Sugar withdrawal and fatigue

PDarrall

At the end of last year I started on a 5:2 diet and T25. Have just completed a month of this and am very pleased with the results. The key thing is how easy I find it to stick to the rules without making my life too complex and with no abstinence from foods I like.

My net calorie intake has been about 1,300 and calorie intake has been about 1,500 - about 200 under MFP target to lose 0.5kg a week.

The reason I am over weight is a combination of high coca cola consumption of around 30 cans a week and high sugar snacking.

Now I am around 57g a day, below MFP target. I know some might think this too high, but I am happy with this compared to an average 200g a day before.

At the moment I sleep just short of eight hours a night sleep, with children no more would be possible.

So everything seems fine, sleep, exercise, balanced diet. Yet I am suffering more general fatigue than I would like. Have googled but struggled to find advice. Anybody got ideas that fits my approach? Would be good to have a second good month

_Zardoz_

Looking at your diary there is a lack of fresh produce. Fruit and veg etc. Also some more complex carbs may help to give you energy.

lauren3101

What are your stats? Tiredness is a classic sign of not eating enough.

steve0820

I agree with adding more fruit to your diet, if you already haven't done so. Also, Green Tea has worked great for me, as I was looking for an alternative to coffee. So now I have 1 coffee a day, and the rest is Green Tea

PDarrall

That's true, I had noticed a lack of fruit in the diary. There is vegetables. I will try adding some over next few days and see what happens.

PDarrall

Stats?

I think I am eating enough, about 1,500 calories a day. I eat throughout the day with healthy snacks and three meals.

steve0820

Stats?

I think I am eating enough, about 1,500 calories a day. I eat throughout the day with healthy snacks and three meals.

What's your TDEE?? Do you have a sedentary lifestyle? Are you doing any workout routines currently? It does seem a little low cals a day, especially if you're working out.

lauren3101

Stats?

I think I am eating enough, about 1,500 calories a day. I eat throughout the day with healthy snacks and three meals.

Yes, height, weight, exercise routine, body fat percentage, if you have it.

For a man, 1500 calories is very low. I eat 2200 - 2400 a day and I lose weight!

arrseegee

A net calorie intake of 1300 for a guy is pretty low. That's likely your problem.

Red13

Agree with adding more calories from whole foods like the rest of the group. Another thing you can try for energy is kombucha tea. It is a fermented tea and I'm not sure how much sugar is in it. It's a great replacement for soda and has many health benefits

PDarrall

Ah ok, more detail.

My TDEE is about 2,200 from my calculations. I sit down all day and live a relatively sedantry life style. I am doing Focus T25, which is a 25 minute HIIT routine 5/6 times a week. I eat those calories back, so my total calorie intake is around 1,500 a day.

Have thought about getting my calories nearer the 1,700 that MFP has suggested, but then I have also thought why snack when I don't need to. There is no shortage of eating in my 1,500 calories, the fast diet is a major contributor to that though. I am eating around 1,800 on the five days I am not fasting.

I don't drink tea/coffee or any hot drinks. In fact I am quite drink fussy which is a challenge. I drink some water, have switched to coke zero from Coke, but not much else. I am careful to check dehydration though.

My height is 5'8ft, I am 87kg at the moment, and have a body fat of 29.5

ndj1979

sugar did not make you fat, overeating does..

eat sugar and eat in deficit = weight loss
eat sugar and eat over maintenance = weight gain ..

PDarrall

Not sure I agree.

I am not over eating, I am over drinking. And the main element in that drink is sugar. And the real issue is the quantity of sugar. Sugar in drink is the cause of being over my calories, as opposed to calories from other sources. Additionally, I realise that is the cause of the calories, thus by changing it, I am actually eating more now, and drinking less coke. And losing weight as a consequence.

The challenge is the fatigue, not the weight in this post. Sugar has acted as a pick me up in the past.

Ophidion

Not sure I agree.

I am not over eating, I am over drinking. And the main element in that drink is sugar. And the real issue is the quantity of sugar.
Sugar in drink is the cause of being over my calories, as opposed to calories from other sources.

ergo calorie surplus! there the following statement is true beyond a doubt...

sugar did not make you fat, overeating does..

eat sugar and eat in deficit = weight loss
eat sugar and eat over maintenance = weight gain ..

ndj1979

Not sure I agree.

I am not over eating, I am over drinking. And the main element in that drink is sugar. And the real issue is the quantity of sugar. Sugar in drink is the cause of being over my calories, as opposed to calories from other sources. Additionally, I realise that is the cause of the calories, thus by changing it, I am actually eating more now, and drinking less coke. And losing weight as a consequence.

The challenge is the fatigue, not the weight in this post. Sugar has acted as a pick me up in the past.

if you are eating more and still losing, then that just means you are still in a deficit. Unless you are claiming that you eat more then maintenance and still lose weight?

However, you said in an earlier post that your TDEE is 2200 and you are eating 1500 so that is a calorie deficit of 700 calories. If that is truly a calorie deficit then you will lose weight. Unless you defy the laws of math ...

If you are tired then you are not eating enough and a 500 daily deficit would make more sense, so you should probably eat 1700 cals a day.

PDarrall

We may be at cross purposes here.

I used to consume too much sugar - calorie surplus - I put on weight.

Currently I have switched my sugar habits - calorie deficit - I am losing weight.

Over the first month I have lost around 7kg and have had a calorie deficit or around 700 calories per day.

Would lowering that deficit to 500 make me less tired? I don't know. However, it does give me some room to experiment, so I might experiment with using some of those calories to up fruit intake.

FindingMyPerfection

Ah ok, more detail.

My TDEE is about 2,200 from my calculations. I sit down all day and live a relatively sedantry life style. I am doing Focus T25, which is a 25 minute HIIT routine 5/6 times a week. I eat those calories back, so my total calorie intake is around 1,500 a day.

Have thought about getting my calories nearer the 1,700 that MFP has suggested, but then I have also thought why snack when I don't need to. There is no shortage of eating in my 1,500 calories, the fast diet is a major contributor to that though. I am eating around 1,800 on the five days I am not fasting.

I don't drink tea/coffee or any hot drinks. In fact I am quite drink fussy which is a challenge. I drink some water, have switched to coke zero from Coke, but not much else. I am careful to check dehydration though.

My height is 5'8ft, I am 87kg at the moment, and have a body fat of 29.5

The low energy you are complaining of is a sign you DO need to.

LexiMelo

The other thing about kicking a 30 can/week coca-cola habit is that you are probably going through caffeine withdrawal! I'd recommend drinking some green tea or coffee. Not saying that you should continue the extraordinarily high caffeine amounts, but you could wean yourself off of it.

People are trying to say that the sugar itself isn't the culprit, you can eat whatever you want and lose weight. I don't think you could lose weight drinking 30 cans of soda per week (at least comfortably) because that is a lot of empty calories and you'd still need to eat to get nutrition. So while the general concept of calories in, calories out works for me, it also makes sense to make some intelligent choices about what you eat so you get the nutrients you need to function well.

I am in the eat more camp. With a daily calorie differential of 700 calories you are probably going to have some side effects. Yea, you will lose weight but you are less likely to stick to it long term if it's uncomfortable. Why not try to up your calories so you have a 250-500 calorie deficit per day and see how you feel? You may feel that you have more energy. Good luck

PDarrall

Thanks Lexi,

I get the eat whatever you want idea, but as you say, that don't work with 30 cans a week.

Eat more, I will definitely try that over next 2 weeks and see what difference it makes as I experiment.

mimieon

So are you now drinking 30 cans of diet coke?

PDarrall

Nope, about 14 a week.

mimieon

Nope, about 14 a week.

Then you are probably also getting a lot of sweeteners now. Not sure if it can be related to fatigue, but eating a lot of those can have some fun side-effects (headaches, they can also work as a laxative I think). May see what happens if you remove that from your diet as well.

PDarrall

Indeed. One step at a time, at some point I will start reducing this as well. Am aware of the side effects of sweeteners, and so am keeping an eye on this, but so far, no real issues.