When 1lb/week became too much...

moonangel12
moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
edited February 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
I posted this in another thread but wanted to throw it out here...

I have been using MFP since September. I had 30ish lbs to lose (5’4” - starting weight 173, goal of 145, currently at 152ish). I chose 1lb/week and it was almost spot on after the initial water weight. For months that’s what I did, and for months that was fine. Then I started training for a Sprint triathlon. I was eating back all of my exercise calories (and it wasn’t all that many... I am not gung-ho on training, just a little here and there, usually 200 range for calories burned, sometimes over 300 if it was a brick workout) yet still hungry all.the.time. I noticed more hair loss (a lot is normal for me, but I was having to clean the drain out more frequently which was a red flag along with quite a bit on the pillow and sheets in the mornings). My heart palpitations kicked up several notches (my heart started randomly racing and skipping beats, nothing new, but way more frequent and longer lasting that my normal). I was tired. I was dizzy. I posted about it and others mentioned that training might not go hand in hand with weight loss in this stage of my journey, and I also hadn’t stepped back to realize that with under 10lbs left to lose I should back down to .5lbs/week. I have upped my calories for the last week or two and am starting to feel better (fighting a cold his week, so that didn’t help). My heart isn’t acting up anymore, thankfully, and I am able to get out of bed a little earlier in the morning. No dizzy spells when I stand up or move too quickly...

All that to say this: even with a “safe” rate of loss, and losing as expected for my stats, it was still too much and I was starting to show some increasingly more major symptoms... none of them necessarily new, but most definitely my body was trying to get my attention.

Replies

  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
    That is interesting, I also just started training for a sprint triathalon and have very similar stats, ( 5'4, 157lbs hoping to reach 145). My calorie intake before I started training was around 1500 per day, now it's about 1800-1900 because I am hungry!! I did notice occasional dizziness, and am generally burning 400 cals per cardio session. Sometimes I worry I am eating too much to lose but scale is going down. All the best I will add you. Wish zi had more insight but I'm cheering you on!
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Thank you for sharing this :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,203 Member
    In addition to (of course) the potential for adding up to a too-extreme deficit, I wonder if something like this could be partly an effect of stacking multiple stressors: A calorie deficit is a physical stress, and so is a progressive/challenging workout routine. More literal physical stress, more likely to see side effects, perhaps? Dunno.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Glad you listened to your body. Triathlon training is taxing, even in low doses. I hope you’re still able to reach that goal!
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    In addition to (of course) the potential for adding up to a too-extreme deficit, I wonder if something like this could be partly an effect of stacking multiple stressors: A calorie deficit is a physical stress, and so is a progressive/challenging workout routine. More literal physical stress, more likely to see side effects, perhaps? Dunno.
    That very well could be! I am just glad to have read enough on here, along with the comments on my other thread (“swimming - hungry for days after” or something along those lines), to make the necessary changes. Physically I still don’t have full energy back (not sure if the cold like symptoms were from my body being worn down, or if I am worn down still from the cold - a chicken or the egg type scenario I guess), but might try a short run tonight. All I have done this week (since Saturday) is a brisk walk...

  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    edited February 2020
    Also might not be related to weight loss. Don't mean to sound scary, but a visit to the doc would be a good idea!

    Edit because I annoying type "to the" as "tot he." Every. Time. :#
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    moonangel12 wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    Also might not be related to weight loss. Don't mean to sound scary, but a visit to the doc would be a good idea!

    Edit because I annoying type "to the" as "tot he." Every. Time. :#
    It’s not a huge stretch of the imagination - long story way short, I got sick in 8th grade and never got better. I have several chronic and autoimmune type things potentially playing a role. Thankfully an increase in calories had helped with the vast majority of what was going on! I am due for a round of bloodwork...

    Hoping your health continues to improve. Good on you for listening to your body before it had to scream to get your attention! <3

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