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The more I work out, the more moody/angry I get.
SarahMWong15
Posts: 58 Member
I've experienced this every time I work out on the regular. I just get so pissed off. All the time! I almost constantly feel irritated and like I don't have enough time in the day. Every little thing my fiance or cats do just irritates me. And I really hate being like this! I need to work out. But I hate the grumpiness it bring me. Does anyone else feel this way?
7
Replies
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Are you eating half of your exercise calories back? I get very moody when I'm hungry. It sounds like you're hangry.
Also, you don't have to workout to lose weight. Plenty of people lose weight just by eating at an appropriate calorie deficit level.
Me personally I love working out and I feel like it helps me get rid of unneeded tension and let go of unwanted emotions.
Are you doing a workout that you enjoy? There's no sense in running if you hate running. Try different forms of exercise. You may still need to find your perfect workout.31 -
^^Agree with above. Be sure you are eating enough to support the exercise. Personally, I get grumpy if I don’t work out. It’s a real mental and physical boost for me. Hope it becomes that for you too!9
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Not eating enough was the first thing that came to my mind also as I feel all those things when I get too hungry. Also, eating more will give you more energy to work out to begin with which could lead to a higher level of enjoyment. There is nothing like feeling like you have two lead feet to dislike going for a run.5
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SarahMWong15 wrote: »I've experienced this every time I work out on the regular. I just get so pissed off. All the time! I almost constantly feel irritated and like I don't have enough time in the day. Every little thing my fiance or cats do just irritates me. And I really hate being like this! I need to work out. But I hate the grumpiness it bring me. Does anyone else feel this way?
I don’t disagree with what others have said about making sure you’re eating enough to fuel the exercise, but the line I’ve bolded above stood out more to me.
If you’re feeling that way, maybe you could modify your schedule to allow a bit of ‘downtime’ in your life too?
Time to relax is important too, for both physical and mental health.18 -
Have you had blood work done because I felt/feel like this when I'm anemic.8
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Are you eating half of your exercise calories back? I get very moody when I'm hungry. It sounds like you're hangry.
Also, you don't have to workout to lose weight. Plenty of people lose weight just by eating at an appropriate calorie deficit level.
Me personally I love working out and I feel like it helps me get rid of unneeded tension and let go of unwanted emotions.
Are you doing a workout that you enjoy? There's no sense in running if you hate running. Try different forms of exercise. You may still need to find your perfect workout.
Unfortunately, I cant not work out. I dont lose weight simply by dieting. I have PCOS and it's a *kitten* and a half to lose weight.
I'd say I pretty much enjoy my workouts. I'm usually never irritated when I'm doing them. Just more so after. Maybe I do need to start eating more. I stay consistently under my calorie limit by a couple hundred here and there while still getting at least 1300 a day. But whatever I exercise off, I do tend not to eat back.5 -
SarahMWong15 wrote: »Are you eating half of your exercise calories back? I get very moody when I'm hungry. It sounds like you're hangry.
Also, you don't have to workout to lose weight. Plenty of people lose weight just by eating at an appropriate calorie deficit level.
Me personally I love working out and I feel like it helps me get rid of unneeded tension and let go of unwanted emotions.
Are you doing a workout that you enjoy? There's no sense in running if you hate running. Try different forms of exercise. You may still need to find your perfect workout.
Unfortunately, I cant not work out. I dont lose weight simply by dieting. I have PCOS and it's a *kitten* and a half to lose weight.
I'd say I pretty much enjoy my workouts. I'm usually never irritated when I'm doing them. Just more so after. Maybe I do need to start eating more. I stay consistently under my calorie limit by a couple hundred here and there while still getting at least 1300 a day. But whatever I exercise off, I do tend not to eat back.
Try eating at least half your exercise calories back and see if that makes a difference.11 -
I would be pissed off all the time if I was only eating 1300 calories a day too! Even more if I was working out on that little calories. Not sure what your height, weight and activity level is but that sounds like your issue!16
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What’s yr weight and height? How fast is your rate of weight loss?8
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I don't get angry but I tend to get anxiety if I work out too much/too hard, I don't know why? If it's a blood sugar issue or what so I just stick to walking and weights4
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I have found that sometimes after a hard workout I get over emotional and cry. But I love working out and do it everyday. I think that when I work out I am letting go of all the stress, and worry in my life, everything that is pent up comes out. I now try to make sure to give myself a little bit of quiet downtime to meditate. And allow myself time to let all the emotion out. I actually feel much better after.
Maybe working out is bringing things to the surface and you just need to make time to let them out in some way.
I also agree with making sure you are eating more when you work out5 -
OP, how much weight do you lose per week/month when you're sticking to your plan but feeling moody? How much weight do you need to lose?
Do you get enough quality sleep?
You mentioned your fiance, are you wedding planning?7 -
This used to happen to me all the time. I would feel great while exercising and angry/depressed/miserable afterwards. Sometimes if I skipped the caffeine it would be slightly better....For me I think it had to do with hormones being off and maybe blood sugar processing being off as I was veering towards being pre-diabetic (pre-pre-diabetic??) Evening out my blood sugar levels by changing up what I ate fixed the problem (took maybe a couple of months).4
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SarahMWong15 wrote: »Are you eating half of your exercise calories back? I get very moody when I'm hungry. It sounds like you're hangry.
Also, you don't have to workout to lose weight. Plenty of people lose weight just by eating at an appropriate calorie deficit level.
Me personally I love working out and I feel like it helps me get rid of unneeded tension and let go of unwanted emotions.
Are you doing a workout that you enjoy? There's no sense in running if you hate running. Try different forms of exercise. You may still need to find your perfect workout.
Unfortunately, I cant not work out. I dont lose weight simply by dieting. I have PCOS and it's a *kitten* and a half to lose weight.
I'd say I pretty much enjoy my workouts. I'm usually never irritated when I'm doing them. Just more so after. Maybe I do need to start eating more. I stay consistently under my calorie limit by a couple hundred here and there while still getting at least 1300 a day. But whatever I exercise off, I do tend not to eat back.
I think that’s the issue, you’re under eating and this is your body’s way of saying “feed me Seymour.”
You should aim to always meet your calorie goal. You won’t be able to everyday, but you can get as close as possible.
I apologize for not addressing you feeling like there isn’t enough time, I just had a feeling you weren’t eating back half of your exercise calories. But if you feel like you don’t have enough time, try finding those 30 minute workouts. Beachbody gets a lot of flack for good reason, but some of their workout programs are good and they can get you done within 35-40 minutes, and that time includes a warmup and cool down. I recommend Insanty Max 30. IMO Shaun T is a lot more palatable than Tony, but P90X3 (or whatever the 30 minute version is called) can get the job done.
You can also go the free route and look into Fitness Blender on YouTube. After a quick search of “workouts” I found a lot of videos from various posters, like Popsugar and Pamela Reif, who post 30 minute workouts. I’ve only used Fitness Blender but check around on YouTube until you find some channels you really like.
Being in the gym for 1-2 hours doesn’t have to be the norm if you can’t make that work with your schedule. You can try to break things up into 10-20 minute intervals. Like workout for 15 minutes in the morning and then an additional 15 minutes in the evening. Get creative and find what will enhance your life, not stress you out.
I wish you so much luck. I know it’s not easy because we’re all busy adults but it can work, you just have to strategize a little.9 -
Another question to consider: what are your workouts like? I sometimes get cranky and irritated if the workout is too intense or I push myself too far. If you go all out every time, could you consider doing something less intense?4
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SarahMWong15 wrote: »Are you eating half of your exercise calories back? I get very moody when I'm hungry. It sounds like you're hangry.
Also, you don't have to workout to lose weight. Plenty of people lose weight just by eating at an appropriate calorie deficit level.
Me personally I love working out and I feel like it helps me get rid of unneeded tension and let go of unwanted emotions.
Are you doing a workout that you enjoy? There's no sense in running if you hate running. Try different forms of exercise. You may still need to find your perfect workout.
Unfortunately, I cant not work out. I dont lose weight simply by dieting. I have PCOS and it's a *kitten* and a half to lose weight.
I'd say I pretty much enjoy my workouts. I'm usually never irritated when I'm doing them. Just more so after. Maybe I do need to start eating more. I stay consistently under my calorie limit by a couple hundred here and there while still getting at least 1300 a day. But whatever I exercise off, I do tend not to eat back.
You're not fueling your workouts. No wonder you're cranky.
Unlike other sites which use TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
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Another question to consider: what are your workouts like? I sometimes get cranky and irritated if the workout is too intense or I push myself too far. If you go all out every time, could you consider doing something less intense?
Agree with this, and are you new to working out? My dance studio has a flyer explaining that that when you start exercising you can feel strong emotions coming up. It's not unusual for people who are moving their bodies much more than they usually do, you can feel upset, angry, or overwhelmed. Especially if you notice some things are hard for you, it's easy to feel negative emotions.6 -
OP can I just say you’re making a huge mistake by not eating back your exercise calories. I too have PCOS and I too fell for the ‘we have to eat way less to lose weight trap’. Women with PCOS can burn less calories than other women but that’s only with IR issues and it’s only a +/- 5% difference. Please don’t think you have to starve yourself! You’re further messing up your cortisol levels and your hormones. You need to focus on rebalancing your hormones instead of making them worse. Your body needs fuel just like anyone else. Last year I cut my calories down to 1500 per day and I exercised 5 days a week intensely. At first it worked but then slowly slowly I started developing thyroid issues such as hair loss, fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, joint pain, constipation and many more. Long story cut short I crashed. I had to end up doing a reverse diet and now I maintain on 2350 calories. I’m currently losing weight slowly on 1950-2000 calories. That’s about 2150 on my exercise days and 1600 on my rest days. Im not crazy active or tall either but I have a fair amount of muscle. I’m 5’ 4” and 156lbs. Bottom line is focus on what’s more sustainable rather than short term results! I would eat back 75% of those exercise calories and then adjust based on your results after 6 weeks to allow for any hormonal fluctuations to go.19
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I had a whole long reply up here and idk what happened to it. I'll try to make it short and sweet this time. Lol.
THANK YOU everyone so much for your advice and insight. I'll definitely be applying it to my days now. I bought a protein powder to help me on my calorie intake as well on days I really fall behind because somedays, I just dont feel hungry. I'm 25 years old, 217 pounds, and 5'2. I'm sedentary at work. My weight comes off slowly. 4-5 pounds a month. And I'm looking to get down to 140 for now. Maybe more later. But 140 is my goal. I am wedding planning, so that mixed with work stress, and not eating enough, I'm sure is what is making me a monster. Lol. I'll also be seeing a Dr soon to make sure everything is as in check as it can be.13 -
I've taken to walking around when I'm on the phone. Can't always do it. But it is great when you can!1
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I've taken to walking around when I'm on the phone. Can't always do it. But it is great when you can!
My phone has a wired headset to the phone base. As well as I have to be on the computer inputting info while I'm on the phone. So unfortunately I cant stand up and walk around while I do. I so wish I could though! I get so antsy at my desk.1 -
Hmmm... It's interesting that you consider 4-5lbs a month as slow. This isn't by any stretch a slow rate of loss and for someone who's not got a whole lot to lose would be considered quite fast. 1-2lbs a month would be a slow rate of loss.
This leads me to suspect that perhaps the statement 'I can't lose weight unless I work out' might actually be 'I cant lose weight rapidly if I don't work out'. The fact that you're losing so rapidly and it's impacting your mood tends to indicate that you're under eating by not eating back exercise calories.
To address this you need to cut your calorie deficit to an appropriate level. Be that by maintaining your current calorie intake and scaling back the working out or by increasing your calorie intake to properly fuel your workouts and body.
Either way you'll need to be prepared for your rate of loss to slow down.18 -
Hmmm... It's interesting that you consider 4-5lbs a month as slow. This isn't by any stretch a slow rate of loss and for someone who's not got a whole lot to lose would be considered quite fast. 1-2lbs a month would be a slow rate of loss.
This leads me to suspect that perhaps the statement 'I can't lose weight unless I work out' might actually be 'I cant lose weight rapidly if I don't work out'. The fact that you're losing so rapidly and it's impacting your mood tends to indicate that you're under eating by not eating back exercise calories.
To address this you need to cut your calorie deficit to an appropriate level. Be that by maintaining your current calorie intake and scaling back the working out or by increasing your calorie intake to properly fuel your workouts and body.
Either way you'll need to be prepared for your rate of loss to slow down.
I guess it seems "slow" to me because of a history of eating disorders I've had in the past. I used to lose about 10 pounds a month, and was never satisfied until I did and would go to measures to make SURE I did. This ultimately resulted in my body physically giving up and tearing my ACL and my meniscus. So I definitely don't want to overwork my body like that again by any means. So my workouts are typically 30-45 minutes nowadays rather than an hour or two like it used to be then.
I'm definitely increasing my calorie intake. I understand how important that is for my body rather than my mind being in it's old way of thinking of "The smaller the number the better." I DO enjoy working out. So I don't want to cut back on my 3-4 days a week of doing so. But moving forward, I DO want to fuel properly! (:5 -
Even incredibly much more importantly with a history of ED. Even assuming that a previous treatment team would agree that weight loss and counting calories makes sense which is already a pretty unwarranted assumption in most cases, you absolutely, positively should NOT engage in large deficits.
If a person without ED could tolerate 1lb a week, a person with a prior history of ED better be aiming for half if that!
The pathways in your brain are there, well grooved, and waiting patiently for you to slip up and ensnare you.
Given that some of this is also affected by neurotransmitter and hormone changes which are affected by the size and length of your deficits... larger and lengthier deficits enhance your chance of ending up in a bad head-space.
Not to mention to begin with that deliberate deficit eating has a much higher chance of throwing you into such bad head space. So... yeah. Please go slow. And set some limits. And a rescue line!
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I get like this when I am working out hard. It's like my body is preparing for a flight & starts releasing tons of adrenaline. Instead of hitting hard cardio, nowadays I work more on strength, light cardio, & yoga to keep this at bay.0
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youre not eating enough. i cant imagine what a demon i would be if i ate 1300 calories and worked out every day.
up your calorie intake by a couple hundred and youll likely see a difference.
4-5 pounds a month is a LOT for someone who doesnt have much to lose.0 -
You sound depressed. I was depressed, but it wasn’t all sadness. Depression masks angry/irritable at the same time. Oh, I was angry at my husband and my cats. My stressors: my job, fertility problems, money problems, made it so I had to go on something (Celexa), or I had to be facing a divorce.
I’m not prescribing you something, but it may help if you saw a professional. Perhaps meditation, perhaps over the counter may help you (5-HTP can get you meditation ready).
When I have a big workout, I always put away 1400-1600 calories. I think what they are saying is right.
Keep in touch!1 -
Diet is soooo key - the harder you push yourself the more you need to maintain a health diet - with an increase is physical exertion comes an increase in your bodies for better nutrition and you WILL get grumpy/moody/hungry/less sleep if you arent maintaining your diet0
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candylilacs wrote: »You sound depressed. I was depressed, but it wasn’t all sadness. Depression masks angry/irritable at the same time. Oh, I was angry at my husband and my cats. My stressors: my job, fertility problems, money problems, made it so I had to go on something (Celexa), or I had to be facing a divorce.
I’m not prescribing you something, but it may help if you saw a professional. Perhaps meditation, perhaps over the counter may help you (5-HTP can get you meditation ready).
When I have a big workout, I always put away 1400-1600 calories. I think what they are saying is right.
Keep in touch!
Oh yes youd be right on the head with that one. I was diagnosed with chronic depression just over a year ago. I've tried a couple of meds but they dont work. They take away the anger and the sadness, but replace it with nothingness. And I cant stand that. The depression will also be addressed in my visit with the dr!6 -
SarahMWong15 wrote: »candylilacs wrote: »You sound depressed. I was depressed, but it wasn’t all sadness. Depression masks angry/irritable at the same time. Oh, I was angry at my husband and my cats. My stressors: my job, fertility problems, money problems, made it so I had to go on something (Celexa), or I had to be facing a divorce.
I’m not prescribing you something, but it may help if you saw a professional. Perhaps meditation, perhaps over the counter may help you (5-HTP can get you meditation ready).
When I have a big workout, I always put away 1400-1600 calories. I think what they are saying is right.
Keep in touch!
Oh yes youd be right on the head with that one. I was diagnosed with chronic depression just over a year ago. I've tried a couple of meds but they dont work. They take away the anger and the sadness, but replace it with nothingness. And I cant stand that. The depression will also be addressed in my visit with the dr!
Unfortunately meds don't work for quite a lot of people (this isn't a judgment or a reason not to try them, it just is what it is). That said, do think about also finding a therapist if you haven't done so already4
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