Low Energy/More headaches!

NewFitKeri

Looking for suggestions....

Since working out harder and sticking to a 1200-1300 cal a day intake I have had constant low energy and headaches...any suggestions on how to change it? I'm eating 6 times a day, staying hydrated and am getting frustrated....

HELP!!:noway: :sad:
(if you look at my food diary the last few days it isn't the best, but still within restrictions)

Thank you all! :flowerforyou: :happy:

mmapags

Can't see your diary. It's not public. Are you eating enough cals after exercise?

KPainter70

I'd probably feel like crap too if I were eating that number of calories, but without more info it's hard to tell if you're eating enough or not.

ChiliBAS

I know you said you're staying hydrated, but how much water are you drinking a day? Also, what type of excercise regiment are you on?

NewFitKeri

Oh I'm sorry, let me try to make it public

Treadmillmom1st

I'll be watching your post as I feel exactly the same way.
My head is really hurting right now, I'm not too bad energy wise but when the kids get home from school I feel I have a really low tolerance to thier noise levels and behaviour.
Fortunately I'm able to breathe deeply and count to 10 several times over till bedtime.
I know a lovely big dessert witll cure all.......

NewFitKeri

Oh and again, the last few days haven't been the best food choices, but these headache's and low energy has been mths!! thx again!

hlandry6

I would feel like crap if I was working hard and only eating that many calories..Try increasing your calories

NewFitKeri

I drink appr 2-3 liters of water a day...

For workout regime usually 30-60 min of cardio daily and 45-60 min strength trainging, and I always mix it up so I don't get bored

girl_afraid82

Already noticing a problem... are you eating back your exercise calories? You should be hitting 1200-1300 net calories, even after exercise. I'm guessing that's why you have no energy and headaches, you need to fuel your body!

memcd911

According to your diary, you're not eating enough. Also watch out for "diet drinks" that may contain aspartame. The stuff can be directly related to my migraines.

600racer

You are burning a fair amount of calories working out. Increase calories on the days you workout. You don't have to take all MFP gives you, but try taking in more.

kunibob

Your body's trying to tell you that it needs more food!

mmapags

You are just not getting enough calories and that's the likely causing headaches after working out. You should be getting 1200 per day minimum and that's net meaning if you burn 400 with exercise you ate 1600 that day. Do that or even a little more and I'm guessing the headaches go away. Whem you set up your goal, what is your BMR?

NewFitKeri

See MFP told me 1200 calories a day, that's why I've been eating that..not trying to starve myself and oddly enough-I eat 6 times a day and am almost always satisfied lol

bcattoes

It sounds like you are not getting enough of something - calories, protein, carbs, iron, vitaimin(s). Something. Those are symptoms of fatigue. If you work out hard and do not properly fuel your body, low energy and headaches are often the result.

JacqueBackhus

I have the EXACT same issues! About 4 in the afternoon, every afternoon, I get a headache. :-( I eat all the time.... every few hours. I "try" to eat "clean"..... And like you I drink ALOT of water. Suggestions would be GREAT!

NewFitKeri

I didn't know I needed to eat back my exercise cals...so thanks guys..I really appreciate it!

mmapags

I'll be watching your post as I feel exactly the same way.
My head is really hurting right now, I'm not too bad energy wise but when the kids get home from school I feel I have a really low tolerance to thier noise levels and behaviour.
Fortunately I'm able to breathe deeply and count to 10 several times over till bedtime.
I know a lovely big dessert witll cure all.......

Be happy to take a look at your diary if you make it public.

bebbjeb

It looks like you aren't eating your exercise calories. MFP already calculates the calory deficit for you, so what you consume in exercise should be eaten back otherwise you are not getting enough calories. I get headaches when I don't eat enough.

mdj1501

I would say increase your calories and your water intake! Good luck!

yoovie

I deal with this too- turns out taking an iron supplement a couple times a week had me right as rain. More energy, less headaches, harder to bruise. I may not even know what Im talking about- but it helped me for some reason and maybe it might help you? I wondr if there is a way in the MFP diaries to check your iron content.

Ihope it gets better soon!

JacqueBackhus

My headaches are before I work out....

mmapags

I didn't know I needed to eat back my exercise cals...so thanks guys..I really appreciate it!

That's critical! Your BMR is what you'd burn if you did nothing today. Add in your normal activity level and you've got your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) Then add in your exercise for a total. this is all done for you by MFP. Then pick a weekly weight loss amount like 1 lb which is roughly a 500 cal deficit. That's where you should be with food intake. Youare at or close to a minimum and then using more calories without consuming more. This is not a healthy strategy. Gotta eat more and have a little patience. You'll get skinny and beautiful!

hpsnickers1

Eat more and maybe exercise a little less.

from Power of 10 (the book reeks of nutritional conventional wisdom which I think is crap but I'm enjoying the rest of it):

"During exercise our bodies get temporarily weaker, not stronger. It’s during rest that we recover and make all our gains. This is a huge, unspoken problem with even the most popular weight-training and exercise programs. Whether you’re at the gym lifting or on the treadmill treading 6 days per week, you can’t possibly have time for the rest your body needs. It’s as if you were trying to grow a delicate crystal in water, but every day you come by and shake the glass. The crystal never has a chance. In the same way, too much exercise can be just as bad for you as too little. You reinjure yourself over and over, and never let your system reset itself and recover. You get muscle tears and strains, joint problems, chronic fatigue, and weakening of the immune system, so you get sick more often. Instead of building your body, you may be tearing it down. It amazes me how many dedicated exercisers hit the wall in their fitness programs and then stay there, month after months, without knowing why. They train harder and harder, when all they need is a little more rest.”

And what you eat plays an important part. The problem with American today is we overeat because we're undernourished. If you aren't giving your body the nutrients it needs (from real, whole food and not fake processed edible foodlike substances - this is over 90% of the grocery store) then your body will keep asking for more food.

I really don't think you need 3 liters of water a day. That's a lot. If you have to pee within 10 minutes of drinking a big glass of water than you are fully hydrated. You can throw off your sodium/water balance.

nikkijoshua

You need to increase your calories. If your workouts have become more intense and you're only taking in 1200-1300 calories, you will have symptoms such as low energy and headaches. I'm not sure what your settings are in MFP, but you should have your goal set to lose 1 lb/wk or less. It's not the best for your body to create a deficit more than that. If you already have your goal set at losing 1lb/wk and the resulting goal is 1200-1300 cal/day, then you need to increase your activity setting. Also, if you don't do this already, have a nutrient dense snack 30 min before your workout. I usually have a meal replacement bar like a Balance Bar or some dried fruit with nuts or something similar. You have to fuel your body to perform well during your workouts and throughout the day. Your symptoms are just an alert to you that your body is slowing down because it's not receiving the fuel it needs to do all that you're wanting it to do. Don't be afraid to eat more if you're exercising hard. You'll still lose weight.....maybe at a slower pace, but you'll still lose and you'll be more likely to maintain your weight loss if you lose slowly and are taking in a healthy amount of calories.

Avandel

Everyone seems to have agreed that you should be eating back some or all of your execise calories but I'd like to add something else. Try to cut back on the sodium & especially watch the amount of sugar you consume. A sugar crash can give you really nasty headaches & low energy too. Might be a good idea to get your blood sugar tested for either hypoglycemia or diabetes if these other diet changes don't help.

Treadmillmom1st

Well I did not know either that you're supposed to eat back calories burnt from excersise. Since making this discovery and making the change I've increased my calorie intake and feel great. Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer the posts question.