Long story guy needs some advice

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TheFinalThird
TheFinalThird Posts: 315 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started at 478 on July 25th. I'm down to 447 (31 pound loss) in about 5 weeks. I've been walking 35-40 minutes every day at around 3 to 3.5 mph. I live in Houston, Tx., where it's very hot and humid and will be for another month or two.

Being so out of shape, I really need to pump myself up to do these daily walks. Around 3/4 of the way through, I am totally gassed and just barely manage to push myself to finish. Sometimes I have to mentally yell at myself to finish the route, and I do.

Here's my question. For about an hour after I am done exercising, I get very moody, irritable and introspective. Is that normal? I don't know what to make of it.
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Replies

  • Cameo530
    Cameo530 Posts: 155 Member
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    Do you have any way to check your blood glucose before and after exercising? Exercise can make your sugar levels drop and frankly when mine do, I become one moody, evil gal.

    Try planning a protein/carb snack for after your workout and see if that helps.

    Then again, walking for 45 minutes in the Texas heat would probably make me moody and evil without any specific reason!:ohwell:
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    I'm in Spring just North of Houston. I say this with love....

    Are you crazy? :bigsmile:

    It's hotter than hell out there at midnight! If I go longer than a mile I feel my pulse pounding in my face and get the wah-wah's.
    Until it cools off I've let the outside stuff go.

    You could try shorter walks twice a day. AM and PM.
    You can YouTube some great things in the meantime. Leslie Sansone or the 30 Day Shred from Jillian Michaels.
    Target has a selection of workout DVD's (near the bikes and sporting goods) and weights, mats. Anything you'd need to get started. Kettlebells are great too. I imagine Academy and Sports Authority would as well.

    Congratulations on your success so far! Best of luck to you!
  • pooh431bear
    pooh431bear Posts: 26 Member
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    Just a few suggestions...
    1. Are you drinking plenty of water before/during/after?
    2. Small snack before/after?
    3. I use the treadmill at my gym that has the TV's on it. I turn the TV so I can see myself in the reflection of myself in the screen, when I want to slow down or stop I mentally yell at myself too...lol
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    It's really not normal to feel that way after exercising. This is just a guess but maybe you are getting down on yourself for having such a hard time finishing the walk.

    You should instead feel good about yourself because whatever state you are in now, you have taken positive control to improve things. Lots of people never do that. Also, you have made great weight loss progress in a pretty short time so that's another reason to feel positive.

    The walks will get easier as your condition improves and the weight drops off. And as you said, it will soon be cooler.
  • Aparz1
    Aparz1 Posts: 949
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    Are you eating after? It is important to have a meal with a balance of protein and carbohydrates after a workout to replenish your energy.... I know my husband gets cranky if he doesn't eat enough sO I would make sure you have at leaset a protein bar or some snack after your walk :)
  • etfan
    etfan Posts: 133 Member
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    Scott: I sometimes have the same symptoms after exercise -- including the "introspection" -- and it happens when my blood sugar level drops precipitously; I'm diabetic-- are you diabetic or pre-diabetic? That could be it, but of course it probably could be a million other things too, including simple exhaustion in the Houston heat and humidity! It's finally starting to break here in Memphis: hallelujah!
  • etfan
    etfan Posts: 133 Member
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    yes-- great advice Aparziale1!
  • marie_eve_78
    marie_eve_78 Posts: 72 Member
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    First of all, congratulations on the weight loss, and the determination. It's not easy.

    I think that your feeling depressed might be because you are so hard on yourself. It must make you feel like a loser, or a child that was scolded. You seem to focus on the things that you can't do instead of the things that you actually can. Switch your mind around!

    First, calculate the amount of time you DO walk and congratulate yourself on it. It's not easy! I started at 10 minutes walks!! And I was proud of myself to be able to do it. After, I got to 15 minutes. I started to jog just a little. All little steps that made me proud of was I was doing and the good I would bring to my life with it.

    You are doing a great job, for you and your health. Tell yourself that!

    And when you get to the last stretch of your walk, when you are really tired, instead of yelling at yourself, talk to yourself like you would to somebody you love and want to see succeed. "You can do it, I know you can, I know it's hard but I am proud of you. I am proud of you!"

    Finally, I think that having reasonable goals is also important. Maybe 40 minutes is too hard for now? Maybe doing it in the sun, when it's really hot outside, is harder? (I like to go walking at 6:30 AM when it's quiet and not too hot.)

    Take care and continue on your journey! :)
  • rachelleahsmom
    rachelleahsmom Posts: 442 Member
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    No advice for you, but just wanted to give you a high five for taking time for you!
  • Irish_eyes75
    Irish_eyes75 Posts: 475
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    Try easing back a little - maybe walk every other day? Exercising shouldn't be easy but if you have to work that hard to finish maybe your body is telling you you're overexerting?
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    I can only imagine what your walks are like given the heat and kudos to you for getting them done. Holy crap!

    I'd say it's a combination of needing food and the stress of having pushed yourself so hard in the heat.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
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    I think that is normal. When I "was" a body builder and worked daily at the gym my kids would say...."you leave your best self at the gym" so I stopped pushing myself. I was never outwardly cranky at them but I would get quiet and clearly irritable I think, so I think its normal. You are working very hard dude....
  • TheFinalThird
    TheFinalThird Posts: 315 Member
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    Thank you all for your insights. I'm ok on the water front. Been drinking about 40-60 ounces of water before and after exercise. And I definitely did feel better after eating a good protein/carb breakfast (Pam-sauteed onions and red and yellow peppers with reduced fat turkey sausage crumbles and 4 egg whites. I will try eating something like that about an hour before exercising and see if that helps.

    In mucking around on the web this morning, I think I put my finger on the problem. Apparently, the body stores hormones in body fat. When you begin melting that fat, particularly a lot of it quickly, it's like popping hormone pills except without the pills. I read descriptions of obese people who started losing weight and in the first month would be so emotional it was as if they were going through puberty.

    Not sure how to fix this, except maybe to recognize that it's happening and wait it out. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get on the Dooney & Bourke website and buy my wife a $400 apology for being an *kitten* earlier.
  • EmilyBoots
    EmilyBoots Posts: 15 Member
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    I would check with your doctor to rule out any of the medical explanations, but I know I crash pretty hard after a strenuous workout if I don't eat a ton before and afterwards. I keep a bag of beef jerky (I refuse to care about sodium) in the car, and chow down on that the second my butt gets out of the gym. That tends to keep me occupied. Also, I really began to enjoy my workouts much more when I started thinking of them as me-time instead of an obligation. Instead of focusing on how many calories I burned or how long I'd been out I set a distance goal and concentrated on having some quiet time all to myself where the only person I had to give a darn about was me me me :)
    The other thing I like to do is make a music playlist or download a podcast that's the same length of time as the workout. I'm a big fan of short stories and live storytelling, which tend to be the perfect length and hold my attention really well and keep me from thinking things like, "ARGH THIS IS CLEARLY ENOUGH FOR ONE DAY" and "I WANT TO KILL A SKINNY PERSON WITH A LOW CALORIE HATCHET".
    You are doing such a great job. I don't think I could ever match your willpower - the idea of walking outside in Baltimore in the summer is bad enough, but dear lord - TEXAS? On the other hand, I would burn a ton of extra calories lugging around the generator and air conditioner.... Does whining burn calories?
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
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    My guess is that no amount of food is going to fix being tired. You're tired. Give yourself a nice break after your walk. First thing that I do when I get back from my long runs is get re-hydrated. (And I almost always carry Gatorade when it's hot.) Get showered and put your feet up for a while. When you're hungry again, eat something.
  • Kinu_M
    Kinu_M Posts: 31
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    Just a few suggestions...
    1. Are you drinking plenty of water before/during/after?
    2. Small snack before/after?
    3. I use the treadmill at my gym that has the TV's on it. I turn the TV so I can see myself in the reflection of myself in the screen, when I want to slow down or stop I mentally yell at myself too...lol

    took the words right out of my mouth...
    THANK GOD MY GYM HAS MINI FANS ON THE EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS TV'S WITH HEADPHONE JACKS....
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Sounds like you're tired and hot. I'd be cranky, too. Try a couple of shorter walks at cooler times, like someone else suggested. Also, try bringing an audio book along to keep your brain entertained.
  • cmcorn26
    cmcorn26 Posts: 253 Member
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    It looks like there is plent of advice for you, so I just want to say
    CONGRATULATIONS! Way to power through your walks! Keep your head up! You have lost a fifth of a person already! Av 150 lb...
    How amazing is that?!?!

    YAY!
  • MelStrey
    MelStrey Posts: 60
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    I live in the Galleria area of Houston and I see people walking in this heat, drenched in sweat. I really don't see how you guys do it. It is so hot. I think you first need to give yourself some cred for being so committed to this! Secondly, have you thought about breaking up the walks? 30 minutes at different times? Are you able to walk in the early morning or late evening (although the mugginess is still a killer). I have found a good protein shake an hour before any work-out helps with any irritability I may experience afterward. Also, you might consider walking in place in your living room to some music while focusing on clinching your abs and raising your knees higher than you might while walking. This could increase your calorie burn and will help you adjust the air conditioning :) Regardless, GREAT JOB and super commitment (especially in this weather!).
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Yeah, I exercise and I am cranky all the time too. Downright curmudgeonly.

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