Feeling incredibly tired.....cals too low?

mabelbabel1

Hi folks,

For the last 4 days or so I've been feeling increasingly shattered. I wake up feeling tired, can't stop yawning. Have no energy at all. Feeling kind of spaced out all day and my eyes just want to close.

According to MFP my BMR is 1983
My daily cals are set by MFP to 1490

I work from home, desk work. I don't do much exercise currently due to knee ligament injury, only doing knee strengthening stuff as directed by my physio. So when I look at sites to calculate my TDEE I choose the sedentary setting.
TDEE is around 2374 Harris thingy formula.

Today I checked out Fitness Frog http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/calorie-calculator.html and used their calorie calculator. After entering all my details and 24hr breakdown of activites etc it gave me a TDEE of 2624.


To cut a long post down...I guess my question is, in your experiences do you think I should up my calories or work through the tiredness until my body adjusts?
I thought with being so overweight I'd be ok at the MFP recommended intake.

I have about 125lbs to lose.


Thanks for your help.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

for the amount of weight you have to lose your calories are much too low. If your BMR is 1983 then perhaps try eating 2000 calories a day and get your deficit solely from your day to day life activities. Reassess in a few weeks.

sleepytexan

yes, you are eating too few calories. Don't forget that calories are also fuel. If your fuel deficit is too great, you are running on empty, like a car. You will be fatigued. Over time, you may also lose hair and have brittle nails, ashy skin, and all manner of issues.

The sweet spot for losing weight most effectively is between BMR and TDEE. I would go with around 2000-2200 per day if your TDEE is somewhere bt 2400-2600.

Sometimes people think they should just go nuts and drop their calories super low to lose weight "faster". The reality is -- you can't. Over time, it will all even out, so these people who go crazy and think they are going to lose 5 lbs/week may do so for a short time, but then suddenly it will slow, and then stop. Whereas the person who uses a sensible approach can continue to lose 1-2 lbs/week on higher calories -- give those two people 3 months, and the one on higher calories will be more consistently successful, and hence, remain more motivated.

blessings.

monicalosesweight

If you are concerned about whether you're setting you're activity level too low, you could get something like a Fitbit to monitor your daily activity level. I know it gave me a better idea of how much walking I do and really helped me know if I was eating enough. You can get a more advanced HRM if you're planning on doing exercise but just to monitor your walking and basic activities - it's really useful. I suspect you're not eating enough if you feel tired all of the time.

PetulantOne

I agree with both the ladys above. Eat 2,000 calories. Your deficit should come from your TDEE not your BMR. So eating 2,000 would give you a 624 calorie deficit with no exercise. That should increase your energy levels.

monicalosesweight

I just looked at your diary and I noticed you eat nothing but protein and nuts. You have some carbs (Corn) but you have no vegetables at all! That's important. Veggies can be really low in calories and they can make a big difference in adding energy to your diet. I don't even see a lot of fruit. If possible, you may want to talk to a nutritional expert as you're trying to lose weight to help yourself keep your diet varied and balanced. I suspect that's part of the problem. I know I'd probably be exhausted if all I ate was protein and more protein. You want to include a balanced nutritional diet into your future you. Basically, I'm assuming you're here to make permanent future changes - not just to diet and it looks like you're not going to enjoy your foods if you don't do some big changes.

mabelbabel1

I just looked at your diary and I noticed you eat nothing but protein and nuts. You have some carbs (Corn) but you have no vegetables at all! That's important. Veggies can be really low in calories and they can make a big difference in adding energy to your diet. I don't even see a lot of fruit. If possible, you may want to talk to a nutritional expert as you're trying to lose weight to help yourself keep your diet varied and balanced. I suspect that's part of the problem. I know I'd probably be exhausted if all I ate was protein and more protein. You want to include a balanced nutritional diet into your future you. Basically, I'm assuming you're here to make permanent future changes - not just to diet and it looks like you're not going to enjoy your foods if you don't do some big changes.

Thanks for the advice, but with regards to the food diary you must be looking at someone elses......I eat lots of carbs!



Thanks everyone for the tips and advice so far....I've just left the MFP settings as they suggested, I thought i'd give it a couple of weeks like that and see how I was getting on, clearly I need to do some tweaking!

amann1976

sometimes that advice that says "consult a doctor before beginning a new diet plan" may be your best option

mabelbabel1

sometimes that advice that says "consult a doctor before beginning a new diet plan" may be your best option

I have no need to consult a Doctor, but thanks for your input.

pigeonhugger

agree with all that is said above but ALSO focus on nutrients in the calories you are eating. I havent looked at your diary but lots of fruit and veg will make you feel better than if you were eating low nutrient foods that are the same calories.
Quality, not quantity
I feel a millions times better on days were its mainly fruit and veg than on days when its the smae calories but rubbish food

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

agree with all that is said above but ALSO focus on nutrients in the calories you are eating. I havent looked at your diary but lots of fruit and veg will make you feel better than if you were eating low nutrient foods that are the same calories.
Quality, not quantity
I feel a millions times better on days were its mainly fruit and veg than on days when its the smae calories but rubbish food

quality AND quantity matter. But I agree with the point you're trying to make.

saschka7

I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, but I don't think your calorie limit is the issue *per se*, although it possibly could be. Before I started on MFP and tracking food intake and exercising, I used to have a really bad problem with fatigue and lack of energy myself. I thought I was going crazy because of it.

1) How much water do you drink a day? Even being a little dehydrated (to the point where you wouldn't even think you were) can cause fatigue.
*also*
2) Poor sleep was a huge issue for me. I spent more than enough time in bed but my sleep was really interrupted and I never felt rested. I started sleeping better after I started exercising. Is the quality of your sleep okay? If not, try improving that somehow.
3) And the obvious...make sure your diet is well-balanced and all that jazz. Good luck! Hope it improves!

mabelbabel1

Well I've eaten a lot more today so I shall see how I feel tomorrow. I am due to weigh myself on Monday and after that I shall probably revise calories.

Thanks all for your words of adivce.