How do you keep up the energy?

 So I am almost 6 weeks post op now and about 2 and a half weeks ago I have been walking everyday starting at 15 min to now up to 30 min.  It feels great to be out walking now especially since I am losing weight.

My only problem though is that I notice I burn roughly have my daily calorie intake in those 30 min walks.  For example today I burned down 355 calories today and I only eat about 500-600 right now.  
At the end of the day I feel exhausted and I am thinking its because I am simply not getting enough calories.  But, I am also trying really hard to eat properly without taking in so many calories.  

Does anyone here have any suggestions on you guys kept your energy up while staying in calorie range and still being in the mushie phase? =)

BTW, the reason why I know how many calories I am burning is that I use the Android app Cardio Trainer it tells me how far I walked via GPS and based on my weight how many calories I burned based on speed and time.  


Thanks a lot!

 Well, first off, take you calorie counter with a grain of salt.  I can write a program to read what ever you want base on info I input.

Second, thats how you loose weight, you burn more calories than you take in.  Just try to get your protein, water, and vitamins in, and you will most likely be ok.  If you take in the same calories as you burn you will not loose.

Just keep moving, walking, swimming, what ever trips your trigger, eat mindfully and enjoy your new life!  

Congrats to you and good luck.

ROY
www.roytyson.com

LOL you mean i didn't burn 700 calories in 30 minutes on the elliptical!??? Shocking! (just kidding).

 LOL....you are right about the calorie calculator I do not explicit think is 100% accurate but there has to be some loss of calories.  I am not going to stop working out its part of my routine now.  I do keep my protein and water up so not worried about that.  I was just looking for ideas on how to keep my energy up.  I guess I should take this as a phase and know it will get better as I get more weight off and more healing done.

Thanks for your comment I appreciate it.

At 6 weeks it's not possible to have much energy. It will get better with time. Do what you can , but don't overdo it. Finish healing and go slow .... you have a whole new "better" life ahead of you, just give it time. Great job for getting at it so soon though !

Your stored fat is energy. (Calories are energy and your stored fat is full of them.)

You probably are having energy issues because you just had surgery and your body is recovering! Give it a break and the energy will come. Also, be sure to get in all your protein as that will help a lot too (protein helps your body heal.)

I really felt the lack of energy for about the first three months. It just progressively got better and now I can say I have a lot more than before surgery.

Hang in there and keep on doing the right thing!

 Ditto to what others have said, at six weeks you are still healing and getting your energy back.

 Remember, your body has gone through a major trauma and literally has been re-arranged inside.  On top of that, you are now consuming yourself as you burn off the fat.  Take it slow at first and just increase your exercise a little each time you go out.  One day you will realize your walks have turned into jogs into runs and before you know it, you will feel like crap if you don't get a chance to run...this exercise stuff is addictive...but its a good addiction!  

A couple of hints or suggestions...before you go for your walk/jog/run, have a protein shake or bar (once you are cleared for solids).  Something else I do before a long run is a scoop of protein powder mixed with a small lite yogurt...it does give a little extra energy.  It is also good to have some protein 20-30 mins after a good workout, especially once you start doing some weight training...This way you are getting in your protein and giving yourself an energy boost at the same time.

Don't worry too much about the calories at this point...focus on getting in your water and protein...Keep us all posted on your progress and good luck! 

Mike

 Wow, thanks everyone for the responses.  I appreciate everyone's responses.  I will just take a bit more easier and let my body adjust.  Today instead of 30 min I did 20 min and I had a yogurt before I went out to walk and felt really good afterwards.  I'll see about increasing in a few days to 30 min and see how I feel.

Happy Holidays everyone!