Tired, sore, exhausted and binge eating on the couch on the weekends

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mksafire
mksafire Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I do really well with my physical activity level during the week and also the weekend. I'm getting 10,000 - 15,000 steps a day. My issue is that I'm dog tired on the weekends and evenings and end up sitting on the couch too tired to think or work on any projects. I end up binge eating even if I'm not hungry and not bored. I eat till I'm stuffed and keep eating all day long. I guess this should be my rest day but it ends up being a really unhealthy cycle and I gain more weight and end up sabatoging myself over and over.

My question to this community is what are some healthy ways to recover and rest and what do you do to keep from eating when you are stuck resting and sore?
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Replies

  • xemoenx
    xemoenx Posts: 2 Member
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    Have meals prepared just for the weekend and when you want to eat... just drink a glass of water. if that does not satisfy the urge to binge then you probably need to eat something. For a relatively healthy snack, that I like to eat when I have a sweet tooth is a cup of berries and a little bit of rediwhip on top..
  • Wysewoman53
    Wysewoman53 Posts: 582 Member
    edited July 2017
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    I also rest on the weekends but something I do is go to my food diary BEFORE I eat something I know has a lot of calories and log it. Then as the day goes by and I want something else I know will put me over my calorie allotment, again, I log it before I eat it. More times than I can count, it has stopped me from eating stuff I don't really want. Rewarding yourself on the weekends is not a bad idea, it's just with what you are rewarding yourself that makes all the difference. There are a lot of 'snacks' out there that are lower in calories, sugar and fat than the usual suspects. I read labels first, before I buy, and use something like Laughing Cow wedges and a few crackers for my snack, for instance. Drinking plenty of water also helps as does just getting up and walking a little when the urge hits to eat something I would not normally eat. We all have permission to eat whatever we want but we also have a choice to make every time something goes into our mouths. My basic philosophy is: I can eat whatever I want. However, this time, I choose to eat something healthier and lower in calories. Once I turned everything into a 'choice' instead of an 'I can't have....', it made my life much easier. Eighty pounds later, it's still works for me.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
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    I'm guessing you have a job where you can get in a lot of your walking? My guess is only because of the evening/weekend comment, mixed with my own experience of 12,000 being average steps for an 8 hour day of retail sales for me. In which case the whole "don't workout quite so hard" doesn't apply :-(
    Have you been to a Dr.?It could easily be a seperate, underlying issue causing tbe exhaustion, which aids the binging.
    When I was having a similar issue, it turned out I had some sleeping disorders on top of fibro. Taking Provogil in the mornings before work and a cpap mask at night has made a HUGE difference in being alive enough after work and on weekends to be able to stick to my workout and eating schedule, and just feeling like a normal person after work.
  • kellyfeb78
    kellyfeb78 Posts: 65 Member
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    Weekends kill off my good work too, I try so hard not to keep looking in the fridge or cupboard but in the end I lose and over indulge then feel rubbish for it the next day but I'm still trying despite this to lose my last 2 stone!!!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
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    Find some fun things to do on the weekend: go for a long bike ride, a hike, swimming, etc. Go dancing. If the weather is bad, go to a movie or show. Don't just sit there - do something!
  • Iheartrunning36
    Iheartrunning36 Posts: 73 Member
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    Stop working out so hard on the work week, make your weekends your work out days. I take a two hour nap every day to catch up on my sleep, but I have a new baby. I make it mandentory to have rest times I think it is just as important as work out times. I found that binged when watching tv, so I cut out tv and would start walking during the times I watched until I got a grasp on my eating. Also, depression or grief (loss of loved one, loss of job, friendship, moved...) these things play a factor in motivation. Join a walking group or running group or an activity you enjoy in your community to meet others to help stay motivated. Keeping a journal helped me, I would track my binging and everything i ate and how I felt. When I wasn't eating, I felt stressed and had anxiety i realized a lot by journaling and addressing my feelings first. It really helped. I started making small changes, like allowing myself to eat unlimited veggies and fruits at first and then just down to unlimited veggies until i gained control, then I have whatever I want in less frequency and only one serving. I found eating healthy gave me more energy.
  • mksafire
    mksafire Posts: 23 Member
    edited July 2017
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    My Mom tends to overdo and then collapse. We're always telling her to pace herself.

    Are you going at it too hard during the week?
    • What percentage of the calories you earn from exercise are you eating back?
    • What are your net calories?

    I think I am working too hard and trying to scale it back now. I tend to go too hard when I get back into working out and it's frustrating how tired you can get just from walking more. Im tracking my food better and noticing I'm not getting enough protein. Thanks for your advice!
  • mksafire
    mksafire Posts: 23 Member
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    xemoenx wrote: »
    Have meals prepared just for the weekend and when you want to eat... just drink a glass of water. if that does not satisfy the urge to binge then you probably need to eat something. For a relatively healthy snack, that I like to eat when I have a sweet tooth is a cup of berries and a little bit of rediwhip on top..

    Oh that sounds good! I think focusing on water will really help. :)
  • mksafire
    mksafire Posts: 23 Member
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    AliceDark wrote: »
    Is your calorie target during the week too aggressive? Do you have a history of binge eating, or is this a new behavior since you started trying to lose weight?

    I started tracking my meals again and looks like I'm not getting enough food and trying to fill that deficit on the weekends. I'm going to try and manage my meals better this week and see that happens this weekend. Thanks for the advice!
  • mksafire
    mksafire Posts: 23 Member
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    Wysewoman53 wrote: »
    I also rest on the weekends but something I do is go to my food diary BEFORE I eat something I know has a lot of calories and log it. Then as the day goes by and I want something else I know will put me over my calorie allotment, again, I log it before I eat it. More times than I can count, it has stopped me from eating stuff I don't really want. Rewarding yourself on the weekends is not a bad idea, it's just with what you are rewarding yourself that makes all the difference. There are a lot of 'snacks' out there that are lower in calories, sugar and fat than the usual suspects. I read labels first, before I buy, and use something like Laughing Cow wedges and a few crackers for my snack, for instance. Drinking plenty of water also helps as does just getting up and walking a little when the urge hits to eat something I would not normally eat. We all have permission to eat whatever we want but we also have a choice to make every time something goes into our mouths. My basic philosophy is: I can eat whatever I want. However, this time, I choose to eat something healthier and lower in calories. Once I turned everything into a 'choice' instead of an 'I can't have....', it made my life much easier. Eighty pounds later, it's still works for me.

    I like that! Not that I can't have it.. it's a choice. That gets me when it comes to treats and becomes an emotional response. Thanks for the help! I'm tracking my food this week and I'll try that trick of writing it down first. It has stopped me before and it will probably do me some good to get that habit going again. :)
  • mksafire
    mksafire Posts: 23 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    The association between rest days and eating is all in your brain. I would counter that you are bored on your rest days and need something to kill the time. Take an easy walk, do some yoga, read a book, sleep. Rest days don't require that you fall into a coma (but it's very nice when you can sneak in a nap).

    It could also very well be that you're eating way too little and that you're not really experiencing cravings per se...what you're really experiencing is your body telling you that it's undernourished (which could easily explain the hunger, fatigue, soreness, and lack of energy). If you find that the food actually reduces your soreness and/or fatigue, then this is definitely the case.

    I know that the few times I accidentally hit that stage where the body is totally out of food fuel, my body literally felt like I had a bad cold...I got achy, stiff, sore, and only wanted to lie down. Eating something relatively rich (lots of fat) made me feel better almost immediately.

    Maybe try eating a little bit more for the next couple of weeks and see if that lessens your cravings and/or puts some pep back into your step. Worst case is that even if the issue isn't physical, this will give you a mental break that may make the cravings much easier to deal with.

    This was spot on. Since you posted this I have been experimenting eating when I'm feeling sick or sluggish (not really hungry) and noticed I feel better right after. I'm trying to make my meals smaller and more frequent as it's hard to eat a big meal and I end up putting off lunch till too late. I'm not that in tune with my body and hunger signals even though I have been working at it for years. It gets harder if you start working out or getting more physical activity. My body has been really achy and my legs hurt so much this weekend and I thought I needed rest but my body really needed nutrients and that led to binging when I slowed down enough. I'm working this week on trying to balance out sore feet and muscles with enough food to make it a dull pain. So far a couple days in and my body feels so much better. You really helped! I was thinking about this all weekend after you posted it but couldn't rely back until now. Thanks!

  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    That's awesome to hear - congratulations! I think it's smart to get a handle on your diet separate from exercise. Certainly exercise can help, and is important for health and maintenance, but you never know when life's going to throw you a sprain or a break or whatever. And it's awesome to hear you've been a good influence on your office - I bet everyone's happy with a less cranky boss!
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Binge eating tends to be triggered by feeling negative feelings: bored, angry, sad, lonely, and so on. Physical pain can be a component too.

    If you are binge eating, my guess is that the combination of feeling tired and sore.

    So my suggestion is that you are working out too hard, or do not have proper form, need better running shoes, or something like that. Very often middle aged people come back to working out regularly as if they were 21. That ends up being problematic because the workout at age 41 is likely different than at 21...even if in good shape! More so if there's been years of inactivity!

    It's one thing if you are a little sore Saturday morning. But not if you feel you have to "rest" as in lay on the couch. If you are feeling this way all weekend, that's a big red flag that something needs re-working in your workout.

    Pain is your body's way of telling you something's wrong. And you do NOT have to exercise to the point of severe soreness for it to be successful. I've lost over 40 pounds mostly walking, dancing, and Classical Stretch workouts.

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Even though I didn't post back when you first posted, I really want to thank you for taking the time to come back and report on the progress you have made.

    It takes a lot to take on board what others are saying and change ones mindset. It is great that you took in everything then shaped it in a way that works for you (and your work environment :)).

    Cheers, h.

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