How much weight do I have to lose to gain energy?

I have lost about 33 lbs. 100 lbs to go about to get into a normal BMI healthy wt range. I sleep about 11 hours each weeknight and 14 hours a night on weekends. My work isn't very physically demanding but I find it difficult. I don't shop, do laundry, cleaning or gardening - DH does it all.

How much wt do I have to lose before I feel energetic again?

My hemoglobin,  iron, vitamin B12 and D, folate are all good. I take good quality multi vitamins daily.

Cat.

Have you been evaluated for depression?  Sleeping a lot more than usual is sometimes a sign of depression.

The work being difficult.. I'm guessing you mean mentally challenging?  If so, the extra sleep could be a way to recover from the mental stress.

My energy recovery was a gradual process, I'm sorry I don't really recall when I noticed a big difference in myself.   You could consider consulting your PCP about this issue.

I'm actually a little envious of you this am.. I went to bed later than I should've last night and so very sleepy now..

Cat, it sounds like you spend a great deal of your time sleeping. You might want to make/push yourself to become more active.To answer your question, I was feeling better by the time I lost 30#'s but as you know it will vary from one person to the next. I am a bt suprised at 11-14 hrs of sleep, how old are you and do you have children?

Do You have Sleep Apnea? If you do, Do you use your machine? If you don't i would get retested.

Cat,

I agree with others who suggested that you need to talk to your PCP about this. The only times in my life when I've slept as much as you do have been during my worst depressions. So I think your lack of energy could be related to depression, or perhaps a medication you take, or an underlying & untreated medical condition (thyroid?).

I was feeling more energetic when I'd lost 30-40 lbs, but didn't notice a significant increase until I increased the frequency, duration and intensity of my exercise. All those years doctors and therapists had been telling me I'd feel better if I exercised, and I was ignoring them...they were right after all.

You don't have to become an athlete, though. Perhaps you just need more varied, non-work activities to keep yourself awake - hobbies, clubs, socializing, church, volunteer work, etc.

Jean

I have to echo everyone else.  You need to be evaluated for depression and/or a sleep disorder to cover all your bases but you need to just get moving.  When I am active, I sleep better but I sleep less.  It's a vicious circle, I know, you don't have the energy to exercise so you don't exercise so you don't have the added energy that comes from regular activity.  Eventually, you just have to get up and get moving.  Your energy level won't increase until you do something to MAKE it increase.  You aren't going to just magically wake up one day and feel like running a few miles or taking a dance class.  You have to work up to it but you have to start somewhere.

I think that a big part of weight loss surgery of ANY kind is mental.  We are making the decision to make our lives better.  We are being proactive about it and not waiting for the change to come to our lives while we do nothing.  Start with something small.  Do the gardening.  I find that being out in my garden three or four days a week pulling weeds, checking on the progress of my vegetables and just being out in the sun does wonders for me.  I feel better the rest of the afternoon (not to mention I also have some great fresh veggies to fix for dinner!).  Do the laundry.  Do the vaccuming.  Do you have a dog?  Take your dog for a walk.  Even smaller... park at the end of the parking lot, go get the mail, walk to a neighbor's house, walk around your yard and plan a project while you stroll.

My big philosophy change with my band surgery was to start saying yes.  People think that losing weight is all about saying NO to things but I feel just the opposite.  You've done great so far on your weight loss but that number on the scale isn't the whole battle.  Changing your lifestyle so that you can LIVE your life.  Yes, I will go with you to run errands.  Yes, let's take the dogs for a walk.  Yes, let's go to the park because it's such a gorgeous day.  Yes, let's go for a swim.  I had to ignore that I didn't immediately feel the energy to do these things and just force myself to get up and do them. 

You are exhausted because you sleep to much and don't get enough exercise.  Period.  I'm so sorry to make it sound harsh, I truly don't mean for it to.  But I've been there.  I know exactly how you feel and why you feel that way, we all do.  But only you can make the decision and take the initiative to become more active.  Only then will the energy come.  Start small.  But START MOVING.

Good luck to you.

I agree, it sounds like depression.  It's so common today that we often ignore the signs becuase we simply relate chronic tiredness with stress, heat, obesity, etc.  I was having the same issues several years ago and a friend told me that I could be suffering from depresssion.  Not only was I sleeping a lot, I didn't have any desire to do things I used to enjoy and I certainly didn't want to cook or clean.  I went to the doctor and she prescribed a mild anti depressant.  It changed my life!  Depression is chemical.  It's nothing to be ashamed of.  Many people also develop short team depression after surgery so that could be a factor if this is something new you're experiencing.

I would definately speak to your doctor about what you're experiencing. 

Best~
Lisa O

Cat!!

I totally know how you feel.  I am hoping that I will get my energy back up after I get the band too.  I feel like a failure as a stay at home mom.  Cause I don't have the energy to play with my daughter n keep our house clean like I used too.  All my lab works shows I am fine and I take multi vitamins n super B complex but they don't last very long though.  

I lost about 60 lbs and did not feel the least bit more energetic.  I didn't feel the energy till I started to exercise.  The energy I felt started pretty quickly before any real weight loss.  It was like night and day.  So for me it wasn't the weight loss that gave me energy.  It was the exercise that gave me the energy...not to mention that after I started to exercise the weight did start to fly off and that did make me feel light on my feet. 

Hi guys

thanks for your replies. I am being treated for depression and have been for 16 years. I think it is fairly under control right now. My thyroid is fine.

I went to bariatric exercise class the last few weeks. I can only do the chair exercises (got to start somewhere I guess). And last class I only managed 10 mins before almost collapsing. I have to say that having Type 1 Diabetes makes it challenging, my sugar started at 180 before class and 10 mins in it was 400, no wonder I couldn't finish.

I have 2 stepchildren, no biochildren, and my DH looks after the kids. But having them around part-time still makes me feel exhausted.

I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnoea and told I didn't need a machine. However when I had the band done the nurses had trouble with my breathing, my Oxygen saturation levels kept dropping for hours and they kept telling me to breathe deeply, and I had to wear the Oxygen mask for a few hours after I got back to my room, instead of being on prongs only or nothing at all.

Thinking back, I started feeling tired a few years ago when i had undiagnosed mono which went on for about 6-9 months without me getting a break from work. I wonder it it is chronic fatigue syndrome?

I have a sweet little dog and I will endeavour to walk him more often. A 12 min walk to the nearby park totally breaks me out in a sweat and I gulp air like there is no tomorrow. I will have to do it in small lengths stopping along the way. But I will try.

Once again, thank you.

Cat.