Treadmill Tiredness

Hoshneer

So I have been using the treadmill for about 4 weeks now. The last two weeks I have been doing 60 minutes at 3min intervals between 2.5mph and 4.5mph. On certain days I am fine but on others I am completely drained and barely want to do anything else the rest of the day. My question is, am I just not used to the physical strain yet or do I need to increase my carbs or something? I am 5'11" and I am 285 pounds. Thanks in advance for any tips.

supah_

I bet it's your carb intake, but have you been resting at least one day a week?

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

A man of your size should be eating at least 2500 calories to LOSE weight. I'd assume it's the general lack of appropriate fuel.

Anthonydaman

I put at least 6hrs a week on my treadmill, and I have similar days. I think it's just overall fatigue from the exercise and life.
That said I always take Sundays off from the treadmill.

Hoshneer

I do it Monday thru Friday and take weekends off. My diary is public, I eat most of my calories and I am doing 1600 a day.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

you are starving your body--hence the fatigue.

Duck_Puddle

While I agree you need more food, I'm curious of the days that are "fine" are early in the week and the days where you're dragging are later in the week? If so, maybe 5 consecutive days is too much for now-stick with 5 days but split them up so you've got a day off in the middle (like mon, tues, wed, fri & sat with Thursday & Sundays off). Eat more regardless, but if you do better earlier in the week than later, try splitting up your days.

Hoshneer

So how did you come up with 2500 calories and if I start eating that many calories should I still eat my exercise calories?

dixiewhiskey

When I started doing HIIT on the treadmill, I found that I felt fatigued if I didn't fill up beforehand on complex carbs first.

It might also be that in addition to not having enough carbs, you are doing treadmill runs too frequently in a row. Your body needs time to adjust to the routine of working out 4+ times a week. I also found in my own experience that I couldn't run more than 4x a week the first week.. after resting for a few days, I was able to consistently run 5x or more a week.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

So how did you come up with 2500 calories and if I start eating that many calories should I still eat my exercise calories?

Google fat2fitradio calorie calculator. Punch in your numbers--play with it. Type in the same start and goal weight and you'll see your maintenance estimate and why 1600 is essentially starvation for a man of your size.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Assuming a goal weight of 280 abd 30% bodyfat, these are your numbers to LOSE (at least 3000 calories based on you activity level)

Activity Level Daily Calories
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2387
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2735
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 3083
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 3431
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

bronnyd

I do it Monday thru Friday and take weekends off. My diary is public, I eat most of my calories and I am doing 1600 a day.

Yes, you need more food! I am a 5'5 female and have been losing about a pound a week eating 1600 calories per day. You're not fueling yourself enough for your workouts, which is why you are tired.

rduhlir

Ignore them....from actually looking at your diary you are eating 1600+ exercise calories. People seem to believe that only TDEE/BMR works. While I am a big supporter of TDEE/BMR, you are using MFP correctly and how it should be used...so ignore them.

But, looking at you diary I do notice that you are lower carb yes? May I suggest maybe eating more carbs on the days your run. Carb fuel runs, that is why people who run triathelons and marithons carb load before races, and take carb shots during. I generally max out my carbs on running days.

BerryH

Congratulations on making such a fabulous start to your fitness! Others have pinpointed the extra calories you need. I'd add to mix it up. Spread your rest days so you have one mid-week too (unless you only have access to the treadmill during the week). Make each session a bit different. Try 45 mins at a steady state of 3.8mph, for example, or have one minute, slightly faster intervals over a 30 minute workout. On shorter workout days you could add in some body-weight resistance exercises, like squats, lunges and push-ups. In the long run, these will prevent injury and help with the tiredness.

hattonrw

I find it useful to break up the treadmill runs. Of course, I break it up with more exercise.
Usually I'll do 10-minute intervals with sets of push-ups or sit-ups in between, that way I find myself looking forward to the break from the treadmill and I push other exercises to a point where I am looking forward to getting back on the treadmill!
I got a little flat screen TV to put in front of the treadmill and connected it to DVD, VHS, media player, DVR and TV... so I can keep my mind off the exercise and keep going.

I will normally do 4 days a week, 2 treadmill runs a day at 100 minutes each breaking one up with sets of push-ups and the other with sets of sit-ups. The other 3 days I will do 1 treadmill run and a 2-hour karate class.

Reading through the thread, there's some really good nutrition information regarding the physical activity, probably things I will also try to incorporate. I am guessing my weight loss has stagnated because I lack the nutrition aspect and have more of a 'cut calories, increase activity' mentality, but I find myself increasing activity and eating too much at night.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Ignore them....from actually looking at your diary you are eating 1600+ exercise calories. People seem to believe that only TDEE/BMR works. While I am a big supporter of TDEE/BMR, you are using MFP correctly and how it should be used...so ignore them.

But, looking at you diary I do notice that you are lower carb yes? May I suggest maybe eating more carbs on the days your run. Carb fuel runs, that is why people who run triathelons and marithons carb load before races, and take carb shots during. I generally max out my carbs on running days.

Ignore this ^^^. Sounds like someone doesn't understand human physiology.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I do it Monday thru Friday and take weekends off. My diary is public, I eat most of my calories and I am doing 1600 a day.

Yes, you need more food! I am a 5'5 female and have been losing about a pound a week eating 1600 calories per day. You're not fueling yourself enough for your workouts, which is why you are tired.

Thank you. As a 4'11 female and 40% of the OPs weight, I wouldn't even eat 1600 calories to lose. 1700+ for me and I'd assume we burn a similar number of calories in our workouts.

AlohaKeAkua

It was a big pill for me to swallow: What do you mean eat more to lose weight?!?! BUT, I can see and feel a great difference in myself! I feel like I am always eating (but staying at or just under my calorie goal)! I love food, so it's nice to always eat! Of course, I make good decisions about what I consume, but eating more has truly made the difference with me! If I don't have a hard work out or have a day off from the gym, I hold back on a few hundred (100-300) calories. If I know I am working hard, I load up a little more so that I can work harder and not hurt my body. Yesterday, I ran my fastest/easiest mile yet and I believe it's bc I was nourished and ready to go! I was afraid of carbs, but adding in a few more has helped me! It's nice to see this thread and reconfirm my own beliefs!!