Proud of my progress so far.. but feeling exhausted

Options
irie_nik
irie_nik Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on MFP for about 10 days. I've lost 1.5 lbs so far which I am happy about, and have been very motivated to work out and eat healthy and stay within my calories. Last week I had so much energy- I exercised 4 times and was loving the feeling. I usually spend my sundays prepping food for the week. I didn't get the chance to do that this past sunday, and I am feeling almost like I am behind and not prepared and excited. I have been getting enough sleep but feel so tired after work and have no energy to go to the gym (I have a gym in my condo building, so I really have no excuses!)

Does anyone else have days like these? What do you do to keep your energy and excitement up?

Replies

  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Options
    I never feel less energy with less food. Maybe that's odd. I think the people who try to eat very little because they say it increases longevity say one of the benefits is increased energy, don't they? (No, I'm not recommending VLCD.)
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Options
    Make sure you are eating enough to fuel your daily activities as well as your workouts. At 1200 a day, you're on the bare minimum recommended cals for women, so make sure you are eating back those exercise cals - your daily net cals should be at or very close to goal.

    It could just be an adjustment period since you've made changes to your diet and exercise in the last 10 days, however you might consider upping your cals a bit, as 1200 tends to be too low for most of us. If you set your weekly loss goal to 2lbs a week, change to 1lb and that will give you a bit more cals. You'll still be at a deficit and lose weight if you stick to ti, but it's important to eat enough to keep your body going, and avoid burnout and exhaustion.
  • speedy740
    speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
    Options
    Always try something new! New exercises, get ideas from YouTube, new recipes from on here, and change it up often! It helps keep things fresh and on your toes !!!
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    Options
    When I started, I lost a bit on 1200 calories a day. However, it left me feeling so hungry and grumpy and tired all the time. I was pretty miserable. I've tried out 1300, 1400, and am now on 1500 calories a day and still losing!

    You have to give your body enough fuel, and enough of the right kind of fuel. :) I'd recommend trying to get more protein!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Options
    It could just be hormonal...women 'cycle' hormonally ALL month (not just the week you might think). I'd say give it a few more days to see if it changes.

    Consider a multi-vitamin too (if you aren't already taking one).
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Options
    There are several techniques I use:

    1. switch things up - do something different, change routine, add in a different exercise, etc.
    2. set a new challenge / goal - I set myself liftng goals. A runner might sign up for a marathon, for example.
    3. self-bribery - If I've planned something good to eat for dinner I don't get to eat it until I've worked out.
    4. Schedule a rest week - if I've been working out for 6-8 weeks straight I'll take a recovery week and take a break from lifting. If I'm at week 5 and starting to feel unmotivated I know I'll shortly be due a break which helps spur me on.
    5. Take a diet break - Either with rest week or at another time, take a diet break and eat at maintenance for a week.

    But sometimes I just have to give myself a kick up the behind and get on with it. Sometimes in the time I've wasted procrastinating about working out, I could have finished it.


    ETA: as others have said above, make sure you're eating enough to fuel your workouts too.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Options
    The beginning is always easy. The weight is coming off, it's new and exciting. And then reality kind of hits, and you realize that life is going to get in the way, and that it gets monotonous and downright boring and hard sometimes.

    This happens to EVERYONE. I've logged in for 480 days now...you're darn right there are days I've felt like that. When I have a day where I just feel SO overwhelmed and tired and like I don't want to do this anymore...my food choices get very simple. For example, on a good day I'll prep my food and cook and hit my protein goals and make great choices. But I have found on the days where I'm mentally just not with it, it's so much easier to just throw some corn dogs in the microwave and not have to worry about measuring and weighing and deciding portion sizes...and guess what? IT'S OKAY TO DO THAT!! I'd much rather stay within my calories and eat something from a *gasp* package than just throw in the towel and give up.

    ETA: Also, I agree with those above to make sure you're getting enough calories. There's no need to starve yourself to lose weight. If you are having a serious, prolonged lack of energy, you might not be getting enough fuel.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Is your goal per week set at 2 lbs per week? If so, drop it to 1 lb or 1.5 lbs max. Also, adjust macro's to around 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. Next, get a blood test to see how things pan out. It could be that your iron and vitamin d is low and you need to improve your nutrition. For the most part, if you are exercising regularly, I see women eating 1700-2100 calories and losing. Even many of the ones that only exercise a few days a week are eating 1500. And if you exercise, you need to eat more, even if it's just a few hundred more caloires.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    Options
    I'm not sure what your goals are but I would suggest researching your TDEE and BMR (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/). It will give you suggestions about caloric intake and macro (carbs, protein, fat) balance for your activity level, which is probably not sedentary if that's what you have it set to in MFP. My guess is you might need to rebalance your macros to rebalance your energy and maybe increase your calories but before you increase your calories you should make sure you weigh all of your solid food on a food scale and measure all of your liquids. Also, make sure you are getting enough water. If you are dehydrated that will zap your energy. I would suggest an activity monitor or a heart rate monitor to get a more accurate estimate of your calories burned during exercise as MFP's calculator overestimates everything.

    This is a process of figuring out what works best for your body and it takes some trial and error but with some research and education you will get it right. BTW, your diary is full of amazing food choices!
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    Options
    Some days I am worn out after work, either because of a hard day, or because I didn't necessarily eat enough throughout the day. I try to keep a non-perishable snack around for times like that (some almonds, a decent granola bar, etc.) and, if needed, I will have it on the way home from work. Generally that gives me enough of a pick-me-up that I can get myself to the gym, and, once there, I'm fine.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Options
    BTW I'd be feeling pretty exhausted too if I were only eating 1100....eat more.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Options
    Probably because you're trying to live on 1200 calories. My BMR (calories needed to survive in a coma) is 1200 calories so I'd no doubt feel exhausted at that and with 50 lbs to lose I assume you are considerably larger than me. You don't have to starve to lose weight.
  • 87monkey
    87monkey Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    I agree that it is most likely you are eating too few calories. I did the same thing for a couple weeks when I first joined. I was groggy, drained and super grumpy! I upped my calories and feel so good now. Play around with eating more. Most likely you have your loss set at 2 pounds a week, try cutting it to 1 1/2 pounds and see how you feel. Also remember to eat your exercise calories back, especially if you already have such a low intake.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    With 50 lbs to lose, you can probably eat at least 1600 calories. Switch to 'lose 1 lb a week' and eat at least some of your exercise calories back.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Options
    With 50 lbs to lose, you can probably eat at least 1600 calories. Switch to 'lose 1 lb a week' and eat at least some of your exercise calories back.

    ^^This.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    Options
    Make sure you are eating enough. If it's not food, maybe you need to revamp your work out. If you are doing the same type of workout day in and day out, than your body(and you!) will most likely get bored. Change up your routine or find a class that you love. I like to change up my routine about every 4-5 workouts to prevent myself from getting bored and from my body falling into a routine!
  • txguard61
    txguard61 Posts: 51 Member
    Options
    I started having the same problem when my training runs got longer. I had to almost double my carb load for a week before I started feeling better. AND doing that, I did not gain any weight back. So increase a little at a time to keep up with your exercise.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Options
    BTW I'd be feeling pretty exhausted too if I were only eating 1100....eat more.

    This.

    Your body is like a furnace. It requires fuel to burn. How well is that furnace going to run with little to no fuel??
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    Options
    Consider a multi-vitamin too (if you aren't already taking one).
    ^^This^^
    I see plenty of fruit in your food diary but very little green vegetables (or any vegetables, really). Feed your body nutrition-dense foods and, I agree, eat more of them. 1200 calories is starvation mode for me.

Categories