Tired and crabby -too few calories?

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sluson2000
sluson2000 Posts: 6
in Motivation and Support
I started on Dec 30 keeping my net cal at 1200. On 1/7 I changed to keeping my food cal at 1200 (net in the 750-1000 range). In the past few days I have been crabby and short tempered as well as feeling drained of energy. My weight is down to 189.5 from 196 but I'm worried about being so tired and grumpy. Is this just my body adjusting from 3000+ cal/day and several Dr. Peppers to 1200 and no Dr. Peppers? Or do I need to change something? Anyone else experience mood changes when starting a diet/exercise program? I thought it would give me MORE energy and improve my mood.

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  • ouryear002
    ouryear002 Posts: 325 Member
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    Net should be 1200. 750 is too low for anyone! On a different plan, when I ate 1200 and worked out (no eating back), I felt like crap. You need the fuel to enjoy your weight loss!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Try changing your goal to lose 1 lb/week as MFP recommends. this will give you additional calories, and make sure you are eating your exercise calories.
  • aimibean
    aimibean Posts: 243
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    probably too little sugar in your diet - i know i get super cranky when i don't have enough sugar!
    try substituting bad sugars like in dr pepper with "good sugars", like in fresh fruit. :)
  • HealthyHereICome
    HealthyHereICome Posts: 36
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    Your body is probably most definitely reacting to the lack of Dr. Pepper! The caffeine and sugar you have given up will make you crabby. Just give your body time and it will find new ways to get energy and not rely on the yo-yo effects of sugar/caffeine rush and crash.
  • paniolo5
    paniolo5 Posts: 186 Member
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    Your body is adjusting to the new diet. Hang in there and things will get better!
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
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    you need to make sure you are getting a minimum net of 1200 calories. If you workout hard and burn a lot of calories and don't want to eat all of them back that's fine just make sure you have a net of 1200 or you will notice a big difference in your mood and stamina.
  • sluson2000
    sluson2000 Posts: 6
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    Thanks. @Eric: When I logged in tthe very first time, it asked for my goals and such. How do I recalculate goals/cal? I haven't been able to figure that out yet.
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
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    You'll put yourself in starvation mode. If you feel lethargic up your calories! Make sure to have 1200.
  • sluson2000
    sluson2000 Posts: 6
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    Thanks everyone. I'm going to go back to net of 1200 for a week to see if that improves it. Otherwise, I need to recalculate my min calories I think. And yes, I was def doing the crash and burn thing with sugar/caffeine prior to this. I appreciate the responses.
  • ouryear002
    ouryear002 Posts: 325 Member
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    Thanks. @Eric: When I logged in tthe very first time, it asked for my goals and such. How do I recalculate goals/cal? I haven't been able to figure that out yet.

    Go to "My Home", then "Goals". At the bottom is a button to change goals.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    Part of it is adjusting from a high-calorie, high-sugar diet, but most of it is probably due to lack of calories. I went through that when I first started my diet & exercise program. I was eating about 850 calories per day, and after a week or two of that, I barely had enough energy to get up from my desk at work and walk to the restroom. I was miserable, and my workouts were suffering, too.

    Eat more, get plenty of sleep, and take rest days when you need them.
  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
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    I know right off when I start snapping at people and yelling at my kids for things I normal would let slide that I am not eating enough! Every time I am edgy or crabby I grab a (healthy) snack and it does wonders. Apples slices with peanut butter are one of my go-to snacks, and always make me feel better in minutes.
  • jolene93722
    jolene93722 Posts: 1
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    If you are eating the right foods the energy level should be good. My physician put me on a 1200 calorie diet for a month and then increased it to 1500. Try increasing it in small incraments until you hit an amount that gives you the energy, weightloss, and mood improvement. Not everyone reacts the same way to a calorie reduction. To find out where your metabolism falls there is a survey in the metabolism workout/recipe book by Jullian Michaels. Good luck with your weitloss and atchieving your goals.
  • superwmn
    superwmn Posts: 936
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    Increase your calories and see how you feel :)

    Charmagne
  • vicster9727
    vicster9727 Posts: 30
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    get your calories up. net 1200 is the way to go at least. Add more protein too, helps burn fat.

    I noticed a mood change too, but for the better energy too. Another thing that helps me alot is to eat every 3 hours or so..
    breakfast snack lunch snack dinner snack.
  • littlemissunderstood
    littlemissunderstood Posts: 50
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    Recent studies are revealing that high quantities of fat and sugar cause neurological effects similar to cocaine. In other words, your system is used to receiving pleasant shots of happy hormones (likely dopamine, which is associated with cocaine, falling in love, that sort of thing). Now that it has stopped and your receptors are desensitized, you're not getting the satisfaction you're used to, a sort of mild detox. Hang in there, your body will readjust.
  • sluson2000
    sluson2000 Posts: 6
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    Thanks everyone. That is very interesting. I was totally addicted to Dr. Pepper! Much like crack for me. Now with MFP, I see it as 150 calories I'd rather eat. (:

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