Tired... is it my food?

reachingforarainbow

okay based on what I've eaten so far today, is there a reason why I would be exhausted. I feel pretty full so I don't think I need any more food...

Hornsby

How may calories are you eating per day?

reachingforarainbow

really depends on the day, but I try to net 1280 (some days I go over and just move the calories to another day over time to make up for it or I just work out more for the next few days meaning I'm netting a bit less but today is actually an accurate account of what I've had so far)

esjones12

Don't net below 1200. Your body needs that much to function. What are your stats? Are you sure you should be eating 1280? Also....how is your sleep? Getting consistent quality sleep? Hydration? Stress levels? It can all effect tiredness as well.

ajnb88

I find that if I've had a strenuous day (either at work or the gym), a lack of carbs almost always makes me crash big time.

jgnatca

You're pretty close to the 1,200 calories a day; not a lot of wiggle room. I think your diet today is a little short on protein.

miriamtob

If you are getting enough sleep, it is probably hormonal and yes, food influences the hormonal cascade in a major way. The wrong foods can really bog you down and stress the body.

kristen6350

The only thing I can think of is to try and get more protein in for breakfast. Eggs, turkey sausage, Canadian bacon? If I do carby things in the am (like most breakfast foods), I'm exhausted by 10am.

And upping your protein daily to 100 might help.

You also may be the kind of person that 1200 calories isn't appropriate for. Is your weekly weight loss goal too aggressive?

reachingforarainbow

I don't really want to be eating more...

Lezavargas

Make sure the food youre getting is nutrient rich. You can eat 1200 calories and still be starving your body if its not getting the nutrition it needs

reachingforarainbow

Lezavargas wrote: »

Make sure the food youre getting is nutrient rich. You can eat 1200 calories and still be starving your body if its not getting the nutrition it needs

I'm not starving.... just tired

Lezavargas

I dont mean physically starving, i mean your body is starved for the nutrients it requires to run efficiently, resulting in being tired.

reachingforarainbow

Lezavargas wrote: »

I dont mean physically starving, i mean your body is starved for the nutrients it requires to run efficiently, resulting in being tired.

Okay well are you saying what I'm eating is bad or.... just making a generalized statement

PaytraB

At 22 years of age and with only 11 lbs to lose, you should be less aggressive with your weight loss goals and eat more than 1280 calories/day. Try resetting your goals to 1/2 lb of weight loss per week and eat more. You'll be healthier, feel better and still lose the weight.

rand486

reachingforarainbow wrote: »

Lezavargas wrote: »

I dont mean physically starving, i mean your body is starved for the nutrients it requires to run efficiently, resulting in being tired.

Okay well are you saying what I'm eating is bad or.... just making a generalized statement

Just took a look at your diary for today. You had processed foods for lunch (Tim Hortons). Where are the veggies at?

Also, how much sleep are you getting each night? How much are you exercising each day/week?

reachingforarainbow

I did eat veggies (its also included in my lunch) and yes it was a bit processed...but its soup.... how is that unhealthy... yea salt isn't great but its not like I had bunch of sugar.

Sleep normally 7-8 hours but for like 4 days I've only been able to get around 5 (but only because I can't fall asleep)
Also have not been exercising for like 2-3 days although normally 4-5 times a week ( I don't log my exercise, I just remove food of my diary for equal amount of calories I burn, well sometimes I log it, and sometimes I just remove what I eat). I also don't always log my vegetables and may eat a bit over 1280 a day (like at dinner, I almost never log my salad because I don't want to add 1/4 tomato, 1/2 a mushroom, a few slices of radishes, celery, cucumber. etc.)

As for raising my calories, I am definitely not going to do that. Sometimes I want to eat less than 1200 so I don't think adding more would help that.

BTW: I hope this doesn't sound snarky, I know you are all just trying to help

tinascar2015

I had a look at your diary too, and my first reaction was that I'd be sleepy a lot of the time if I were to eat what you're eating. There are a fair number of simple carbs in there, all processed. I know some people can feel energized eating all that, but I just get sluggish and crash when I do. A half package of rice cakes at 245 calories is 56 carbs and could easily affect how you feel. And then to have 13 pieces of Jolly Rancher candy and some Ovaltine cookies at dinner just compounds the problem. You're better off getting your sugar from fruit. For many people, me included, complex carbs are a nap waiting to happen.

Anyway, my suggestion is to eat and log more fresh vegetables, stay away from processed sugary foods, work fresh fruit into your diary and plan more real meals that don't look so much like you're grazing. Then log your exercise and every single thing you eat. Swapping out food for exercise in your diary doesn't give you a record of exactly what you're doing. See if that helps with your tiredness.

By the way, you can easily log your salads by building a recipe for your mixed green salad. Mine works out to about 60 calories per serving, minus the dressing.

Sabine_Stroehm

PaytraB wrote: »

At 22 years of age and with only 11 lbs to lose, you should be less aggressive with your weight loss goals and eat more than 1280 calories/day. Try resetting your goals to 1/2 lb of weight loss per week and eat more. You'll be healthier, feel better and still lose the weight.

I agree. I also agree with the poster who said you need to fuel your body. I just looked at a couple of days, but I'd be starving, cranky, and feel like crap if I ate what you ate.

reachingforarainbow

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

PaytraB wrote: »

At 22 years of age and with only 11 lbs to lose, you should be less aggressive with your weight loss goals and eat more than 1280 calories/day. Try resetting your goals to 1/2 lb of weight loss per week and eat more. You'll be healthier, feel better and still lose the weight.

I agree. I also agree with the poster who said you need to fuel your body. I just looked at a couple of days, but I'd be starving, cranky, and feel like crap if I ate what you ate.

What would you suggest I eat then?

girlviernes

Difficulty sleeping can be an indication your diet is too aggressive. The lack of sleep is of course culprit #1 in being tired. Eat more and more quality food.

Sabine_Stroehm

reachingforarainbow wrote: »

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

PaytraB wrote: »

At 22 years of age and with only 11 lbs to lose, you should be less aggressive with your weight loss goals and eat more than 1280 calories/day. Try resetting your goals to 1/2 lb of weight loss per week and eat more. You'll be healthier, feel better and still lose the weight.

I agree. I also agree with the poster who said you need to fuel your body. I just looked at a couple of days, but I'd be starving, cranky, and feel like crap if I ate what you ate.

What would you suggest I eat then?

Pretty much what tinascar said above:
More calories (aim for .5LB a week)
More vegetables
More fiber
More whole foods
More protein
More fat
less candy
less cookies

Some days (Monday) look okay. Some days just look like a lot of sugar and other quick digesting carbs and not much else.

firesweetheart

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Pretty much what tinascar said above:
More calories (aim for .5LB a week)
More vegetables
More fiber
More whole foods
More protein
More fat
less candy
less cookies

Some days (Monday) look okay. Some days just look like a lot of sugar and other quick digesting carbs and not much else.

Are you drinking enough water? I personally get really tired and grumpy when I don't drink enough. If you've stopped drinking soda, milk, juice, etc but haven't replaced them with water, I could see mild dehydration making you more tired (on top your current diet).