No energy.. dragging myself through workouts
Replies
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LastingChanges wrote: »I have not read all the replies but I was in the exact same spot couple months ago. What helped me was the post I made on here. Most of the replies to it very informative very to the point, no BS. It made me realize I was not fuelling my body right and asking it to do to much. Since then I have upped my caloric intake a lot, added more carbs to my diet and am now able to lift (5x5), run lots and bike lots. Also am slowly gaining weight and building muscles. One of these days I will start another thread with all the updates etc. But for now all I am going to say is, listen to the people on here, most know what they are talking about.
Thanks for the advice. I am not on a low calorie diet, but agree upping my calories might help. Ive tried before the whole eating at tdee thing and used a fitbit, but the amount of calories it was telling me to eat was making me feel so stuffed and causing digestive issues (have a sensitive stomach).
I also find it hard to up my calories because there are consecutive days I might skip the gym, so those days I need to eat less calories. But for me that is really hard to plan because I prep all my meals in advance and make a weekly food plan. Meaning I like to eat the same amount of calories each day whether I am going to the gym or not (in order to make my life easier). But I am seeing that is probably not an ideal plan and need to increase my calories based on the day.
How many calories would you suggest I eat on gym days and how many calories on regular days ?
I am about 5'5, 150lbs, female. I do cardio or strength classes which I think I burn like 400 cals. And if I do treadmill that same day its like additional 200-300.
I guess you could try sticking around the 1600 mark for non-workout days and aiming to eat back half your exercise cals or a little more on workout days (1900-2000). It will ultimately be trial and error though.
If meal planning is a problem, you could try keeping your meals the same and add in a couple of extra 150-200 cal snacks or a snack and a small treat. It could also be as simple as making small tweaks to your main meals on workout days (an extra 30g of meat, some added fat like avocado, nuts or cheese etc.)
Keep in mind that what is a low calorie diet is a relative term. Just because you're not eating 1200 cals doesn't mean it isn't low calorie for you and your TDEE.0 -
I get bored with the treadmill all the time, I usually try updating my music list. If that doesn't work I take a break for a week or so until I'm excited to get back and run.0
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what everyone else says could be part of the issue. I recently had that issue where I lost all energy and had none at all,couldnt even workout let alone do much at home. so I went to the dr and told her that all of a sudden I had NO energy,(I am not/was not depressed,I was eating enough,getting enough sleep,it wasnt a thyroid issue or a vitamin deficiency, iron was fine,etc. so she ran a test to test me for epstein barr virus which is basically mono(no clue how and when I got it),but it came back positive(she said that when you are fine and then lose all energy that could be one of the reasons) and I was having a flare up.I feel somewhat better now,getting my energy back day by day.I was also taking rest days and having headaches every day(everyones symptoms are different and I didnt have the normal sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc). not saying this is your issue but you could talk to your dr and see if its a possibility if it continues. you can contract it other ways and have it in your body for years and it can flare up at anytime.I would go back to the dr though(if it doesnt improve) and have them rule things out for other issues just to make sure its not the reason.your body can change over time and you can have issues with the things others have stated.its just a thought is all.good luck hope you get your energy back,know how you feel and it sucks0
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That is interesting, thanks for sharing that.. I always thought mono is something very obvious because you get a really bad cold. Will mention it to my Dr when I go for a follow up.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »what everyone else says could be part of the issue. I recently had that issue where I lost all energy and had none at all,couldnt even workout let alone do much at home. so I went to the dr and told her that all of a sudden I had NO energy,(I am not/was not depressed,I was eating enough,getting enough sleep,it wasnt a thyroid issue or a vitamin deficiency, iron was fine,etc. so she ran a test to test me for epstein barr virus which is basically mono(no clue how and when I got it),but it came back positive(she said that when you are fine and then lose all energy that could be one of the reasons) and I was having a flare up.I feel somewhat better now,getting my energy back day by day.I was also taking rest days and having headaches every day(everyones symptoms are different and I didnt have the normal sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc). not saying this is your issue but you could talk to your dr and see if its a possibility if it continues. you can contract it other ways and have it in your body for years and it can flare up at anytime.I would go back to the dr though(if it doesnt improve) and have them rule things out for other issues just to make sure its not the reason.your body can change over time and you can have issues with the things others have stated.its just a thought is all.good luck hope you get your energy back,know how you feel and it sucks
I have heard of sleep apnea, it is a good suggestion but don't think it is the problem. I think it is more common when a person is over a certain weight, but who knows anythings possible.. will ask my bf to check while I am sleepingWhen you sleep has anyone ever told you that they've heard you stop breathing for short pauses? Sleep apnea does not allow you to reach a deep sleep where the quality rest is. Just a thought to rule out and take a look at.
Thanks, yea I think I am going to give increasing my calories another chance and see if it helps. Need to stock up on snacks that don't expire quickly so that I always have something available in case I need some extra calories. Also going to look into getting another heart rate monitor so I have a better idea of what I am burning.LastingChanges wrote: »I have not read all the replies but I was in the exact same spot couple months ago. What helped me was the post I made on here. Most of the replies to it very informative very to the point, no BS. It made me realize I was not fuelling my body right and asking it to do to much. Since then I have upped my caloric intake a lot, added more carbs to my diet and am now able to lift (5x5), run lots and bike lots. Also am slowly gaining weight and building muscles. One of these days I will start another thread with all the updates etc. But for now all I am going to say is, listen to the people on here, most know what they are talking about.
Thanks for the advice. I am not on a low calorie diet, but agree upping my calories might help. Ive tried before the whole eating at tdee thing and used a fitbit, but the amount of calories it was telling me to eat was making me feel so stuffed and causing digestive issues (have a sensitive stomach).
I also find it hard to up my calories because there are consecutive days I might skip the gym, so those days I need to eat less calories. But for me that is really hard to plan because I prep all my meals in advance and make a weekly food plan. Meaning I like to eat the same amount of calories each day whether I am going to the gym or not (in order to make my life easier). But I am seeing that is probably not an ideal plan and need to increase my calories based on the day.
How many calories would you suggest I eat on gym days and how many calories on regular days ?
I am about 5'5, 150lbs, female. I do cardio or strength classes which I think I burn like 400 cals. And if I do treadmill that same day its like additional 200-300.
I guess you could try sticking around the 1600 mark for non-workout days and aiming to eat back half your exercise cals or a little more on workout days (1900-2000). It will ultimately be trial and error though.
If meal planning is a problem, you could try keeping your meals the same and add in a couple of extra 150-200 cal snacks or a snack and a small treat. It could also be as simple as making small tweaks to your main meals on workout days (an extra 30g of meat, some added fat like avocado, nuts or cheese etc.)
Keep in mind that what is a low calorie diet is a relative term. Just because you're not eating 1200 cals doesn't mean it isn't low calorie for you and your TDEE.
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I am with you on this. I'm so tired. I get to the gym at 8am. I usually run 3 miles, do weights. OK then around noon I'm so exhausted. I feel like could sleep for a week. I'm tired to begin with, I just have lost all energy.
Yep I know that feeling. Can't figure out what it is because there are some weeks when I am absolutely fine with my energy. How many calories are you eating ?0 -
LastingChanges wrote: »I have not read all the replies but I was in the exact same spot couple months ago. What helped me was the post I made on here. Most of the replies to it very informative very to the point, no BS. It made me realize I was not fuelling my body right and asking it to do to much. Since then I have upped my caloric intake a lot, added more carbs to my diet and am now able to lift (5x5), run lots and bike lots. Also am slowly gaining weight and building muscles. One of these days I will start another thread with all the updates etc. But for now all I am going to say is, listen to the people on here, most know what they are talking about.
Thanks for the advice. I am not on a low calorie diet, but agree upping my calories might help. Ive tried before the whole eating at tdee thing and used a fitbit, but the amount of calories it was telling me to eat was making me feel so stuffed and causing digestive issues (have a sensitive stomach).
I also find it hard to up my calories because there are consecutive days I might skip the gym, so those days I need to eat less calories. But for me that is really hard to plan because I prep all my meals in advance and make a weekly food plan. Meaning I like to eat the same amount of calories each day whether I am going to the gym or not (in order to make my life easier). But I am seeing that is probably not an ideal plan and need to increase my calories based on the day.
How many calories would you suggest I eat on gym days and how many calories on regular days ?
I am about 5'5, 150lbs, female. I do cardio or strength classes which I think I burn like 400 cals. And if I do treadmill that same day its like additional 200-300.
On gym days I have a smoothie and sometimes an extra snack, and that takes care of my extra calorie needs for those days.0 -
LastingChanges wrote: »Hey, lately for some reason I am really lacking energy. I feel like I am dragging myself through my gym classes. Would like to put more effort into them but my energy is holding me back.
I am eating sufficient amount of calories. All my vitamins, blood tests are fine and I don't drink caffeine.
Anyone experience something similar, how do you all get your energies up, especially before the gym?
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Protein?0
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The answer is carbs. You can choose to keep your calories the same but swap out some fat for carbs. That will give you the energy you need. I had the same problem before and just could never stick with an exercise program. I honestly thought I was just a lazy person with no willpower. I was maintaining 152 lbs at 1500 calories and no exercise.
So I said F it, and started eating stuff I love but was previously avoiding - polenta, potatoes, beans, mangoes, bananas, grapes, rice, bread, pasta, sugar etc. My carbs shot up to 70% on a 1700 cal diet. The effect was almost immediate. I went from a years long couch potato to exercising 1-2 hrs a day 5-6x/week and my weight started dropping off. The thing is, I hadn't yet make the connection that it's the carbs that were driving the energy for all the high intensity cardio I was doing. A month later, I figured if I cut carbs, I'd lose even faster. Instead, I crashed and burned. My energy levels fell and I couldn't exercise. I'd go to the gym and look at the clock and force myself to get through just 30 min. That's when the light bulb went off. I went back to it and nowadays, I eat 75-80% carbs and I'm down to 125 lbs (from 152).
Obviously you don't have to go that high but add some extra carbs from your current level and see how you feel. Some people just function better on higher carbs and I didn't realize I was one of them. My insulin sensitivity is very good and even with such high carbs, my recent fasting blood glucose was 70 (normal range is 65-99). The best part is that I no longer struggle with low energy. I routinely go for long bike rides and hilly hikes and feel amazing.0 -
OP, monitor your body temperature, three times a day, every day, for a week or two. Your body temperature varies during the day - but there is something called "low grade fever". Often the only way to identify it is to monitor. That associated with a sluggish feeling needs to be checked by a health care professional.0
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LastingChanges wrote: »
That is interesting, thanks for sharing that.. I always thought mono is something very obvious because you get a really bad cold. Will mention it to my Dr when I go for a follow up.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »what everyone else says could be part of the issue. I recently had that issue where I lost all energy and had none at all,couldnt even workout let alone do much at home. so I went to the dr and told her that all of a sudden I had NO energy,(I am not/was not depressed,I was eating enough,getting enough sleep,it wasnt a thyroid issue or a vitamin deficiency, iron was fine,etc. so she ran a test to test me for epstein barr virus which is basically mono(no clue how and when I got it),but it came back positive(she said that when you are fine and then lose all energy that could be one of the reasons) and I was having a flare up.I feel somewhat better now,getting my energy back day by day.I was also taking rest days and having headaches every day(everyones symptoms are different and I didnt have the normal sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc). not saying this is your issue but you could talk to your dr and see if its a possibility if it continues. you can contract it other ways and have it in your body for years and it can flare up at anytime.I would go back to the dr though(if it doesnt improve) and have them rule things out for other issues just to make sure its not the reason.your body can change over time and you can have issues with the things others have stated.its just a thought is all.good luck hope you get your energy back,know how you feel and it sucks
no,mono is a virus and you dont get a really bad cold. look it up. the symptoms vary from person to person. its spread by kissing,drinking/eating after someone,using their toothbrush(coming into contact with saliva) and it is said it can be spread through sexual contact.once you have it it stays in your body like the chicken pox virus and you can have an outbreak at any time.For me I had the fatigue and lack of energy and headaches, for others they can have sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc. Like I said it all depends. I cant even lift weights right now because having the virus my liver and spleen is somewhat inflammed as well(that can happen too) and I cant risk rupturing my spleen which can kill me.I never knew I had it or was exposed to it because I never knew it could spread(I thought it was spread only through kissing) even when the person is not having an outbreak. I never knew anyone that had it. it says in kids it could present itself as tonsillitis and I had that a lot as a kid..The doctor told me that that is what they are supposed to check for it when all of a sudden you just stop having energy and have fatigue,since I didnt have those issues before.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »The answer is carbs. You can choose to keep your calories the same but swap out some fat for carbs. That will give you the energy you need. I had the same problem before and just could never stick with an exercise program. I honestly thought I was just a lazy person with no willpower. I was maintaining 152 lbs at 1500 calories and no exercise.
So I said F it, and started eating stuff I love but was previously avoiding - polenta, potatoes, beans, mangoes, bananas, grapes, rice, bread, pasta, sugar etc. My carbs shot up to 70% on a 1700 cal diet. The effect was almost immediate. I went from a years long couch potato to exercising 1-2 hrs a day 5-6x/week and my weight started dropping off. The thing is, I hadn't yet make the connection that it's the carbs that were driving the energy for all the high intensity cardio I was doing. A month later, I figured if I cut carbs, I'd lose even faster. Instead, I crashed and burned. My energy levels fell and I couldn't exercise. I'd go to the gym and look at the clock and force myself to get through just 30 min. That's when the light bulb went off. I went back to it and nowadays, I eat 75-80% carbs and I'm down to 125 lbs (from 152).
Obviously you don't have to go that high but add some extra carbs from your current level and see how you feel. Some people just function better on higher carbs and I didn't realize I was one of them. My insulin sensitivity is very good and even with such high carbs, my recent fasting blood glucose was 70 (normal range is 65-99). The best part is that I no longer struggle with low energy. I routinely go for long bike rides and hilly hikes and feel amazing.
I noticed in your profile you stated you never used a food scale. It is really easy to incorrectly estimate food (especially when it comes to carbs), you may have been eating more than 1700 cals. Also says you have a cheat day once a week, which I feel like that would average out your calories higher than 1700 a day.
You are my dream weight goal, and had same starting weight as me.. I am going to message you because I have some questions 0 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »LastingChanges wrote: »
That is interesting, thanks for sharing that.. I always thought mono is something very obvious because you get a really bad cold. Will mention it to my Dr when I go for a follow up.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »what everyone else says could be part of the issue. I recently had that issue where I lost all energy and had none at all,couldnt even workout let alone do much at home. so I went to the dr and told her that all of a sudden I had NO energy,(I am not/was not depressed,I was eating enough,getting enough sleep,it wasnt a thyroid issue or a vitamin deficiency, iron was fine,etc. so she ran a test to test me for epstein barr virus which is basically mono(no clue how and when I got it),but it came back positive(she said that when you are fine and then lose all energy that could be one of the reasons) and I was having a flare up.I feel somewhat better now,getting my energy back day by day.I was also taking rest days and having headaches every day(everyones symptoms are different and I didnt have the normal sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc). not saying this is your issue but you could talk to your dr and see if its a possibility if it continues. you can contract it other ways and have it in your body for years and it can flare up at anytime.I would go back to the dr though(if it doesnt improve) and have them rule things out for other issues just to make sure its not the reason.your body can change over time and you can have issues with the things others have stated.its just a thought is all.good luck hope you get your energy back,know how you feel and it sucks
no,mono is a virus and you dont get a really bad cold. look it up. the symptoms vary from person to person. its spread by kissing,drinking/eating after someone,using their toothbrush(coming into contact with saliva) and it is said it can be spread through sexual contact.once you have it it stays in your body like the chicken pox virus and you can have an outbreak at any time.For me I had the fatigue and lack of energy and headaches, for others they can have sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc. Like I said it all depends. I cant even lift weights right now because having the virus my liver and spleen is somewhat inflammed as well(that can happen too) and I cant risk rupturing my spleen which can kill me.I never knew I had it or was exposed to it because I never knew it could spread(I thought it was spread only through kissing) even when the person is not having an outbreak. I never knew anyone that had it. it says in kids it could present itself as tonsillitis and I had that a lot as a kid..The doctor told me that that is what they are supposed to check for it when all of a sudden you just stop having energy and have fatigue,since I didnt have those issues before.
Do you know what the tests are called that check for it? Want to look at my blood tests and see if they ever did it for me.
I meant to say I thought mono would be very obvious because the symptoms get so bad the first time you get it. But I guess it could be over looked as just a bad cold/flu, etc.0 -
LastingChanges wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »The answer is carbs. You can choose to keep your calories the same but swap out some fat for carbs. That will give you the energy you need. I had the same problem before and just could never stick with an exercise program. I honestly thought I was just a lazy person with no willpower. I was maintaining 152 lbs at 1500 calories and no exercise.
So I said F it, and started eating stuff I love but was previously avoiding - polenta, potatoes, beans, mangoes, bananas, grapes, rice, bread, pasta, sugar etc. My carbs shot up to 70% on a 1700 cal diet. The effect was almost immediate. I went from a years long couch potato to exercising 1-2 hrs a day 5-6x/week and my weight started dropping off. The thing is, I hadn't yet make the connection that it's the carbs that were driving the energy for all the high intensity cardio I was doing. A month later, I figured if I cut carbs, I'd lose even faster. Instead, I crashed and burned. My energy levels fell and I couldn't exercise. I'd go to the gym and look at the clock and force myself to get through just 30 min. That's when the light bulb went off. I went back to it and nowadays, I eat 75-80% carbs and I'm down to 125 lbs (from 152).
Obviously you don't have to go that high but add some extra carbs from your current level and see how you feel. Some people just function better on higher carbs and I didn't realize I was one of them. My insulin sensitivity is very good and even with such high carbs, my recent fasting blood glucose was 70 (normal range is 65-99). The best part is that I no longer struggle with low energy. I routinely go for long bike rides and hilly hikes and feel amazing.
I noticed in your profile you stated you never used a food scale. It is really easy to incorrectly estimate food, you may have been eating more than 1700 cals. Also says you have a cheat day once a week, which I feel like that would average out your calories higher than 1700 a day.
You are my dream weight goal, and had same starting weight as me.. I am going to message you because I have some questions
You're welcome to msg me. As for calories, I'm aware that nutrition labels are allowed a 10-20% margin of error, so if I think I'm eating 1700, I'm more than likely eating 2000. But then, there are days I eat more or less depending on how hungry I am so it naturally evens out somehow.
I came up with that number based on my goal weight. I assumed at 125 lbs, my bmr would be about 1300, plus 400 from an hour of exercise, giving a maintenance of 1700 and wanted to get used to it from day 1. Non-exercise activity plus any extra exercise I do, takes care of any potential under-estimations on intake that might happen.
Putting a banana or a bowl of grapes on a food scale is pointless to me. What am I going to do, eat half a banana? Or if my 12 oz bag of frozen cauliflower says it's 125 cals, why do I need to weigh it? Just in case it might be in fact 140? Yeah, I'm not going to fuss about stuff like that. It's just a way to create an unnecessary obsession imo.0 -
LastingChanges wrote: »
the test is calledCharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »LastingChanges wrote: »
That is interesting, thanks for sharing that.. I always thought mono is something very obvious because you get a really bad cold. Will mention it to my Dr when I go for a follow up.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »what everyone else says could be part of the issue. I recently had that issue where I lost all energy and had none at all,couldnt even workout let alone do much at home. so I went to the dr and told her that all of a sudden I had NO energy,(I am not/was not depressed,I was eating enough,getting enough sleep,it wasnt a thyroid issue or a vitamin deficiency, iron was fine,etc. so she ran a test to test me for epstein barr virus which is basically mono(no clue how and when I got it),but it came back positive(she said that when you are fine and then lose all energy that could be one of the reasons) and I was having a flare up.I feel somewhat better now,getting my energy back day by day.I was also taking rest days and having headaches every day(everyones symptoms are different and I didnt have the normal sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc). not saying this is your issue but you could talk to your dr and see if its a possibility if it continues. you can contract it other ways and have it in your body for years and it can flare up at anytime.I would go back to the dr though(if it doesnt improve) and have them rule things out for other issues just to make sure its not the reason.your body can change over time and you can have issues with the things others have stated.its just a thought is all.good luck hope you get your energy back,know how you feel and it sucks
no,mono is a virus and you dont get a really bad cold. look it up. the symptoms vary from person to person. its spread by kissing,drinking/eating after someone,using their toothbrush(coming into contact with saliva) and it is said it can be spread through sexual contact.once you have it it stays in your body like the chicken pox virus and you can have an outbreak at any time.For me I had the fatigue and lack of energy and headaches, for others they can have sore throat,swollen glands,fever,etc. Like I said it all depends. I cant even lift weights right now because having the virus my liver and spleen is somewhat inflammed as well(that can happen too) and I cant risk rupturing my spleen which can kill me.I never knew I had it or was exposed to it because I never knew it could spread(I thought it was spread only through kissing) even when the person is not having an outbreak. I never knew anyone that had it. it says in kids it could present itself as tonsillitis and I had that a lot as a kid..The doctor told me that that is what they are supposed to check for it when all of a sudden you just stop having energy and have fatigue,since I didnt have those issues before.
Do you know what the tests are called that check for it? Want to look at my blood tests and see if they ever did it for me.
I meant to say I thought mono would be very obvious because the symptoms get so bad the first time you get it. But I guess it could be over looked as just a bad cold/flu, etc.
this will tell you what tests they will run. this is the tests they ran on me and they dont normally test you for it,unless they think that could be the issue.http://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/laboratory-testing.html0 -
@LastingChanges
this will tell you what tests they will run. this is the tests they ran on me and they dont normally test you for it,unless they think that could be the issue. http://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/laboratory-testing.html0
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