Feeling faint

[Baileygirl]

The last couple of weeks, I've been getting light headed and dizzy at my gym classes.
I generally do Les Mills body combat, pump and balance, plus kettlebells, circuit training, HIIT classes, yoga/pilates and if I have to I will use the actual gym (not all at the same time, lol)
I recently upped my cals from 1300-1500 as I am not losing, according to MFP I burn around 600-1200 cals depending on session/s. The most I do is 2 hours and I exercise 3-4 x per week.

Any suggestions?

 

[ALB1993]

maybe your not eating enough or driving enough water ? are you pushing yourself to hard at the gym ?

 

[Baileygirl]

Thanks ALB, I don't know if I'm eating enough. I increased my cals because I wasn't losing weight but at 1500 wasn't losing either. This week I'm back on slimming world so no cal counting and portions as I want them but still dizzy during my cardio session. My fluid intake (water/diluted squash) is around 2-3l, sometimes more if I exercise.
Maybe my breathing technique is wrong? I have no idea!

 

[ALB1993]

your burning quite a lot of calories, I would suggest eating an extra 200 cals per day? I mean if your feeling faint that can't be fun at the gym. I go to the gym 3-5 times a week and I eat 2100/2200 calories a day to maintain my weight, if I eat anything under I actually loose weight because I do a lot of exercise and have an active job. also if you are under eating, this will be harder to work out, as soon as I started eating more when I joined the gym I had so much more energy And did longer work outs at the gym x

 

[ALB1993]

or are you pushing yourself to hard at the gym? I know if I do I feel slightly faint/sick!

 

[Baileygirl]

Thanks for the interest! I do push myself hard, but when the going gets tough i quit quite easily too, lol!
I have about 3 stone to lose and I seem to struggle to lose weight when I exercise. Had body composition done and it's not changed a lot really. (40-39% body fat, 51-51.6% muscle) I eat 'clean' but am very susceptible to binging on bad foods, especially when I don't get results.
I have lost inches but no weight (its bouncing between the same 1-2lbs) so I guess I am a bit obsessed with working hard at the gym.
My workouts vary, if I'm constrained by time I workout for around 2-2.5 hours 3-4 days, cardio and weights/toning. If I have more time (shorter hours or on leave) I'll do 1-1.5 hours 5-6 days. I always try to make sure I've eaten before I go.
I used to follow Slimming World, lost 5 stone but my weight plateaued and I eventually left, gained a couple of stone back and can't seem to get past that. I'm scared to increase my cals further as I seem to gain very easily! My BMR according to the body comp is 1650.
My main aim is to get fitter and incorporate regular exercise but weight/fat loss is also a big motivator so having to stop due to dizziness is frustrating!

 

[boxitoff]

Have you had your blood pressure /iron levels checked. its possible one of these may be out of wack ...

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[Baileygirl]

My BP is fine, I've not thought to check my iron count tho, thanks!

 

[boxitoff]

Np I was getting badly out of breath and feeling faint for no reason , id always been pretty active turned out my iron levels were low.

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[cafwinjacks]

Hi
I am no expert but do you eat the right foods to sustain your exercise?
For example more carby rather than sugary? I'm sure it might be something about the glycemic(?sp) index of food but I may have made that up lol

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[RachelJane]

Your muscles don't store enough carbs to work out for that long so your body is switching to fat-burning after a while and this is the bit where you'll 'hit the wall' and get dizzy. Your electrolytes probably need topping up as well with all the water you're drinking and then sweating out. Try eating something low-GI halfway through your workout. A banana works best for me, it's only about 100 cals but has enough slow burning carbs to keep me going for a while longer; or if you need something you can take in the gym try a Gatorade-type drink for a carb and electrolyte boost. You're amazing for doing all that exercise and the inches will be coming off even while the pounds are on hold for a bit

 

[Baileygirl]

Thanks for the input. I need to look more closely at my diet to make sure I'm doing the right thing. I've gotten very confused of late, gym telling me to eat high protein, I still have SW ingrained which is higher carbs then i end up doing calorie counting/low fat etc etc!
The banana tip might be useful, I've been wary about eating near/during exercise incase I throw up, lol.

 

[Baileygirl]

Happened again in Body Pump which makes me think its my breathing again, though it was back to back workout after combat so maybe it is a sugar or BP issue!? I will look into all possibilities, I would hate to have to stop!

 

[cafwinjacks]

When you sure it's not sugar or bp if you think it's breathing what about yoga as a key in that is being aware of your breathing. I know it's not the same breathing as during cardio breathing.
I found I became faint and dizzy when I started kickboxing purely down to being too hot. I now always try and stand near a window or under air conditioning unit that has helped me.