep pushing my bedtime back-then I get hungry and wound up again. Ha. But when I first started eating well and exercising I slept like a baby.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I get tired too...but in a good way. Like I can actually fall asleep at night because I'm moving my butt more.

    Oh and eat your dang exercise calories back.

    This does not happen to me. Legit takes me up to an hour to fall asleep :( But I think part of my issue is with not going to bed early enough on a consistent basis!

    Well, it doesn't happen to me anymore because I keep pushing my bedtime back-then I get hungry and wound up again. Ha. But when I first started eating well and exercising I slept like a baby.

    I think the crux is having a reasonable bed time - midnight to 6am is not reasonable for me, damn Youtube!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I get tired too...but in a good way. Like I can actually fall asleep at night because I'm moving my butt more.

    Oh and eat your dang exercise calories back.

    This does not happen to me. Legit takes me up to an hour to fall asleep :( But I think part of my issue is with not going to bed early enough on a consistent basis!

    Well, it doesn't happen to me anymore because I keep pushing my bedtime back-then I get hungry and wound up again. Ha. But when I first started eating well and exercising I slept like a baby.

    I think the crux is having a reasonable bed time - midnight to 6am is not reasonable for me, damn Youtube!

    That's exactly what I've been doing...And my workouts kind of sucked this week. Sleepy.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I get tired too...but in a good way. Like I can actually fall asleep at night because I'm moving my butt more.

    Oh and eat your dang exercise calories back.

    This does not happen to me. Legit takes me up to an hour to fall asleep :( But I think part of my issue is with not going to bed early enough on a consistent basis!

    Well, it doesn't happen to me anymore because I keep pushing my bedtime back-then I get hungry and wound up again. Ha. But when I first started eating well and exercising I slept like a baby.

    I think the crux is having a reasonable bed time - midnight to 6am is not reasonable for me, damn Youtube!

    That's exactly what I've been doing...And my workouts kind of sucked this week. Sleepy.
    same, my workout was so blah today :( I wish I could get sleepy by 10pm without meds, which then make me sleepy for the majority of the next day anyway :/
  • BABetter1
    BABetter1 Posts: 618 Member
    You might consider quitting the coffee. No lynch mob, please! I just said "consider" it. I was always tired when I was a daily coffee drinker. Since I quit coffee, except for an occasional decaf indulgence, I've had a ton more energy. It was rough at first, but it was so worth it. I did it very gradually, cutting my intake in half for a week or 2, and then cutting in half again until I was barely drinking any. I also take a daily supplement that has a miniscule amount of caffeine in it, and that did help make it less painful.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Yesterday, I even got all the calories I'm supposed to eat in, with exception of the exercise calories.
    Then you didn't get in all the calories you were supposed to - you came up short. Your daily goal already has you at a deficit - no zero exercise, eat to goal and you'll lose. Burn off more cals through exercise, don't eat them back, and now your deficit is way too big - not enough fuel = tired, lethargic, burn out, and is often what leads people to quit or yoyo diet.

    Food is fuel - eat the proper amount of cals for your height, weight, age and activity level, drink water, exercise, take rest days, get good sleep. Boom.
  • Holla4mom
    Holla4mom Posts: 587 Member
    Welcome to the boards, OP! I see you have 1 pound down and 139 to go. You're going to have to make sure your diet/ exercise routine is sustainable for the long haul. I couldn't see your diary to see how many calories and at what macros you have been eating. If you can make that available, you will be able to get more concrete and detailed feedback about why you may be unnecessarily tired.
  • imabeevampire
    imabeevampire Posts: 166 Member
    im in bed by 8pm and awake at 4:30. this only started happening once i dramatically changed my diet. Look at your calories etc, make sure youre eating enough, drinking enough. I find that even tho im so tired i still wake during the night and cant sleep. hope it gets better, mine has slowly, im on week 3
  • It may be what you are eating and when. It could also beginning used to the change in lifestyle.

    Addressing the first statement: loaded up on carbs in the morning will make you tired, I load up at night so I can use it the next day. Eating veggies and fruit like kale and apples in the morning should help boost your energy.

    Addressing the second statement I made: you may just need time to adjust and make sure to get minimally 8 hours of sleep!

    Good luck!
  • Danilynn1975
    Danilynn1975 Posts: 294 Member
    Codilee87 wrote: »
    I feel the same way - so tired and freezing cold all the time.

    Are you cold?
    are you losing hair, fingernail changes?
    Are you so tired you could sleep as an Olympic event?
    are your eyelashes falling out, weird bloating?

    do you have a lump in your throat?

    and most importantly, have you hit some wall where no matter how hard you log, weigh and measure, work out through pain, tired, and exhaustion can't lose weight?

    Go check your thyroid. Don't wait. Don't settle for living a half life of hell.

    I have been unable to lose weight past where I am for 2 years. I log so faithfully it is unreal. exercise is a ritual. nothing worked, so I called it done, and have been maintaining/gaining/ping pong bounce with no change in diet between 153 and 164 for that same 2 years.

    A lump in my throat as I type this could very well be cancer. They don't know, all they do know right now is it is on my right lobe of my thyroid which is swollen to nearly double it's size with a "normal TSH", which is only 1 test of about 7 for a thyroid panel. You have to fight to get the rest done.

    At best right now they suspect I could have an auto-immune disorder called Hashimoto's as my weird stuff is a mix of both Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

    Check your throat if any of this sounds like you. Plateaus that won't break? despite what you may read in these forums, it may not be your "failure to accurately log" your "weak exercise routine".

    Please don't settle for faux science and get yourself checked out.

    So, in the next few weeks, I get to be even more of a pincushion for the medical field, I'm going to drink gross stuff to light up my throat for scans and at some point have needles shoved into that growth to find out. Don't wait thinking it's you and "crap logging" that is causing this. It may just be your thyroid. a few blood tests beat the heck out of being told 1 day before your 40th birthday you might have cancer.
This discussion has been closed.