Overly Tired?
 

Well its been about a month on the 1500 calorie diet. I think I am doing pretty good and although I am still have trouble with non stop walking for more then 15 mins, the BL challenge has made me push myself and today I went straight for an hour and 22 mins! (granted i felt like i was guna pass out haha).

Anyhoo, since i started the lower calories and excessive (to me) walking i feel like I am ALWAYS tired. Like everyday I want to sleep longer and go to bed earlier. Hmmm... Now I think about it, its more like a weak feeling then a tired feeling. Okay let me give you an example of how I feel....

You know that groggy feeling you get RIGHT when you wake up... The one that begs you to say in bed an extra 10 mins? I feel that ALL day until its time to go to bed.

Any suggestions or advice on how I can get rid of this feeling?

1) eat more fruits and veggies. Whatever amount you are eating, increase it. Dark leafy greens are great!
2) double check your protein intake.
3) Stay away from processed foods and refined sugars.

I agree with Rissa

Also, taking a multivitiam helps me a lot. I take the one a day energy one it seems to give me more energy through the day, when I don't take it I can definitely feel the difference. You can always try that!

Thanks! I hate greens, but the rest of your advice I will take :hug:

Which vitamins do you take? :hug:

One a day energy, they are in the green package. if you take them make sure you take them with food, or else you will feel sick. Same goes for any vitamin I guess though :)

THANKS! :hug: I will go to walmart today and pick some up! :carrot:

I am not an expert (none of us are really haha) but I would strongly suggest starting at a higher calorie level. For your weight especially, you can definitely eat more and still lose weight. I eat around 1500, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, I weigh less than you, and I'm still losing weight. I really think that maybe if you aren't eating enough food, it could be causing you to be tired. Just another little idea :)

It also sounds like you need more carbs...

Carbs aren't evil, they're energy. Having whole grain bread or brown rice may help your energy level.

I also agree with the vitamins and fruits/veggies.

Another thing - WATER WATER WATER - just keep drinking it. Sometimes when we're groggy its our body tellling us that we're dehydrated.

1500 calories is pretty sufficient to still lose weight and remain healthy I think. My mom is pretty heavy (260s/270s) and she's joined an official group and 1500 is what "the experts" at the weightloss retreat put her on.

problem with carbs is they don't fill you up! And they make you MOAR HUNGRY!

I've been doing SO WELL and then I LITERALLY AT A HALF OF A LARGE PIZZA the other day! I just canNOT handle carbs (especially stuffed crust pizza....)

Fruity carbs though, like APPLES are a GREAT source of mini-energy boosts midday. I also do a lot of protein, have you tried vitamin-enriched Vanilla Soy Milk? I buy the Costco version, Kirkland Organic. LO-O-O-VE it!

It depends on the type of carbs - whole grains will fill you up. Eating white flour, not so much.

Or at least its worked for me...

I have had alot of people tell me that 1500 calories is a good amount. Many of those people are in the health care profession. One person (my aunt) works with a doctor and he believes that lowering my calorie intake this dramatically will help me in the long run. I will try to explain it the way he did...

Because this weight loss is a lifestyle change, he believes I should get into the habit of only eating to survive (and occasionally to celebrate). Which if you think about it, is what food should be used for anyways. Food is awesome, and people eat for reasons that they arn't supposed to (which is why they gain weight). People eat because they are bored, because they are sad, happy, lonely, etc... But people don't realize that they are depending too much on food for all the wrong reasons... You can compare eating to drugs, alcohol, and anything else that is ultimately destructive. The only difference is, we NEED food to survive. But we only need a certain amount of food...

Dramatically decreasing my calorie intake now, instead of slowly lowering it, will help me get into the habit of my new lifestyle sooner. Let me break it down...

Option 1: Slowly lowering calorie intake over a number a years with your body having to get used to a new calorie intake amount each time you change it...
Option 2: Start off with the lowest amount of calories and take 1-2 months for your body to adjust to it.

Option 2 is my choice. I know some of you wont agree with me, and maybe none of you will, but everyone has their own opinions and ways they PERSONALLY want to lose the weight.

I started dieting maybe a week before I joined this forum at 307 lbs. and when I joined I was down to 304. It has been a month and I am down to 297 lbs. as of today. 10 pounds down and I am no longer starving all the time. The only problem I am having is being overly tired which is where I am hoping these multivitamins come in. *waves to Jessica :hug: *

I will totally admit that IT WAS HARD to reduce my calories that much since I was easily eating 3000+ calories a day before I started, but it was and will be all worth it in the end.

Like I said, not everyone will agree with me here and some of you might even get angry at this (i hope not lol I dont want to start a war) but just remember, everyone has different views on things and their own way to succeed in their weight loss.

Thanks everyone for the wonderful advice, :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: I plan on listening to 99% of it.

You guys ROCK :cheer2: :cheer3:

EDIT: BTW, i messed up in the original post and corrected it. It has been about a month on the diet not a week. Also, I eat between 1200-1700 per day. Not exactly 1500 everyday.

Also, I'm not sure how old your DD is, but if you are nursing her, you will need WAY more calories to account for that. If not, disregard!

I also second the water comment :)

:hug: Shes 19 months old, so no I am not nursing her but Thanks for the concern. :hug:

I think 1200-1700 is a good plan :)

Eat healthy and listen to your body. I think Dr Oz said that you are the world's best expert on yourself.

There is a lot of information out there. Educate yourself and do what is best for you! (and eat your greens :) )

Have you tried a greens smoothie? It is greens and berries. If you have the right ratio of fruit and greens, you won't really taste the greens.

I get daily emails from Brad Pilon and he said something I found interesting.

'And don’t let other people try to push what’s important to them into becoming what’s important to you.
The term “It’s all relative” is true. But to make it even truer (if that’s a word) it should be…
“It’s all relative to you” The rest doesn’t really matter.'

When I first started cutting calories, I was always exhausted too! I was a grouchy tired bear for a couple of weeks. :-P A lot of this has already beens aid, but here's what helped me:

Up the fruits and veggies. WAY UP. At least 5 a day if not 7 or 8 up. I eat a ton of oranges (Clementines, actually), bananas, and pineapples. Yes, high sugar and sometimes high carb, but full of nutrients like vitamin C and potassium. Bananas are also super filling.

Are you getting enough protein? I live an almost vegetarian existence, and even when I wasn't dieting, I got tired when I wasn't getting enough protein. Lean meats, fish, eggs, peanut butter, nuts, lentils, and beans are all great ways to get lean protein and good fats.

More water. More water. More water. It's weird, but when I'm hydrated, I'm perkier and more energetic. It also means that I rarely retain water, even through my TOM. I'm fanatic about 3L a day.

I would also start paying attention to what you're eating before and after your walks. Just after the walk is a great time to eat some protein (greek yogurt?) and a few carbs so that your spent muscles have something to recover with, especially as you're pushing yourself hard (and awesome that you're doing that, BTW!).

Everyone's body is different. Everyone has a different calorie level for weight loss. Everyone needs a different diet. Stella and I need carbs. Other people avoid them like the plague. You may not need 3L of water a day. Maybe you need 2L, or 4L. I can't handle weight loss of more than a pound a week. Some people aren't happy unless they're regularly dropping 3 or 4.

Now that you're successfuly on your way, it's probably time to start experimenting. This thread is full of great ideas, but now you've got to figure out what works best for you? Good luck!

Cut out the refined sugars and starches!

Sugar makes me feel like you describe. It's yuck.

Good luck!