[Lexi042]

Hi all,

It is week 3, day 3 of EFS and the last few days I don't have the energy to get the proper cardio in. Before this diet, I was running on the treadmill for 40 minutes 4x/week plus rollerblading or doing the elliptical 2 or 3 times a week with a ton of energy to spare. Now, all I can seem to manage is walking for the allotted time.

I'm eating everything on the plan plus my snacks and am taking a multi-vitamin. I've lost 4 pounds so far and am going to stick it out until the end of week 3.

Anybody else feeling the same? Any suggestions on how to increase my energy level? I do love this diet overall because of the healthy eating but know I can't sustain this low amount of calories for much longer.

[Quiltz]

I had the same problem you did. I was already a vigorous and frequent exerciser before EFS so I probably had more muscle mass to feed than someone who never exercised before so maybe that has something to do with it. I typically have 3 snacks instead of 2, that helps too and since I started doing that I've broken my plateau and started to lose more again. I have one snack or a meal just before exercising and another right after. The weakness resolved itself sometime after I was in the middle of the 2nd rotation of the cycles and now I seldom have it except when I am repeating the first few days of cycle 1.

Hope this helps!

[Lexi042]

Thanks Quiltz,

I also decided to go up to 3 snacks a day a couple of days ago. I think that I also need to think about the snacks I'm eating and making sure that they aren't all empty calories so I can get the most energy out of everything I eat.

I agree with what you are saying and it makes a lot of sense. I hope I can make it through. PMS is just around the corner and that always decreases my energy level. I don't know if I can handle that plus this diet at the same time. I really miss my treadmill runs. Wish me luck!

[Quiltz]

My favorite snack is 12 raw almonds. For some reason, that really satisfies and works well pre or post workout. The worst snacks for me are fruit and/or vegetables. A little hummus on a wasa crisp cracker is another one that works well for me.

I had expected PMS to be hard to get through, but interestingly enough I had almost no PMS at all. What a bonus! I think the high calcium and low sugar and caffeine aspect of the diet really helps with the cravings and hormone swings.

[Lexi042]

I'm with you about PMS. On the month's that I eat very healthy and exercise alot, it's pretty much non-existent.

Yesterday, I ate everything I was supposed to plus scrambled egg whites twice plus a third snack (Peanut butter on a slice of light ww bread) and feel like a new woman today. I think I'm over the hump. Also got on the scale this morning to find that I am down another 0.4 pounds for a total of 4.4 pounds in 17 days. I'm going to stick with it.

Thanks for your helpful advice. I was ready to give up yesterday when I felt so weak until I read your posting!

[darkjq]

I was on the EFS and loved it, but it took everything that I had to keep my eyes open and not feel sluggish, so I eventually switched to FS and I am doing great, I never feel hungry anymore and now I have a lot more energy to get me through the day, go to the gym and then go home and cook dinner. I think that if you are going to stay on this lifestyle then I would start with FS.

[Lexi042]

darkjg, I am going to stay on EFS for at least a couple more weeks and then am going to follow the principles of the regular fat smash. The food choices are pretty close to what I normally eat except I wouldn't mind a big fat dessert every day lol.