I have been tired for what seems an eternity, but in actually only after lunch. And remember my complaint of fuzzy brain after a workout. I believe I have figured it out. It seems that I have inadvertently cut my calories way too low.
First let me spout what I've learned from the almighty internet.
One pound of weight is approximately worth 3500 calories. If you cut 500 calories from your diet a day, theoretically, you would drop one pound a week. Now I would also assume that if you burned 500 calories a day and ate the same, you would also get rid of one pound a week.
Now using this nifty calorie calculator:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
we see that a sedentary life style (pre-work out lifestyle) required me, at my age, weight and height, to consume 2,265 cal/day to maintain my current weight. To lose about a pound a week, I would need to keep my count at 1805 cal/day. And the maximum they suggest dipping down is 1792 cal/day.
Now figuring for working out 3 days a week (my current), we see the following
Maintain weight: 2585 cal/day
Lose: 2068 cal/day
and max suggested cut: 1792 cal/day
We all know we need to eat to survive and to maintain any sort of active lifestyle. We've heard and read (if not bombarded by) about people talking about carbs and calories into fat or metabolism energy and blah blah. So common sense suggests that you need to eat to maintain energy. This is where my fatigue kicks in...
I would assume that my workouts burn approx 200-400 calories. I could probably lose 1 pound or so every week from the workout and a raised metabolism if I ate the same as I did before. In reality my eating habits haven't increased my calorie intake or maintained, but since I cut regular soda out of the mix and fast food (except tonight), it has dropped significantly.
Let's take today for instance(And I know it doesn't quite work like this but it draws a picture). Assume that I am starting at 0 cal for the day.
Wake up: 0 calories
Banana for breakfast: 121 calories
workout: burn 300 calories(took an average)
This right here put me at a negative calorie intake: -179. [and at 7am I am pretty fuzzy in my thinking]
Caffeine from my coffee and my one Diet Dr. Pepper, both 0 calories, carries me to my 10am snack:
One half an apple: 36 calories [here my fuzzy thinking becomes clearer]
So, I'm still at a negative calorie amount: Now -143.
By this time I'm starting to run down, but the coffee is keeping me functional.
Now lunch comes up.
6" Subway Cold Cut combo : 410 calories
Woohoo, I'm now at a positive: +267
keep in mind that even sitting down and getting up and walking and sitting down uses calories (approx 51 cal/hour...I've been at work four 4 and a half hours by now so I've used 229.5 cals)
guess what, I've got enough energy to sit at my desk doing menial tasks for another half hour now: 37.5
That's when I really felt the tired and fatigue hit. 12pm.
two o'clock snack...the other apple half: 36 cal
two and a half hours of work: -127.5 cal
Guess what, I'm back in the negative: -91.5
I think I've pretty much made my point here. From now on, I need to keep and eye on not just what I eat, but the calories I'm consuming. Not so much for over eating but for serious under eating that will degrade my performance.
The power at the apt went out today at about 520pm. So instead of cooking my supper as planned, we grabbed Taco Bell and ate at my Mom and Dad's place (cause you know, no power equals cold cold cold apartment). We got back around 740pm with the power on...hurray!
So today's food and calorie report:
Banana: 121
Medium Apple: 72
Diet Dr. Pepper: 0
Coffee: 0
Water: 0,
Cold cut combo: 410
2 soft tacos - beef: 420 (210 each)
Grilled Stuffed Burrito - Beef: 720
1 7-up: 140 cal
equals 1883 calories today.
Not the healthiest day by far, but it did teach me a very important lesson. Eat and eat right.
Tomorrow I will be staring to take 3 supplements. A multivitamin, fish oil supplement and an endurance supplement called Advanced Yohimbe Plus. We'll see how I feel next week on those after they start to take affect.
See you tomorrow. Oh and FYI per my scales, I've lost 2 pounds. :)
Much Love,
James
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