Should I cut back

I work out most mornings and what I'm finding that if I "rest" on the third day, I do fine as far as being tired. It took me many weeks before I figured out that this works. So say I work out Monday and Tuesday, then on Wednesday, I'll rest. Then I'll work out Thursday and Friday and then on Saturday I rest and so forth. Make sense? Maybe see if a routine like this might help you out?

Hi Kerri
Just a quick glance at your diary for the last couple of days.....

You may find an increase in energy if you up your protein intake (lean proteins) and try getting some better quality carbs..whole grains, brown rice instead of white, less snack items (like chips, etc) and processed foods.

Just my thoughts!

Hi Kerri
Just a quick glance at your diary for the last couple of days.....

You may find an increase in energy if you up your protein intake (lean proteins) and try getting some better quality carbs..whole grains, brown rice instead of white, less snack items (like chips, etc) and processed foods.

Just my thoughts!

I agree! Definitely eat lots of lean protein. They help! Good luck. Your doing great! :flowerforyou:

Hey Kerri! I just took a look at the last few days of your diary and it looks like you're really lacking on protein. I know you said that you take vitamins and iron (and so do I) but it's really important that you get the other nutrients and energy within those proteins daily. You don't have to just eat meat, beans, nuts, and eggs are also a good source of proteins. Something else to be aware of is your carb and sodium intake. An overage of those could help explain the tiredness. I work out 5 days a week at the gym and that seems to be right at my limit. I think you could cut back your strength workouts (weight machines) to maybe 3-4 days to allow your body to heal from the workouts. That may be another reason why you're feeling drained. Your body needs time to repair itself from your workouts. I think the weight loss you've had so far is remarkable and I think you're doing a great job! Keep it up!

Katie

Oh I know this feeling. I am tired all the time though. My body just doesnt get enough sleep. Its something that I just have to get use to.

How long have you been doing this routine ?
It could be a symptom of overtraining. It's simple enough to get out of. Take a rest for a week or two and simply do other stuff. Perhaps lower intensity and less workouts for 2 weeks, and then back into your 6 day a week grind for 6-8 weeks, then lower intensity.

I'd also evaluate the types of carbs you eat and when. What do you eat before/during/after working out and at what times. Because you want to loose weight, it's not always a good idea to eat carbs pre-workout, because your body may try and use that before using your fat, but immediately afterwards (post workout) it can be a very good idea to get some simple carbs into you as quickly as possible. Stuff that is high on the glysemic index. It can give your body that little boost most when it needs it most.

Hey everyone!
So I am posting this to get some advice. I am feeling really drained lately, for about 2 weeks actually. I have been eating relatively well. I eat lots of veggies and fruits and I stay within my calorie range of 1200-1700 (i know its a big range but I like to zig-zag) most days. I work out between 30-45 minutes 6 days a week during my lunch break and on Saturdays, only taking Sundays off as a rest day. I am losing weight steadily about 2-3 pounds a week. I am very heavy so 3 pounds is ok. I am having a hard time keeping the energy going lately. No it's not TOM as that particular "friend" shows up whenever it wants to with no regularity and has for most of my life. What I want to know, is should I cut back my workouts to 3-4 times a week instead of 6? I don't think I am pushing myself too hard, I just am so tired. I do take a multivitamin and extra iron every day faithfully also. I have to push myself to go to the gym these days. I also do the same machines all the time, but I do different workouts on them almost daily. Intervals one day, weight loss other days. Full throttle some days. I change it up a lot. I also do strenght training most days too. Maybe I just lost my mojo or something, but any suggestions would be great. Feel free to check out my diary for food and exercise if this will help.
Thanks,
Kerri

I know how you feel too. I work out 7 days a week about 45 minutes a day. I've been doing this since I started on May 12th. I am anemic and take an iron supplement, plus multivitamin and B Complex for energy. I haven't seen a boost in my energy though. I'm still always tired. I do have sleep apnea as well and I hardly sleep more than 5 hours a night.

I do feel like I have a lot of anxiety and stress, mostly due to living with my mother-in-law for over 10 years. It's a long story and my wife and I got in money trouble early, had kids and we just couldn't afford the house payments. So, viola, we're here. Now that I do have a good job, I chose to give my children a private education instead of buying a house, hoping that they will some day have it better than I have had.

Anyway, I digress. I do agree with the others in that you probably need more protein but this is coming from a guy who is anemic and also tired so you can take that with a grain of salt. Hopefully, when I return to the doctor for my annual physical in October, my doctor my have some other ideas that may be causing my lack of energy and hopefully find a solution. Good luck!

You've had a lot of information in here, some of it may seem conflicting but it's really just from different standpoints or goals. This is my thoughts on all of this. I'm not an expert, so if someone actually is, please comment.

- Eat more of this, eat less of that, eat more of that. In a well balanced diet, these statements are moot (obviously) however when you eat meals and what their make up is can change your energy througout the day. e.g. High Carbs at night is way less beneficial than high carbd in morning.

- Protein isn't necessarily a source of energy. It promotes lean muscle and is used to help repair your muscles/recover, but it is not a source of energy. That's carbs and fats job. If you're trying to build lots of muscle and.or have some sort of problem getting enough protein in your balanced diet, then an increase in protein intake is unecessary.

- Carbs in general are our friend and enemy. They are needed for energy and fuel the body, unfortunately, they can also be the source of "our middles and thighs" when we don't burn that energy consumed. Simple carbs are often bulked in with white refined sugar and crap - there are good sources of simple carbs like an apple, kiwifruit or honey. For the most part, they are a dieters enemy, but they do have their time and place (good sources). Complex carbs are also a good source of energy (ir really, "the source of") and take longer to break down. All those good things like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, certain vegetables etc are good sources. But again, too much or eating them before you go to bed will do you no good. Complex carnbs should be the major source of your carbohydrate intake. They are both "sugar" and are simply made up differently on a molecular level.

- Carbs prior to working out. If you are an athlete or simply someone who wants to workout to build muscle, or even try to achieve a PR, then getting carbs (complex) into you before the game/workout is essential to boost your energy. During it can also be usefull to get some more carbs into you, in a simple form can be good to increase the speed of ingestion. Your body will use these carbs as energy. However, if your goal is weightloss, then it can be better to be "carbless" prior to working out so that your body catabolises your body and feeds off your fat stores - rather than the provided carbs. In both cases, when you finish, because you've potentially depleted your glycogen stores, it can be a really good idea to get some high glycemic simple carbs into you immediately (within 10-20 minutes) to boost your energy levels. This is often not necessary either, but can help. It all depends on what you do and expect.

- Fats are also necessary in your diet. Too much fat big NO!(which is why I couldn't beleive some lady who said going to McD's every day wasn't the problem causing her to not loose weight, because she staye din calorie range). There's different types of fat, but if you have the right amount of the right types in your diet, it can provide a good source of energy and assist your body in nutrient absorption and just general health. Too much and too little can both have a negative effect on you

- Being tired.
That could simply mean that you aren't getting enough energy from your diet. Be it from good fats or carbs or some other reason.
It could also mean that you aren't getting enough sleep. And it could also mean that you have been overworking (especially if you were fine for a few weeks and then became tired). Often, when we get exhausted, it also becomes harder to rest, compounding the problem. You're tired from overworking - overworking can cause problems with sleep, problems with sleep ..........
The sleep thing is easy to identify, but can be a source of anxiety when you can't sleep because the problem lies elsewhere.

This is my wifes problem, she's addicted to crossfit and running. Goes all the time, never rests and can't sleep. Sometimes twice a day. Wonders why her run times are getting worse too, why she feels tired .... and thinks the problem is that she can't sleep. I keep telling her it's because she doesn't rest. She says she rests on Sunday ..... well, one day a week sure, but you need a break from the entire routine too. So she tries to rest (just walks or light rides). After 3 days, she starts feeling better ... so what does she do ? Jumps back in where she left off and feels tired again .... the rest didn't work or only for a little while !!! The problem is, she didn't rest long enough. I was trying to get her to do it for 14 days, not 3. Her diet and helth is fine ... just so stubborn and won't sit still for long enough.