diet/ excercise/ fatigue

booitsk8
booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
:frown: started the diet 5 months ago and swimming shortly after. since starting the gym i am so tired that i sleep for a minimum of 2 hrs after each session. what am i doing wrong?

Replies

  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
    What is your calorie intake? It's possible that you're not getting enough fuel for your muscles, which is making you over tired. If it's not that then I'd suggest you see a doctor. There could be an underlying problem that can be treated.
  • Cazzy34
    Cazzy34 Posts: 159 Member
    I don't think you are doing anything wrong! Do you eat anything before or after your gym session? Maybe you should ask your doctor, just in case. I think if you are new to the gym it might be just your body adjusting, it might get better as you get fitter :)

    I get the same but i have a few health problems so i could probably put my exhaustion down to that!

    Good luck xx
  • booitsk8
    booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
    thank you ladies. i have 1310 cals a day and then add half the cals i earn to my daily allowance. i eat before and after the gym too. i do have spinal stenosis (reason for loosing the weight in the first place) but i generally cope with that pretty well. im just so tired that i can hardly drive back from the gym without falling asleep at the wheel. perhaps i should re-evaluate the whole thing. im in danger at the moment of starting eating far to much because as well as being tired, im also starving....o dear...how can it go so wrong after loosing 48lbs? thanks again ladies xx
  • soygurl
    soygurl Posts: 44 Member
    What is your gym routine like? Maybe you're trying to do to much to quickly, or doing things in the wrong order?
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    congrats on your loss so far.

    in addition to checking you calorie content, also check out the macros especially since you're exercising. when you exercise the food you eat is used for both fuel and repair, so if what you're eating offers your body very little of either then you're going to be very sleepy post workout.

    for instance one of the worst post workout experiences i had was when i exercised on 800 calories worth of movie popcorn. i was TIRED and had to sleep. even working out fasted doesnt leave me feeling like that.

    another thing is to look at your nightly sleep. if you arent getting enough rest at night then exercising is definitely going to tire you out.

    also the fact that you're starving might be a sign that you're not getting enough sleep in general
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    I am assuming that you are eating some sort of balanced diet of whole grains, protein, good carbs, fruit and verggies and not something like Nutrisystems.

    It is easy to fatigue working out 6 or 7 days a week. I can only go for 3 weeks at that pace, and then I need an extra rest day. If you are sleeping enough (7+ hours) and eating enough, then rest is a great idea. You can just walk so you get some burn, but keep it light. If that isn't working, I suggest getting some blood work. Things change when you lose that much.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Just take a nap; I seldom miss my afternoon siesta. :yawn:
  • Tracey0013
    Tracey0013 Posts: 154 Member
    it sounds like you need to up the amount of food you eat each day. Look at your tdee and you bmr and see what your max and minimum would be. There are some people that know a lot more about it than I do. But if you are hungry it's your body telling you something.
  • Milette812
    Milette812 Posts: 32
    Severe fatigue like you are describing is not normal. Make an appointment and go talk to your doctor about this. You could have a problem with a number of things that could cause this like thyroid problem, blood sugar, etc. Only a doctor could know but it is something to get checked out.
  • SusieQ103
    SusieQ103 Posts: 27
    I battle fatigue but its thyroid related. I'm learning how to better fuel, hydrate my body. And most days, I have to push thru it but find it's worth the push. Don't give up! You've accomplished so much! Also, try liquid B12 with your doc's ok.
  • booitsk8
    booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
    thank you again everyone for replying.
    i dont know what macros is...sorry :( . but, i do have a pretty good diet generally. its just that when i come out of the gym feeling so tired and hungry, i binge on bread and anything else i can get my hands on. i started loosing weight in jan and thats when i started swimming too. i started at the gym 4 weeks ago. so i do 50 mins cardio, and then 30-45 mins swimming. thats 3 times a week. but its definately since i started in the gym that the problem has started. i thought i was doing so well and now i seem to have hit a brick wall as, although im not gaining weight....i havent lost any for a couple of weeks either. perhaps i just need to stop moaning and just get on with it lol.
    thanks everyone xx
  • naner61
    naner61 Posts: 85
    Make sure to check how long you are working out as well! I know for me if I am biking longer than 60 minutes I have to have a banana and a few nuts and water, otherwise I bonk ( that is what they call it in the biking world when you can't do anything but lay down after a workout) You need a little something carby to replace the glycogen in your muscles. Good idea to get checked out by the doctor to make sure you are not low in iron! :smile:
  • booitsk8
    booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
    yes, youre right. i think i will see the doc, thank you. i dont want to go to much more off track. i excercise aprox 1 hour 40 mins 3 times a week....doesnt sound much when i read it on here but i havent done anything in 6 years so maybe im just getting it wrong. thank you xx
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    try this link to figure out how much you should be eating to support your exercise http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • booitsk8
    booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
    oh, great, thank you. i'll look at that now. have you all had similar problems? xx
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
    I get tired if i've just started new exercise routine or added to what I was already doing. I just make sure i'm eating enough to support it, getting my proper protein, drinking my 8 glasses (or more if I need) of water per day and getting my 8 hours minimum sleep and usually my energy will come back :)
  • neaneawy
    neaneawy Posts: 146 Member
    I am in the same place as you. I've lost 44 so far. I'm 6lbs from a healthy BMI. Almost a month ago I decided to really challenge myself and start focusing on fitness. I started 30DS and C25K. I alternate the two programs 6 days a week and take 1 day of rest. I lost 2.5 lbs the first week, gained 2 the next, lost one week 3, and this week nothing so far. Week 2 and 3 I was experiencing extreme fatigue. I decided this week to up my cals to only 1 lb per week weightloss. I do eat back my exercise cals. Now I'm eating around 1800 cals per day. I feel like I'm eating way too much, but I'm not tired anymore. Still no weightloss, but I'm going to give it more time. I'm considering taking a couple days off for rest too. I'm hoping I have a lot of water retention from the increased workouts. I wish I would have taken measurements at the beginning.
  • booitsk8
    booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
    yes, i totally understand. i feel like if im not sleeping, i want to be eating. im really struggling with what to do for the best. ive never been this tired in my life, and i had 2 babies in 13 months lol. maybe its got something to do with my age too? i dont know. im going to go to the docs and just get checked out and then i think im going to go back to my gym and talk to someone there. i cant go on like this but feel like i was ready for more than just swimming....maybe i was just wrong xx
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    he other thing i noticed is that a lot cardio (especially the slow and steady kind) increases my appetite and also makes me crave more sugar and carbs.

    that's just something to keeping mind considering that all of your workouts are cardio in nature
  • booitsk8
    booitsk8 Posts: 30 Member
    oh ok...thats interesting. thank you xx

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