Lightheaded Feeling

Liggy302
Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone.

I re-started my weight loss journey last Monday, where I have basically cut down almost all of my sugar and cut back on my carbohydrates, although not entirely.

A general day of eating for me is Porridge for breakfast, Salad with couple slices of cheese for lunch (or tomato soup) and Chicken Stir Fry for tea and couple of pieces of fruit during the day and at least 1L of water. Obviously this varies day to day but this is an example.

In the last week and a half I have lost 4 pounds, which I'm quite sure will just be water weight.

My question is this. I have been feeling extremely light headed the last few days and I can't believe I've not actually fainted yet, it gets so bad at times.

Is this due to the lack of carbs? Is my body just adjusting to the healthy eating? I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what they did to overcome it.

Apart from PCOS I have no other health problems that I know of.

I will see my GP in a couple of days if this doesn't improve.

Thanks in advance :)
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Replies

  • FitMelody4Life
    FitMelody4Life Posts: 106 Member
    If you open your diary it would be easier to be more helpful.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    What is your height and weight and how many total calories are you consuming? From the diet you described it would seem that it is fairly low calorie. The decrease in carbs could also be responsible.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    I am 25 years old, 5ft3 and 195lbs (currently). My MFP Goal is 1200 but I usually only get to 1100 per day.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Oh, also when I say salad I mean a pretty big salad, not just a side salad. If you see what I mean. :) A big plate full of lettuce, sweetcorn, beetroot, tomatoes, carrot etc etc.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Eat more. Most likely an indication that your body is missing something, and if you're only eating 1100 per day you should be able to safely eat 100-400 more calories per day and still lose weight steadily over time.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    I am 25 years old, 5ft3 and 195lbs (currently). My MFP Goal is 1200 but I usually only get to 1100 per day.
    I would say that calorie total is quite low for someone your height and weight.
  • cuckoo_jenibeth
    cuckoo_jenibeth Posts: 1,434 Member
    Are you getting enough protein! I get weak, woozy, and foggy-headed when I don't get enough.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    Agree that you may not be eating enough. What goal did you set for MFP? 2lb a week loss? Change it to 1lb per week loss and see how many calories it gives you.

    You don't have to eat low-calorie to lose weight, just eat in a reasonable deficit.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Are you getting enough protein! I get weak, woozy, and foggy-headed when I don't get enough.

    Erm, well every other day I might have scrambled eggs for breakfast and yes I do have protein at dinner time, whether it be Chicken breast, Minced Beef, Turkey etc. I could incorporate more protein I suppose, with nuts of something to snack on. I've read that when you cut down on carbs, you lose a lot of potassium when passing water. I've tried to get more potassium but I never get anywhere near the RDA for it :(
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Agree that you may not be eating enough. What goal did you set for MFP? 2lb a week loss? Change it to 1lb per week loss and see how many calories it gives you.

    You don't have to eat low-calorie to lose weight, just eat in a reasonable deficit.

    I may do this. At the end of the day, losing that extra pound a week is not worth feeling like this! I'm going to try and add a bit more unrefined carbs too to see is that helps.
  • pinklemonayde530
    pinklemonayde530 Posts: 29 Member
    For me, I get light headed, dizzy and have fainted once from not drinking enough water in a day. Depending on my activity level or how I have been drinking over the past few days, my body needs more then 1 liter per day.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    How many carbs per day are you eating? If you're eating fruits and vegetables, you're probably eating enough carbs. But just eat more calories overall, would be my first suggestion. Even an extra 100 calories can make a big difference.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I am 25 years old, 5ft3 and 195lbs (currently). My MFP Goal is 1200 but I usually only get to 1100 per day.

    That seems like a very low intake for someone your age and weight. Do you exercise at all and if you do exercise do you eat more because of it?

    Honestly light headedness probably has to do with very low blood sugar which has to do with not eating enough or low blood pressure which might be caused by having very little sodium in your diet.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    I am 25 years old, 5ft3 and 195lbs (currently). My MFP Goal is 1200 but I usually only get to 1100 per day.

    That seems like a very low intake for someone your age and weight. Do you exercise at all and if you do exercise do you eat more because of it?

    Honestly light headedness probably has to do with very low blood sugar which has to do with not eating enough or low blood pressure which might be caused by having very little sodium in your diet.

    I've not been exercising no, I was going to go to the gym this week at some point but this lightheadedness is putting me off. I'll probably end up fainting and rolling off the treadmill haha.

    I don't add any salt to my food at all, never have and tend not to eat salty foods. I should try adding a bit to my food?

    I've been drinking a shed load of water since I've restarted my "weight loss journey", do you think somehow I might be just flushing minerals and nutrients out of my body as I don't have carbs to soak them up? :S if that makes sense?

    Low blood pressure probably is the cause as I have always naturally had lower than average. I just don't know how to naturally raise it.

    Thanks for the help everyone :)
  • awesomejdad
    awesomejdad Posts: 493 Member
    Have you thought about your glucose levels. I always feel like you mentioned if I go to long without sugar. It may be better to find a way to make sure your getting a little sugar hear and there to keep your glucose levels from getting to low. That is what I needed to do.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    I know if I feel light headed I just eat a piece of toast with peanutbutter and that seems to help me out or I have coffee with some cream and sugar in it. I also agree with drinking more water helps. If I don't drink enough, I also seem to get sort of a headache. I try to drink 64 oz of water and unsweetened green tea every day.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Have you thought about your glucose levels. I always feel like you mentioned if I go to long without sugar. It may be better to find a way to make sure your getting a little sugar hear and there to keep your glucose levels from getting to low. That is what I needed to do.

    I have 1 tsp sugar in my morning brew, 1/2 tsp in the second and none for the rest of the day. I eat a couple of pieces of fruit per day, usually 1 pear and a handful of strawberries. So, you might be right. The week before I started this I literally had 1tsp sugar in my brew and that was about 10 times+ a day, plus a chocolate bar and had a fair amount of starchy carbs like bread, pasta etc which obviously convert into sugar in the body. It's probably the extreme shift.

    My GP has sworn me off sugar to help with my PCOS. It's so hard to juggle everything :(

    I want to lose weight, help reduce my PCOS symptoms but I also want to feel "right" and I just don't at the moment.

    I will add a few healthy carbs and a bit more sugar over the next few days.

    :)
  • Luciana891
    Luciana891 Posts: 2
    Are you getting any proteins, you don't mention eating any source of meat or nuts or beans. Carbohydrates and protein are both excellent, in aiding weight loss and keeping the body healthy. MFP has a section where you can see how much of each nutrient you are receiving and how much of each you should get in a day.
  • awesomejdad
    awesomejdad Posts: 493 Member
    Have you thought about your glucose levels. I always feel like you mentioned if I go to long without sugar. It may be better to find a way to make sure your getting a little sugar hear and there to keep your glucose levels from getting to low. That is what I needed to do.

    I have 1 tsp sugar in my morning brew, 1/2 tsp in the second and none for the rest of the day. I eat a couple of pieces of fruit per day, usually 1 pear and a handful of strawberries. So, you might be right. The week before I started this I literally had 1tsp sugar in my brew and that was about 10 times+ a day, plus a chocolate bar and had a fair amount of starchy carbs like bread, pasta etc which obviously convert into sugar in the body. It's probably the extreme shift.

    My GP has sworn me off sugar to help with my PCOS. It's so hard to juggle everything :(

    I want to lose weight, help reduce my PCOS symptoms but I also want to feel "right" and I just don't at the moment.

    I will add a few healthy carbs and a bit more sugar over the next few days.

    :)


    My wife has PCOS. I get it. She sees an endocrinologist. Personally I feel very lethargic and completely drained when I go to long without some form of sugar. I mean completely drained. I see people at my work go into diabetic seizures when there levels crash. Sugar is not the enemy, it is a necessity. You just have to manage it. Especially with PCOS. You can have it, you need it.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    From the menu you posted you look to be too low on calories, protein and fat.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I recently reduced my net under 1100, eating back exercise calories, and I'm having the same symptoms, especially after exercise. I'm much smaller than you are (only around 120 lbs.), so I ended up upping my calories a bit. I was originally at 1200 and figured that the extra 100 less wouldn't make a difference and would break my plateau, but believe me, it made a big difference. I am much more comfortable eating between 1300-1500. You'll probably still lose on that amount. 4 lbs. is a lot to lose in a week and a half, too.
  • ZaCkOX
    ZaCkOX Posts: 115
    With weight loss, this is typical, your body is not used to it. I been doing under 1,500 calories for months, sometimes less. Weeks went by and I eventually got used to it. I exercise a lot and now I don't have any dizzy spells. I've lost weight a lot of times before, a dramatic change will make a person dizzy. Just don't go crazy and eat a ton of calories because of it.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks guys :)

    I'm hopeful now that it will slowly go away. Want to start going the Gym again!! Probably not the best idea at the moment though seeing as I can't walk down the stairs without having a dizzy fit at the bottom :/
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    how long ago did you cut your calories down to 1200 or have you been doing 1200 for a while and only recently dropped carbs? do you work out at all, including walks? when i first cut calories, i felt weak and got so dizzy i almost passed out one day. my body did adjust, but it was rough for a couple weeks. while my blood sugar was still above normal, the drop of blood sugar from what it had been was hard for my body to adapt to.
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Last Monday so.... 12 days ago. And the lightheadedness started 4 days ago. I did both at the same time.

    The thing is, in my usual eating regime, it's quite bad really but I used to skip breakfast AND lunch (not through deliberately "starving" myself but I never got hungry!) and I would have a large tea.

    Usually something stodgy like Spaghetti Carbonara with garlic bread and a hell of a lot of cheese on top, or steak and chips etc. And about 10 cups of tea per day with 1tsp of sugar in each. I'd always have a dessert of some form or another also.

    So either I was on less calories beforehand or I just ate a hell of a lot of calories in the evening. It seems that now I am on a "diet", I'm eating A LOT more! Strange.

    It's actually quite hard for me to force myself to eat breakfast and lunch. My metabolism must be speeding up though as I now actually get hungry!
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    Have you thought about your glucose levels. I always feel like you mentioned if I go to long without sugar. It may be better to find a way to make sure your getting a little sugar hear and there to keep your glucose levels from getting to low. That is what I needed to do.

    I have 1 tsp sugar in my morning brew, 1/2 tsp in the second and none for the rest of the day. I eat a couple of pieces of fruit per day, usually 1 pear and a handful of strawberries. So, you might be right. The week before I started this I literally had 1tsp sugar in my brew and that was about 10 times+ a day, plus a chocolate bar and had a fair amount of starchy carbs like bread, pasta etc which obviously convert into sugar in the body. It's probably the extreme shift.

    My GP has sworn me off sugar to help with my PCOS. It's so hard to juggle everything :(

    I want to lose weight, help reduce my PCOS symptoms but I also want to feel "right" and I just don't at the moment.

    I will add a few healthy carbs and a bit more sugar over the next few days.

    :)


    My wife has PCOS. I get it. She sees an endocrinologist. Personally I feel very lethargic and completely drained when I go to long without some form of sugar. I mean completely drained. I see people at my work go into diabetic seizures when there levels crash. Sugar is not the enemy, it is a necessity. You just have to manage it. Especially with PCOS. You can have it, you need it.

    How much sugar would your wife recommend, going off what the endocrinologist said?
  • jlp19771
    jlp19771 Posts: 33 Member
    The decrease in carbs is probably the cause. I just started a low carb diet myself two weeks ago and I was warned about that. Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to your diet and that may help. Hope you feel better!
  • Liggy302
    Liggy302 Posts: 47 Member
    The decrease in carbs is probably the cause. I just started a low carb diet myself two weeks ago and I was warned about that. Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to your diet and that may help. Hope you feel better!

    Thank you :) nice to know there's light at the end of the tunnel
  • BlondieC23
    BlondieC23 Posts: 11
    There is so many things that can cause lightheaded feeling. Your iron may be getting low see your Dr. as soon as possible they can do blood work and find out whats causing it. Take care and be careful you many need to increase your calories a little bit and see if that helps for the time being.
  • awesomejdad
    awesomejdad Posts: 493 Member
    Have you thought about your glucose levels. I always feel like you mentioned if I go to long without sugar. It may be better to find a way to make sure your getting a little sugar hear and there to keep your glucose levels from getting to low. That is what I needed to do.

    I have 1 tsp sugar in my morning brew, 1/2 tsp in the second and none for the rest of the day. I eat a couple of pieces of fruit per day, usually 1 pear and a handful of strawberries. So, you might be right. The week before I started this I literally had 1tsp sugar in my brew and that was about 10 times+ a day, plus a chocolate bar and had a fair amount of starchy carbs like bread, pasta etc which obviously convert into sugar in the body. It's probably the extreme shift.

    My GP has sworn me off sugar to help with my PCOS. It's so hard to juggle everything :(

    I want to lose weight, help reduce my PCOS symptoms but I also want to feel "right" and I just don't at the moment.

    I will add a few healthy carbs and a bit more sugar over the next few days.

    :)


    My wife has PCOS. I get it. She sees an endocrinologist. Personally I feel very lethargic and completely drained when I go to long without some form of sugar. I mean completely drained. I see people at my work go into diabetic seizures when there levels crash. Sugar is not the enemy, it is a necessity. You just have to manage it. Especially with PCOS. You can have it, you need it.

    How much sugar would your wife recommend, going off what the endocrinologist said?

    It would not be wise for you to go off a number that I was given for my wife. My wife is under 5ft tall and her numbers would not be the same as yours. You may want to consider making an appointment yourself.

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