Fatigue! ):

[rleads]

Hi everyone! So I started to stricly follow eating healthy/calorie counting and working out the last couple of weeks.  I'm about 75-80 lbs. overweight and am in pretty crappy shape.  Today I am just exhausted! Did/does anyone else experience this? Is this my body crashing/complaining about the changes even though they're good changes?  I'm sleeping pretty well/usual I should add. 

[CarolS]

Fatigue may be your body's way of telling you you're getting sick or overdoing it a bit.  Some fatigue is normal, but sometimes you have to be disciplined enough to back off of the exercise and let your body rest.  Listen to your body, but be honest, too.  Don't let the "Oh, I'm a little tired today", stop you from exercising.  A little is better than none 🙂 but don't beat yourself up, either way.

Also, are you eating enough?

[rleads]

Yep!  I stay "in the zone" per fitbit food tracker for losing a pound a week.  I average 1800-2000 cals a day.  Today I'm just exhausted and sore, so it's just a short walk with my doggie and a little yoga to help ease the soreness.

[SunsetRunner]

Try adding a mid afternoon snack of 1ounce of walnuts or almonds. Or add two snacks -mid morning and mid afternoon - of 1/2 ounce nuts for each snack. The extra protein, timed like this helps me keep my energy level up.

[3DS]

I had the same thing happen to me after about 10 days in the program. I gave myself one day off of my daily step goal, (I worked out less than normal) but still ate healthy and soaked the sore muscles in an epsom salt bath. Felt much better and able to get back to working out the next day. From now on I will give myself one easy day a week to recover.

[rleads]

I will for sure try the epsom salt bath! Also going to be going to bed crazy early tonight.

[LuckVIII]

I used to get sleepy either from poor food intake(meals w high fat and calories) and less sleep. So in the late afternoon I would take a power nap which would refresh me though after three months I ended up gaining weight. Now my strategy is when even I feel sleepy I would go for a quick brisk walk. Also helps to now be more slective what I eat

[Pjoe]

    Goggle "Ten Thousand Steps a Day."  There are different recommendations for starting the program.  I think the best one is to wear your FitBit daily, with your normal daily activites as you have been doing.  After 2 weeks determine your average steps per day.  Increase you daily steps 1-2 thousands steps daily for 2-4 weeks.  Then increase your daily steps another 1-2k a day for another few weeks, until you get to your optimal daily steps. 

    Everyone cannot achieve the 10k/day level.  Those with chronic conditions (heart/lung disease, musculo-skeletal disease) can achieve an optimal level of what is called "an active lifestyle" for your current state of overall health.

   Starting out from day 1 getting 10k a day ( and likely failing), is unrealistic and discouraging.  Transitioning from a sedentary to active lifestyle takes time.

[carl669]

can i ask what dietary changes you've made?

about 7 months ago, i was right where you are now.  when i completely ditched ALL processed foods, i actually felt like crap the first few days.  low energy, brain fog, fatigue etc.  it seemed kind of weird so i did some research.  apparently, i wasn't getting enough salt.  so i added more salt into my diet.  i still end up eating far less than the recommended daily amount, but i no longer have that tired feeling.

[SunsetRunner]

I did the same thing. Last February, I eliminated all processed foods. I eat vegetable protein, ... lean meat, poultry & fish ... and all the veggies I want. One piece of fruit a day. (I have to watch my sugar.) The end result? I'm down 61 lbs, with about 25 to go. I feel so much better! Ironically, my doctor also had the salt talk with me. I learned, as you did, that the body needs a certain amount.

On a side note, my diet is limited by the fact that I also found out I was lactose & gluten intolerant. But again, feeling so much better makes the limitations easier to take.

[K_Mak]

How is your fluid intake? Most of us don't drink enough water to begin with, and if you're exercising more your body needs not only more protein, but also more water (and yes, it still needs salt!). As much as I am NOT a fan of processed crap and food coloring, I'd recommend trying a SMALL bottle of Gatorade or Powerade mid-afternoon. Dehydration is very often linked to fatigue, and to touch on the previous posts re: salt intake, salt is a factor in hydration. Gatorade or Powerade can provide a balanced, appropriate amount of salt and hydration without the whole-bag-of-chips splurge. Just don't make it a long-term habit and you should be fine. 🙂 

[rleads]

I've cut out most refined carbs, eating more clean than not.  I drink at least 100 oz a day.  I think it's just my body saying it needs a break.  Last time (when I originally posted this) I upped my cals by 200 a day and only stretched everything out and got extra sleep and felt much better!

[AprilR]

Hi,  your soreness may be the cause of your fatigue.  Your body only produces the growth hormone to heal itself in REM sleep.  It is possible that your body is just trying to get you to sleep so that it can heal itself.  Stretch, and warm up more before you excercise.  This will help with the soreness.   And good luck.

[josephz2va]

Have you had your dietary plan checked with a nutritionist? Sometimes people don't eat enough calories or have enough good foods introduced into their system and it causes symptoms such as malnutrition. I read somewhere somebody crashed in two days on the 1200 calorie plan but there wasn't any explanation in the news for that. Having your dietary plan analyzed by a nutritionist can be beneficial to keep you from certain symptoms.