Feel weird and spacy when I don't eat

RebeccaBecca26
RebeccaBecca26 Posts: 45
in Health and Weight Loss
Do anyone else feel weird and spacy when they don't eat enough?

I'm eating 1,200 calories a day. I'm 5'3 260lbs, and 26 years old.
Maybe that's too little? But I know I start to feel weak, and weird feeling when I don't eat much.....

Does anyone else ever feel like this...?
Maybe its just anxiety causing this.

Replies

  • adiggs2777
    adiggs2777 Posts: 111 Member
    Why are you only eating 1200 calories a day? Are you exercising or just dieting? I'm about 20 lbs more than you and eat around 1600 to 1900 calories on days when I am not exercising. More when I do. That is such a drastically low amount. I feel shaky and woozy if my blood sugar dips too low. Perhaps that is what is happening to you. Though I am not a doctor, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But I guarantee everyone who responds to this thread is going to tell you to eat more.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    You're probably feeling that way because you're not feeding your body enough and it's running low on energy. not a good thing. Try eating something!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    So eat more. You could also open your diary to get suggestions about what you're eating. 1200 is pretty low and if you're filling those calories with junk you'll be even worse off.
  • jessicahill530
    jessicahill530 Posts: 65 Member
    Is 1200 the amount MFP recommends? If not, eat what they recommend! That seems super duper low. And yes, if I don't eat enough I get woozy and don't feel well. Your body is telling you something, listen to it!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Eat more. How much did you tell MFP you wanted to lose a week?
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Why are you only eating 1200 calories a day? Are you exercising or just dieting? I'm about 20 lbs more than you and eat around 1600 to 1900 calories on days when I am not exercising. More when I do. That is such a drastically low amount. I feel shaky and woozy if my blood sugar dips too low. Perhaps that is what is happening to you. Though I am not a doctor, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But I guarantee everyone who responds to this thread is going to tell you to eat more.

    QFT.

    Eat more food.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Do anyone else feel weird and spacy when they don't eat enough?

    Well, yeah, pretty much everybody. It's the body's way of saying "stop ****ing with me!"
  • alaynavee
    alaynavee Posts: 148 Member
    It is low, but if you are eating well, try spreading out your calories so your blood sugar doesn't dip. Eat three meals and three small snacks a day (70-80 calories, like 1/2 protein bar) and you should feel better. if that doesn't do it, up your cals.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    I have low blood sugar and if I don't eat enough I will feel the same way. I'm 5'4" and 135ish lbs and eat 1300 cal on a sedentary day. You are definitely not eating enough!
    Something like a small handful of nuts and fruit or yogurt is great to get you feeling better again.
    The key is a bit of sweetness to perk you up right away, but protein to keep you from crashing later.
  • jadethief
    jadethief Posts: 266 Member
    Your TDEE at sedentary is 2341. Even if you only up your calories to 1341, you'll still have a 1000 calorie deficit.

    There's really no reason to eat so little that you "feel weird and spacy."
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Way too little calories. I ran your numbers on scooby (link below) and even if you went with a more extreme 25% deficit off a sedentary TDEE, that still gives me over 500 calories more than what you're eating now (1759).

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I'm borderline hypoglycemic and have learned that making the right food choices matters - it's not just about the calories. If I eat something like a bowl of cereal with milk and a banana, I'll be shaky and hungry in a couple hours. If I have a good balance of protein and carbs, like a couple eggs and a couple slices of ham on a bagel thin, I don't get those spikes and drops.

    So that may be part of the problem too. If you're eating more carby stuff and feeling this wooziness often, along with eating at least a couple hundred more calories a day, I'd advise you to try to eat a bit more protein and healthy fats. FYI, the protein level MFP sets you up for is a recommendation, not a limit so it's perfectly fine for you to go over (assuming you don't have a medical issue)
  • fullofquirks
    fullofquirks Posts: 182 Member
    Agree with upping your cals.

    I feel the same way and it was part of the reason I changed from 1200 only, feeling that way is scary and just sucks. Seconding the Scooby workshop calculator.

    Take some time and find what works for you, and if you aren't eating back your exercise cals at least think about starting there, but I'd up them from the get go anyway.

    :drinker:
  • RebeccaBecca26
    RebeccaBecca26 Posts: 45
    Is 1200 the amount MFP recommends? If not, eat what they recommend! That seems super duper low. And yes, if I don't eat enough I get woozy and don't feel well. Your body is telling you something, listen to it!

    Well they recommended that I eat no more than 1,300 calories....and I usually eat around 1,200 ......What are you eating?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I get feeling worse than just weird and spacy when I eat only 1200 calories. I get very lethargic and I can't think straight and I start to shake and feel nauseous.

    You will still lose weight if you eat more than that.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I get that after any day I dip below 1300 (1250?) NET. NET! So I think I'd pass out within 2 days at 1200 calories. Really. My BMR is up around/over 1500, though.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    Do anyone else feel weird and spacy when they don't eat enough?

    I'm eating 1,200 calories a day. I'm 5'3 260lbs, and 26 years old.
    Maybe that's too little? But I know I start to feel weak, and weird feeling when I don't eat much.....

    Does anyone else ever feel like this...?
    Maybe its just anxiety causing this.

    Quick answer without reading any other replies: yes, that's too little. I'm 5'6.5", weigh 170, and eat a net after exercise of1470 to lose 1lb/wk. My punk kid sister Annie, who is around here, somewhere is your height, weighs more than you (I"m not telling you her weight, she might smack me or worse rat me out to mom) and her goal is around 2800/day to lose a pound a week. The truth is that she eats less than her goal and isn't hungry, but still eats 2100 calories most days. (Yep, I stalk my little sister's diary. She asked me to for accountability.) I would think that you should be somewhere between the two of us
    Now I'm going to go see what other people said to you, but I'm sure you've gotten good advice here. I always have.
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
    sure, I feel weird and spacy when I don't eat too. You know what solves that? Eating enough calories to support your body and all its glorious functions.

    Eat more. I bet you won't feel so weird and spacy.

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