Getting tired a lot

[VAB_Ride]

Sounds like a bit too much exercise, not enough rest days. ensure your diet is well balanced, not too great in volume. Eat porridge before riding, ot has great slow release energy

I do like porridge with nuts, seeds and fruit but stopped it for some reason... will look into that as it's much nicer than this Special K 'protein' cereal

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Ignore Strava power values. It’s laughable in many cases.

In order to get fitter you need to have recovery days built into your week. You also need to have recovery weeks about once every 4 or 5 weeks. If you don’t have enough recovery then you can end up in a situation of overtraining. Overtraining isn’t good and can leave you with the fatigue you describe.

So I’d start with just taking a complete week off, no bike rides. Just go for some gentle walks and don’t be tempted to up the intensity. Then after a week see how your energy levels are.

If energy levels have improved then you can re introduce the cycling but don’t go mad with the volume and intensity of it. Try slowing down to 10 mph, and just do it 3 days a week and see how that goes. If it goes okay then once a week try cycling the 20 miles as fast as you can, but only once a week. Stick with that for a few weeks. Once it feels easy and energy levels are good, try a bit more distance or introduce a fourth day of cycling.

If you are pushing the intensity and volume every day then that creates a situation where the stress hormone cortisol is continually circulating in the blood. Whilst the hormone is good for promoting muscle growth and repair , sustained elevated levels of it can lead to systemic inflammation in the body. That is isn’t good. You need a mix of hard days, easy days, and recovery / rest days when it comes to exercise with the emphasis on most days being easy.

 

[HarryTheDog]

That's exactly my point. I'm doing a 15 to 20-mile daily ride with approx. 1000-1500ft elevation at an average 12.5mph, burning an average of 75W (which I admittedly know isn't a lot). The power value is def going to be a little out (prob not THAT much though) as it's based on calculations by Strava rather than a power meter (my crank doesn't have a compatible power arm available on the market and the pedals seem either out of stock or extortionate... and I'm using SPD cleats).

Now my partner is back to work an average weekday consists of an hour, hour and a half of cycling (roughly 400-600cals) and 2 brisk 1 to 1.5 mile walks with the dogs with a bit of activity logged on my watch thrown in too. Until last week we were doing 1.5-2 hours of cycling and 2 hours of walking a day (during the Summer holidays).

You would have thought a manufacturer would have got their arse into gear and got some SPD power meter pedals on the market . I have a old LIMITS power meter adaptor pedal thingy on my tandem ( any pedal fits into it) but they stopped makng them and their G2 was supposed to come out in March, still waiting for a launch date. Also iQ2 power pedal still not relased or the SRM-X-Power

 

[raleighnut]

Are you 'warming up' before a ride (or at the start of it) if you go 'flat out' straight away it is more tiring. I also find that the harder I try the slower I go, maybe I tense up but if I relax and just keep turning the pedals I can go much faster and far further.

 

[vickster]

I do like porridge with nuts, seeds and fruit but stopped it for some reason... will look into that as it's much nicer than this Special K 'protein' cereal

Avoid processed cereals, they tend to be high in sugar, which you can control if you prep your own porridge

 

[si_c]

Avoid processed cereals, they tend to be high in sugar, which you can control if you prep your own porridge

True, but it really depends on how much golden syrup you put in it

 

[vickster]

True, but it really depends on how much golden syrup you put in it

I don’t personally put anything in mine other than milk and water 👍 cannot bear it sweet!
if he’s adding fruit, that should be enough sweetness

 

[Lovacott]

Sounds like a bit too much exercise, not enough rest days. ensure your diet is well balanced, not too great in volume. Eat porridge before riding, ot has great slow release energy

I do a pretty heavy (to me) 10 mile each way commute on weekdays (lots of big Devon hills).

I rarely cycle at the weekend due to family time pressures (unless we all go out for an easy leisure ride).

On Mondays, I power up the hills in bigger gears and think "wow"?

By Wednesday, I'm starting to use the granny gear on the big hills and my legs feel a bit sick.

On my Friday home commute, I hate cycling and arrive home feeling like I've just run a marathon.

Over the weekend, I eat and drink whatever I feel like and on the following Monday, I power up the hills and think "wow".

The one thing that I have noticed is that I am knocking a minute or so off my commute time every week and some of the gentler inclines feel no different to riding on the flat.

I have just started to boost my protein intake in the last week. I looked at what I was eating and I was heavy on the veggies but well below 30 grams of protein per day. Great for weight loss but no good for muscle building / strength.

I'll see how I get on.

 

[alicat]

Are boredom/a lack of fun/a feeling that losing weight ought to be hard and a bit of a punishment regime a factor in any of this?

A target of 2lb a week weight loss is very high over the long term and it will be hard to have enough energy to enjoy life including your bike rides.

I've been on a healthy eating plan since Jan to lose weight. I didn't weigh myself to start with; however I reckon that my average weight loss is 0.5 to 1lb per week. I have scarcely increased my laughable activity levels. I have no idea how far I ride nor at what speed or elevation. I do know what I am eating each day and when and why I am eating it.

Maybe pause and focus on the quality of your diet and the reasons why you were overeating. It's hard to exercise your way out of bad eating habits. Good luck!

 

[HMS_Dave]

Ive lost a lot of weight myself. If you under eat you will slow your metabolism down as your body adapts lower calorie intake. As far as your body is concerned, you could be entering a prolonged period with less food or even starvation and you will slow down as a result and cause you to tire very easily. I can only suggest that you start weighing and recording the food you eat. Its tedious at first but after a while, like a chef, you can eyeball it. This is the easiest way to know what you're eating and then increase or decrease your intake. There are a number of apps that make the recording of your food simple as to break down how many carbs, protein and fat you're eating. It's a good way to relearn to eat healthier. You don't have to do this forever, but it is a way to get your eating right.

 

[Lovacott]

Ive lost a lot of weight myself. If you under eat you will slow your metabolism down as your body adapts lower calorie intake. As far as your body is concerned, you could be entering a prolonged period with less food or even starvation..

Basically, we are designed to eat whatever we can and as much as we can whenever we get the chance because there might not be anything to eat tomorrow.

We are fighting a battle against our own instincts when we try and tailor our diet towards being healthy. Some win, some lose.

 

[ColinJ]

Basically, we are designed to eat whatever we can and as much as we can whenever we get the chance because there might not be anything to eat tomorrow.

I agree with that...

We are fighting a battle against our own instincts when we try and tailor our diet towards being healthy.

... but not this!

If I were faced with unlimited availability of pizza, my favourite veggie curries, cake, cheese and biscuits, bowls of ice cream, bars of chocolate etc. then I would pig out and pile weight on.

So, I generally avoid putting myself in that situation. Instead, I allow myself unlimited portions of healthy non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cabbage etc.) or salads. I would happily eat 5+ times what are normally called 'portions' of them. For example, this was my tuna salad one evening... packed with goodness, but hardly any calories in the salad. Eating that doesn't leave much room for the tempting, fattening, unhealthy stuff!

I'd have 2 or 3 pitta breads with that (no butter).

As for @VAB_Ride's fatigue... A very fit friend of mine used to do a 34 mile round trip commute but gave up trying to do it 5 days a week because it left him feeling too tired to cycle at the weekend, which is when he liked to do a 50-100 mile ride. He compromised and did cycle commutes Mon, Wed and Fri, driving in on Tue and Thu.

Trying to do (say) 80-100 miles during the week and 50-60 miles at the weekend, without days off, and on a restricted diet is asking for trouble! I would ride just one day at the weekend, take one or two days off during the week, and start to eat more. Aim to cut the rate of weight loss to something easier, say 0.5-1.0 lb/week.

 

[Lovacott]

I agree with that...
... but not this!

But we are fighting against our own instincts when we choose to eat healthily.

As kids, we want sweet stuff, fatty stuff and carb laden stuff. We don't want sprouts, cabbage and lean chicken.

We are programmed to consume as many calories as we can lay our hands on and the only thing stopping us is our parents saying "no" at the sweet rack by the checkout.

As we get older, those of us who want to look after ourselves, make a conscious decision to eat differently.

Simple fact is, fat people haven't overcome their basic programming.

 

[raleighnut]

I agree with that...


... but not this!

If I were faced with unlimited availability of pizza, my favourite veggie curries, cake, cheese and biscuits, bowls of ice cream, bars of chocolate etc. then I would pig out and pile weight on.

So, I generally avoid putting myself in that situation. Instead, I allow myself unlimited portions of healthy non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cabbage etc.) or salads. I would happily eat 5+ times what are normally called 'portions' of them. For example, this was my tuna salad one evening... packed with goodness, but hardly any calories in the salad. Eating that doesn't leave much room for the tempting, fattening, unhealthy stuff!

View attachment 546527

I'd have 2 or 3 pitta breads with that (no butter).

As for @VAB_Ride's fatigue... A very fit friend of mine used to do a 34 mile round trip commute but gave up trying to do it 5 days a week because it left him feeling too tired to cycle at the weekend, which is when he liked to do a 50-100 mile ride. He compromised and did cycle commutes Mon, Wed and Fri, driving in on Tue and Thu.

Trying to do (say) 80-100 miles during the week and 50-60 miles at the weekend, without days off, and on a restricted diet is asking for trouble! I would ride just one day at the weekend, take one or two days off during the week, and start to eat more. Aim to cut the rate of weight loss to something easier, say 0.5-1.0 lb/week.

The Bread is quite fattening though, carbohydrates can really pile the weight on.

 

[vickster]

The Bread is quite fattening though, carbohydrates can really pile the weight on.

There's only 100 or so calories in a pitta. Dry things too, I'm much less inclined to overeat those than say nice thick toast smothered in butter and marmalade