Calorie deficit and nervous system/ blood sugar issues

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zfitgal
zfitgal Posts: 540 Member
in Health and Weight Loss

hi,

I have been on a calories deficit for awhile now. I am weight training 5 times a week and doing cardio 5 days a week and I have two rest days. For 22 weeks I was losing .3 a week and I have close to 30 to lose. I felt my progress was very slow for the work I was putting in so I dropped my calories a bit more and started losing more. I now have 14 pounds to lose but recently my blood sugar is dropping constantly, I’m constantly hungry after I eat and I have adrenaline rushes and panics thought out my body. My nervous system feels off. Why is this happening? What should I do? I want to continue to lose weight. Last night I feel panicky before bed and checked my blood sugar and it was normal so o knew it was my nervous system.

I have a coach and he’s really nice but I really think I’m doing too much for my body but at the same time I really want to lose weight. he’s a professional bodybuilder and he trains natural and non natural clients. I’m just curious if because I’m natural that this protocol is putting more pressure on me.

Older calories

1700 moderate days

1490 low days

1785 high day


new calories

1510 moderate days

1390 low days

1685 high day


Help!

Replies

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,385 Member

    Do you mind sharing your height and weight? Your profile pic makes it look like you are already very slim. Are you eating back some of your exercise calories?

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member

    that was when I was at my goal lol I’m 38 I weigh 146 and I’m five foot four inches

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,385 Member
    edited June 12

    Got it! I have similar fluctuations as you. I’m 43 and I’m most happy at 125 at 5’5” but push into the 140s when I let loose for a while. I’d be happier in the 140s if I had the muscle mass I had when I was younger! You may want to talk to your doctor about these feelings. Reminds me of a time I accidentally went into withdrawals from a medication. If you were losing 0.3 per week and weren’t feeling unwell, I might just return to that and see if you feel better. Are you eating back some of the calories you burn when you work out so your deficit is not too large?

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member
    edited June 12

    I’m not eating back any of the calories. I am strictly eating the calories that I mentioned.

  • cclingle
    cclingle Posts: 2 Member

    How many calories are you burning in exercise per day? Or what is your net calories for the day (calories eaten less calories burned in exercise)? If you are in too low of a deficit and you've been doing this for awhile, your trainer is probably right, you might be overdoing it.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,736 Member
    edited June 12

    Hard to say, but those are symptoms of hypoglycemia. The body releases adrenaline to help raise glucose levels which can lead to symptoms like a faster heart rate, shakiness, and feeling anxious or panicky. Cortisol as well can be released which is a stress hormone which basically makes it worse. If that is what it is, it really has nothing to do with the amount of calories (food) your eating but the type of calories (food) you eating.

    What are you eating?

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48648487#Comment_48648487

    i’m eating very well, my macros are pretty much distributed equally. But there are times when I feel like it’s my blood sugar and I it and my blood sugar is in range.

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member

    I don’t really track the caloric burn, but I am training for about an hour to an hour and a half every day and I’m doing 45 minutes of state cardio either on a bike, pre-core or treadmill. My heart rate is usually between 135 and 1 45 bpm

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,736 Member
    edited June 12
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48648649#Comment_48648649

    I was really asking about the actual foods and not so much your macro split. Anyway, again it's really hard to say but if this condition continues I would, if you have one take a look with a blood glucose meter, where you prick your finger and it gives a reading. Also maybe get your Doctor to check for hyperthyroidism and of course this just could be a temporary situation.

    Also working out that much each day you may actually need to fuel your body more because if your not adrenaline surges are pretty common which contribute to exercise-induced hypoglycemia a drop in blood glucose that can happen during or even hours after intense physical activity.

    The body really uses up glucose pretty quickly and if your in a calorie deficit your glycogen stores might not be as high as they should day after day to begin with and might not be enough to fuel a 90 minute workout every day, especially cardio and that's when the body releases adrenaline, to try and increase blood glucose levels. I think you might want to look into properly feeding your glycogen stores pre workout, a few hours of fairly slow carbs, like pasta for example and of course protein as well. Again, this is just an educated guess and I could be totally wrong. imo

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 1,051 Member

    I used to follow a similar workout routine, and I was constantly hungry and felt totally off balance, it just wasn’t sustainable. Eating more didn’t help, because I was trying to lose weight and couldn’t afford the calorie surplus. What finally worked was doing less and switching to workouts that didn’t spike my hunger so much. Everyone’s body responds differently, some people say running makes them ravenous, others say it suppresses their appetite. I think the key is finding what feels good to you and keeps your hunger manageable.

    Honestly, most gym trainers tend to push lifting and cardio as the only options, and if you say you’re hungry, they’ll just tell you to eat more protein instead of considering that maybe the workouts themselves need adjusting.

    So just check in with yourself, do you enjoy your routine? Does it actually make you feel better? I’m so glad I canceled my private training and shifted my goals. Best decision I made.

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48648960#Comment_48648960

    I’m curious once you changed your workout routine were you able to start losing weight? I always wondered if my weight training was too high volume and my cardio sessions were too much for me during the week. I was thinking maybe three times a week cardio would be more beneficial instead of doing four sets of heavy lifting I do three sets per exercise.

    all I know is that for 25 weeks. I was eating a little more than I’m eating now and I was doing the same thing and I only lost 8 pounds which to me is absolutely nothing.

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 1,051 Member
    edited June 13
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48649040#Comment_48649040

    A couple of things to unpack here. First, losing 8 pounds in 25 weeks might feel slow, but losing .32 lb per week is actually good progress, .5-1 lb is great progress, and 2 lbs a week is considered fast and typically only sustainable if you’re over 50 lbs overweight.

    That said, yes, when I changed the intensity, type, and frequency of my workouts, it made a big (actually huge) difference. It increased my NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis), reduced my hunger, reduced 3+ lbs of water weight (we retain water to repair muscle), and helped me stick to a consistent calorie target. It also encouraged more natural daily movement, which added up over time. Sometimes less intense training creates more sustainable fat loss. On top of that, I felt happy- an indice overlooked with weightless.

  • tcsmaleri
    tcsmaleri Posts: 1 Member

    Have you tried going back to your calorie maintenance for about 4–5 weeks.

    Then, when you're ready, start by reducing your intake by 500 calories.

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member

    I’m wondering if my workout volume is just too much for my body to handle?

    before this coach I was training 5/6 days a week 5-8 exercises based on the muscle group I was training. And I did cardio three times a week and had one rest day. I would do 3 sets per exercise.
    now I’m training five days a week, cardio and weights on the same day and i have two rest days. I do four sets per exercise and I’m doing 6-8 exercises per workout.
    during my weight training workouts I get anxiety and panic attacks. I was getting them even when my calories were hire. I wonder if it’s to much physical work for my body

    Let me know what you think

  • poodle_whisper
    poodle_whisper Posts: 41 Member

    you might not be getting enough salt. esp if you are eating low carb. next time it happens eat a pickle and see if it resolves itself. if so, you need more salt and potassium.

  • zfitgal
    zfitgal Posts: 540 Member

    no I eat salt straight from the container doesn’t help

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