Sudden Enregy Crash - Tired/No Concentration

feathers1981
feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Whilst at the gym at lunch time doing my normal work out I started to feel starving and a bit lightheaded. I ate a low sugar high protein/fibre lunch and still felt really hungry and my concentration has been zero since... I gave in a couple of hours later and ate a protein bar even though this took me 150kcal over my allowance, which I never do. But this hasn't worked and I just feel tired and unable to concentrate. I have drank lots of water.

I am gutted that I have gone over and that this hasn't helped :sad:

I eat all my exercise calories and make sure my net is always 1200 (which is my daily allowance).

I only have 300kcal left for the day which is for my tea so I can' t really eat anything else!!

Any ideas? This has never happened before!

Feathers x

Replies

  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
    Are you feeling OK? Maybe your coming down with acold or something? Drink plenty and take a rest day tomorrow if you need it. Hope your feeling better soon x
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    Do you take rest days? If not, your body was probably exhausted. If so, maybe try to feed yourself tonight (go over by a couple hundred calories -- it's really not that bad when it's not frequently). Some days it's best not to fight with your body.
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
    OK I know you probably have a good reason, but would it not be better to drink water with lemon instead of tea? That way you could use the 300 for some food, or two snacks even.
    Just an idea. Its probably some special tea!
    Good luck!
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    Hi, thanks I am feeling fine, no illness/cold syptoms. It just started when I was exercising...I just feel so tired and quite dizzy.

    What I have noticed is that I keep seeing spots which is how I used to feel when my blood pressure dropped (have naturally low blood pressure so sometimes this happens if I suddenly jump off the coach and run up the stairs or something).
  • skinnyme125
    skinnyme125 Posts: 396 Member
    I get that way every once in a while. I think my body has just burned more sugar than it is used to and it put me into fasting hypoglycemia. I have to drink a very small amount of orange juice or pepsi. I need that quick sugar absorption and that does the trick. I feel fine after this and am able to continue on fine.
  • anovasjo
    anovasjo Posts: 382 Member
    I think by "tea" she means "dinner".
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    Sorry..he he wheh I said 'tea' i meant for my evening meal!! I am from up north. That would be a lot of tea!!!! :laugh:

    Yes I had a rest day on Saturday (have one a week).
  • frubjious
    frubjious Posts: 355
    OK I know you probably have a good reason, but would it not be better to drink water with lemon instead of tea? That way you could use the 300 for some food, or two snacks even.
    Just an idea. Its probably some special tea!
    Good luck!

    I think she means her evening meal. That or its the highest calorie cup of tea ever.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    What's the timing of your meals vs. your workouts?

    Are you eating something small and carby about a half hour before your workouts? Do you eat a mix of protein and carbs within an hour after your workouts?

    You may be going into workouts without enough fuel if you're skipping the snack and not fully recovering from them if you're not eating something within an hour following them.

    Just a few ideas.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    Whilst at the gym at lunch time doing my normal work out I started to feel starving and a bit lightheaded. I ate a low sugar high protein/fibre lunch and still felt really hungry and my concentration has been zero since... I gave in a couple of hours later and ate a protein bar even though this took me 150kcal over my allowance, which I never do. But this hasn't worked and I just feel tired and unable to concentrate. I have drank lots of water.

    I am gutted that I have gone over and that this hasn't helped :sad:

    I eat all my exercise calories and make sure my net is always 1200 (which is my daily allowance).

    I only have 300kcal left for the day which is for my tea so I can' t really eat anything else!!

    Any ideas? This has never happened before!

    Feathers x

    Honestly, that sounds almost like hypoglycemia. I'm diabetic, so I know what that feels like. Were you shaky at all as soon as your energy levels just dropped? If so, then your glucose levels may have dropped significantly. I think maybe you should eat a little more carbs for fueling your workouts, especially if they're pretty intense and long. But that's not set in stone since that's all the information you provided regarding your symptoms.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Maybe it's your blood sugar? I have to eat a protein shortly before I work out or my blood sugar might crash. I get tired, unfocused, and sometimes sweaty and nauseous when that happens. Spots in my vision is usually blood pressure, but can also be my blood sugar (coming close to passing out by that point). Try eating a half a protein bar before workout. I eat the other half afterwards, by the way.
  • chach918
    chach918 Posts: 80 Member
    Every now and then your body is telling you something. Sounds like the day you feel exhausted and light headed might mean eating 1400 calories that day. I noticed when I over ate my calories , which was probably once every 14 days, i still lost weight.
    Try drinking gatorade while exercising. Adds back the potassium and other things your body needs . Good luck .
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    Seeing spots? Definitely a sign of hypoglycemia. For sure drink a 1/2 cup of orange juice if you're feeling that way. It will shoot your glucose level up by about 15 - 30 points.
  • kimbaclay
    kimbaclay Posts: 81
    Your blood sugar is low or your blood pressure is low

    Go to the docs :flowerforyou:

    (i say tea too! :tongue: )
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Whilst at the gym at lunch time doing my normal work out I started to feel starving and a bit lightheaded. I ate a low sugar high protein/fibre lunch and still felt really hungry and my concentration has been zero since... I gave in a couple of hours later and ate a protein bar even though this took me 150kcal over my allowance, which I never do. But this hasn't worked and I just feel tired and unable to concentrate. I have drank lots of water.

    I am gutted that I have gone over and that this hasn't helped :sad:

    I eat all my exercise calories and make sure my net is always 1200 (which is my daily allowance).

    I only have 300kcal left for the day which is for my tea so I can' t really eat anything else!!

    Any ideas? This has never happened before!

    Feathers x

    forget the protein bar, an hour and a half to two hours before you work out, you should be taking in 300 or so calories, the majority of them should come from complex carbohydrates (whole grains, veggies...etc.) as carbs are what fuel your muscles, not protein (under normal conditions).

    EDIT

    what's with everyone suggesting protein before a workout? I don't get that. Are you guys all on ketogenic diets and can't eat carbs for fuel? Protein does very little for blood sugar guys. This is a serious question, not a dig or anything. I don't understand what the reasoning is behind pre-workout protein infusions.
  • JenHollandsworth
    JenHollandsworth Posts: 25 Member
    I always eat something carby (granola bar, english muffin, etc.) an hour before my workout. Otherwise, I get really shaking and weak. Also, not too much caffeine.

    Good luck! :)
  • Buckeyt
    Buckeyt Posts: 473 Member
    Carbs. Before and after your workout.
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    I ate my normal pretty high carb breakfast and then ate a protein bar mid morning and have also eaten fruit and a yogurt this morning (all before my work out)!

    Did feel a little bit shaky. Feel sleepy and weak.....maybe I do just need to go home eat a proper dinner and get an early night.

    Just odd that it happened today...I have ran and therefore trained for marathons before and ever felt like this!

    Thanks for the OJ tip, I will pop to the shop!
  • CurriedGrasshopper
    CurriedGrasshopper Posts: 86 Member
    Honestly I think you should listen to your body. - it's clearly exhausted for some reason. I vote that you try and hydrate and have something with sugars to quickly even out your blood sugar.

    It's not the end of the world if your count is high for one day - there is actually a large body of research that recommends occasional high calorie days so as to keep metabolism up.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I ate my normal pretty high carb breakfast and then ate a protein bar mid morning and have also eaten fruit and a yogurt this morning (all before my work out)!

    Did feel a little bit shaky. Feel sleepy and weak.....maybe I do just need to go home eat a proper dinner and get an early night.

    Just odd that it happened today...I have ran and therefore trained for marathons before and ever felt like this!

    Thanks for the OJ tip, I will pop to the shop!

    oh so this was a 1 day thing? That's different, I thought this was something happening regularly to you. Could be anything in that case. Maybe you have a mild virus or something, be really tough to tell on a one-off basis.
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    Yeah just a one day thing! I do suffer with low blood pressure but normally it rarely bothers me. Think I'll just listen to my body and get some rest/something to eat! :smile:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Yeah just a one day thing! I do suffer with low blood pressure but normally it rarely bothers me. Think I'll just listen to my body and get some rest/something to eat! :smile:

    also check your hydration levels. As a one off thing, these symptoms could be water related, did you have a headache at all (I'm to lazy to scroll all the way back up and check :tongue: )?

    baah, scratch this, I didn't see the last thing you wrote about the water. My vote is a virus or something.
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    No, no headache have drank 2
  • feathers1981
    feathers1981 Posts: 69 Member
    No, no headache have drank 2 litres plus today and still drinking!
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Whilst at the gym at lunch time doing my normal work out I started to feel starving and a bit lightheaded. I ate a low sugar high protein/fibre lunch and still felt really hungry and my concentration has been zero since... I gave in a couple of hours later and ate a protein bar even though this took me 150kcal over my allowance, which I never do. But this hasn't worked and I just feel tired and unable to concentrate. I have drank lots of water.

    I am gutted that I have gone over and that this hasn't helped :sad:

    I eat all my exercise calories and make sure my net is always 1200 (which is my daily allowance).

    I only have 300kcal left for the day which is for my tea so I can' t really eat anything else!!

    Any ideas? This has never happened before!

    Feathers x

    forget the protein bar, an hour and a half to two hours before you work out, you should be taking in 300 or so calories, the majority of them should come from complex carbohydrates (whole grains, veggies...etc.) as carbs are what fuel your muscles, not protein (under normal conditions).

    EDIT

    what's with everyone suggesting protein before a workout? I don't get that. Are you guys all on ketogenic diets and can't eat carbs for fuel? Protein does very little for blood sugar guys. This is a serious question, not a dig or anything. I don't understand what the reasoning is behind pre-workout protein infusions.

    I haven't read the entire thread, but I did see that several people(including me) recommended something carby before the workout and a mix of carbs and protein following.

    It's also really difficult to know what to recommend post-workout without any idea of length or intensity of workout being discussed. If it's a half hour walk on a treadmill, maybe just something carby afterwards would be fine.

    For that matter, if it's more than an hour of cardio, something carby eaten/drunk DURING the workout could solve the problem.
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