[Eurus]

They say when you start working out and eating healthy you're going to feel alot better, and have a lot more energy.
Well, I did. For a while. But now.. Im just started to feel worn out and tired. Im also hungry a lot, which I wasnt earlier, even tho Im eating the same things.
I work out for about an hour or more everyday, 7 days a week. I eat just about a thousand calories a day + dinner. (I dont count calories, I watch what I eat everyday, and then eat just about anything for dinner. But if its not as healthy as I want it to be, then I'll eat less, so its never THAT many calories) I am 5,4'' and weigh 158.8.
I also treat myself something good once every weekend. Just to keep me motivated. Last weekend I ate chocolate cake with no sugar, 40% less calories, 75% less carbs and 10% fiber.
Besides dinner I eat salads, yoghurts, oatmeal, nuts. And I only drink water. Its kinda hard to stick to a diet or eating healthy when you are starving! Today at work I was so hungry that I couldnt resist a roll covered in sugar.. And we all know that wont make the matter any better..

So why Im I tired and starving? Do I work out too much? Do I eat too much or too little? Might it be the treats during the weekends that has something to do with it?

And what can I do to change this? What gives YOU more energy?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be good. Thanks.

[bopbot]

Rest days are as important to a healthy exercise schedule as the days of exercise themselves. Your body needs time to recuperate from exercise. Give yourself a day or two off from working out, and then schedule yourself 1 or 2 rest days without a workout in your week.

With all the exercise you're getting, you may be in a caloric deficit too low for you to maintain. If you keep it up, you may crash and burn, stop exercising altogether, stop dieting, and gain back the weight that you've lost. Try logging your calories consumed by eating and burned through exercise with a calorie counting app like the DailyPlate on Livestrong.com. If you're logging a caloric deficit greater than 500 per day, you may be setting yourself up for exhaustion and ultimately failure.

[Eurus]

I guess Im just too worried Im not going to lose as much as I want to. And I've been working out everyday for almost two months now. I feel like its just like giving up, If Im going to rest now.. And also worried that if I take a day off, I might not be as motivated the next day.

Im not sure what to do right now tho. Not exercise for a day or two? Eat more?

[Em123]

You work out every single day for an hour?! That's amazing... maybe you should incorporate rest days... just have one day off from now on or until you're feeling perky again.

How long have you been feeling this tired for? Could be a phase?

[Eurus]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate you telling me this.

[astrophe]

I agree -- you need eat more for that level of activity and plan in some rest days. Are you getting enough sleep? Not getting vitamin or mineral defficient?


It doesn't have to be ZERO activity. Just... lower intensity.

Like take a nice walk in the park after dinner. Not to burn X calories or walk Y miles at Z pace. Just to smell the roses and look at the clouds!

Or garden. Or clean the house. So your home feels like a loving place to be in. Do some yoga and listen to meditation tapes. Whatever floats your boat.

It isn't giving up on body fitness goals -- it's being better balanced across mind-body-heart-and-spirit. You are a whole beautiful human person -- not just a body. Taking care of the body layer is important, but so's taking care of the rest of you.

Your body is telling you it can't go at this pace -- you are tired and low on energy. LISTEN.

A.

[bopbot]

Originally Posted by Eurus

I guess Im just too worried Im not going to lose as much as I want to. And I've been working out everyday for almost two months now. I feel like its just like giving up, If Im going to rest now.. And also worried that if I take a day off, I might not be as motivated the next day.

Im not sure what to do right now tho. Not exercise for a day or two? Eat more?

Successful weight loss is not about how quickly you lose weight. It's about losing weight sustainably and maintaining your goal weight once you've reached it.

Take it from someone who has lost 40+ pounds twice in the span of 4-5 months. Those months were some of the most miserable of my life. I was constantly starving; I ruined relationships and friendships because my exhaustion from undereating and overexercising made me irritable and moody; and at the end of it all, when the weight was gone, I couldn't maintain. After months of starving myself at 800-1000 calories a day, I lost control. I ate everything in sight and dropped exercise entirely.

If you're constantly exhausted, you're crash dieting and you cannot sustain it. Even if you do make it to the end, as I did, you'll drop immediately back into old habits because you'll be so relieved it's over. Please avoid this. Know how many calories you need to put into your body for healthy and sustainable weight loss. Give your body time to rest. You won't stop losing weight because you start eating more. You may do it more slowly, but it's worth it.

And, above all, don't worry about the time it takes you to get to the weight you want. It's not about how quickly you get to your ideal weight; it's about being able to keep yourself in a body you love for the rest of your life.

[Eurus]

Only for a few days. Might be just a phase, yeah. Or I might sleep too much or too little. I guess theres plenty of things that can affect my energy level.

I think I might rest tonight. Go to bed early. Then see if its any better tomorrow. Being tired is one thing. Starving is a totally different problem tho.
Definitely gotta stay away from sugar. If Im hungry at work, I guess I should eat some fruit or vegetables instead.

[Eurus]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate you telling me this.

[sontaikle]

I admire you for being so dedicated, but your body does need rest. I exercise for at least an hour, sometimes 2 or more but I give my body one rest day a week and I feel so much better. If you don't want to completely take the day off, consider doing something not as intense one or two days a week (a walk or a leisurely bike ride maybe).

If you're exercising intensely 7 days a week then you'd be surprised at how many calories you really do need just to maintain that level of exercise and still lose weight safely. For reference: I've been unintentionally losing weight eating in the range of 1600-2000 calories a day when mainly sticking to the 1800-2000 range. I lost a pound a week, so my deficit is at least 500 calories a day...meaning I probably need to eat an average of over 2000 calories to maintain my weight...at 116 pounds!

[Eurus]

Sontaikle: Yeah, thats a lot! And thank, Im really trying to stay dedicated and motivated, and Im scared what if I slip up, Im going to mess it all up.
I guess I might be trying a bit too hard tho. And that might eventually "kill" me..

BUT, Tonight. Instead of exercising, I used a facial scrub and scrubed my face until it was nice and smooth. Then I shaved my legs, changed the sheets on my bed, and made my salad that I eat for lunch tomorrow.
Now Im going to eat something, watch a TV show, and make sure I go to bed early.

[Riestrella]

When you exercise more, you need to eat more, simple as that. Your body works like a fire - the fire is your metabolism, the fuel is food and the air is exercise. The more you exercise, the more food you need to eat to fuel your body.

I work out 6 days a week for 40-60 minutes with 1 rest day and 1 recovery workout. I needed to bump up my calories to compensate when I began, I eat about 1700 a day and I still lose weight. Food is fuel - you need to fuel your body for your exercise.

[Eurus]

1700 calories, and you are still losing weight? Woah, thats pretty good. Cant complain about that. I guess Im just eating too little then. I just dont feel like I can slow down tho, or eat more. Guess Im getting kinda addicted to this whole thing. I think Im going to start with adding a rest day to my week. And then just take it from there.

[ValRock]

Hang back on the exercise a bit. You don't want to throw yourself into adrenal fatigue. Your body can only take so much before it says "I give up!!". Remember, weight loss is not a 100 yard dash to the finish, it's a marathon you'll run your whole life. You simply cannot maintain with that much activity and so few calories. No wonder you're burned out!

Take care of yourself, eat well, cut back on the gym time. You'll get there!! Beating yourself up physically won't make it happen any faster, trust me!

[Eurus]

Thanks. Its hard tho. Im scared that If I start eating more, then I wont be able to stop. And Im also worried about gaining again.
I just wanna keep going. I've seen such great results in a short period of time. I dont really wanna change anything.
Im sure you all know what I mean, right?
I got a new job tho. Start working there Monday. so I am going to change my lunch. Its going to be tougher there, so I wont be able to eat just a salad. So I guess thats another step in the right direction.