1250 calories and feeling tired

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shosh413
shosh413 Posts: 135 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!!

So i'm 5"5 F and currently 141.5 pounds- i work out 3-5 times a week. On my fitness pal it says to lose half a pound a week is 1500 cals and a pound a week is 1250. So in the summer i was on 1250 a week and i exercised a lot (ate my cals back), but sometimes overate on the weekend. In the summer i was also really exhausted most of the time. I had to drive to brooklyn everyday and sometimes i needed to pull over on the highway to take a 5 minute nap. I had no idea why i was so tired because i went to bed a normal time. I was also at my lowest weight in a while that summer, which was 139.

Then during the year i switched it up to 1600 cals, and wasn't losing weight (also doing 30 day shred)- and i basically ended up going to 1500, and i was losing weight steadily and got to 141

Also unfortunately weekends are hard for me so i didn't exactly stick to my cals goal and constantly gained the weight back and had to recover during the year.

Recently i changed it back to 1250 and i'm really exhausted again.. Do you think it's by being at 1250 cals? I feel tired all the time even if i get a decent night of sleep...but i'm so sick of being at 141 that if i can't always be perfect on weekends i really want to be back at 139 :(.

Also how does that work... if I am 1250 and eating a little more on the weekend... then wouldn't i end up being like it is 1500 a week anyway.. so why should i be exhausted?

Replies

  • Amy106Days
    Amy106Days Posts: 172 Member
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    I have dropped and gained a great deal of weight and been on calorie and other restrictive diets in the past.
    I am pretty new to MFP and I found this:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
    information really helpful and the group of folks following it patient, informative and inspiring. It took me some time to brave raising my calorie intake but I have felt so much better since then and the weight loss hasn't stalled.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    The majority of your calories seem to be candy, ice cream, chips, bread, etc. I'd be exhausted too - you need some food of actual nutrition value in there. Eating that little and with even less nutrients to fuel your body is bound to be the issue.
  • shosh413
    shosh413 Posts: 135 Member
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    that's true- i haven't exactly been eating so great lately...didn't even think about that. Thanks!
  • jamers3111
    jamers3111 Posts: 495 Member
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    Ready2Rock has a great point. You are probably in a state of sugar coma ;) Incorporate more proteins and veggies into your diet and I bet you'll feel better almost immediately. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,082 Member
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    Ya think? Of course you're exhausted. Spread those weekend calories out to the whole week.

    Stop under eating during the week. You answered all your own questions in your original post.

    Eat more protein and vegetables.
  • peasantsong
    peasantsong Posts: 107 Member
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    All this over 3 lbs?
  • cmack01
    cmack01 Posts: 31 Member
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    Protein and Veggies!!!!
  • shosh413
    shosh413 Posts: 135 Member
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    my goal is 130... but im focusing on getting past 139 first...
  • Rubyayn
    Rubyayn Posts: 433 Member
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    I would say it is a combo of bad food choices and not enough calories. Since you are so close to goal you may actually do better with a higher calorie goal, I know I did. In place of a roadmap is great or setting your mfp to lose .5 lb per week would be pretty effective. Good luck and hope you feel better!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    The majority of your calories seem to be candy, ice cream, chips, bread, etc. I'd be exhausted too - you need some food of actual nutrition value in there. Eating that little and with even less nutrients to fuel your body is bound to be the issue.

    Yeah....combination of very low calories and pretty much junk food. Getting proper nutrition is always important...doubly so when you're eating at a deficit. You need veg, fruit, protein and healthy fats. Drop the processed carbs and sweets and get some more nutritionally dense foods in your diet.
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
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    If you felt better and had weight loss at 1,600 cal then go back to that general area but like everyone else says here - try to clean up the food you are eating and push protein & veggies to make up a good portion of those 1,600 cal. And don't forget to drink water. I know on day's I don't drink enough water it makes me sluggish.
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
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    I would say you're probably not eating enough. I'm 5'6" and I've been steadily losing eating 1400 and if I work out I eat back all of my exercise calories. I only do light exercise 4-5 days a week (easy ride on a stationary bike, casual walking, etc.). You should calculate your TDEE and eat 20% below that, it has worked well for me anyhow: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ If you're worried about upping calories, do it gradually over a few weeks to see how you progress. I also recommend eating less junky and processed foods, it helps with energy when you put good stuff in :smile:

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