My body crashed, how do I get better?

JoyToTheWorlds

Almost 3 weeks ago I went to a spin class early in the morning, after which my body completely shut down and my fatigue was severe and debilitating. Previously I have been doing 1 hour boxing lessons twice a week and I just started lifting weights. I was doing 20 to 30 minute walks in between. I had lost about 12 lb in 50 something days. The past 2 and 1/2 weeks have been absolutely horrible. I developed some kind of flu and then I got a sinus infection and now I am at the point where going up one flight of stairs to my apartment is exhausting. I'm working with a nutritionist but I've only had one session so far and the only thing we have done so far is to increase my calorie limit, while still staying in a calorie deficit. I am super disappointed with myself because I absolutely love boxing and I've been out for so long I'm afraid I'm going to forget everything and also lose the muscle that I've gained over the past month or so. Can anyone explain exactly why my body crashed like this and how I can get back on track as fast as possible?

yirara

Body does body things. You don't give us any info other than that you had a daily calorie deficit of about 850kcal, which can be a lot, or not a lot, depending on your stats, activity and whether you eat back exercise calories.

Sickness happens, and if you have a cold then your body needs time to rest to heal. If you have Covid your body needs even more time to rest and heal. Thus don't sweat it. If you're sick then eat at mantenance for a while and get better. Try to make good food choices.

cmriverside

In addition to what yirara said above, under-eating and over-exercising can negatively affect your immune system and your energy levels.

I hope you set yourself up for success going forward. Losing 12 pounds in 50 days is pretty extreme and would likely cause anyone to have negative consequences.

claireychn074

It’s either

A) you just got flu - *kitten* happens. Proper flu knocks you out for c2 weeks and then takes more time to recover from.

B) you went waaaay too hard too fast and wiped your body out. That’s a high rate of loss. You may have under fuelled your body, stressed your immune system and your body told you to stop.

But we can’t tell until you give us your stats / weight etc.

(From someone who is coming out of flu/covid in my 3rd week)

briscogun

You've been losing 1.68 lbs per week, which is a pretty decent clip. Not super extreme but not too shabby either.

As far as any of us knowing why you have "crashed", there is no way a bunch of strangers on the internet can possibly explain what is going on with you. This is a conversation that would best be served having with your doctor.

It does sound like you have been doing a LOT of exercising (boxing, lifting weights and walking) so it could just be that you "bonked" (ran out of gas). That could be a lot of activity for someone on a calorie deficit.

Maybe take it easy for a while and see if you feel like your energy is back? But if not I would recommend seeking some medical advice from a trained professional (not a bunch of yahoos on a message board!).

Good luck!

AnnPT77

Overdoing is the probable explanation, other than or in addition to illness that's potentially just random bad luck . . . though as stated above, overdoing makes illness more probable, too.

Overdoing what? The totality of everything.

Stress is cumulative, the total of both physical and psychological stress.

Some physical stresses commonly seen amongst folks here: Too-fast weight loss goal for current body size, too much exercise for current fitness level/conditioning, major changes in eating style - even if those are individually theoretically "good" changes, they're still stressors and too much all at once is bad.

Those physical stresses add onto pre-existing physical stresses, such as a physically demanding job or home projects, or pre-existing health conditions.

Psychological stresses add onto physical stresses. Common ones here are anxiety or obsession over self image, weight, dieting, progress or deadlines.

There can also be pre-existing psychological stresses from job, family life, social/cultural factors and more.

When the total stress load is too much, negative consequences become more likely.

Probable answer: Rest and recovery, putting aside as many of those stressors as possible until recovered.

Trying to go fast isn't ideal. You won't lose all your knowledge and progress if you take a break to recover . . . and repeating crises and crashes won't help you reach your goals, either. Gradual progress works - usually works better. A cycle of extreme effort, then overdoing and injury, isn't productive.

When fully recovered, if some goals still require increasing stress - like exercise or weight loss - phase them back in gradually, don't try to accomplish everything at once, listen to your body before things reach an extreme, use classic stress management techniques alongside.

Wishing you a full and successful recovery!

sollyn23l2

There's a youtuber I really like who once explained "it's ok to take a break. When I have to take a break, I tell myself I'll miss my weights, my weights will miss me, they'll be there at the gym when I get back. Whatever". Changed my outlook a lot when she said that. Sometimes people on here can take it a bit to the extreme with exercise... and that's not healthy either.

tulips_and_tea

What did your nutritionist say as to what they think the issue is? Did you consult a medical doctor first?

I agree with what has already been posted. Keep in mind that illness, work obligations, family issues, etc. are a constant part of life. Even when you get back to your workout routine, you will have regular disruptions. Just accept them, work with them, and be consistent. You'll then see that it's not something to worry about. That is part of navigating a healthy, balanced life. None of us can expect 100% consistent circumstances as the only way to maintain fitness and health.

nossmf

As far as your worry that you'll lose all your hard-earned muscle by taking a break: relax, it doesn't work that way. Studies have shown that you don't begin to lose ANY muscle until after two+ weeks away from lifting; and even after several months, you not only still have a majority of what you had before, but recovering any muscle that is lost is extremely rapid compared to what it took to get the muscle in the first place, i.e. regain in weeks what took months to lose. True, you may feel weaker and get tired quicker upon your return, but it's not due to muscle disappearing, and after only a few workouts you'll be right back where you were. So take the break, recharge the batteries.