Feeling weak

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katrinakoenig
katrinakoenig Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all! I'd like your input. I am aiming to lose 50-60 pounds, but in an attempt to jumpstart my metabolism and see immediate results and stay motivated, I am currently consuming 1200-1400 calories a day and spending 45-60 minutes in the gym (cardio and light weights) every day. There are times during the day when I feel a little light-headed and I think maybe I am not eating enough. Thoughts?
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  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    You aren't eating enough. Are you eating 1200-1400 calories plus your exercise calories? If not, you should start because you're probably netting far too few calories.
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    I never go under 1200, but I don't always compensate for exercise calories. Should I always? I read once here that if you don't include those calories, you lose weight more quickly. Not true?
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Possibly but are you really going to lose weight more quickly if you're feeling light-headed and weak on a regular basis? More likely that would cause you to quit. I know it would me.

    Why do you want to lose it quickly anyway? Are you planning to go back to eating the way you were before once you hit your goal weight? Plus, eating so little isn't going to jump start your metabolism. If anything, it'll slow it down if you continue.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    katrinakoenig wrote: »
    I never go under 1200, but I don't always compensate for exercise calories. Should I always? I read once here that if you don't include those calories, you lose weight more quickly. Not true?
    You will lose quicker, assuming under-eating (as you are doing now) doesn't negatively affect your energy levels. Which is clearly is if you are feeling weak.

    MFP works off of setting up a goal without exercise included. Meaning you need to eat back the exercise calories you log (at least 50% of them) to maintain that same deficit. The only time you wouldn't eat them back is if you are doing TDEE method, which already includes your exercise calories, or you set your goal here to maintain and use exercise to create that deficit.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I'm not trying to be antagonistic with my questions and comments. I'm genuinely concerned for you. There's a lot of bad information out there on losing weight and we become victims to the whole low calorie/high cardio mentality when it's really not the best way to go about becoming fit and healthy.
  • redheadedyogi
    redheadedyogi Posts: 5 Member
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    Make sure your protein intake is high enough.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    There are several causes of feeling light-headed, but I'm not sure that calorie intake in one of them. However, things like low sodium can cause low blood pressure. Dehydration can also. Occasional light-headedness is normal, but if it is frequent you should check with a physician.
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    I don't want to feel light-headed, hence the post. :) I want to lose SOME weight quickly to feel like I am well on my way. I gained 10 pounds very, very quickly, which I just didn't expect. I generally eat very well, so going back to the way I was eating is actually a good thing. I lost 50 pounds and kept them off, but then suddenly gained 10 back.
    About jumpstarting my metabolism, I meant with exercise, but you are right. Eating too little won't do that. Thanks, SueInAz! :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    katrinakoenig wrote: »
    I never go under 1200, but I don't always compensate for exercise calories. Should I always? I read once here that if you don't include those calories, you lose weight more quickly. Not true?

    Sure you will lose quicker...because your deficit is bigger...which is what is making you feel light headed and weak...which is just one of the reasons why healthy weight loss isn't "quick".
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    There are several causes of feeling light-headed, but I'm not sure that calorie intake in one of them. However, things like low sodium can cause low blood pressure. Dehydration can also. Occasional light-headedness is normal, but if it is frequent you should check with a physician.

    Yes, not eating enough WILL easily result in being light-headed. Or even fainting.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    There are several causes of feeling light-headed, but I'm not sure that calorie intake in one of them. However, things like low sodium can cause low blood pressure. Dehydration can also. Occasional light-headedness is normal, but if it is frequent you should check with a physician.

    Low calorie intake could be and low blood sugar brought about by under-eating definitely can be.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/521199-signs-symptoms-of-eating-too-few-calories/

    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/can-taking-calories-bad-you-2624.html
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    katrinakoenig wrote: »
    I don't want to feel light-headed, hence the post. :) I want to lose SOME weight quickly to feel like I am well on my way. I gained 10 pounds very, very quickly, which I just didn't expect. I generally eat very well, so going back to the way I was eating is actually a good thing. I lost 50 pounds and kept them off, but then suddenly gained 10 back.
    About jumpstarting my metabolism, I meant with exercise, but you are right. Eating too little won't do that. Thanks, SueInAz! :)
    And losing weight at a reasonable and healthy pace DOESN'T mean you're on your way to meeting your goals? Small changes and doing things that are sustainable will yield the best results, not aiming to lose like 10lbs a week or something. You gained 10lbs quickly because it was probably water weight. Or you felt that you gained it quickly when it really took a number of months.
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    I'm not trying to be antagonistic with my questions and comments. I'm genuinely concerned for you. There's a lot of bad information out there on losing weight and we become victims to the whole low calorie/high cardio mentality when it's really not the best way to go about becoming fit and healthy.

    Thanks! I know and I appreciate it. My brother is a triathlete, and he has a lot of opinions about how and what I should be doing.
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    redheadedyogi wrote: »
    Make sure your protein intake is high enough.

    Yes, good. I've heard that before. Thanks!
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    There are several causes of feeling light-headed, but I'm not sure that calorie intake in one of them. However, things like low sodium can cause low blood pressure. Dehydration can also. Occasional light-headedness is normal, but if it is frequent you should check with a physician.

    Ok, thanks. I think it's probably from lack of food. ;) Good to think about blood pressure levels, though. I am prone to high blood pressure, but my doctor told me once that when you are stabilizing your pressure at normal levels, you can also feel like it's low, because it is actually going down, which is a good thing, but you can still feel the same side-effects.
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    And losing weight at a reasonable and healthy pace DOESN'T mean you're on your way to meeting your goals? Small changes and doing things that are sustainable will yield the best results, not aiming to lose like 10lbs a week or something. You gained 10lbs quickly because it was probably water weight. Or you felt that you gained it quickly when it really took a number of months.

    Thanks, Ana. Yeah, it wasn't water weight. It was Christmas cookie weight, and it was over exactly 3 weeks, for real. :p Thank you for your comments. :)
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    A quick rate of loss that is also safe and sustainable, based on you wanting to lose 60 pounds, is 1.5 pounds per week. Maybe 2 in the beginning, but no more. Getting light-headed is a sign from your body that you are doing something that isn't good for you. If it happens while you're working out, it's a great way to set yourself up to get hurt. Surely it's better to lose a little bit more slowly than push yourself too hard and injure yourself?

  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    Thanks everybody! I just looked at my report on Net Calories and I am way under 1000 calories a day on some days, so that opened my eyes for sure. I think I need to eat more.
  • katrinakoenig
    katrinakoenig Posts: 23
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    Gotcha, AliceDark, thanks!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    katrinakoenig wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    And losing weight at a reasonable and healthy pace DOESN'T mean you're on your way to meeting your goals? Small changes and doing things that are sustainable will yield the best results, not aiming to lose like 10lbs a week or something. You gained 10lbs quickly because it was probably water weight. Or you felt that you gained it quickly when it really took a number of months.

    Thanks, Ana. Yeah, it wasn't water weight. It was Christmas cookie weight, and it was over exactly 3 weeks, for real. :p Thank you for your comments. :)

    Unless you were eating a LOOT of food you didn't gain 10lbs of fat though. Most of it would have been water weight (sodium from Christmas food makes sense) and a little bit of actual fat.

    But you should not be aiming to lose weight ASAP. You should be aiming to eat enough to live well and feel good, while still losing a lb or two (or less, if you only have 10lbs to lose? Or did you want to lose more now?) every week. You might want to go back to your settings and change your weight loss goal to 0.5 or 1lb/week, and when you do exercise be sure you eat back at least half of those. Lots of people just log half the time they exercise so that they aren't left with extra calories in their diary and for easier math, but you can always eat more than 50% of them if you are hungry in the evening and just need a bit more food.

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