TIRED TIRED TIRED OF BEING TIRED!!

What is your net calorie intake?

Up until two weeks ago, I was limiting myself to 1200 calories no matter how many calories I burned during exercise and was tired and getting dizzy/lightheaded at times...

Have you had your thyroid level checked?

You might want to head to the Doctorand have a blood test for any vitimin deficiencies. I put up with being exhausted for a very long time only to find out that I was severely iron defficient. Still working my way back from it after 3 months of supplements but some of my symptoms (head spins and dizziness) are gone

It's one o'clock and here I sit soooooooo tired. I eat healthy, and enough. I exercise enough. Most nights I get at least 6 or more hours of sleep. But i'm soooo tired. Like dragging myself through water tired.

So what I'm looking for is tips on how you, my lovely MFP peeps, energize yourselves. Of course there's caffeine fixes... but what else? Caffeine can't be the only thing keeping you amazing people going all day. How do you get past the 3:00 hump?

Possibly not eating enough. I peeked at your diary and it looks like you're set at 1270 a day, and I see strength training in your exercise diary...and only 10lbs to lose? I would guess your calories are too low. You don't have a lot to lose, so a small deficit is better than a larger one. And if you're doing any weight lifting, proper fueling is very important. Are you taking rest days?

I just finished up a Lent experiment, in which I abstained from caffeine for the full 40ish days. It was somewhat hard at first; I'm not a caffeine addict but I am a very regular user. I didn't have headaches, and it took a couple weeks to get used to the new feeling, but I was amazed at how energized I was able to feel without any caffeine, period. The biggest pick-me-up was exercise. No matter what is going on in my life, if I exercise (even as simple as walking or stretching), my energy level stays up. The other thing for me personally is potential iron deficiency, so I take a multivitamin called Hemaplex that makes a noticeable difference in my energy level.

See your doctor. I was exhausted all the time and turns out I have an autoimmune disease. It isn't natural to be tired to the point of exhausted all the time - if you are and have been for a while, get it checked out. Though maybe try a few days proper rest first - normal eating, light or no exercise and see what happens.

Try taking some B complex vitamines, low B is a very common cause of fatigue, and even if it ends up not being the reason, it cannot hurt you to try!

I think you should try sleeping 7 to 7 1/2 hours per night. Think about what you said. You only sleep 6 hours most nights and you are tired. Listen to your body. If its tired all the time, give it rest. I would also listen to the people telling you to eat more. If you're not eating less per doctor's orders, sedentary, or 5'0 you can eat more and still lose weight. If you find it hard finding energy mid afternoon, make lunch your biggest meal of the day.

edit: (saw food diary) try eating less sodium and drinking more water.

This. The average amount of sleep people need is between 7-9 hours. Unfortunately I'm one of the 9 hour folks. I'm sure there are plenty of people who can get by on 6, but I'm exhausted if I try. Are you struggling to get 6 because of scheduling or because of sleep issues? If you aren't even getting a quality 6 hours that sounds like a pretty big reason you're feeling tired.

I agree with B-complex - it's an energy booster. Make sure you're getting enough potassium, too. And I hate to say it since you already talked about it, but people need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Could you get in a nap somewhere?

I agree with you probably need more calories and certainly more water. I drink a ton of water every day but sometimes I can't if I'm not in my usual routine and I find myself yawning and dragging, struggling just to stay awake. As soon as I am re-hydrated, I am good to go again.

B12. Worked wonders for me! Get your doctor to test your levels.

Are you having trouble sleeping because of stress? I tried everything (diet change, more sleep, less sleep, etc.) but was still fatigued. At the time I would have told you that I'm not any more stressed than anybody else (because it becomes your own "normal'). All the stress finally came to a head and I realized how stressed out I really was. I made major life changes (offset a lot of responsibilities that did not have to be mine). My energy level went way up. I've made the changes permanant.

Looks to me like you're simply not eating enough. Yesterday your gross calorie total was 902 and you burned 400 calories exercising...so your net calorie intake for the day was only 502 calories. Unless you're doing 5:2 fasting and that was a fast day, you're simply not taking enough in and are feeling knackered as a result.

As others have said, try upping your sleep too.

Sleep more.