I’m over at SparkPeople.com, along with some other Dopers as well. I credit them 100% for my weight loss this summer.
No. Or, it doesn’t have to be superstrenuous for this to happen. Exhaustion feels very different.
Hydrated, probably not. Especially on light exercise days (I’m much better on hydrating when I’m doing heavy exercise.)
Eating enough, yes.
I’ve had this, particularly if I am at a phase where I don’t seem to be able to progress (either in intensity of workout or loss of weight). I think it is just the combination of physical weariness (but not complete exhaustion) and emotional draining - committing emotional investment into working out/losing weight is draining too. I also suspect that us guys are probably less susceptible to this sort of thing, but I do get it occasionally.
As you say, it’s pretty short term, and I think that as you get fitter, the endorphin response to exercise improves and you actually feel better mood-wise for the exercise.
Si
My daughter and I joined Weight Watchers and I’m actually losing weight (on the days that I stick with the program). So far I’ve lost 12 lbs which I’m happy about. We’ve also been walking together in the mornings and today have added jogging to the mix. It’s nice to have the time with my daughter every day and having a workout partner means I never hit snooze on my alarm and go back to sleep.
amarinth I was going to say the same thing about the strenuousness (hell I can’t spell that or say it) of your workout. I had a personal trainer tell me once that if I feel exhausted after a workout I’m probably pushing too hard. Should feel tired but not wiped out. Other than that I got nothing. Good luck with that, hope it goes away.
ivylass you’re awesome! congrats on hitting your goal.
198.5 pounds. That cold has been a long time going. I think it’s officially gone now though.
I’ve lost another three pounds. And that’s not a good thing. One of the side effects of Taxol is loss of appetite.
Yesterday I had a peanut butter banana smoothie and a bowl of spaghetti. If it weren’t for my husband and kids, I don’t think I’d remember to eat…I’m just not hungry.
Cancer sucks. 
But go Malacandra and velvet!!
Sorry to hear about your loss of appetite Ivylass yeah, cancer sucks. Hang in there.
Me, well I had a less than stellar week on WW and gained 2.4 lbs but I’m back on track and trying hard to remember that the only way to fail is to quit trying.
Hi everyone…I’ve had an awful time since I last posted about two weeks ago. My mother was ill, and then she died last Tuesday. Visitation today, funeral tomorrow. I guess it’s understandable that all bets were off (including all diets) during this time. When she was so sick (and I guess I instinctively knew what was coming) I just wanted to eat everything I could get my hands on. After she died, I stopped eating pretty much entirely. I just wasn’t hungry. I finally had a real meal this evening after the visitation was over. I know my friends and relatives were relieved to see me eat something after so many days of not being hungry anymore. I weighed this morning and found I had gained four pounds in those two weeks. Oh well. I’m going to take the week “off” diet-wise and then start back again next Sunday.
Hi Clothilde. I’m very sorry to hear about your mother. Please do take care of yourself.
I haven’t posted because there’s nothing to post. 170, +/- 1.5 pounds, for the past few months.
I started the Couch to 5K today, and I continue with my Bikram yoga and eating the Weight Watchers plan. So, if I lose, it’ll probably be due to a surgical removal of my excess skin. Big losses = big droopy belly, arm, and thigh skin. I look GREAT while clothed - but nobody gets to see me naked.
Hi Folks,
I’m going to join your ranks finally, after reading these threads off and on for the past couple of years. I’ve learned a lot about how to eat healthy from you. I don’t do the Atkins diet anymore, I always gained back what I lost.
I quit smoking 3 years ago and went from 165 to 185 and I’ve been trying to lose the extra weight. My metabolism isn’t as high without the nicotine. I’m 5’ 7.5 inches tall and I want to get back to 135. Hell, I’d be happy to get back to 172. Like tdn I just joined a gym, I’m still trying to figure out whether I should go in the morning before work or after work. I hike and do trail maintainence on weekends when I can get out. I’m going to check out Spark People too. I’ve never been to Weight Watchers, but it looks like it’s helped a lot of people here, so I’ll keep it in mind if all else fails.
My favorite low calorie snack is a can of Del Montes’ no sugar added Mandarin oranges. About 135 calories for the whole can. I like almonds too but I find if I buy them in bulk I eat too much. Even if I put them in baggies in small servings I’ll still get into them. I have no resistence to temptation. Okay, my first major goal is to stay away from the vending machines in the cafeteria at work and eat the healthy stuff I bring in.
I wish success to us all!
Yay! I broke through my plateau! Weighed in at 176.8 today. Go, me!
That’s great, Kat!
83.8 kg (184 lb, plus change)! This is the first time in 12 years or so to be on this side of 185 lbs!
89kg on the money. I slowed down for a few days as I tapered for my 10km run last sunday - ate a few more carbs, worked out less, and my weight bounced up.
This week has been a bit of recovery, and some busyness related skipping of workouts, but I seem to be back on the path of the righteous.
Belts need adjusting, clothes look too big, six-pack gaining definition. It’s all good. And according to this post, I have more incentive to lose another 35 pounds 
Si
324.4–>269 here. I feel much better moving around but I know for health reasons I should lose a lot more. I’m at the beginning of the 100 pounds I lost some years ago. I’m spoilering some negativity because it may not have a place in the thread? I don’t know why this time would be different. When I got down to 183 last time I couldn’t imagine going back up to 324 but I did. When I hear people in Weight Watchers saying “No, I’m never going back to the way I was”, I just think, don’t count on it. Part of it is good because it keeps me from the panic of what-if-I-gain-it-back; if I expect I will, it’s a pleasant surprise if I don’t. And it’s the whole “you’re doing great, you look great” – does this make me a better person somehow and am I a failure and worthless if I don’t keep losing weight?
Saturday weight-in. I just stumbled upon some facts I scarcely believe.
I have lost SIX inches around my waist since July.
I have lost FOUR inches around my hips.
I have lost 1.5 inches around my neck.
Since I started doing weight training a month ago (with actual iron), I have noticed a tremendous change in the composition of my body. I’ve still got plenty of fat to lose, but for the first time I find the difference is visually very striking. I don’t just feel healthier–I’m starting to look healthier. I confused the hell out of myself the other morning because, looking in the mirror, I couldn’t believe I was seeing me. I’m sorry, that doesn’t appear to be me. That appears to be a physically fit person. There must be some mistake… But further investigation yielded the conclusion that I was, in fact, myself. A fitter, slimmer version of myself, but myself nonetheless.
I have a feeling this process will continue to accelerate, as I now have a job with a commute that involves climbing vast staircases and walking about 30 minutes a day.
This, combined with my recent triumph of running my first sub-12-minute mile, has resulted in what I can only describe as pure euphoria.
I have always believe weight loss is possible for other people, not myself. But it’s really happening.
Just read this, sorry for the DP.
I just wanted to say that one of the ways I have tried to ensure that I ‘‘never go back’’ is by doing this so slowly it’s barely noticeable. I don’t want drastic change to a new lifestyle, because it increases the risk there will be drastic change back to the old ways. I had to start with small and imperceptible changes. This is one reason I’m so shocked at how much success I have had–it hasn’t really been noticeable on a day-to-day basis. The only really noticeable thing is the completely different lifestyle I now lead and how much better I feel emotionally, and how much better I sleep when I stay active.
The cumulative effect of all these little changes becomes quite powerful. The way I live my life now compared to how I lived it in January is staggeringly different, to the point that it almost seems like the life of some other person. Exercising and eating nutritiously hasn’t just changed my physical health–it’s changed my mental health, it’s changed the way I relate to others, and it has spilled over into other areas of my life. I don’t procrastinate nearly as much as I used to. My days are more productive and satisfying. I am more social and comfortable taking risks. Now that is a huge change that I realized by taking little, imperceptible steps from day to day.
When change is that gradual, it can be very frustrating, but it also gives me a great sense of control and a feeling that it’s never too late. In the past several months I’ve had screwup weeks and even a screwup month, but because the positive changes weren’t too extreme from week-to-week, neither were the negative ones. If, instead of losing a pound that week, I gained two, it did not seem daunting or impossible to reverse that trend. I have, in fact, successfully reversed that trend on more than one occasion. I’m getting quite good at not beating myself up for slipping and plodding ahead faithfully.
I think this is a reasonable perspective that helps avoid going back. I am more interested, in the long-run, in how I can maintain this lifestyle. I’m not exacting changes that may be fleeting or extreme. I started by committing to 20 minutes of Dance Dance Revolution 3 days a week. That is 1 hour of very light exercise per week. Not exactly drastic action. Then I added fiber to my diet. This led to more dietary changes. I recently adjusted my work schedule to accommodate getting up at 6am (for a 10am shift) to run for 30 minutes to an hour each morning. That would have been an extreme change in the beginning, but at this point all I’m really doing is bumping up the day’s run. All these little habits are now so ingrained that I don’t even really have to think about them.
When they say ‘‘It’s not about dieting; it’s about changing your lifestyle,’’ they aren’t kidding. But I think the more slowly and easily we get into it, the easier it is to maintain in the long run.
Congrats on your progress, everyone!
Well, my pants are looser, even though the scale isn’t showing me very much improvement. I’m down 2 pounds, finally past that 145 roadblock that’s been holding me back for a month or so. My stress-coping has tipped over to the no-appetite side instead of the indiscriminately-munching side, which is probably why. Don’t worry, I’m eating. I just don’t have any real desire to eat, till my stomach starts grumbling and I figure I should feed it. It’s like it’s a pet that started whining because it needs food. I feed it and move on.
Still hard to find the energy to work out. I’ve only been on the bike twice a week for the past month. Getting a little strength training in, though.
I still wish I had the energy and drive to go running, since it seems to be such a great thing for so many people. But I’m too good at finding excuses - I’d weasel out of it too often. With my exercise bike, I’ve made a rule that there are some shows that I’m not allowed to watch unless I watch them from the bike. If I want Project Runway, I have to get pedaling! So far it’s sorta working, but like I said, I’m slacking off a little.
I’d set a small goal for myself, with a deadline of October 9. I made that goal on September 24! I’ve lost about 23 lbs, now. The size 10 jeans fit!
My overall health has improved, I think. I have way more energy, way more stamina.
On the gaining it back topic, I can’t foresee the future, but I do know that this weight loss is not the result of a crash or fad diet. This has been a shift in the way we live and eat. We did this across the board for the whole family, not just me. We fundamentally changed the way we live - one tiny tweak at a time, until everything was where we wanted it. I am hopeful that these things will stick, as it’s something we all do now. Everyday.
I’ve yet to truly deprive myself of anything I really wanted to eat. I have “robbed Peter to pay Paul” in that I’ve skipped the chips at lunch, so I could have the milkshake after dinner, but I don’t consider that deprivation. I consider that wisdom. 