This last summer I swam almost 5 days a week and was up to a pretty good workout, about 2500 yards in 45 minutes.

Then I started school again and stopped for about 4 months...a no no in an exercise routine, heh.

I'm on my fourth week of atkins with my fiance, and while we're adding some variety to our diet, we're staying under 20g of carbs since we have so much weight to lose.

Two weeks ago we started to swim, and I am just exhausted. In the past, being exhausted meant out of breath and I was bulding up cardio fitness in order to increase my swim workouts. But now my cardio seems just fine, or at least decent, but the thing that has me fatigue are my muscles. After a few laps they just seem like jello. Pulling through the water seems impossible after a couple hundreds without a significant break.

We are also walking a couple days each week, and I havent noticed any muscle fatigue doing this.

Is this normal? will it go away? should I increase my carb intake...

Thanks!

post a sample menu to see if your getting enough protien & fat

I would increase your carb level, espically when you know you are going swiming for a work out. One of the reasons you lose weight on this style of eating is because you body has to work harder to burn fats over carbs for energy. So it makes since that you would get tried sooner. As you lose some of the extra weight you will mostlikey find it easier. Just start out slow on the swimming and rebuild.

The fatigue you have described seems pretty common at the start of a LC diet. Most people report that their energy level comes back wihtin 2-3 weeks. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. And maybe bump your carbs up to 25 or 30g for a few days.

I have also experienced extreme muscle fatigue. I have been LC'ing for nearly two months now and eating 25-30 g carb. I get lots of protein. Atkins addresses it in DANDR,(I think he calls it ascension fatigue) especially the fact that one flight of stairs can suddenly feel like twelve. I am tired all the time too lately. I don't know if it is the diet or something else, but it bothers me. I thought my energy was supposed to increase, not diminish. I don't want to give up, but this is getting hard..I want to nap all the time.

Intersting as I have much more energy, can stay focused on the task at hand much better and feel like dancing. I do know that when I go to bed at night now I don't stay awake staring at the ceiling near as much.

I too have more energy when I'm not really doing anything, but excersing is not all the pleasant anymore, as recovery time has increased substantially. My goals of a better body seems slightly incompatible with my weight loss goals.. Reading more of the exercise forum though

Although I haven't updated it in a while, I do have a filled out journal in the journal section. Here's a quick link if you want to go over there:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...875#post1806875

I am posting now in fitday.com because I wanted to see if I was burning the calories I was eating. Surprisingly enough I'm at an exact level...so its no wonder the weight loss has stopped. But I'm happy because I am NOT overeating calories, and for the first time in my life I'm NOT HUNGRY! Every once in a while I transfer over to this board so I have some sample meals up for questions like this one

I do feel like I have more energy throughout the day. I dont lay down for naps, when previously I would nap a couple hours every day. I no longer suffer from insomnia, and I sleep only 8 sometimes 9 hours per night instead of the 11-12. I even generally have more motivation to exercise.

Thanks for the advice, I read up some sections in the book and I'll keep drinking water and push through the yardage.

Let me know if there's something in my diet I'm not doing right!