Did you know that there are identifiable physical symptoms that go along with fat loss? This is something that I learned from Leigh Peele's blog a while back (she's a fat loss specialist and trainer) and thought I would share. Currently, I'm having some of these symptoms myself, so partly this is about commiseration

Symptoms of fat loss include:

-- Hunger (duh)
-- Muscle aches, even when not exercising
-- Tiredness/fatigue
-- Or, extra energy
-- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep
-- Moodiness and irritability, especially when eating fewer carbs

I try to plan out my calorie deficit so that these symptoms are not too overwhelmingly strong for me, but I've learned that sometimes, if you want to lose fat, you've got to power past feeling the symptoms. It makes sense that our bodies will feel when we're losing fat; for example, we may be more alert and less able to sleep because our bodies want us to be out there looking for food!

I also try to not have a huge deficit every single day; smaller deficits on some days will help ease the symptoms. And oddly, getting regular exercise and eating more calories--that is, creating my deficit largely through exercise rather than just through calorie-cutting--seems to help with the fatigue quite a bit. If I just cut calories, I get much tireder than if I increase exercise.

But right now I've got a pretty decent ongoing calorie deficit, and today my muscles are aching quite a bit, deep down. I don't like this feeling much. Oh well.

Huh, this is really interesting, I never knew that there were specific symptoms that you could relate to fat loss. I mean, people are always saying things like "Well you're more hungry now because you're burning up all that fat!", but it is interesting to actually see it written down. That being said, I feel most of those symptoms all the time, haha, so maybe that means I'm a little fat-burning machine? I wish!

hrrm, I find it a little interesting.. I'm not sure these are specific signs of fat loss. as much as they're specific signs of being active when you previously were not. And in theory, if you're losing weight, exercising more, etc. it should be easier for you to sleep and stay asleep. Also, exercising should make moodiness stable. hrmm.. I dunno... However, just because you're losing fat (or weight) does not mean your exercising.. I'd be interested to see some medical studies on it, as it is a very interesting topic.

I have been trying to cut my carbs and I was having a problem with the irritability and going to sleep at night. I asked my doctor about it and he told me to have a glass of skim milk about an hour before bed. Even though the milk has a lot of carbs it has Tryptophan (the amino acid in turkey.) Tryptophan is like serotonin and helps with mood and sleep. It has definately helped me!

ive found since i've made a point of exercising i havent had TOM in about 2 months.. yip 2 months late.. and i tested (home test, nothing) but i was on Depo for about 3 years. That could be "re-releasing" in my body because of the "Fatstores" depleting(sp).

Going off on what luciddepths said, I've found that my periods are lighter and don't last as long now that I'm exercising and eating well. And my cramps aren't that bad. It's almost like I'm not even on my period!! :-O A very WELCOME change.

I've noticed a drastic improvement in cramps since exercising regularly too . . . I think I've always heard that exercise helps, but it was one of those things (like you won't miss soda if you just stick with not drinking it) that I thought people just said because it sounded good--I didn't think it could possibly be really true.

really interesting, thanks

I must say from what I recall I didn't experience any of these - well except for the extra energy.

I did not experience true hunger, oddly enough. Which was one of my big fears (yes FEARS) heading into this. Tiredness and fatigue - nothing could be further from the truth. Didn't have muscle aches, have never, ever been a good sleeper and actually did see some minor improvement, no moodiness and irritability - again - just the opposite - I was happy, elated, excited, jubilant even.

since fat cells, store alot of excess junk, insulin, hormones, waste products....ENERGY.

you will experience toxic effects...as well as maybe an increase in energy..especially as your body resensitizes itself to insulin--a major culprit in stubborn fat loss. after a while of having too many insulin spikes--from bad eating. your body down regulates its response to insulin. which leaves sugar hanging in your blood...which steals your energy. and keeps fat locked in cells. when your body says "hello" to insulin again by managing your blood sugar with better food choices or cleansing which lowers circulating insulin in the blood---all of a sudden fat cells open up and let the junk out....a flood of nastiness is released into your blood stream for lack of better words.

your liver is going to work extra hard to rid your body of all that junk stored in those fat cells...so you will be feeling the effects...it may come in the form of colds, sluggishness, just a feeling of unwellness...or jitteriness.

a liquid diet of a wholesome shake of some sort...and some liver toning teas..would help with the onslaught.

I can't say that I experienced any of these.

-- Hunger (duh) ...eh, not really. I get munchies before TOM, but mostly I just get the desire to eat (bored, stressed, etc). Not hunger.
-- Muscle aches, even when not exercising ...not really. I was sore the first two or three days after exercising initially. Nothing since.
-- Tiredness/fatigue ...occasionally, but no more than normal after long days. I actually have an improved attitude which gives me more energy.
-- Or, extra energy ...so yea, I guess this one might imply. Part of that is from increased self esteem and optimism though.
-- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep ...I've never been a good sleeper, but I've found that regular exercise has helped me be tired at bedtime and go to sleep quickly.
-- Moodiness and irritability, especially when eating fewer carbs ...I haven't restricted my carbs much, so I'm not sure. But again, improved optimism/attitude = less irritability.

One thing I did notice, is "mushy fat" before I'd start losing in an area. I've seen others on here describe the same phenomenon. At my highest weight before I started losing, my belly fat was just kind of firm jello. And 20lbs down, it stayed about the same size with the same firm jello feel. Finally, it got this gross soft squishy feeling. Almost instantly after I noticed the mushy fat, my stomach started getting noticably smaller. I then saw a thread of somebody else who had noticed the same thing. My inner thighs are starting to get mushy, so I'm hoping I'll lose some of that bulge soon too.

So we're all different, but it seems to me that these are symptoms that need to be addressed, not just taken as par for the course.

Hunger...eat more frequent meals, lower calories.
Muscle aches at rest...drink more water, expect it with exercise and feel darn good about it!
Tiredness/fatigue...listen to it. Take a nap. That's as important as diet and exercise.
Problems falling or staying asleep...no idea. Got me there.
Moodiness? Really? My mood has sky rocketed and so has that of my clinically depressed husband! I say moodiness probably goes along with fatigue, in which case, hit the sack earlier.

The only time I really experience(d) hunger is when, for whatever reason, I miss or delay a scheduled meal or snack. That's actually been kind of good for me, since I now recognize when I am genuinely hungry, as opposed to just wanting to eat for the heck of it. All my muscular aches have been directly related to exercise or some sort of injury. And I'm going to go ahead and lump tired/fatigued/sleeping all together, because one of the first, best, things I did was get onto a regular sleeping cycle. I suffered from chronic insomnia for a good 15 years, and I'm still not the world's greatest sleeper, but I do adhere pretty rigidly to my sleep cycle, and I sleep better all the time. It took a lot of self-discipline, and a lot of mornings where I just did not want to get up, but did, but I got there eventually. Nowadays, I really only suffer from tiredness or fatigue for specific reasons; it's getting near my bedtime, or I've been working long and hard all day, or I do have some fatigue issues a day or two before my period starts, but that's been a pretty consistent thing for me, and one of the signs that lets me know it's on the way.

I'm kind of moody anyway, so I can't blame that on weight loss. If anything, I'm less moody now that I'm so much thinner and fitter.

Interesting post - I can't really say that I had/have these symptoms either, except the more energy!

-- Hunger - not as much as before but my "before" was more appetite than hunger. I had to learn what true hunger is.
-- Muscle aches, even when not exercising - I have less. I used to have muscle cramps that have gone away.
-- Tiredness/fatigue - nope
-- Or, extra energy - YES or rather more energy
-- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep - sleep better
-- Moodiness and irritability, especially when eating fewer carbs - I have less now.

Well, now, let me see...

-- Hunger (duh) yes, absolutely, sometimes. I don't mind it that much. I used to NEVER feel true hunger because I ate so much. Now, I like to get hungry because the feeling is SO different from the feeling that used to drive me to eat.

-- Muscle aches, even when not exercising. NO
-- Tiredness/fatigue NO
-- Or, extra energy Yes
-- Problems falling asleep or staying asleep Nothankfully, I've always been a good sleeper.
-- Moodiness and irritability, especially when eating fewer carbs Yes! Early on, I was keeping my calories and carbs very low-- I was setting 1200 as an upper limit and often ate less. I definitely noticed that in the late afternoon I'd get cranky and snappish. My family noticed it. When I started running a lot, I had to up my calories a little and I don't notice that anymore.