Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

Join

Exhausted

Soosannah
Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
edited January 20 in Social Groups
Ok you veterans, help me out here.

Felt great yesterday, did some house cleaning, laundry and did my lifts workout B around 1pm. My deads are up to 150lbs, after those I just felt wiped and really hungry. I ate then took a nap (2hrs) got up fixed supper around 630p, protein shake around 930 before bed (these really keep me full all night, I am a late night binger) went to bed shortly after that, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow and slept til 530 this morning. Would still be in bed if I didn't have to work. Seriously thought about calling out of work today I am just so freaking tired.

I can barely hold my head up today. I feel like I could sleep a week and then maybe need a nap after that. Even with all that sleep yesterday, I feel like I have been up for days. And I am preparing to take a nap here shortly. Thankfully I get paid to sleep when I am not running calls. A perk of being a paramedic!! Coffee isn't even working here!!!

My protein was excellent yesterday, 165 gms and I had between 80-100oz water I lost count after my 3rd bottle (26oz). Cals were 1865 for the day. Went a little under but not much. I got a late start on eating yesterday and was 3 hrs behind.

Somebody fix me please!!! I think I broke myself!

Replies

  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
    I broke myself too and I got nothing except BenGay on my lower back/butt and Tylenol in my system, and a body that refuses to sleep in on my days off, so I'm going to just sit here and keep you company until Tameko gets here with the answer. :flowerforyou:
  • Soosannah
    Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
    Thankfully only minimal soreness, but I'm literally asleep on my feet.
  • kirabob
    kirabob Posts: 481 Member
    I am by no means a veteran, but I vote for eating more on your next DL day/day after. Those extra calories I put in yesterday really helped. My daughter even had night terrors from 1-3, and while I'm tired, I'm not totally wiped. But yes, wait for Tameko. I hope you find some energy soon!
  • extraordinary_machine
    extraordinary_machine Posts: 3,028 Member
    Where are you at in your cycle? You could try to deload for a week, perhaps. Also, try upping your cals just a bit, and hit them. I know when I was trying to DL 160 and I didn't eat enough I was frelling tired!
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    I was going to ask the same as extra....how long have you been doing the program (unless she meant monthly cycle in which case it's not the same thing at all :laugh: ), how long have you been doing any lifting for and how long have you been eating at a deficit?

    Off the top I would say it sounds like you need to eat more to facilitate the progressions in your lifts. I'm not sure of your size, but I know for sure that I can't progress as fast eating at 1800....I can recover fine.....but progress not as much...but everyone is different in that respect too!
  • extraordinary_machine
    extraordinary_machine Posts: 3,028 Member
    lol, yes, I meant in the program. :laugh:
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    I am too this week (exhausted), after feeling so smug and replying about my all body workouts 3 times per week to that other lady struggling last week ugh!

    I recommend carb cycling (eating more carbs) for heavy lifting days. You might gain some glycogen, but the tiredness will lessen. I realised that lifting the way I have been in deficit comes to a halt pretty sharpish because of glycogen depletion. 6 weeks of it (yay fat loss is one good thing) and I am bushed. But I refed today at 2800 cals and am good to go again, changing my rest days and workout days again though. FOOF!

    Try upping cals, especially carbs on lifting days to see if this helps recovery. Or maybe up your daily total if you prefer to even it out that way. Unfortunately, there is no set technique with eating...you have to experiment a little.
  • Soosannah
    Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
    I was going to ask the same as extra....how long have you been doing the program (unless she meant monthly cycle in which case it's not the same thing at all :laugh: ), how long have you been doing any lifting for and how long have you been eating at a deficit?

    Off the top I would say it sounds like you need to eat more to facilitate the progressions in your lifts. I'm not sure of your size, but I know for sure that I can't progress as fast eating at 1800....I can recover fine.....but progress not as much...but everyone is different in that respect too!


    7 weeks 1st cycle. Not my first weightlifting experience but def the first time I have really pushed for strength. I used to be a 10-12 rep girl. Wtf was I thinking????
    2days away from TOM (just in case lol. I think this may be a factor too)
    5'10.5" cw-210.8 hw-260 goal-170ish
    BMR-1735 (it went up after this past month,yay!)
    TDEE-2594

    I have been at deficit for 2-3 years inconsistently, meaning I'd fall off the wagon for 2-3 months at a time until my pants got too tight again. Consistently this time since end of December 2012. I was one of those that got sucked into the 1200 cal trap starting out and as you can see by my numbers that is way too low for me. This past week wasn't my greatest eating week ever. I am seriously giving up on the scale moving and I am going to focus on body fat %. It amazes me I lost according to guesstimation calculators 1.61% BF this past month. For some reason that is much more motivating than the damn scale number.

    After a little nap I feel much better. Maybe just need a little more sleep? But definitely looking into upping my cals some more. Fear of calories be damned!
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    With a TDEE of nearly 2600 I would say that 1900 calories is too little. My advice would be to do a 20% cut max....which would put you at roughly 2100 calories and make sure your macros are good. If that doesn't work then you can definitely get into the carb and/or calorie cycling. I just always go for simplest first :happy:
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    It sounds like maybe a combination of things - a bit short on sleep, a bit short on calories, a bit more active than usual, and you were deadlifting which is absolutely the most physically taxing thing, in my opinion.

    How is your energy in general?

    I do think you could eat more, and if you're happy with the progress you've made so far I think I'd bump it to 2050 for now.


    Also -- if its been more than 12 weeks since you had a full diet break (eating maintenance, not falling off the wagon entirely!) I'd do that too. 2 weeks, eat whatever you think your maintenance is - 2400 is probably a good place to start. I maintain on that and I'm only 5'6" - if I recall correctly you're in your 30s-40s? So yeah, try that.
  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
    I just want to add that 3 entire days before my TOM I am so exhausted all I want to do is eat and sleep. Sometimes I will get up at 5. Work til 3. Come home and nap, eat/workout, then go back to bed. and STILL be tired. sounds similar to what you are describing and wanted to share :)
  • fishlover888
    fishlover888 Posts: 132
    Also -- if its been more than 12 weeks since you had a full diet break (eating maintenance, not falling off the wagon entirely!) I'd do that too. 2 weeks, eat whatever you think your maintenance is - 2400 is probably a good place to start. I maintain on that and I'm only 5'6" - if I recall correctly you're in your 30s-40s? So yeah, try that.

    Is the 12 week thing standard for everyone or only if you start to feel really tired?
  • Soosannah
    Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
    Y'all are so awesome. I think it is a little bit of all of the above. Going to up my cals to the 2400 and try that. I have known, suspected, that I should be eating more but was afraid to up. But maybe the scale may actually move, but I am not going to dwell on the scale after seeing my BF and inches lost this last month. Super excited over that.

    @Tameko- I am 39, for just a little while longer lol.

    My typical 3 day stretch looks like this. I run it at 3 days because I work every 3rd day:

    Day 1- Work- I work 24 hr shifts as a paramedic which can range from being a lump all day to running my butt off for 24 hrs. The past few weeks has been slow, so I have basically been a lump on these days. I get to sleep at work, but I don't actually rest because you are always waiting for your radio to go off. Every little noise wakes me up and unfortunately that sometimes carries over in my home life too.

    Day 2- Lazy day- I usually spend this day holding the sofa down. I catch up on my DVR shows, play around on the laptop or iPad, I will take a nap if I was up all night at work. I may wash dishes, do a little laundry and of course cook, but that is about it. May spend this day taking care of errands if I have any.

    Day 3- Busy/Lift day- I spend this day cleaning house, doing laundry, am generally on my feet most of the day, up and down basement steps for laundry and I also lift on this day. I was originally lifting on Day 2 but because I was having some major DOMS that usually hit on my work day and having to pick up heavy gear bags and then heavier people on a even heavier stretcher I switched to my Day 3. Not fun with the DOMS!!!! Since that seems to have resolved I am thinking of switching back to Day 2 for lifting and using Day 3 for household chores to spread it out a bit. I think I am doing a little much on my Day 3 but that is when I seem to have the most energy.

    Rinse and repeat.

    This evening I am feeling much better after a decent nap and eating almost 2400 cals (although I guilty admit some of it was not so healthy :blushing: )

    Thanks for all y'alls advice.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    Also -- if its been more than 12 weeks since you had a full diet break (eating maintenance, not falling off the wagon entirely!) I'd do that too. 2 weeks, eat whatever you think your maintenance is - 2400 is probably a good place to start. I maintain on that and I'm only 5'6" - if I recall correctly you're in your 30s-40s? So yeah, try that.

    Is the 12 week thing standard for everyone or only if you start to feel really tired?

    Eeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh
    Ehhhh
    Eeeeehhhhhhh

    Its complicated.

    If you're doing good as you are, then I usually take the tack of "keep calm and carry on" -- why would you change/worry about something that's WORKING?

    But, there's some discussion around the possibility of mitigating the typical metabolic slowdown seen in dieters with regular refeeds. I think there are plenty of good reasons to take one, but if you feel good and you're making decent progress, I don't think it makes sense to worry about it.

    Typically the time frame (how long the refeed, how many weeks/days to do it for) varies depending on your current level of leanness -- someone with a lot to lose can go a lot longer - but I think you should also pay attention to how YOU feel. If your lifts start to suck, if your energy starts to drag, if you start getting the urge to binge eat or you feel super hungry all the time (especially if you don't' have a history of binge eating - and by binge eating I don't mean overeating, I mean mindless uncontrolled eating).

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

    I used to do it a little more haphazardly, I'd just start regularly blowing my caloric limits. Now I plan it in and it works a LOT better - when I'm doing a deficit, I stick to it very well and I can plan to do things like eat an entire bag of chocolate easter eggs during my next maintenance period.

    So.... Yeah. Its depends on you. And I encourage you to pay lots of attention to how you feel and how it affects you. Like I used to avoid eating just carbs because I "knew" that my body would send hunger signals later if I didn't eat protein, but I actually experimented with it, and nope, carbs and I are best buds. I can eat a donut for breakfast and feel great all morning. Better than eggs and bacon, actually.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories