It is normal to a point. When I used to swim for exercise it tired me out a lot more than other exercise -- something about your body having to work harder to keep you warm in the water, maybe? -- but eventually I got strong enough that it didn't completely zap my energy every time.

I'd say give it a little while yet, and if it doesn't get any better talk to your doctor.

First off congrats on losing over 50 pounds, that's amazing!

Secondly with your calories and excercise I think you should feel great, maybe time to make a doctor's appointment and see if anything is going on?

I hope it gets better.

Angie

Is this something that has only started with the exercise? Give it a few weeks, see how you do. Make sure you are taking a multivitamin and that you are getting enough Iron and B vitamins as well. Also make sure you aren't dehydrating yourself. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night and give it time. If it still feels this way after about 3 weeks, I would see a doctor and make sure there isn't something else going on.

What kinds of snacks are you eating?

Snacks that have a decent amount of carbs and protein should help. The carbs will give you the energy boost (just dont' over do it!) and the protein will keep you from crashing. Some examples are yogurt (Breyers Light is only 80cals), light string cheese paired with celery w/peanut butter.

Overall I have days where I'm dragging my butt around and other days where I'm chipper and full of energy. I try to work out until those lovely endorphins kick in, but sometimes they just don't and it ends up being a rough day.

Definitly a good idea. Carbs for energy before work out and protein after to help rebuild those muscles.

You should definitely see your doctor. Your lethargy could be due to an iron deficiency. A couple of years ago, I was literally dragging my butt around all day long no matter how much sleep/exercise/good food I got. I went to the doctor, had some blood tests done and my iron level was down to 9 - my dr said that 24 or 25 is considered low, so I was really low. I started taking iron supplements every day and it's made a huge difference.

If it's that bad I agree to see a doctor- you may have something you don't know about causing you fatigue. I went with almost a whole YEAR of constant fatigue before I finally figured out that I had sleep apnea!

I'm going to agree with what everyone else has said - primarily make sure you are properly hydrated (I'm also in CO, so I know how dry it is here!) and also checking in with your doctor. There are some medical things it could be and best to get those ruled out.

But great that you are keeping up with these classes and losing weight, despite feeling so tired. Now you just need to figure what's going on so you can feel great too!

I recently seem to have fixed my fatigue problem. I was eating Slim Fast, protein bars and Lean Cuisines. I was a bit on the constipated side. Since cutting out those foods and eating only "real" foods, my energy has sky rocketed and I'm no longer constipated. I bring this up just in case any of that sounds familiar. I thought my fatigue was from low calories, but it wasn't.

Good for you! That's great news!

I agree that a check up is in order. You should have MORE energy from exercising and losing all the weight. There are a number of things that can cause fatigue that you should look into. And I agree that you need to really check your hydration.

This happened to me during my weight loss when I wasn't getting enough protein in my diet. Try aiming for 100 grams a day and see if you feel better.

And it's always good to get checked for anemia, etc., with your doctor. I thought that might be the problem, but it wasn't.

Jay

In my case, the severe fatigue is Seasonal Affective Disorder. Has it just started during the winter months? Getting less sunshine/daylight? For me, every year around Dec/Jan I feel like hibernating and lose my energy. Not sure if this might be an issue for you but thought I'd mention it. I am dealing with it by taking multivitamins, extra D3, and sitting in front of a light therapy box 20 minutes each morning. It does help.