Feeling very tired

BugDude

BugDude

New member
I started my journey on December 31st. It's been 27 days and I've lost 30 pounds. I've been shocked, but I know I will plateau and it will level off to 1 to 2 pounds per week. But hey, I'm off to a good start. I've stuck to my daily meal plans to a T (balanced diet with high protein and low fatm eating every couple hours) and I've steadily ratcheted up my exercising with a day or two of rest each week. I started out walking, now do interval training with variable speeds of walking and running 45 minutes. Also added weight training with a total gym and bowflex. I've been drinking LOTS of water and taking vitamins daily.

I'm an all or nothing type personality and I've been committed to this for a while. I've been preparing for a year (stopped smoking, stopped drinking, stopped anxiety meds, got my feet better, my knee better). I've been really stoked about it and I'm committed to sticking with it. I've had lots more energy since I started and my BP and pulse have dropped increadibly. From 140/88 pulse 99 to this evening 124/71 pulse 62.

This evening, I'm so tired I feel exhausted. No energy and I'm craving stuff terribly (not good stuff either). First time since I started this has happened, but I'm sure it won't be the last. Perhaps I should just go on to bed, get some good sleep, and take it easy on the exercise a day or so. I know my body is experiencing significant changes and is slowing metabolism to hang on. I also know I'm burning a lot more calories than I'm taking in. Being tired is a natural result. I didn't anticipate that being physically tired would also be accompanied by cravings and weakness from a will power standpoint, but it makes perfect sense.

Anyway, rest seems like a good idea so off I go. 6 am every morning comes early and I'm not a morning person. Hopefully a day or so of rest and I'll be right back re-charged and ready to fight on.
 
Firstly - that's fantastic! You should be so proud! Congrats! That is fantastic progress, and I would love to know more about your interval training program - I would love to be able to do 45 minutes of walking/running, as I get frustrated and defeated nearing 20! :(

I think you have a great mindset about you being tired! Don't let it get you down...perhaps it's just your body saying you need a little rest! I'm finding now that I work out, that in the evenings I'm just beat...the kind of beat that if I were to lay down on the sofa, I would be asleep!!

I hope you have a great night sleep- and feel rested in the morning! :) You seem to have a fabulous attitude! :)
 
Thank you so much for your encouragement and kind words, you're such a sweetheart. I'm going to take it easy a day or so. Push hard when you you can and give yourself a break when you need it. I try to keep things in perspective and try to understand what's going on...it can be difficult sometimes.

For me, interval training on the treadmill I start out walking about 3.2 mph for about 10 minutes. Then run at 5 for 2 to 3 minutes, then walk at 3.5 up to minute 20 and run at 5 for 2 minutes. Then, on every 5th minute (25, 30, 35, 40) I run a minute at 5 and then vary my walking at either 4, 3.5, or 3.2. Whatever I feel I can do. Sometimes I mix up the intervals and speeds in various ways just depending on what I feel I can do. Sometimes I start running at the 5 minute mark and run on every 5th minute. I have found that by doing this, the time inbetween the running segments seems to fly by.

One thing I do is listen to my iPod while on the treadmill. I have lots of playlists and that really helps me a lot.

Thanks for the encouragement and give mixing up your treadmill time a try. It really is much more effective than just walking the same rate for a long time.
 
Good on you BugDude

Having read some of your previous postings, you obviously know how to motivate yourself and you can clearly be very driven when you need to.
If we can make exercise fun and/or set little goals for ourselves, then it doesn't seem like such a chore, does it? You clearly already know this because you are deliberately mixing up your exercise regime.
Sometimes, when I run on the treadmill, I listen to uplifting audiobooks on my ipod. I find this a good way of keeping me engaged. You may find that of value?

I wanted to add that essentially our body needs 3 things to keep our cells nourished and give us energy. Those 3 are: oxygen, water and food - in that order. The human body can survive weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without oxygen.
Therefore, to increase our energy levels we need to make sure that the cells are getting enough oxygen.
This is why things like martial arts, yoga and tai chi focus so much on our breathing.
One thing that works for me is that I deliberately take 3 deep breathes a couple of times during the day. I breathe in (loudly) through my nose and then breathe out through my mouth (you may not want to do the loud bit when you are in a crowd :)). As I breathe in through my nose I imagine that I am taking in good, fresh, clean, invigorating oxygen. As I breathe out through my mouth I envisage that I am breathing out all the bad toxins and stale air. I find this works well for me, though it does take a bit of a determined mind to remember to do this every day until it becomes habit. Perhaps you may find this helpful?

The next step, of course, is to think about the energy we expend during the day. With this in mind, can I ask if you sleep well?
 
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BugDude said:
Thank you so much for your encouragement and kind words, you're such a sweetheart. I'm going to take it easy a day or so. Push hard when you you can and give yourself a break when you need it. I try to keep things in perspective and try to understand what's going on...it can be difficult sometimes.

For me, interval training on the treadmill I start out walking about 3.2 mph for about 10 minutes. Then run at 5 for 2 to 3 minutes, then walk at 3.5 up to minute 20 and run at 5 for 2 minutes. Then, on every 5th minute (25, 30, 35, 40) I run a minute at 5 and then vary my walking at either 4, 3.5, or 3.2. Whatever I feel I can do. Sometimes I mix up the intervals and speeds in various ways just depending on what I feel I can do. Sometimes I start running at the 5 minute mark and run on every 5th minute. I have found that by doing this, the time inbetween the running segments seems to fly by.

One thing I do is listen to my iPod while on the treadmill. I have lots of playlists and that really helps me a lot.

Thanks for the encouragement and give mixing up your treadmill time a try. It really is much more effective than just walking the same rate for a long time.
Click to expand...

THank you for the interval training!! I can't wait to try it!! (well, if I'm honest I can...but today, I'm going to do it...well...hopefully...hehehehe). I agree about the ipod! I find the only way i can get through cardio is with my MP3 player! I actually love listening to podcasts!! I find I kind of drift off into thought :)

I hope you're feeling better today! And I think we all beat ourselves up sometimes- but you're doing fantastic! And maybe your body just needs a little rest :) I know my body tells me a lot of things, mostly that it LOVES the comfort of my warm bed instead of an early morning gym trip :)
 
WW - My wife says I'm "all or nothing", so why not focus my obcessive / compulsive motivation into this as well. I like intermediate goals, whether for weight, running, or whatever. Incremental progress, like the extent I've been able to extend my running already in a shor time, really motivates me. I need to check into the podcasts. My favorite morning radio show, JohnBoy & Billy, I might be able to load on my ipod and listen to the previous day the next morning. I find myself doing the deep breathing thing throughout the day, which is much easier to do now having quit smoking and exercising. As for sleep, as long as my 2 year old son isn't up crying, I sleep GREAT. I would LOVE to get into martial arts at some point. I've been interested in that most of my life and have never made time. Perhaps that needs to be one of my goals!!!!!

Tik - Thankfully I'm feeling great today, so I'm sure my energy level will be fine for exercising in the morning. I'm not used to going to bed early (used to be a night owl not going to bed until midnight at the earliest) and not used to getting up that early yet either. I've never been a morning person. Long-time patterns take a while to change. Rest is a key element of a healthy lifestyle. I'm learning to listen when it says time to re-charge.

Thanks for your comments...let me know anytime I can help in any way.
 
That's fantastic that you're feeling better!!!

I'm much like you. I was NEVER EVER a morning person, and more of a night owl. Now that I've changed my schedule to work out in the mornings, I'm slowly becoming a morning person. It's weird though. At first I thought I must be getting sick since I was so tired in the evenings...but it was just the result of waiting up at 5:30/6am!

I miss a lot of good tv tho :p
 
Hiya BugDude :waving:

First I wanted to say you are doing an awesome job, and I have read all your posts and you motivate me SO much to stay on track! Gratz with all you have accomplished so far!
A break every now and then is a good thing and well deserved!
You're doing a great job, WE CAN DO THIS :)
 
MzScorpio said:
Hiya BugDude :waving:

First I wanted to say you are doing an awesome job, and I have read all your posts and you motivate me SO much to stay on track! Gratz with all you have accomplished so far!
A break every now and then is a good thing and well deserved!
You're doing a great job, WE CAN DO THIS :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement. It does my heart good to know I've helped in some way. It also motivates me to stay on track as well. I've always enjoyed other forums related to my hobbies so much I don't know why I never thought of finding a forum related to health and fitness before now. I'm a people person, and I really enjoy learning from people and sharing experiences and perspectives back and forth. It is an opportunity learn, grow, and connect with people in such a positive and helpful manner. I feel fortunate to be a member of such a great community.

WE ARE DOING THIS AND WE WILL SUCCEED!!! Anytime I can help in any way, just let me know. :waving:
 
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