✅ Why you feel sleepy & tired after starting strength training
Very common causes:
Calorie deficit → You’re burning more but not eating enough
Low iron /
ferritin → You already have low ferritin (10.9), which causes fatigue
Low
B12 → yours is borderline (281)
Low
Vitamin D → extremely common in India
Not enough protein
Poor sleep (night shifts)
✅ What to do (simple + effective)
1. Start correcting your deficiencies (important for energy)
Since you already have low ferritin:
Iron supplement (ferrous bisglycinate) → 1 tablet after lunch, 3–4 months
B12 (methylcobalamin 1500 mcg) → 1 tablet daily for 1 month, then 2–3× per week
Vitamin D3 →
Take 60,000 IU weekly × 8 weeks
Then 2000 IU daily for maintenance
This alone improves energy in 2–4 weeks.
2. Increase calories (weight gain needs surplus)
Eat 500 extra calories/day, mainly from:
2 bananas + peanut butter
Paneer / eggs / curd
Dalia / oats with milk
Ghee + roti
Dry fruits (badam, kaju, kishmish)
3. Increase protein
You need 1.2–1.5 g protein/kg body weight per day.
Example (if 60 kg):
→ 70–90 g protein/day
Sources:
Eggs, paneer, dal, chana, rajma, chicken
If difficult → one whey protein shake after workout
4. Hydration
Minimum 2–3 litres/day
Dehydration alone can cause exhaustion during training.
5. Sleep
Night shifts disrupt cortisol +
testosterone levels.
Try to maintain 7 hours total sleep, even split sleep is fine.
✅ When will you feel better?
Energy improves: 2–4 weeks
Strength training adaptation: 4–6 weeks
Weight gain: 2–3 kg per month (safe)
If you want, tell me:
Your weight + height
Your daily diet
Your gym routine
I’ll make a personal weight-gain + supplement plan for you.