Struggling

Netherling

Hi, I've been losing a lot of weight but have changed to trying to maintain my weight. The problem is that even though i have been eating a fair amount i still find myself feeling out of energy, low mood, VERY irritable.... just not right. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or advice. Should i just be eating more? Should i eat more sugar? I'm not really sure. Thanks in advance.

Edit: I'm quite new to mfp and completely new to the community, not sure if anyone can see what i eat.

diannethegeek

Settings > diary settings > Public and Save Changes. This will let us see your food log. It's tough to give answers without it.

LTKeegan

Open your diary.


I can't imagine you need MORE sugar. Sugar is one of those energy sources that you burn up quickly, you eat it, and assuming you need energy, your body burns it quickly and then you're out of energy. I'm not sure how much of stuff you're eating, but I would guess more protein and fat. Those take longer to metabolize and therefore act as good long term energy.


So if you're going to run a race, and need a quick burst of energy, you carb load because you metabolize them fast so they can fuel you quickly for your race.


If you're working all day, you don't need quick bursts of energy, need energy that will be metabolized slower and will therefore fuel you all day.


Edit: So if you're running out of energy, you need better long-term energy sources. Sugar is good if you need a quick pick me up (like your blood sugar is crashing and you're getting hangry), I'm not trying to demonize sugar. But if you're getting dizzy, you probably need more long-term energy sources, I doubt you need more crashes!

Netherling

I think i've made it public now, thanks. I don't do much that much hard exercise (i cycle about 10mins to work and back each day and walk the dog for an hour) and try to eat foods with slow release energy.

LTKeegan

The guidelines on sugar are Women 30g Men 40g per day. You seem to be hitting that just fine.



So I guess my next question is how big are you? It seems like you're eating a fair bit of protein, but I don't know how big you are.


Also, how much water are you drinking? THAT could easily be making you dizzy, especially with the amount of sodium you're eating.

deksgrl

It looks like you are not eating all of the calories you should be eating.

Netherling

I am 25, male and around 6ft; when i weighed myself this morning i was 134.8lb. I had an off-day on wednesday where i got in late and didn't feel like eating.

edit: if you mean muscle-wise, i'm lean but not very muscly.

deksgrl

You aren't eating enough.

LTKeegan

I am 25, male and around 6ft; when i weighed myself this morning i was 134.8lb. I had an off-day on wednesday where i got in late and didn't feel like eating.

edit: if you mean muscle-wise, i'm lean but not very muscly.

Not trying to be a jerk, but do you maybe think you're dizzy because you're underweight?


My boyfriend is 6 ft 150 and a STICK!! I can't imagine if he was 20lbs lighter, I think he'd have to lose a kidney or two.... Maybe you should try to go up a touch?

JustSomeEm

You are either not eating enough OR you aren't getting enough exercise. If I stop exercising regularly, I get tired, cranky and lethargic. If I don't eat enough, I get tired, cranky and lethargic. It's a terrible cycle! :P

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You're underweight-- have you been losing intentionally?

How long since you increased calories?

Have you been to see the doctor?

Netherling

I have been losing weight intentionally and i think i've got a bit addicted to it, as i've said i've changed my goal to maintaining my weight now so my calories per day is up at 2.2k or so. But take today for example, i had a 670 calorie breakfast and a 561 calorie lunch then walked the dog and now i feel wiped out.

deksgrl

What was your calorie goal when you lost the weight? If you took an extreme calorie deficit for too long, you may have affected your adrenal system.

LTKeegan

I have been losing weight intentionally and i think i've got a bit addicted to it, as i've said i've changed my goal to maintaining my weight now so my calories per day is up at 2.2k or so. But take today for example, i had a 670 calorie breakfast and a 561 calorie lunch then walked the dog and now i feel wiped out.

You should go see a doctor.

Netherling

Well to be honest i was trying to keep it as low as possible. I think around 1700 per day and i was also trying to do quite a lot of exercise. I wasn't tracking what i was eating except in my head (obsessively). I had been doing that for a while but then started to feel bad all the time and now i can't seem to shake it.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I have been losing weight intentionally and i think i've got a bit addicted to it, as i've said i've changed my goal to maintaining my weight now so my calories per day is up at 2.2k or so. But take today for example, i had a 670 calorie breakfast and a 561 calorie lunch then walked the dog and now i feel wiped out.

You should go see a doctor.

This.

Just to be safe.

Netherling

I did go to see a doctor and she said she'd refer me to an eating disorder team or something. I was hoping to be able to get past it on my own by using mfp, tracking my calories more carefully and eating a bit more.

quirkysterks

Hi Netherling,

You've been waaaay under on the amount of fat that you intake. For a person trying to lose weight, that wouldn't be as much of an issue; but with you being underweight, you need to make sure you intake enough good fat to keep your body functioning properly.

Try incorporating any of the following into a meal or two:

Avocados

Seeds and nuts (you have peanut butter in your diary... maybe try eating more of it?)

Egg yolks (you eat a bunch of egg whites... go ahead and throw more of the yolks in!)

Olives and olive oil

start cooking with coconut oil, too.

If the idea of eating something isn't all that appealing, why not make a smoothie? Avocados are actually a really good addition to smoothies to make them creamier.


Good luck! Hopefully all goes well

deksgrl

I did go to see a doctor and she said she'd refer me to an eating disorder team or something. I was hoping to be able to get past it on my own by using mfp, tracking my calories more carefully and eating a bit more.

*blink blink*

Okay, so why do you expect an internet forum to be able to help you, if you are ignoring your doctor's advice?

Netherling

I recently bought flaxseed and have been adding that to my porridge in a morning + had some peanut butter this morning too. I worry about eating a lot of calories though... even though i am underweight.

Edit: i'm not ignoring her advice, i'm waiting to be contacted by the eating disorder team but it could take a month.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I did go to see a doctor and she said she'd refer me to an eating disorder team or something. I was hoping to be able to get past it on my own by using mfp, tracking my calories more carefully and eating a bit more.

I'd strongly recommend you use that support since it's being offered. They'll help you set your calories and macros properly.

deksgrl

I recently bought flaxseed and have been adding that to my porridge in a morning + had some peanut butter this morning too. I worry about eating a lot of calories though... even though i am underweight.

Edit: i'm not ignoring her advice, i'm waiting to be contacted by the eating disorder team but it could take a month.

Okay, in the meantime eat ALL of the calories you are supposed to eat.

I'd recommend that you find a TDEE calculator online and find out what that number is and change your MFP goal to this number, eat this amount every day whether you exercise or not.

Netherling

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post a response, i guess i knew i was having problems and as i've said i have talked to a doctor (and am awaiting further contact). What was getting to me was that even when i ate a reasonable amount (today for breakfast and lunch) i was still so out of energy. I've done reading about the dreaded 'starvation mode' that seemingly doesn't exist so i can't blame that. Again, thanks for the responses, i really appreciate it.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post a response, i guess i knew i was having problems and as i've said i have talked to a doctor (and am awaiting further contact). What was getting to me was that even when i ate a reasonable amount (today for breakfast and lunch) i was still so out of energy. I've done reading about the dreaded 'starvation mode' that seemingly doesn't exist so i can't blame that. Again, thanks for the responses, i really appreciate it.

Good luck to you. In the meantime follow Deksgrl's advice.

Netherling

Had a big evening meal.. but now i feel guilty

steelyjoe22

Good luck . . . get healthy, man. I agree it sounds like you're underweight and probably not feeling well because of a low calorie intake. You likely have very little body fat left, which means very little buffer or storage to draw on when you under eat. I've lost some weight in the past couple years, and it is easy to get caught up in image issues and want to keep losing too much or too fast.

One of the most important things is to love yourself, independent of your weight. That applies to before, when you were heavier, now (where it seems per BMI charts you're underweight), and even down the road if you gain a few pounds. Your identity is so much more than what you see in the mirror, which is sadly not at all what our culture tells us.

Netherling

Without going into it too much (really not fishing for any sympathy or trying to make excuses for myself), but i have anxiety issues that i guess have led to me having... perhaps unrealistic views about myself and my body. I really don't love myself, i enjoy seeing my weight go down and looking at myself in a mirror and seeing how thin i am. I am trying to change and eat more, but like i said, i'm struggling.

Thank you very much steelyjoe, i'm so grateful to you and the other posters. I think i sort of needed to get some of this out in the open and hopefully your advice and that of the other people on this forum will help. I need to eat more.

deksgrl

Had a big evening meal.. but now i feel guilty

Try to get by the guilt. This is about health. Your body needs fuel to function properly, you have not been giving it the fuel it needs. You don't feel guilty when you put gas in your car because you have to go somewhere, I presume? Your symptoms are like a car running out of gas.

If you feel really stuffed, plan better for tomorrow, incorporating more calorie dense foods to meet your goals, I think someone posted a list earlier in the thread.

Netherling

I would eat more calorie dense food but i just feel bad when i do and then feel i have to exercise to burn off what i've eaten. I'm sat here feeling like i should go and exercise.

I imagine those are responses that someone with an eating disorder might give, though i'm not sure.

deksgrl

Yes, that is disordered thinking. At this point you are at an unhealthy weight. You need to eat the food to prevent further weight loss.

Netherling

I'll do my best, thank you deksgrl.