You all were right... thank you. However, I am still exhausted... and do not know why..

Thank you to all who responded to my last post about gaining 2lbs. It was due to my period, as it and two more pounds came off by the end of the week. I changed my daily work out to a 20 minute cardio burn [much harder than the walking routine I was doing], and I am still doing 120 ab crunches a day. Couple that with about 1750 cal, and getting in about 10,000 steps a day. [have three kids and work at an afterschool program]. I figured I was doing well...about 2lbs a week. At first when I began this I was full of energy...now I am just plain exhausted. I took yesterday off... no work out, no job. I just sat around. I could not get moving. I did go to church [which i yawned through], and the grocery store. What gives? I thought losing weight and exercising would make me feel better, but this week.... I am worn out. My husband thinks it is my two jobs...and 12 hour plus a day schedule. But, I was doing that before I started this new lifestyle. I thought that this would give me more energy...at first it did. Do I need to eat more? Do not see my dietician again for another month...need some advice...

lessin08, I am so sorry you are still feeling so tired but so happy that those pesky 2 pounds and 2 more of their friends decided to leave!  That is great news.  Just remember how it was next month and don't get upset again, okay?

I think you husband may be right.   It sounds like you are just worn out with the kids and a 12 hour work day.  I don't know how you do it!Myabe now that your TOM has left for a month you will be feeling better.  You could be coming down with somthing too.  Be good to yourself.

I got exhausted just reading about your schedule.

Like it or not, calories give us energy. You're in an energy-deficient state, by definition, whenever you are trying to lose weight.  Add that to the fact that you have a very hectic life, and of course you'll need a day off every now and then. Take time to relax and "do nothing" : which apparently includes going to church and the grocery store, which some might call an average productive day!. (And I'm sure your three kids were not motherless yesterday either, so add that to your "nothing" day.)

You could always try eating about 250 calories more per day. This would slow your loss from 2 lbs a week to 1.5 lbs a week (which is still a great rate of loss, BTW), and might give you back some energy. It is possible that your net caloric intake is a bit too low (what is "too low" varies by person) and that you are experiencing a bit of a metabolic slowdown, which takes a few weeks to kick in - and it's been a few weeks, after all. Heck, try it, it can't hurt.

120 sit ups? Forget that! try the plank instead.

 http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercis es_10.htm 

much better for you, make sure you keep good form though. 

Thank guys. You are probably right. I just really looked at my intake for the last few days and it is actually below my 1750. Not on purpose...have been too busy and too tired to eat. I am not sure how to slow my schedule down though...  I do pack snacks, but do not eat them all...get busy and forget.

My day starts at 5am with a cardio work out and ab set.

Make lunches, eat my own breakfast...get everyone up...including hubby.

Get everyone ready...hubby helps too. Get everyone to school/daycare.

Come home...get me ready for work. Go to 1st job 10am-6pm.

Get off first job 6:15pm go to second job until 10:15pm....[which will change to 8pm-12midnight in about 2 weeks].

Get home...do it all over again next day. Wednesday is the only day I am off from second job. Some weekends I am off from both jobs, but every other I have to work second job on the weekend. Add to that laundry, and just regular house work...and it just all piles up. I have to get up at 5am ...or i do not get a work out in at all. Counting my calories takes time too...

I was really hoping that exercise would increase my energy..., but maybe I will pay more attention this week...and try to eat closer to my intake goal. See what happens. I appreciate you all so much. You give me such a perspective... I tend to get lost in the forest...easily. Not much time for me... a lot of time for everyone else though. Thank you.

 

Oh. My. Goodness.

That's a crazy life.

Have hubby do more of the housework, for a start. Have him make the lunches the night before, so you can sleep longer. If he is only working one job, then he has the extra time, not you. Your sleep, sanity and health are more important than his leisure time.

You're not sleeping enough. No wonder you're tired. Honestly, considering how many steps you take every day, you will probably get more benefit from a half hour more sleep, instead of a morning workout. You really need to get at LEAST 7 hours a night, to stay healthy.

Buy healthy, calorie dense foods and eat them in those stolen minutes between jobs, or on coffee breaks. Power bars and the like. Make sure you eat your caloric intake. Don't do laundry except on weekends. Screw the dusting and bed making and other tasks that don't really need doing. When your job gets changed till midnight, then you will get to bed at 1 meaning you have to sleep till eight. Have hubby be the one who does the morning work, have him wake up early if he has to (after all, he can get to sleep by 10 if he needs to, meaning he can get up at 5 or 6). You can get up at 8 and feed yourself and get to work by 10 successfully. If you really need to work out, you can do it between 6 and 8 pm.

He will likely bitch about this arrangement. but think of it this way: If he were working your hours, and you were working his, that's the way it would work, right? You're not asking him to do anything you wouldn't be willing to do yourself. So where's the problem?  And besides, this way you will probably wind up with about equal amounts of leisure time (I'm guessing about 90 minutes a day, each - and you might be spending yours working out!).

Good luck.

How on earth do you manage all of that? No wonder you're tired. I'm tired doing half of that! Working two jobs and fitting in a workout is a big challenge. Are any of your jobs physical (eg where you're standing or moving around a lot)? If they are, I'd say leave out the workout and try to focus your weight loss energy on what you eat. I've lost weight in the past through watching what I eat, rather than exercising (and it wasn't as if I cut out heaps of food, I didn't even realise that I was eating less),  and if you're in a physical job you're probably getting enough exercise through work.

If you aren't getting enough sleep, and aren't eating enough, you definitely won't lose weight. I know that when I'm tired the scales barely budge for me, sleep is really important for putting your body into a relaxed state where it doesn't try to hold on to every calorie you consume because it's stressed out.

I completely agree with trustwomen about getting your hubby to pitch in and help with some of the stuff you're doing.  

I agree you probably are not getting enough sleep but you might want to check how much iron are you getting.  Anemia can cause tiredness as well.  Might want to have that checked.  Just from watching myself... seems hard to get the RDA of iron when I cut out red meat... I have to be more aware and eat more iron rich veggies and grains.  Need to watch folic acid and b12 as well.