Hello!
I have been exercising regularly 4-6 days a week, cardio almost every day, lifting weights 3-4 times a week. Things were going good, I've lost 20 pounds since I started in January, and can see it in the inches lost as well.
I work out in the mornings, on an empty stomach, and within 30-60 minutes after weight training I have a protein shake (usually a myoplex lite). I go on an empty stomach because I still have about 20 more pounds I would like to loose. I eat every 3-4 hours through the day, healthy proteins, veggies, yogurt, and I try to have a protein shake before bed to make sure I keep protein levels up.
But now, I get very tired after workouts, usually hitting me a couple hours later. I don't know if I'm not supplying body with enough energy, but I still want to loose the weight. And I want to keep up the intensity of workouts. I feel like I have dropped in intensity because I am so tired, even with 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
I am nervous about eating before working out, mainly because it tends to make me sick while working out, and I still have the weight I want to loose. Should I eat more proteins through the day? More carbs? I am so confused, as I've been eating based on Body for Life and the South Beach Diet. I'm a 29 year old female if that makes a difference in nutrition.
Thank you so much for your help!
Very tired after working out- is it diet?
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
Foods look okay, but don't train on empty, it's a bad idea. You'll just burn muscle, and possibly promote dizzy spells.
You shouldn't do things that lower bloodsugar, when it's low already really, it's non-sensical.
You could easily prevent this, just by having a small bowl of Cereal or a bit of Fruit before workouts, like a Banana or an Apple. The have a bit of chicken or Turkey or Eggs something like that. Something with a reasaonble amount of calories, but not loads. Then have the shake as normal afterwards.
Just make sure if you have Fruit, to let it digest for about 10-15 minutes, then have something else to help the Fruit digest properly.
You shouldn't do things that lower bloodsugar, when it's low already really, it's non-sensical.
You could easily prevent this, just by having a small bowl of Cereal or a bit of Fruit before workouts, like a Banana or an Apple. The have a bit of chicken or Turkey or Eggs something like that. Something with a reasaonble amount of calories, but not loads. Then have the shake as normal afterwards.
Just make sure if you have Fruit, to let it digest for about 10-15 minutes, then have something else to help the Fruit digest properly.
I am having the same problem as the original poster. I have been at it for a little over 4 weeks now and just noticed this week the energy level is way down and can't figure out why. I am doing around 1700-2000 calories a day and have lost 6 LBS so far.
Breakfast is either oatmeal or Kashi with a slice of whole grain toast with butter and 2 -3 cups of coffee with fat free cream and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.
10 AM a bowl of fresh fruit about a 1 1/2 cup serving.
Lunch is salad with a yogurt sometimes a little chicken as well
3pm is usually a bananna
5pm a protein bar before workout
7pm dinner veggie and a small portion of whatever
8pm sugar free pudding and sugar free whip cream
Breakfast is either oatmeal or Kashi with a slice of whole grain toast with butter and 2 -3 cups of coffee with fat free cream and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.
10 AM a bowl of fresh fruit about a 1 1/2 cup serving.
Lunch is salad with a yogurt sometimes a little chicken as well
3pm is usually a bananna
5pm a protein bar before workout
7pm dinner veggie and a small portion of whatever
8pm sugar free pudding and sugar free whip cream
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cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Teppum,
What does a typical day look like for your diet? If you post an example we can get an idea of how many calories/carbs/protein/fats youre getting and see if there are any areas where improvements can be made.
Also, have you tried eating a bit of applesauce prior to working out? I eat a bit of plain applesauce (no sugar added) and a small protein shake before hitting the gym and it seems to be easy on stomach. I've also done bananas prior to working out and those seem to work well too as they digest quickly and give me energy without making me feel overly full while working out. Do the protein shake only if you are really short on time though as you really should do solid forms of protein whenever possible. I do the protein shake prior to early morning workouts as I wake up at 4:30 am and hit the gym by 5am and don't have time to sit around waiting for food to digest and really don't want to wake up any earlier.
Hope this helps!
Cassie
What does a typical day look like for your diet? If you post an example we can get an idea of how many calories/carbs/protein/fats youre getting and see if there are any areas where improvements can be made.
Also, have you tried eating a bit of applesauce prior to working out? I eat a bit of plain applesauce (no sugar added) and a small protein shake before hitting the gym and it seems to be easy on stomach. I've also done bananas prior to working out and those seem to work well too as they digest quickly and give me energy without making me feel overly full while working out. Do the protein shake only if you are really short on time though as you really should do solid forms of protein whenever possible. I do the protein shake prior to early morning workouts as I wake up at 4:30 am and hit the gym by 5am and don't have time to sit around waiting for food to digest and really don't want to wake up any earlier.
Hope this helps!
Cassie
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cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Seminole,
I've calculated your BMR and you should be burning between 2061-2378 with light-to moderate levels of exercise (the lower number is for light exercise and higher is for moderate). Keep in mind that BMR is the number of calories you burn just by breathing, digesting, and living. So, if I were you I would definitely increase calories a bit. Your diet looks a little low in protein so you could increase calories simply by adding in more protien. What about something like this (I'll post suggestions in all caps so you can see them easier):
Breakfast is either oatmeal or Kashi with 2 slices of whole grain toast with PEANUT OR ALMOND butter and 1 WHOLE EGG WITH 4-5 EGGWHITES 2 -3 cups of coffee with fat free cream and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.
10 AM a bowl of fresh fruit about a 1 1/2 cup serving, LOW FAT CHEESE OR OTHER LEAN PROTEIN, SMALL HANDFUL NUTS
Lunch is salad with a yogurt sometimes a little chicken as well
3pm is usually a bananna, WITH LEAN PROTEIN
5pm a protein bar before workout
7pm dinner veggie and a small portion of PROTEIN
8pm sugar free pudding and sugar free whip cream. I WOULD CHANGE THIS OUT FOR A SERVING OF COTTAGE CHEESE OR A FEW EGGWHITES AND MAYBE SOME VEGGIES.
These simple changes should will help you get more calories, protein, and healthy fat and should really help with energy levels. Also, by increasing your calories a bit you will most likely feel better on the "diet", which will help you stick with it longer. The key is to find an eating plan that you enjoy and that you can stick with for life.
Hope this helps.
Cassie
I've calculated your BMR and you should be burning between 2061-2378 with light-to moderate levels of exercise (the lower number is for light exercise and higher is for moderate). Keep in mind that BMR is the number of calories you burn just by breathing, digesting, and living. So, if I were you I would definitely increase calories a bit. Your diet looks a little low in protein so you could increase calories simply by adding in more protien. What about something like this (I'll post suggestions in all caps so you can see them easier):
Breakfast is either oatmeal or Kashi with 2 slices of whole grain toast with PEANUT OR ALMOND butter and 1 WHOLE EGG WITH 4-5 EGGWHITES 2 -3 cups of coffee with fat free cream and a couple of tablespoons of sugar.
10 AM a bowl of fresh fruit about a 1 1/2 cup serving, LOW FAT CHEESE OR OTHER LEAN PROTEIN, SMALL HANDFUL NUTS
Lunch is salad with a yogurt sometimes a little chicken as well
3pm is usually a bananna, WITH LEAN PROTEIN
5pm a protein bar before workout
7pm dinner veggie and a small portion of PROTEIN
8pm sugar free pudding and sugar free whip cream. I WOULD CHANGE THIS OUT FOR A SERVING OF COTTAGE CHEESE OR A FEW EGGWHITES AND MAYBE SOME VEGGIES.
These simple changes should will help you get more calories, protein, and healthy fat and should really help with energy levels. Also, by increasing your calories a bit you will most likely feel better on the "diet", which will help you stick with it longer. The key is to find an eating plan that you enjoy and that you can stick with for life.
Hope this helps.
Cassie
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shonmerc.84
- STARTING OUT
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:22 am
Re: Very tired after working out- is it diet?
I had some similar problems. I always did workout with an empty stomach and in the beginning it was very good but after a while I got sick of it and it was because of the empty stomach. I started eating breakfast before the workout and it was better.
Nevertheless a few weeks later I decided to start a detoxification and besides this I did daily workout. After some time of doing it I really got tired and couldn't do workout and it all was due to the detoxification. It is very hard for our body to get rid of the toxins and I had to shorten workout a bit and it got better.
Nevertheless a few weeks later I decided to start a detoxification and besides this I did daily workout. After some time of doing it I really got tired and couldn't do workout and it all was due to the detoxification. It is very hard for our body to get rid of the toxins and I had to shorten workout a bit and it got better.
Re: Very tired after working out- is it diet?
This sounds very much like over-training to me.
Try doing very light workouts for a couple of weeks in a row (reduce the resistance about 25% to 30% on all your exercises; don't increase the reps or sets to compensate).
Then go back to your regular workout and see how you feel.
If you consistently over-train you will lose your enthusiasm for exercise entirely. And you will not be able to "will" yourself into the gym. If you over-train too long you will just end up quitting the gym.
So try the 2 week experiment. If it helps, then schedule in an easy workout every 3 or 4 weeks to allow your body to '"catch up". If you are training very hard (and it sounds like you are) then you will look forward to these "easy" workouts and you will feel refreshed when you return to the regular ones. Give it a try.
Try doing very light workouts for a couple of weeks in a row (reduce the resistance about 25% to 30% on all your exercises; don't increase the reps or sets to compensate).
Then go back to your regular workout and see how you feel.
If you consistently over-train you will lose your enthusiasm for exercise entirely. And you will not be able to "will" yourself into the gym. If you over-train too long you will just end up quitting the gym.
So try the 2 week experiment. If it helps, then schedule in an easy workout every 3 or 4 weeks to allow your body to '"catch up". If you are training very hard (and it sounds like you are) then you will look forward to these "easy" workouts and you will feel refreshed when you return to the regular ones. Give it a try.