Feeling "faint" and headache / (nausea)

spchandr

I am on the 1300 calorie diet.... Which I do a fairly good job of keeping up with during the day. BUT by the time I get home I have a headache, nausea, and I feel "faint" .

I work out on top of this, and eat a very small meal.

I continue to have my headache until I fall asleep , or until I throw up (after taking my medication ) and then eat a larger quantity and fall asleep

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how to prevent this ?

I want to continue to diet as well as exercise, ideally at 1300 calories. What foods are more filling ? for example

kgeyser

Are you eating back the calories you burn during your workouts? If not, your net calories are less than 1300, which could explain the faintness and headache.

GothyFaery

You're not eating enough. Consider upping your calories. Are you going by what MFP set for you or are you using the TDEE method?

Jestinia

It sounds like your calorie deficit is way too large. Dehydration can also play a role in this.

nomeejerome

People tend to feel this way with an aggressive goal.

diannethegeek

Headache and fatigue can both be signs that you're undereating or lacking in nutrition. Did MFP set that goal for you? If so, are you set to lose two pounds a week? Most people choose the most aggressive goal that the site will let them, whether it's recommended or not. It looks like you don't have much left to lose. You'd probably be better off resetting your goals to 1 pound or eve 1/2 pound per week.

babyj0

Eat more. Simple as that.

1mountainmama

These are definitely signs of overtraining and/or not enough calories. How much do you weigh currently, and how tall are you? How intense and long are your workouts? I would be happy to help if you give me these numbers.

1mountainmama

Also let me see your journal.

drvvork

Check out your macros - making sure you are getting your hydration cared for and that you are getting your nutrients. JMO.... I suffer headaches some days and find that I need more fluids. Or that I did not take in enough potassium.

RobertHButler

Sounds like your blood sugar is bottoming out; check your levels.

climbing_trees

Low blood sugar. Try and have a small snack later in the day! Almonds are one of my favorites. Keep a small bag in your car/purse/desk and have 10 or so when you start to feel funky.

kuderstadt

It sounds like low blood sugar to me too. An apple would boost that up quickly. If you're exercising a lot, make sure you're not having a huge calorie deficit, and drink lots of water.

spchandr

These are definitely signs of overtraining and/or not enough calories. How much do you weigh currently, and how tall are you? How intense and long are your workouts? I would be happy to help if you give me these numbers.

I weigh 156 lbs and I'm 5 ft 5 in.

My workouts are currently about an hour long but I stop at multiple points in between so I don't think I'm burning too many calories. Maybe 100-200 per workout.

My diet is always so breakfast heavy that I tend to run out of calories by dinner time

spchandr

I want to lose 15 lbs.

luckydays27

I was in the same boat as you earlier this year when I found MFP. I starting eating more calories and it all went away.

I followed the MFP 1 lb a week weight loss plan AND ate back most of my exercise calories. I also got 8 hours of sleep and drank around 10 cups of water every day. I was able to lose 40ish pounds this way. I am close to my goal (10 lbs or so) so I lowered my goal to .5 lbs a week weight loss AND still eating back my exercise cals.

Try increasing your cals by eating most of the cals you burn in fitness and see what happens.

tomomatic

You eat the calories so that your body will keep functioning properly and heal properly after your workout. That's why you eat your workout calories. Feed the machine or your body will break down.

I tend to eat back half of my workout calories.

Are you staying hydrated?

Anyways, if you want people to help in the forums, open up your food diary.

rokiany

Agree with everything above, but also, if you are vomiting every day, that is really bad for you. If you are vomiting right after taking medication (within about an hour), you are likely vomiting UP that medication and so not getting what you were prescribed. Go talk to your doctor!!!!

MyChocolateDiet

I am on the 1300 calorie diet.... Which I do a fairly good job of keeping up with during the day. BUT by the time I get home I have a headache, nausea, and I feel "faint" .

I work out on top of this, and eat a very small meal.

I continue to have my headache until I fall asleep , or until I throw up (after taking my medication ) and then eat a larger quantity and fall asleep

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how to prevent this ?

I want to continue to diet as well as exercise, ideally at 1300 calories. What foods are more filling ? for example

Log your exercise calories and then Eat them Back. ALSo try a TDEE calculated cal goal for awhile to see if you can lose weight on higher cals. Good luck. :flowerforyou:

fushigi1988

1300 calories, you work out an hour, you have headaches, nausea, fainting and throwing up.
Listen to the signals, your body is screaming for more food!

Sabine_Stroehm

1300 calories, you work out an hour, you have headaches, nausea, fainting and throwing up.
Listen to the signals, your body is screaming for more food!

Yup, assuming she's not...pregnant.

amosmoses88

With my experience, and I did this last year for 3 almost 4 months, DO NOT GO TO 1200 and 1300 is cutting it close unless you have a lot to lose. It's okay to do that to jump start I suppose, but when I first started--hadn't exercised a day in my life really--I was at 1200 calories a day, and then started drinking a protein shake mixed in with that and I was so nauseous and had "bathroom issues" out the yang. So, my point--less seems more sometimes, but with weight loss more is less. The more calories you eat, and the more you burn, the more you lose and you won't have those problems. I don't get the whole calorie deficit thing, I just say as long as you eat within your calorie goal, you'll be alright. DO YOUR TDEE and GO BY THAT. I'm telling ya, after taking advice on this one post on here called "TDEE ROADMAP REVISED 2.0" I think is what it's called, HELPED ME TONS! I ate more and lost a lot of weight. I had lost 10lbs when I very first started and was sick, and then when I went by my TDEE I was losing at a steady pace and not getting sick. I would lose between 6-8lbs a week sometimes. It wasn't easy, but it worked for me. Your body has to take time to get used to a drastic change in your diet. Also, DRINK LOTS OF WATER. If you change your calories and do your TDEE it will help you out tremendously and you won't feel sick.

kgeyser

These are definitely signs of overtraining and/or not enough calories. How much do you weigh currently, and how tall are you? How intense and long are your workouts? I would be happy to help if you give me these numbers.

I weigh 156 lbs and I'm 5 ft 5 in.

My workouts are currently about an hour long but I stop at multiple points in between so I don't think I'm burning too many calories. Maybe 100-200 per workout.

My diet is always so breakfast heavy that I tend to run out of calories by dinner time

I regularly burn over 150 calories walking my dog each day for 25 minutes while pushing a stroller. I'm not sure what workout you are doing, but it sounds like you are underestimating your calorie burn.

sloth3toes

I figured you weren't eating enough from the title of your thread. After reading your clarifying posts that's what it is. Please redo your goals through MFP, and set it to lose 1/2 lb per week. And, if you think you're only burning 200 calories in the gym... eat at least 1/2 ( 100 calories ) of that back.

As for the medication making you throw up.... is there a certain time you need to take it? Can you try taking it at a different time? If you've been on it since before you dropped your calories, and started exercising, ( but weren't throwing it up, before then ) then, it's pretty obviously related to that. You just need to fine tune things a bit, starting with getting enough energy IN.

Don't be anxious to drop that 15 lbs in any huge hurry. You will be way happier with your final results if you do it a little slower, and steadily.

Some more info about exactly what you're doing at the gym would probably be helpful for people to help you determine ( or at least guess.... ) how many calories you are burning while working out... and opening your diary so people can see just what you're eating would help alot as well.

cafeaulait7

It's probably the low calories; I agree. Just in case, though, get your iron level and hemoglobin checked if it keeps up with more calories. Mine were low and I didn't know it, and I thought it was the calories at first (at well above 1300!).

spchandr

I figured you weren't eating enough from the title of your thread. After reading your clarifying posts that's what it is. Please redo your goals through MFP, and set it to lose 1/2 lb per week. And, if you think you're only burning 200 calories in the gym... eat at least 1/2 ( 100 calories ) of that back.

As for the medication making you throw up.... is there a certain time you need to take it? Can you try taking it at a different time? If you've been on it since before you dropped your calories, and started exercising, ( but weren't throwing it up, before then ) then, it's pretty obviously related to that. You just need to fine tune things a bit, starting with getting enough energy IN.

Don't be anxious to drop that 15 lbs in any huge hurry. You will be way happier with your final results if you do it a little slower, and steadily.

Some more info about exactly what you're doing at the gym would probably be helpful for people to help you determine ( or at least guess.... ) how many calories you are burning while working out... and opening your diary so people can see just what you're eating would help alot as well.

My workouts consist of videos mainly like :
Zumba sculpt and tone
Zumba cardio party
Leslie Sansone's 4 fast miles
Leslie Sansone''s 3 fast miles
AM and PM yoga by Gaiam


My food diary is also open now, by the way.

sloth3toes

My workouts consist of videos mainly like :
Zumba sculpt and tone
Zumba cardio party
Leslie Sansone's 4 fast miles
Leslie Sansone''s 3 fast miles
AM and PM yoga by Gaiam


My food diary is also open now, by the way.

Well, you've only got 2 days logged, that I see.... but that's OK.... 1st it looks like you're actually going over your goal calories.... but you're not logging calories burned for exercise, and you should be doing more than the 100 or 200 calories burned than you guessed, if you're breaking a sweat at all.

The one thing I notice, is it looks like you are trying to start out the day by restricting too much, ( sort of the 'good intentions' thing.... ) and then, getting overly hungry at dinner time. I'm guilty of that, myself.

Try budgeting your eating a little differently..... eating a bit more consistently throughout the day. Did MFP give you this 1300 calorie goal, or did you just pick it?

And what's the deal with this medication? Are you required to take it at a certain time of the day, or with meals, or between, or what?

spchandr

My workouts consist of videos mainly like :
Zumba sculpt and tone
Zumba cardio party
Leslie Sansone's 4 fast miles
Leslie Sansone''s 3 fast miles
AM and PM yoga by Gaiam


My food diary is also open now, by the way.

Well, you've only got 2 days logged, that I see.... but that's OK.... 1st it looks like you're actually going over your goal calories.... but you're not logging calories burned for exercise, and you should be doing more than the 100 or 200 calories burned than you guessed, if you're breaking a sweat at all.

The one thing I notice, is it looks like you are trying to start out the day by restricting too much, ( sort of the 'good intentions' thing.... ) and then, getting overly hungry at dinner time. I'm guilty of that, myself.

Try budgeting your eating a little differently..... eating a bit more consistently throughout the day. Did MFP give you this 1300 calorie goal, or did you just pick it?

And what's the deal with this medication? Are you required to take it at a certain time of the day, or with meals, or between, or what?

I know.... I totally overate my first two days. I guess some food is double-counted because I became sick / threw up and then re-ate.

My meds are morning and night, but to avoid throwing up , I take my nighttime meds as soon as I get home from work along with some food to keep it down

spchandr

The 1300 calories was picked by MFP

sloth3toes

The 1300 calories was picked by MFP

For what rate of loss? You shouldn't be trying for more than 1 lb per week, and since you're having some issues, even 1/2 lb per week might not be a bad idea.

If I perceived correctly, one morning, you had homemade vegetable juice? I think you logged it as a lot of calories..... I log my homemade juice at around 100 calories per cup, maybe.... I don't think there's alot to them. Just wondering where you are getting your data to enter?

And so, about the meds.... was everything cool with them, before you changed up your diet, and started to exercise, they weren't making you throw up, or is that new, since you have made these changes?

servilia

It might be the low calories or it might not be. Eat more for a couple of days and see if you feel better. If not, go to the doctor. I hope it's nothing serious but better be safe than sorry.