Fatigue problem with T25 Exercise Program

santje00
santje00 Posts: 95 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

A quick question for anyone who is quite knowledgeable about physical activity and fatigue. I started a new exercise program two weeks ago, but I'm dealing with some serious fatigue. Even on my rest days I feel like I could constantly use nap. It is not limited to exercise though, even something as basic as cleaning is making me extremely tired since I started exercising again.

While I have no issues with my exercise overall - since it makes me feel great despite the fatigue - it does get a little annoying when it comes to my job. I don't really want to decrease the intensity, since I am getting some great results from it already. My mood is better, and I feel stronger and fitter everyday. However, I am wondering where this fatigue is coming from and how long it will last. Is there also something I can do without reducing the intensity? It's only 25 minutes a day (yes it is T25), the perfect short size for my busy work schedule. Does anyone have some experience with this? Preferably someone who has been overweight and started an exercise program while having quite a sedentary job. Of course, all other opinions are welcome too.

Thanks in advance guys.

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Maybe you need more sleep? The need for sleep goes up with exercise.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Are you eating the same amount of calories as you were before you started T25?

    Are you getting enough sleep?
  • aimeetu
    aimeetu Posts: 139 Member
    Is it possible you're pregnant? Just putting it out there as that was a major symptom for me when I was pregnant.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    edited February 2018
    In addition to the above, are you restricting/limiting carbs? How much are you eating net?
  • santje00
    santje00 Posts: 95 Member
    To answer questions from you lovely people who have replied that quickly! :)
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Maybe you need more sleep? The need for sleep goes up with exercise.

    Increased my sleep from eight hours to ten, otherwise I cannot get out of bed at this point :p This does not include the one to two hour nap I require during the day.
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    As well as sleep, are you eating back enough exercise calories?

    Is your deficit too steep to support your daily activity?

    You may also be going too hard too fast. If you don't want to pull back and give yourself an extra recovery day, it may take longer for your body to adjust.

    Cheers, h.

    I did try to increase my calorie intake on the same program before. I tried doing T25 when I was heavier than I am now, but it made me feel nauseous, so I stopped the program. However, when I increased the calorie intake before, I would not lose a single pound and even gain weight at certain points. Slow metabolism I guess.

    Either way, I like the idea of an extra rest day. Maybe I should incorporate and extra one somewhere in between instead of two days consecutively?
    aimeetu wrote: »
    Is it possible you're pregnant? Just putting it out there as that was a major symptom for me when I was pregnant.

    Already thought that too ;) Checked and the test was negative.
    pinuplove wrote: »
    In addition to the above, are you restricting/limiting carbs? How much are you eating net?

    Not restricting carbs at all. I'm eating about 1200-1300 calories a day. As mentioned with one of the previous questions, increasing my calories is almost out of the question, mainly because of the inactive job I do. While it is a pain in the you-know-what, I find going over 1300 calories does not make me lose, no matter how active I am. I've tested this over a period of eight weeks.
    shadow2soul wrote: »
    Are you eating the same amount of calories as you were before you started T25?

    Are you getting enough sleep?

    Eating approximately the same amount of calories on T25. Give or take 100 calories. (not much of a difference I know). Definitely getting enough sleep. I do wake up at least twice a night for the bathroom, which started on the diet itself (fluid loss I guess)
  • ceecee134
    ceecee134 Posts: 8 Member
    It may be something as simple as getting your Vitamin D checked out, symptoms include, fatigue, aches and pains and depression xx it could be something this simple x good luck with your t25
  • santje00
    santje00 Posts: 95 Member
    ceecee134 wrote: »
    It may be something as simple as getting your Vitamin D checked out, symptoms include, fatigue, aches and pains and depression xx it could be something this simple x good luck with your t25

    Come to think of it, I have been deficient in vitamin D before... Did not even consider that being a cause.
  • ceecee134
    ceecee134 Posts: 8 Member
    There you go, go and get checked out then, I'm only sure of it as that is what I have... so it was familiar x good luck
  • Mili87
    Mili87 Posts: 2 Member
    Same thing happened to me. I work out around 9 am and fatigue would kick in between 1pm to 3pm. I started having a snack or a light meal after workout (usually a banana..depends how much I ate for breakfast). It did the trick for me. Hope you figure it out ;) good luck.
  • santje00
    santje00 Posts: 95 Member
    Mili87 wrote: »
    Same thing happened to me. I work out around 9 am and fatigue would kick in between 1pm to 3pm. I started having a snack or a light meal after workout (usually a banana..depends how much I ate for breakfast). It did the trick for me. Hope you figure it out ;) good luck.

    Great idea. I'll give that a go too.

  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
    Besides vitamin D there may be other vitamins that are not sufficiently supplied in your diet. Recent reading I have done regarding various nutrition based diseases indicates that many of the vitamins, when deficient in the diet, have the symptom of fatigue. Very generally, a diet consisting of fresh foods eaten raw or minimally cooked for food safety and taste are a good way to prevent deficiencies. That's not always easy to do especially when dieting so you might want to consider a multi-vitamin supplement either daily or 3 to 4 times per week.
  • abarriere
    abarriere Posts: 135 Member
    I just came on the message boards looking for answers to the same question! I started a similar workout last week and i am so tired! I am doing Anna Victoria's new Body Love app and it's weights mixed in with cardio spurts. So i feel your pain!
  • mortuseon_
    mortuseon_ Posts: 257 Member
    Eat back your exercise calories (if you aren't doing so) and potentially incorporate more iron + vitamin C into your diet...fatigue is a symptom of anaemia, although there are other symptoms you might want to check for. Or, ask your doctor!
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    If you have a desk job, get up and walk several times a day....get the blood flowing. It really helps me, especially in the afternoons.
  • santje00
    santje00 Posts: 95 Member
    jfan175 wrote: »
    If you have a desk job, get up and walk several times a day....get the blood flowing. It really helps me, especially in the afternoons.

    That is a good idea. I do work about 14-16 hours days constantly at a desk, maybe it is contributing as well.
  • santje00
    santje00 Posts: 95 Member
    I thought I would give everyone an update on the situation. I had a few days to try some of the tips you guys gave me and my fatigue has decreased quite a bit. Here are some of the changes I did, but I cannot pinpoint exactly which one has worked.

    - Taking a supplement with extra vitamin C and vitamin D (500 mg C and 25 micrograms D)
    - Changing my dinners to have more carbs and protein.
    - Increase my calorie intake to match the exercise. Most days I will increase it from 1200 to approximately 1400-1500.

    Hope this helps anyone else who has this issue on a workout program. Sometimes it is difficult to increase the calories, because you believe you won't lose the weight, especially if you have experienced something similar in the past. Surprisingly I lost three pounds in a couple of days by increasing my calories. I kept a close eye on it just in case, so there was nothing to worry about really.

    Thanks again guys for the amazing tips. I will keep you all posted :)
  • jordanveach2016
    jordanveach2016 Posts: 8 Member
    Iron is HUGE! Meats are a good source. You also consider a recovery supplement for directly after the workout.
    If you have a high protein diet already, you may need to incorporate foods that help your blood not get ‘sludgey.’ Lentils, beans, wine even. These all help with blood flow, which can cause fatigue. My doctor had me drinking 3 glasses of red wine a week to balance out the high protein intake. That has an effect on your metabolism though, so lentils might be the way to go.
    I do T25 as well and I have also noticed water intake has a massive effect on my performance during the workout, which ultimately effects my alertness during the day.

    This, of course, is all my personal experience so I hope it helps! Best of luck!

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