Normal to feel so zonked?

aimeerhiannon

Hi!
Just wondering if it is normal to feel so knackered when eating at a deficit of 400 cals a day. I am just trying to lean out a little, want to lose about 3lbs by the end of Feb and about 5lbs all up. Been thinking about losing these couple of pounds for a few years but have an acting job on the beach coming up, so got the kick in the butt I needed!
I run about 20km a week, and my TDEE is around 1800 depending on the calculator. I have been eating 1450 net cals a day for the last week and I am not feeling flash! Tired, unmotivated and starving by meal-time. This is my first real go at healthy/moderate weight loss (had ED issues about 10 years ago, but very mentally healthy now!) so I'm not sure what to expect.
I am 5'5", 126lbs (v small build, by far the heaviest I've ever been), a healthy mod-low carb/high protein eater and other than running 3-4 times a week, mostly sit on my butt all day.

MamaMc3

No, I don't think that dropping 400 calories a week would affect your energy level that much. This is obvious stuff, but are you getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and eating enough fruits/veggies during the day? Are you stressing more than usual? Those are the things that affect my energy levels more than the actual number of calories I am eating. If you are doing those things, consider having your doctor do some blood work and check your iron and vitamin D levels. Whenever I am really tired and it's not one of the obvious things, I am typically low on iron or vitamin D.

aimeerhiannon

Thanks! I think overall my diet, hydration, etc is pretty good and I've had my ferritin/B12 tested recently and all was fine. I'll keep note of my sleep patterns for the next few nights. I also wonder if my TDEE is actually higher than the calculator says, if that's possible...

girlviernes

Well you are well into the normal BMI range, losing any weight at all might be very tough for you because you don't have the same body fat reserves as other dieters do. 400 kcals also may be too aggressive for you. With an ED history and being in the normal weight category, I would hesitate to suggest you lose any weight, but you could certainly try a higher calorie goal and see how you feel physically on it, for example 1700.

Alatariel75

In creating a deficit, have you cut down on any caffeinated beverages/foods?

girlviernes

aimeerhiannon wrote: »

Thanks! I think overall my diet, hydration, etc is pretty good and I've had my ferritin/B12 tested recently and all was fine. I'll keep note of my sleep patterns for the next few nights. I also wonder if my TDEE is actually higher than the calculator says, if that's possible...

Definitely, the calculator is just making a guess at TDEE. But, I think 400 cal deficit is pretty big at your current weight.

aimeerhiannon

girlviernes wrote: »

Well you are well into the normal BMI range, losing any weight at all might be very tough for you because you don't have the same body fat reserves as other dieters do. 400 kcals also may be too aggressive for you. With an ED history and being in the normal weight category, I would hesitate to suggest you lose any weight, but you could certainly try a higher calorie goal and see how you feel physically on it, for example 1700.

Yep, I'm super cautious about weight loss, one of the reasons I've put it off for so long! Now is definitely the time to be listening to my body so if it's not normal to be tired/hungry then it sounds like I should be eating more. I will give a 200 cal deficit a go and see if that's more manageable. Thanks for your help

aimeerhiannon

Alatariel75 wrote: »

In creating a deficit, have you cut down on any caffeinated beverages/foods?

No, my only usual caffeine is 1-2 black coffees and sometimes dark chocolate and I haven't cut down on either. Good thinking though!

middlehaitch

250 calorie deficit will give you .5 lbs a week loss. If you are working in the acting/theatre world, you may find swapping out/complementing your running for a bit of strength training. It would re sculpt your body without having to be too much lighter.

Cheers, h.

macgurlnet

I'm with everyone else - up the cals & see how you do

Also keep in mind that slow weight loss can easily be masked by water weight fluctuations. You could be really good about monitoring your intake and keeping your cals spot on, but 1-2 lbs (and for some, all the way up to 5 or more lbs) of fat loss could be negated by an increase in water weight.

Take progress measurements and/or pictures. And @middlehaitch makes a good point about strength training. It can be much more helpful if your goal is to be leaner. Adding in strength training may also stall the scale weight due to increased water retention, so give it 4-6 weeks of being on plan to see how things go.

Good luck!

~Lyssa

azulvioleta6

aimeerhiannon wrote: »

Hi!
Just wondering if it is normal to feel so knackered when eating at a deficit of 400 cals a day. I am just trying to lean out a little, want to lose about 3lbs by the end of Feb and about 5lbs all up. Been thinking about losing these couple of pounds for a few years but have an acting job on the beach coming up, so got the kick in the butt I needed!
I run about 20km a week, and my TDEE is around 1800 depending on the calculator. I have been eating 1450 net cals a day for the last week and I am not feeling flash! Tired, unmotivated and starving by meal-time. This is my first real go at healthy/moderate weight loss (had ED issues about 10 years ago, but very mentally healthy now!) so I'm not sure what to expect.
I am 5'5", 126lbs (v small build, by far the heaviest I've ever been), a healthy mod-low carb/high protein eater and other than running 3-4 times a week, mostly sit on my butt all day.

I took a look at your diary for the last week or so. What I am seeing is not low/moderate carb. While your protein stats are OK most days, you are not consuming a high-protein diet. So you might want to shift some carb calories to protein to be totally on track with your goals.

I notice that you tend not to get much/any protein with lunch. Adding a additional high-protein item there might help you to keep your energy up.

You may just need to ease up for a couple of day and get a bit more rest. It looks like you are doing a great job with tracking...good luck!

aimeerhiannon

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

aimeerhiannon wrote: »

Hi!
Just wondering if it is normal to feel so knackered when eating at a deficit of 400 cals a day. I am just trying to lean out a little, want to lose about 3lbs by the end of Feb and about 5lbs all up. Been thinking about losing these couple of pounds for a few years but have an acting job on the beach coming up, so got the kick in the butt I needed!
I run about 20km a week, and my TDEE is around 1800 depending on the calculator. I have been eating 1450 net cals a day for the last week and I am not feeling flash! Tired, unmotivated and starving by meal-time. This is my first real go at healthy/moderate weight loss (had ED issues about 10 years ago, but very mentally healthy now!) so I'm not sure what to expect.
I am 5'5", 126lbs (v small build, by far the heaviest I've ever been), a healthy mod-low carb/high protein eater and other than running 3-4 times a week, mostly sit on my butt all day.

I took a look at your diary for the last week or so. What I am seeing is not low/moderate carb. While your protein stats are OK most days, you are not consuming a high-protein diet. So you might want to shift some carb calories to protein to be totally on track with your goals.

I notice that you tend not to get much/any protein with lunch. Adding a additional high-protein item there might help you to keep your energy up.

You may just need to ease up for a couple of day and get a bit more rest. It looks like you are doing a great job with tracking...good luck!

I guess it must just feel high protein to me, have upped from 60g to 90g recently so will have to increase even more! Sounds like adding ~200cals daily from a protein source may be the way to go.