Activity Level - Moderate or Higher?

exercise
(Piper Robinson) #1

Hi All, I’ve been curious if I am underestimating my activity level and if I should be eating more food.

I currently have a desk job where I try to stand most of the time and I do walk around a bit. I don’t do much on the weekends aside from some yard work maybe.

My exercise is 3 1 hour yoga classes on the moderate to strong level, 2 1 hour flexibility classes and 2 1 hour aerial skills classes (circus stuff, climbing up 20 foot curtains and twisting and hanging and wrapping, etc. Not easy at all).

I’m eating 1500 to 1600 calories a day, and I often feel tired. I do feel better on weekends when I get to sleep 9-10 hours, but on work nights I get about 7.

What say you all?

(Allie) #2

If you’re feeling hungry eat more food, it’s that simple. No calculator can tell you what your body needs.

(Michelle) #3

I would say you are underestimating your activity level. You might not be moving a ton but all the balancing and body weight exercises you do are going to require more calories!

(Omar) #4

If you fast and feel more energitic in the second or third day it means you may have damaged mitochondria which can be recreated by fasting and avoiding overcalories.

If you fast and your energy level gets even lower it is possible the 1500 calories are not sufficient or you may malnutrition in some nutrients.

If you have a leaky gut or IBS then you want to fix it before you recover your energy back. leaky gut can be caused by so many things. you can read about it and educate yourself.

It is not easy to trouble shoot chronic fatigue and you can use some help.

(Wendy) #5

I do feel better on weekends when I get to sleep 9-10 hours, but on work nights I get about 7.

What say you all?

I say maybe you need a bit more sleep. :slightly_smiling_face:. This is one thing I think is so under rated and really hard for some of us to do.

#6

This sounds awesome!!!

Personally I would track what you’re eating (just because it will help later if you need to identify patterns) but not keep such a close eye on calories.
Mostly - like others have asked - are you hungry? Keep your carbs to under 20g and eat to satiation and you should be good.
Tired is lack of sleep or just adaptation. How long have you been keto?

[And -sorry - I don’t quite understand: are you and Wendy the same person? She answered as if a follow up to the original post but it’s two usernames.]

(J) #7

Sounds to me like you need more than 7 hours of sleep. Remember that insufficient sleep leads to increased cortisol which leads to increased hunger.

(Piper Robinson) #8

Haha, no, Wendy and I are not the same user. Maybe she copied and pasted?? Anyway, I use Lose It to track calories and macros. Most of the time I stay around 20 net carbs. This week I made a Keto tomato soup with tomato paste for lunch, so that’s a bit higher in carbs.
I am finishing my 6th week on Keto. The tiredness started when I changed my routine and added in the second aerials and flexibility day. It’s been 4 weeks since then. I just wish it was easier to measure exercise. I wouldn’t say I’m hungry all the time either. :woman_shrugging:

(Piper Robinson) #9

That wouldn’t surprise me. I’m considering eating more on the aerial days, but only about 200 calories more. I’m trying to get to sleep earlier on weeknights, but we have a small space and my partner is a night owl. He’s up until 1 most night writing code or tinkering on electronics. We have a two room studio, sooo, yeah. He tries to come to bed with me sometimes and that does make it easier to fall asleep.

(Piper Robinson) #10

I fast everyday 16:8. This has not improved my energy levels. I think maybe eating more on longer workouts days, and trying to sleep more may be my best course. I was have tummy trouble before Keto, but for the most part my digestion has greatly improved with his way of eating.

(Piper Robinson) #11

I’m starting to think so as well!

(Piper Robinson) #12

Sometimes I am still hungry, sometimes not. I also plan all my food, so it’s all portioned out. This helps me to cover all the days in the week, but adding in more snacks aside from the preplanned meals is an option I should explore more.

(Katarina) #13

I say eat more fat for energy! I am less active than you, but eat around 2000-2300 calories a day.

(Piper Robinson) #14

Wow! How much are you trying to lose? I’m looking to lose about 5-7% body fat, so maybe that’s 15 lbs? I’m also working on building muscle, so I’m trying not to put too much stake into my weight. I’m currently 5’6” and 146 lbs. I started at 153 lbs. According to the ruledme.com calculator, I should be eating roughly 1500 to lose weight, but I don’t fully trust calculators as every body is different.

(KetoQ) #15

Piper –

Your classes sound like lots of good activity, and more importantly, I sense they are activities you enjoy. I think the secret sauce to physical activity is doing fun and interesting things. Whether you do more or less, focus on whatever keeps you engaged.

Good luck,
Q

(Piper Robinson) #16

Thanks Q! That’s the only way I can achieve my fitness goals. I’m not a gym person or a runner. I like the weird and unusual because, honestly, they feel more natural, like being a kid again.

I hope you are having much success in your fitness goals!