First 4 weeks, and SO exhausted

VictoryGarden

So I'm a shade over 4 weeks into this, and the exhaustion is horrid. Is it common to feel really tired when starting a weight loss program?? For the last week and a half, I can barely make it through the day without needing a nap. A LONG nap. I am not sick (or preggo) at all, so I don't think there is something else going on.

More info:
I'm set to lightly active, but I'm not fully lightly active, I'm about 1/2 sedentary and 1/2 slightly active, depending on the day. Set to 2 lb loss a week, which allows me about 1750 kcal's a day. On the days where I am less active, I eat around 1200-1350 cals, and on more active days, I try to keep it around 1500-1700.

I do have trouble hitting my protein macro, though I'm not vegetarian. B/C of DH's allergy to pork and beef, we eat fish, poultry, and venison, as well as beans from time to time. Could this lack of protein cause this? I don't feel like I am eating any less meat than before, but what I've mostly cut out are the junk food and sugary dessert/snack items. I DID used to use sugar as my "pick me up" way to get me through the day.

FYI, I also have hypothyroidism, and was just recently in for labwork, but everything was fine and my meds stayed the same.

Anybody have any suggestions as to if cutting calories can cause this? Or does this extreme exhaustion warrant a trip to the dr?

jemhh

Eat the 1750 as a minimum. Your deficit is built into that. There's no reason for someone with your stats to eat so little. No wonder you're exhausted.

emmycantbemeeko

Eat all of your target calories daily- like jemhh said, your deficit is already built in to that number, and at 2 lbs/week, it's a steep deficit to begin with. There's no need to restrict yourself even further. I'd even consider lowering your rate to 1 lb/week. If you're struggling to get through your day, it's not a sustainable way of eating, and staying the course longer at a slower rate of loss will leave you in better stead than losing fast for a few weeks and then giving up out of exhaustion. Plus, who wants to be miserably tired all the time?

diwijo13

I feel the same way! I eat 1490 calories a day and exercise for at least 20 minutes 6 days a week. The last time I was on MFP in 2012, I felt this way because I think I was exercising too much and eating too little. This time around, I am eating all of my calories and sometimes all of my exercise calories, so I don't understand why I feel so tired, except for the fact that I'll be 40 next month and things are not as they were 4 years ago. At 234 lbs, a goal of 2 lbs a week does not seem unreasonable but maybe it is.

jemhh

diwijo13 wrote: »

I feel the same way! I eat 1490 calories a day and exercise for at least 20 minutes 6 days a week. The last time I was on MFP in 2012, I felt this way because I think I was exercising too much and eating too little. This time around, I am eating all of my calories and sometimes all of my exercise calories, so I don't understand why I feel so tired, except for the fact that I'll be 40 next month and things are not as they were 4 years ago. At 234 lbs, a goal of 2 lbs a week does not seem unreasonable but maybe it is.

I generally suggest a 1 lb rate for any woman with less than 75 lbs to lose. 1.5 above that. Few women can comfortably sustain a daily 1000 deficit (2 lb/wk) for an extended period of time.

socajam

As someone without thyroid, it would be interested to see your diary - that 's if you want to open it.

I would get my Vitamin D checked out. It was amazing when my last blood work showed that my Vitamin D was extremely low. After starting on 2000IU, it was like fog was lifted from my brain, my body did a complete 180. I am now taking Vitmin D and multivitamins daily.

My diet consists of no meat/chicken/seafood (since 1989), wild salmon, salt water fish, lots of beans (lentils, chickpeas, canceilli beans for the high protein and fiber content.

jemhh

socajam wrote: »

As someone without thyroid, it would be interested to see your diary - that 's if you want to open it.

I would get my Vitamin D checked out. It was amazing when my last blood work showed that my Vitamin D was extremely low. After starting on 2000IU, it was like fog was lifted from my brain, my body did a complete 180. I am now taking Vitmin D and multivitamins daily.

My diet consists of no meat/chicken/seafood (since 1989), wild salmon, salt water fish, lots of beans (lentils, chickpeas, canceilli beans for the high protein and fiber content.

Vit D is important but I'd suggest eating more first. OP's goal is 1750 and deficit is 1000. That indicates a TDEE of 2750 on sedentary days. OP reports eating at a 51-56% caloric deficit on off days and 39-45% deficit (not including exercise calories) on workout days. That is unhealthy and unsustainable. There's a saying--when you hear hoofbeats think of horses not zebras. It's pretty clear that OP's hoofbeats (exhaustion) are linked to lack of food.

lorrpb

jemhh wrote: »

socajam wrote: »

As someone without thyroid, it would be interested to see your diary - that 's if you want to open it.

I would get my Vitamin D checked out. It was amazing when my last blood work showed that my Vitamin D was extremely low. After starting on 2000IU, it was like fog was lifted from my brain, my body did a complete 180. I am now taking Vitmin D and multivitamins daily.

My diet consists of no meat/chicken/seafood (since 1989), wild salmon, salt water fish, lots of beans (lentils, chickpeas, canceilli beans for the high protein and fiber content.

Vit D is important but I'd suggest eating more first. OP's goal is 1750 and deficit is 1000. That indicates a TDEE of 2750 on sedentary days. OP reports eating at a 51-56% caloric deficit on off days and 39-45% deficit (not including exercise calories) on workout days. That is unhealthy and unsustainable. There's a saying--when you hear hoofbeats think of horses not zebras. It's pretty clear that OP's hoofbeats (exhaustion) are linked to lack of food.

^^This. Exactly.

socajam

The key word is the OP has "hypothyroidism". She can eat as much as she wants but if her system is out of wack, that will not help. People with hypothyroidism functions totally different from others who do not have this condition.

It is up to the OP but as someone who takes synthroid daily, I wish I knew about Vitamin D a long time ago.

ElizabethOakes2

I would agree on getting your D checked, and make sure your doctor is doing a full thyroid panel and not just t-3, but before anything else, eat all your calories. MFP gives you that number for a reason.

If you're having trouble meeting your protein, you might try adding a protein bar or protein shake as an afternoon snack to boost that a little bit.

VictoryGarden

Thanks guys for all the help. I did have my vit D levels checked in Dec (along with a full cbc/chem, as it had been a while since that was done, all normal), and the vit d levels were high/normal, but I have no prob adding in a vit d supplement as well. I'll up my calories, even on my "in the house" days (I work from home, but also run a small hobby farm, so some days I'm out doing barn chores for 2-3 hours a day, which definitely burns more than camped out in front of the computer) and see if that helps.

FWIW, the more intense outdoor days I do eat more (around the 1700), and my more "in front of the computer" days I eat less, but I see what is meant about cutting too far.