[tenakakhan1989]

Hi all
I have been feeling these following symptoms
1. tired
2. physically drained
3. low libido
4. headaches sometimes (mild)
5. unable to concentrate on studying (occasionally)
6. weak legs on stairs (usually only after squats but can last a few days sometimes)

My training is weight training for strength 3 times a week, squats, deadlifts, bench and overhead presses.
Also I do duathlon training which involves 3 runs a week and 3 bike rides a week, but only 2 are of long duration the rest are medium intensity or easy runs.
Finally my place of work is exactly one mile from my flat and I walk this everyday, usually twice there and back so I'm walking about 4-5 miles a day on average

I sleep for average of 5 hours a night and try to get an hours nap during the day, because i get home at 10.30pm and start work at 6.30 am so 8 hours isnt an option at once.

I try to eat high protein diet with about 200g carbs a day, somtimes more, my calories usually end up around 2300-2600 a day

my problem can be that i may need fod but i feel too full to eat anything sometimes.

does anyone see obvious signs of what the main cause of these symptoms are? Im 21, male, used to doing a fair amount of exercise. the only big increase has been about double the amount of cardio in terms of time but at reduced intensity to past, where i did more HIIT
Much appreciated

[Darius Szpilewski]

First thoughts that come to mind:
- not enough carbs - get some good quality starchy carbs in there.
- not enough sleep - 5 hours with one nap with this volume of training is simply not sustainable.
- not enough total calories - you might feel full at first but give your body some time to adjust to increased calories.
- way too much volume of training for your lifestyle (this results in not enough time for recovery).
- and this is an assumption but a safe one - no off season. Taking 7-14 complete days off every 2-4 months goes a long way if you're hard training athlete.

[tenakakhan1989]

thanks for your suggestions, I think I might turn the 3 weight sessions into 2 and see how that works, and maybe drop one of the runs how many calories do you think I should move to?

[superman_86]

Good points from Darius for sure. I would immediately take a week off from training. The energy and motivation I have after coming back from a week off is unbelievable. Take the time to focus on your diet and getting some much needed rest. By the time you come back you'll be ready to hit it hard and should feel much better.

As far as your calories take a look at the PN Calorie Estimator. The total you get from the calculator should be much higher that what you are eating now, especially with the amount of training you are doing. Do not jump to this amount immediately by slowly ramp it up, 250 kcals at at time, and your metabolism will be reset. Track your progress and see how your respond and tweak where necessary.

[Canada_K]

DUDE!

Unfortunately, six hours sleep isn't enough to support much activity. I worked out like a maniac on 5-6 hours of sleep and after 6 months I had a series of illnesses and injuries that literally ran me into the ground. It took a long time but I managed to give myself total CNS overload. Don't fall into the same trap. You should see if you can do anything to increase your rest periods.

And hoofing it 4-5 miles A DAY is a lot of steady state cardio. I'd bet you should be pushing 3500 cal/d or more as a baseline. Try the PN calorie calculator.

Bottom line: More food. More sleep.

[tenakakhan1989]

well the calculator thinks i should be eating about 3 or 3.5 thousand a day on off days and more on exercise days when i do things like 2 hour bike ride or 60 minutes weight training, but should i do this even if it feels uncomfortable to eat that much? i think the earlier point on slow increase is worth trying, just dont want to lose any progress ive made in terms of fat loss over the last few months

[superman_86]

If you slowly tweak your diet and ramp things up you should not have an problem eating that much as your body will adapt. If your struggling to eat that much now could it be the types of foods your eating? Do you have any allergies or sensitives that are making things difficult? 2300 is not that much food for someone working out as much as you are.

[tenakakhan1989]

no allergies that i know of, too much dairy can make me not wanna eat but thats normal i guess. one thing could be that i like to eat oats with whey protein powder and that can leave me feeling maybe more full than the equivalent of like chicken and rice or something, also i eat quite large portions of veggies that can make me feel overly gassy
the last thing i would say is that i find i need to drink lots of diet soda to give energy or prevent feeling worn out and they can make me feel bloated for a while afterwards, and maybe the water retention from the sodas could make me think im gaining weight or something

[Darius Szpilewski]

Originally Posted by tenakakhan1989

thanks for your suggestions, I think I might turn the 3 weight sessions into 2 and see how that works, and maybe drop one of the runs how many calories do you think I should move to?

To be honest I don't know many athletes who count calories, aside from people who compete in aesthetic field. Now that you have an idea how 2300(ish) calories look like just eat more and eat quality foods.
One easy way to add calories is to add nut butters to your meals. The feeling of fullness will go away over time, you just got to allow enough time for that to happen. Could take a week or it could take a month. Can't force these things.
Some people won't tolerate certain foods (e.g. protein powders) so they feel like they swallowed a brick or look like swallowed a turtle. You got to play around with food choice. It really is that simple, not easy per se, but simple.

All the best

[Darius Szpilewski]

Originally Posted by tenakakhan1989

the last thing i would say is that i find i need to drink lots of diet soda to give energy or prevent feeling worn out and they can make me feel bloated for a while afterwards, and maybe the water retention from the sodas could make me think im gaining weight or something

This paragraph speaks volumes also. And that goes for anyone - if you need to drink stimulants for energy or to prevent the "worn out" feeling, this is an important feedback you or your coach should be responding to. And if you don't have a coach you should get (a good) one so situations like this one do not happen. There is nothing athletic about feeling worn out or having no energy. Athleticism is about thriving, not surviving.

And you are correct indeed. For some diet sodas can cause (among other consequences) stomach distention and water retention; and the intensities of the two will vary between individuals.

Based on info provided you are due for some time off, complete time off. You can try to taper, but symptoms outlined in initial post will most likely return once back to training at optimal/maximal intensities.

Apologize for double post.