Did anyone here get depressed after working out?

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hibee_rye
hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am just curious. I was told, by numerous people, that going to the gym and working out would increase my endorphins and let me have more energy so I joined a gym for three months this year. I went the whole hog, three/four times a week and got one of the trainers to give me a work out routine and eating plan...

After three months I had to give up. I was grumpy and irritable to the point of loosing my temper, I was depressed and aggravated and i ended up having to sleep for longer just to function - sometimes taking a nap during the day which I never have to do - whilst always feeling exhausted and tired.

Once I gave up there was a change almost immediately. I was happier, sleeping far more regularly and full of energy. Although I lost weight at the gym, I have lost more weight on myFitnessPal... Leaving the gym, in my mind, was the best thing I ever did!

Just wondering if I am a freak or if anyone else has had a similar experience, cause everyone I tell this too tells me I am just 'not doing it right' or 'the endorphins will kick in, you just have to wait'. I await responses eagerly... Lol
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Replies

  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    sounds like you have other issues going on..
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
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    I wonder if you were eating enough, especially after a workout. If I don't eat enough and I push hard in a workout I am definitely tired and grumpy! Also, I wonder if what you were eating gave you enough nutrients - I think being vitamin D deficient (? Maybe it's one of the vitamin Bs?) magnifies the effect of needing energy replacement after a workout.
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    Lol. Thanks xraychick77
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
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    I agree, you must have something else happening. Exercise should not make you feel so bad. Have you talked to a doctor?
  • ohmissemily
    ohmissemily Posts: 73 Member
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    ive been like that. i dont like working out period, but to get what i want in the end it has to be done. i would get irriated to the point of being b!tichy, yelling, behaving like a silly 2 yr old b/c i just didnt want to workout. and feeling sleep deprived was one of the faults of the new lifestyle change also. i hate it. i hate it today. but oh well ima sleep and itll be another day. but in the end doing it your way consistently knowing your making positive changes slowly but surely while still be ing able to keep your sanity is what matters the most. make it work for you, not you work for it.
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    I wonder if you were eating enough, especially after a workout. If I don't eat enough and I push hard in a workout I am definitely tired and grumpy! Also, I wonder if what you were eating gave you enough nutrients - I think being vitamin D deficient (? Maybe it's one of the vitamin Bs?) magnifies the effect of needing energy replacement after a workout.

    Interesting idea, although I was eating a balanced died with vitamin supplements... As far as eating enough - I can only say I went by the trainer's plan... And also went back to him with the problem, we tried different things...
  • jazzybean1
    jazzybean1 Posts: 113
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    That would suck!! Exercise is def how i get rid of the stress, lol! You probably have a deficiency/imbalance in vitamins & minerals...they can do a blood test to see...If it made me feel like that I wouldn't want to do it either, but it's worth getting some stuff checked!
  • whatwentwrong
    whatwentwrong Posts: 228
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    hmm, that's really interesting! both good diet and exercise are supposed to relieve your depression, and they've been working for me really well. i've never heard of it working the other way around :/
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    I agree, you must have something else happening. Exercise should not make you feel so bad. Have you talked to a doctor?

    As far as I am aware I don't... (although now I am wondering! Lol)

    I can only say it really did seem to gravitate round my exercise time. Once I stopped at the gym I was happy as Larry! Tahanks for the concern though! :)
  • rikisue206
    rikisue206 Posts: 99 Member
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    I would be curious to see if you had any additional health issues that you are not aware of. With that said, if you do not love or even like the exercise that you are doing it will not stick and will make you unhappy. It becomes more of a job instead of something that you enjoy. Not to mention going to a gym can have a down side too. I did the same thing that you did and had the sample feelings. It was very hard for me to go and see people that were in shape and that had more stamina that me. I am not sure if that is what was making you unhappy, but maybe you could look back at some of the environmental things around that time and see if they are a factor.

    Either way I am glad to hear you found MFP, are enjoying it, and that it is working for you!
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    ive been like that. i dont like working out period, but to get what i want in the end it has to be done. i would get irriated to the point of being b!tichy, yelling, behaving like a silly 2 yr old b/c i just didnt want to workout. and feeling sleep deprived was one of the faults of the new lifestyle change also. i hate it. i hate it today. but oh well ima sleep and itll be another day. but in the end doing it your way consistently knowing your making positive changes slowly but surely while still be ing able to keep your sanity is what matters the most. make it work for you, not you work for it.

    Finally! Someone who knows my pain! Lol. Seriously though, thanks!
  • paper_doll_
    paper_doll_ Posts: 64
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    Not every form of exercise or eating plan will work the same for everyone.

    I know for me, I feel super pumped after an intense workout. I feel amazing and on a natural high.

    Having been morbidly obese and trying many forms of exercise and eating plans, as well as being a nurse, and seeing the ways that different therapies work for different people, I can honestly say I do not believe that one approach to weight loss will work for everyone. It seems not all that strange that you may have a different reaction to exercise than other people.

    HOWEVER, it would be worth having it followed up. Perhaps there is some metabolic imbalance or enzyme/nutrient deficiency that was contributing to you feeling that way. Perhaps you just weren't refuelling effectively after exercise which will leave you feeling tired and blah.
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    hmm, that's really interesting! both good diet and exercise are supposed to relieve your depression, and they've been working for me really well. i've never heard of it working the other way around :/

    I know! That's what people say to me! Lol. I know it works for some folk, but it just seemed to be the opposite for me. (so keep working out! Lol)
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    That would suck!! Exercise is def how i get rid of the stress, lol! You probably have a deficiency/imbalance in vitamins & minerals...they can do a blood test to see...If it made me feel like that I wouldn't want to do it either, but it's worth getting some stuff checked!

    I had been to the docs before going to the gym... It was her that recommended that I try gym. No addition health problems and since I seemed to return to normal and do better when I stopped going to the gym there didn't seem to be any reason to go back to her, if that makes sense...
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    Not every form of exercise or eating plan will work the same for everyone.
    I know for me, I feel super pumped after an intense workout. I feel amazing and on a natural high.

    Having been morbidly obese and trying many forms of exercise and eating plans, as well as being a nurse, and seeing the ways that different therapies work for different people, I can honestly say I do not believe that one approach to weight loss will work for everyone. It seems not all that strange that you may have a different reaction to exercise than other people.

    HOWEVER, it would be worth having it followed up. Perhaps there is some metabolic imbalance or enzyme/nutrient deficiency that was contributing to you feeling that way. Perhaps you just weren't refuelling effectively after exercise which will leave you feeling tired and blah.

    Thanks for that... If I find I want to go back to exercise of that nature I may go back to docs. At the moment, things are dandy-o so it seems a bit needless to bother our busy doctor surgery...
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
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    I wonder if you were eating enough, especially after a workout. If I don't eat enough and I push hard in a workout I am definitely tired and grumpy! Also, I wonder if what you were eating gave you enough nutrients - I think being vitamin D deficient (? Maybe it's one of the vitamin Bs?) magnifies the effect of needing energy replacement after a workout.

    Interesting idea, although I was eating a balanced died with vitamin supplements... As far as eating enough - I can only say I went by the trainer's plan... And also went back to him with the problem, we tried different things...

    I have to say I'm not a huge fan of vitamin supplements (except maybe prenatal, but even then there is mixed evidence). A lot of times you are much better off getting your vitamins from food, because a lot of vitamins work most effectively with other micronutrients (ie, calcium and vitamin D work in tandem to help the other get absorbed). Also, your body can only absorb so much of each vitamin at a time - somewhere between 10% and 25% of your recommended daily value, depending on which vitamin and what else you've taken with it. Supplements that give you 300% of this vitamin and 200% of that vitamin means your kidney just has more "waste" product to get rid of (because your body can't absorb any more at that time) and you're just peeing your vitamins (and the money you spent on the supplements) away.

    Also, I don't think trainers are always the best source for diet guidelines - they can take a class one weekend and call themselves a "nutritionist". Not saying that was the case for you, but I do strongly feel that eating the net amount MFP recommends (ie, eating back your exercise calories) is eating more than most trainers would recommend, but also safer, healthier, and more likely to be successful. (Though you say you tried different things; maybe you did try that.)
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    I agree that there may be some medical issue you don't know about. I have a hard time after exercising - I can never do it early in the day or I have no energy and need a long nap. My problem is that I am Insulin Resistant and so my body doesn't release energy normally. The solution for me is to exercise in the evening. You could also have something up with your thyroid, which is easily treatable. It wouldn't hurt to have a physical and complete blood workup to see if there is something else going on.

    Note that Insulin Resistance is diagnosed with a very specific test. It doesn't show up in regular blood work.
  • christarowan
    christarowan Posts: 1
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    Exercising used to make me feel exactly the same way you described - especially the part about having to nap just to be able to do anything else in the day. I have since found out that I have sleep apnea and now that it is being treated, I can most of the time function like most normal people even after exercising. You might want to consider looking into it......I should add that although I am overweight, I am not terribly huge - sleep apnea apparently affects more people than you would expect. Just an idea for you.
  • hibee_rye
    hibee_rye Posts: 18 Member
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    I would be curious to see if you had any additional health issues that you are not aware of. With that said, if you do not love or even like the exercise that you are doing it will not stick and will make you unhappy. It becomes more of a job instead of something that you enjoy. Not to mention going to a gym can have a down side too. I did the same thing that you did and had the sample feelings. It was very hard for me to go and see people that were in shape and that had more stamina that me. I am not sure if that is what was making you unhappy, but maybe you could look back at some of the environmental things around that time and see if they are a factor.

    Either way I am glad to hear you found MFP, are enjoying it, and that it is working for you!

    Never thought of that... It is a bit embarrassing (you are right) being surrounded by the beach goddesses exercising away when you are a slovenly 27 year old guy! Although I have to admit, being married to a stunning and beautiful woman is the main reason I am trying to look a bit better so I don't really know why folk at the gym would bother me? Maybe it did though... I dunno... Thanks though! :)
  • zooflute
    zooflute Posts: 50
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    It's funny I should see this thread because I was just thinking about this the other day. I used to get really pissy or feel down during/after working out/going to the gym or any kind of exercise. I thought it was just bringing out testosterone or something. But then, I've always had mild, chronic depression. Most people don't even notice. I'd generally feel better from exercising, but i'd NEVER get the "endorphin rush" everyone would talk about.

    Since starting Prozac, I've noticed that I actually enjoy jogging. I'm much more patient with myself, too.

    I'm NOT saying you need an SSRI, but you might ask your doc specifically about feeling grouchy after working out. Maybe you're just pushing yourself too hard or expecting too much?

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