Legs hurt more than normal and sluggish lately

Gngr09

I have been hiking 3x a week minimum and doing buti yoga once a week, then aerobics once a week for going on 6 weeks now and I have lost 15 lbs. You would think hiking would get easier, but for some reason this last week hiking has been hard and my caves are aching more than normal and I am feeling sluggish this week.
My diet is the same and I do drink water during the day.
I am doing high protein/low fat/low carb... about 1200 calories or less a day.

any ideas what would be causing this?

bbell1985

So 1200 calories per day with your exercise, over time, you gonna feel tired girl. You burn out. Have a higher calorie day, or adjust your calories higher in general if you want to keep your activity level up. Make sure you're getting enough magnesium, potassium and salt.

AnnPT77

Could you be losing weight too fast? Averaging 2.5 pounds a week is aggressive, especially if you weigh less than 250 pounds. I lost weigh too fast by accident for a while (MFP underestimated my calorie needs), and I got weak and fatigued.

Also, low carb doesn't work for everyone. Some people are more carb-sensitive, and find they need carbs to keep their energy up day to day. Low carb is great for some people, but we have to find our own best individual strategies.

bbell1985 has great points about getting enough micronutrients, too.

Courtscan2

I would definitely eat more if you are exercising that much! No way I could exercise at all of I ate 1200 or less a day....MFP gives you extra calories for your workouts for a good reason You'll still lose weight, and will feel a lot better/stronger if you are giving your body enough fuel.

1BlueAurora

Are you eating your earned exercise calories? If your daily goal is 1200 and you burn 300 calories through exercise, you get to eat 1500 calories that day. And you need to do that to fuel yourself. I wonder whether Gatorade might help with your leg soreness, maybe some more electrolytes could help. MFP sets the absolute minimum calorie allowance at 1200. I'm sure it's thrilling to lose over 2 pounds per week, but I'd suggest re-setting your goal to losing 1 pound per week. I sustained a rapid weight loss at 1200 calories per week. What a mistake. I lost muscle tone and it's not a great look, believe me. And it takes a while to regain it... like a lot of time.

I'd look at adding in some healthy fats, like nuts and half an avocado, etc. Play around with your macros and see whether any of the changes result in feeling more energetic.

jjpptt2

Could just be a bad day/week... could be too few cals. Probably a bit of both.

mbaker566

not eating enough, not eating the right thing, and/or overtraining is a real thing.

try2again

Gngr09 wrote: »

I am doing high protein/low fat/low carb... about 1200 calories or less a day.

What are your macro percentages? There's another thread discussing the idea of a "low carb, low fat" diet, and why it isn't really advisable to cut both to low levels:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10661845/looking-for-a-diet-that-is-low-carb-healthy-carb-and-low-fat/p1

But if you aren't eating back any exercise calories, that would make anyone sluggish

LivingtheLeanDream

If you aren't eating back your exercise calories you should be. That will be why you are fatiguing.

kshama2001

Assuming you meant 1200 calories gross, not net, you're undereating.

MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1