So friggin tired..

TXRanchGirl

OK, so it looks like my BMR is about 1320..so that is what my body burns every day just "being" correct?
TDEE is saying 1931..wow..alittle eye opening..
so, if weight loss is the goal, youd want to eat UNDER the TDEE.

Meow, that is my problem..I was skinny fat for awhile..Skeletor as my husband called me..I starved myself..I wont lie. everything sagged off of me..I looked good in clothes with my padded bra..but nekkid..it was not pretty..it was ugly. my husband made it very clear, not meanly, but firmly, this was no bueno. he wanted 120..I wanted 115. hes happy with me now, even with my "momma pooch"..but that pooch does bother me. Id wager SOME of it is excess skin..but I still feel some padding.

so..based on responses, heavier lifting will help destroy this fat? or would cardio, with some lifting me ideal? right now that is what Im doing..a mix of strength (more reps and less weight) and cardio. I was sprinting about a year ago and thinking about encorporating that back into my regiment too..

Megan, regarding sodium..my BP was good last time I was in the doc..we will see when I go in about 2 weeks where Im at. Ive always tried to steer clear of sodium due to the water retention..I do drink alot of water (I dont log it, I always forget too)..

Dr__Girlfriend

If you want to put on muscle and tighten everything up/bring everything in - Lift heavy weights, and eat at a little above maintenance. That would be about 10% ABOVE your TDEE:) It's called bulking.

I really recommend the Strong Curves program. It's a huge book full of knowledge, workouts, and direction. It touches on nutrition, too. Great workout programs in there, too. You can buy it online for $9. Check it out, it's oriented for women with women's goals in mind (HELLOOO PERKY GLUTES!)

If you -want- to do cardio that's fine, you'll just have to eat it back, though. and it certainly isn't going to give you any muscle. Lifting will encourage muscle development, and burn about the same calories as Cardio would.

Dr__Girlfriend

Oops I prematurely posted ^_~

If you want to burn fat, then you would eat 10-20% less than your TDEE.

I do 10% because I am going for long-term and my energy levels are better, and I'm less likely to binge.

Also, ditch the scale. It's a really bad measure of progress. Especially if you're lifting weights. I swear, you'll be better off measuring your progress with a measuring tape and pictures in the mirror. The scale is a misleading liar:)

heybales

OK, so it looks like my BMR is about 1320..so that is what my body burns every day just "being" correct?
TDEE is saying 1931..wow..alittle eye opening..
so, if weight loss is the goal, youd want to eat UNDER the TDEE.

Meow, that is my problem..I was skinny fat for awhile..Skeletor as my husband called me..I starved myself..I wont lie. everything sagged off of me..I looked good in clothes with my padded bra..but nekkid..it was not pretty..it was ugly. my husband made it very clear, not meanly, but firmly, this was no bueno. he wanted 120..I wanted 115. hes happy with me now, even with my "momma pooch"..but that pooch does bother me. Id wager SOME of it is excess skin..but I still feel some padding.

so..based on responses, heavier lifting will help destroy this fat? or would cardio, with some lifting me ideal? right now that is what Im doing..a mix of strength (more reps and less weight) and cardio. I was sprinting about a year ago and thinking about encorporating that back into my regiment too..

Megan, regarding sodium..my BP was good last time I was in the doc..we will see when I go in about 2 weeks where Im at. Ive always tried to steer clear of sodium due to the water retention..I do drink alot of water (I dont log it, I always forget too)..

If your weight is in healthy range already, but you have fat to lose because prior dieting left you skinny fat - lifting heavy is the ONLY way to do it.

You are trying to make new muscle to replace what you burned off in prior diet and cardio only.

And total focus should be on lifting - so walking as cardio is fine.

Eat at maintenance. This allows the body to make the best improvements from the lifting, while burning fat. (well actually, best improvements come from eating in surplus, but that adds fat too).

And BMR is what your body would like to burn daily being asleep, not even awake, for basic functions of life. Estimated of course, and likely inflated.
It's based on average ratio of fat to non-fat mass - and it sounds like you have more fat mass right now than average.

Try the spreadsheet on my profile page, stay on the Simple Setup and Progress tabs only.
Get your stats and measurements in there for a bodyfat % estimate.
BMR will now be based on that.
Get your current weight in there as goal weight.
Get your planned activity time and workouts in the Activity calc.

There's a best estimate TDEE now. Eat that daily, workout or not.

meganjcallaghan

Megan, regarding sodium..my BP was good last time I was in the doc..we will see when I go in about 2 weeks where Im at. Ive always tried to steer clear of sodium due to the water retention..I do drink alot of water (I dont log it, I always forget too)..

the high blood pressure was just one of the symptoms I had from what I suspect was my self induced chronic hyponatremia (basically just a prolonged time with too little sodium, too much water). You won't necessarily have the same indicators of low blood sodium levels. Other possible symptoms (which can be moderate and go unnoticed if you don't think about it) include nausea and vomiting, headache, confusion, lethargy, fatigue, loss of appetite, restlessness and irritability, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps. I had 9 of those for the majority of the time I had low sodium intake and didn't even realize it. I only started eating more salt again because my BP was continuing to go up so I thought, "meh....screw that. If lower sodium isn't going to help, my food might as well taste good" and started loading it back on. within a week or so I was right as rain and had none of those problems anymore. It was nice not to be tired 24/7. lol

TXRanchGirl

my Body Fat..depending on the site..and this is what Im befuddled about..is21% (upper side of fitness) and all the way to 24.5(lower side of acceptable)..is a range like that normal? Id love 18-20%. based on bmi calculator.com, Id need to loose 6-7 pounds of body fat to accomplish this.

Nothing is outside the realm of possability..and I was thinking..I think I was told, back when I did the hcg diet (mistake!), by the doc, that my potassium and sodium was low..do they normally go hand in hand?

I ate closer to my cals yesterday..We worked outside on fence til 9:15PM, so I got lots of exercise..but am not logging it...but upped my activity to moderatly active...I feel better today. Going to aim for my goal cal's again today.

nellyett

my Body Fat..depending on the site..and this is what Im befuddled about..is21% (upper side of fitness) and all the way to 24.5(lower side of acceptable)..is a range like that normal? Id love 18-20%. based on bmi calculator.com, Id need to loose 6-7 pounds of body fat to accomplish this.

Nothing is outside the realm of possability..and I was thinking..I think I was told, back when I did the hcg diet (mistake!), by the doc, that my potassium and sodium was low..do they normally go hand in hand?

I ate closer to my cals yesterday..We worked outside on fence til 9:15PM, so I got lots of exercise..but am not logging it...but upped my activity to moderatly active...I feel better today. Going to aim for my goal cal's again today.

As mentioned above, I too believe that the only way to get the results you're after is lifting with limited cardio. You already get a lot of movement throughout the day just working a farm. Perhaps looking into a Fitbit or something like that will give you a better idea of what your TDEE truly is?

Doing too much cardio while you're trying to build muscle will be counterproductive. You can still get that same intensity from lifting heavy, shorter rests, supersets, etc. And if you feel you need additional cardio, then HIIT is the way to go.

Make sure to get lots of protein...at least 1 gram per pound of LBM, good carbs, moderate fat. and EAT! Give it a week and see how you feel....I'll bet you'll notice the difference in only a day or two, and perhaps you'll even see a slight loss as your body becomes less 'stressed'.

Good luck

meganjcallaghan

Nothing is outside the realm of possability..and I was thinking..I think I was told, back when I did the hcg diet (mistake!), by the doc, that my potassium and sodium was low..do they normally go hand in hand?

the two are connected, but having one at a low level doesn't necessarily mean the other will be low. Most people's problem is having a high sodium to potassium ratio, but at the amount of sodium you're intaking your potassium would have to be REALLLLLLY low for that ratio to be an issue.

TXRanchGirl

Got it!

OK, I feel like Im armed with knowledge and a plan..

and hey, I ate at a picnic at my husbands squadron today..no stress..had a small bit of all my faves..including some bean dip, homemade BBQ sauce and smoked pork butt..felt good. I cant say this is a permanent change, but I felt empowered and relaxed and HAPPY..

TXRanchGirl

an update-went to doc..had FULL bloodwork pulled (felt like my vein was giving out dust towards the end..LOL)

This doc was super nice. She had a feeling it might be Vitamin D deficiency or underactive thyroid..3 weeks we will know.

tibby531

You're maintaining on 1400 calories a day and workout 6 times a week? How did you calculate your calories? They seem pretty low, which could easily explain why you are feeling fatigued. Also, check for symptoms of overtraining as well.

this

SuzyLy

Try to sleep more, 5 hrs is not enough . . . you can track your potassium on your daily log.

LizaDK914

I agree with the first commenter. I went on a program at my gym in January, and a few months ago became exhausted. A few months ago I also switched vitamins from cheapo ones to GNC - no iron ones. When I went to my doc, told her I was exhausted she tested everything and said I had low iron. Looked it up, it can cause A LOT of problems!

Of course, you have to be careful, because too much iron is bad too.

I'd suggest heading to your doc and telling him/her what's up. Thyroid issues, iron deficiencies and a whole host of other things can present as tiredness.

Only just now beginning to see the results from my iron supplements, I can definitely sympathize with you!

*** Didn't see that you went to doc. Glad you did! Hopefully, he'll have some good answers for ya!

ahoy_m8

Don't skrimp on sleep to work out every day. Find a way to rearrange your schedule. Cut something out.

...from the choir, "Amen!" None of us have any business exercising without adequate sleep. Sleep comes first.

TXRanchGirl

I have been turning in before hubby recently..although the other night, I outlasted him! LOL

doc did mention anemia too..which I have battled for years..whats strange is..this has really hit me hard the last few months..so Im not sure if something has changed (I cant think of anything)..

this was the best doc Ive ever been too..

skinnyinnotime

thanks
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I do do alot..and I may not be getting enough sleep..my hubby sleeps in til 6:15, while I am up at 4:45. he goes to be after 11PM and I usually will sit up with him.

So about 5 hrs sleep a night and you're wondering why you're so tired...yeah, hmm, I wonder why that could be...

TXRanchGirl

I used to suffice on much less..
but realize its not healthy..
Just HATE not being on the same scheduale as my husband..hes a night owl, Im a morning person. Im big on quality time together (hes been away from home the last 7 years)..so when he wants to stay up and watch a show on TV..Ill hang with him.

stuffinmuffin

I've been maintaining for 3 years in a couple of months and it's hard, though I've totally 'got it' this last year or so and most of it is about relaxing and not giving too much of a damn about the scales - listen to your clothes! From the work that we put into dieting it can be so hard to let go, thinking that we are going to undo all the hard work we did (and it was HARD work). Also don't take types of food too seriously. We know when we're eating good food and when we're eating bad, but it upsets me when people start making good food bad for no real reason. The body is an incredible machine that can process all 3 types of food: fat, carbs and protein and use them for whatever purposes are necessary.

From the sounds of your symptoms you are simply burning out. You are not eating enough. Continue and you will find yourself forced to stop because you will become ill. Trust me, when I did this I have been struck down with illnesses!

Don't stress too much either. Don't let food control you too much and get in the way of fun and life. If you want to stay up with hubby do so. If you want to over-indulge because it's your birthday - do it. Want to have some champagne on your wedding anniversary - do it.

For the record, I'm 5'3" and 109lb. Looking to gain weight in a few months with muscle and very excited about it. At the moment I do light cardio or HIIT work outs for about 4 hours per week. I have a sedentary desk job and I burn (and joyously eat) about 2000 calories a day.
When I ended up getting down to 100lb from losing too much weight on maintenance and looking skeletal etc, AND guttingly, the other half not liking it one bit, I bought a fitbit and would thoroughly recommend it. And eat ALL your calories back!!!! Do not be scared.

TXRanchGirl

Thnks Stuffin!
That is how I feel sometimes..I swore Id never go back to that fat chic.

I would LOVE a fitbit..My husband and I were looking at one..would love to know how many calories I actually burn in a day

heybales

Thnks Stuffin!
That is how I feel sometimes..I swore Id never go back to that fat chic.

I would LOVE a fitbit..My husband and I were looking at one..would love to know how many calories I actually burn in a day

"actual" could be a tad exaggeration.
Estimate would be better word.

And depending on your activity, could be a good, or really bad, estimate.

It's step based. So long as the majority of your activity is step based, it's good.
But workouts that are not - lifting, swimming, rowing, biking, elliptical, ect - all must be manually logged to replace their bad underestimation if you are interested in good estimate of daily burn.

And if your daily life is such that the wrist-worn Flex becomes very active well over steps taken - then inflated daily burn.

Just wanted you to be aware of how it estimates calories. All non-moving time is BMR level, so that's underestimated. All moving time based on weight and calculated pace. So it's missing 10% of your daily burn related to processing food, and the fact when awake, and especially when moving arms and perhaps not stepping, is burning much more than BMR.