Fatigue while maintaining a deficit.

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

I'm tired, guys. 1 week into restricting and I'm tired. I know it's likely because my deficit is too big but I'm eating to hunger so I don't want to eat more. Does anyone feel this way? Friday I was so tired I took a nap in the hallway of the university and I still didn't feel better. I'm getting plenty of sleep, btw, and I exercise daily.
How do you cope with feeling tired? I can only drink so much coffee.

There's your problem. Hunger is not always a good indicator of caloric need. Adjust your macronutrient intake or eat more calorie dense foods so that you can consume more calories.

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

My calorie goal for the day is ~2500. I burn about 3000. Some days I burn more and some days I eat less. My smallest deficit for the week was just under 500 calories but my biggest was 1200. As someone who has a history of mindlessly overeating, I'm hesitant to eat when I'm not hungry. Currently eating 3-4 meals a day.

That's not your true deficit. That's how many calories you are below your goal. Your goal already has a calorie deficit worked into, usually between 300 to 500 calories, so on days that you say your deficit is 1200, your real deficit is most likely closer to 1700 calories. That is a problem. Also sounds like you're doing way too much cardio. Do not use cardio as a crutch to lose weight, otherwise when you get to your goal weight, you'll have to keep doing that same level of cardio to keep the weight off.

How is it that you manage to burn 3000 calories in a day? Is that by all day heart rate monitor or by estimated exercise logged?

I see a lot of room for tightening up your logging... many things that you've logged should be logged in weight and not cups or spoons or "servings". I'm guessing that you are overestimating your consumption by a large amount. But, that said, have you spoken with your doctor and had things like thyroid tested, or hormones, or perhaps vitamin deficiencies?

ETA: Also, 3000 calories of burn? How are you measuring and accomplishing this? You might just be overworking if this is in any way accurate.

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

I have a Basis Peak which tracks my heart rate 24/7 and gives a pretty accurate of calories burned. I know exactly how much I burn a day. I'm not doing a ton of cardio. I lift three days a week and aim for 10k steps a day.

So you regularly burn 3000 calories a day and you don't do a ton of cardio? I find that extremely hard to believe, even if you are 6ft tall...

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

I have a Basis Peak which tracks my heart rate 24/7 and gives a pretty accurate of calories burned. I know exactly how much I burn a day. I'm not doing a ton of cardio. I lift three days a week and aim for 10k steps a day.

So you're calculating your TDEE as your exercise burn... this is inaccurate. Your TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. It's what you burn with basic metabolic processes and your exercise included. You should be eating below this to lose weight, or at it to maintain. Above if your goal is to gain.

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

I don't follow MFP's recommendation exactly because I know it's too low.

How do you know? I'm not trying to be flippant, just curious as to what makes you certain? It depends on how you've set your goals. You seem to be mixing two methods here. MFP uses NEAT, while you are considering your burns based on your TDEE. You might benefit from changing your goals to the TDEE method as opposed to MFP's NEAT method... lots of us do this, myself included.

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

No, I haven't been to a doctor. I'm generally a healthy 25 year old. Also, I'm 6 ft tall if that gives you any idea on how many calories I burn.

It doesn't give me any idea, actually as everyone is unique and different. Your burn is based on your metabolism which is influenced by your genetics, past habits, exercise habits, etc. There are far too many variables for me to have any real idea of your experience.

I'm guessing, based on my earlier comment regarding your logging method, that if you tightened up your logging, weigh everything solid, and measure everything liquid using liquid measures, and stop using "servings" as a measure, you will find that you are over estimating your intake by as much as 40% (which is how off studies have shown that the average person is by using estimation methods as you are. It can vary in both directions, but I'm guessing you are overestimating your portions).

My suggestion is to tighten up your logging so that you know for a fact that you are eating close to what you think you are... I'm willing to bet it will make a big difference.

Additionally, what is your exercise regimen like? What types of exercise do you do? How often do you take rest days?

rosebette wrote: »

From her diary, it looks as if OP is eating enough. My original impression was that she was eating 1200 or less. Perhaps the source of fatigue is overtraining. How much exercise is she doing every day? Or it could be a minor flu or if she's in a Northern clime, the fatigue and lethargy that sets in as the days grow shorter. Hubby and I suffered from both last week-end. We didn't even want to pick up the remote control.

I would agree with you based on the calorie counts... it's the logging methods, use of "servings" etc, that make me think they are most likely not eating what they think the may be.

I would agree that the quantity is not too depriving. Doesn't sound like the exercise is either. You should be able to adapt soon. Is the exercising regimin new too?

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

I'm calculating my TDEE based on my fitness tracker which monitors my heart rate 24/7. It also monitors my perspiration, activity, and skin temperature to give as accurate an estimation of calories burned per day as possible. I don't see why it's so hard to believe that someone my size would burn 3000 calories being generally active. I'm a big person. I can eat 2500 calories and still lose weight so I'm burning at least that many.

I know MFP's calculations are too low because, based on my activity tracker, I burn way more calories than it recommends, even if you do take into consideration it is set for a deficit. I had to manually adjust it so that it would give me more calories.

I'm willing to experiment with weighing my food for a while to see if my estimations are too low. The "servings" are based on recipes that I've imported and then divided. (I love that feature) However, like I said, I don't want to be obsessive about every little calorie. I enter in one medium onion and I go with it, 20-30 calories in either direction isn't important to me and I don't feel like exact precision is maintainable.

My exercise regimen (mind you, I've only started exercising again regularly recently) consists of lifting weights three days a week (squats, deadlifts, lat pull-downs, push ups, lunges, etc) and aiming for 10k steps a day. I will go to the gym on my "off" days only to take it easy on the elliptical and walk on the treadmill to help me reach my step goal.

OP, if you're talking to me, I'm not questioning your burn, although heart rate monitors are only accurate for steady state cardio, not day to day activity. You can look that up if you'd like, but it's the truth. A full day heart rate monitor will not be accurate as far as burn, nor will a heart rate monitor's evaluation of any resistance training you might do... I most definitely don't burn 2000 or 3000 calories in a 1.5 hour lifting session as my heart rate monitor indicates. In my opinion, we're not discussing your burn estimates as it's most likely pretty close to your accurate TDEE.

Servings are a notorious measure to use as they are really only appropriate to the person who originally made the recipe. For example, you and I could have the same recipe, and if we are not weighing ingredients, I can guarantee that my total servings will not be equal to your total servings.... do you see where I'm going with that? It will make my "single serving size" different than yours and subsequently different total calorie counts.

Your example of being obsessive over every little calorie is not a very good example as an onion is not a highly caloric or even remotely high calorie food... but for example, peanut butter is. If you take a heaping spoon full of peanut butter it will, odds are, be at least somewhat over the serving size of 1 tbsp and is highly caloric, which means that you can be consuming more calories than you think. Other foods, and my potential concerns for your logging methods can be off just as easily and in large calorie counts. Now, my example is not the best either as my concern is that you are eating less than you think, and as you say, 20 or 30 calories either way is no big deal, but 40% (again, the average amount that people over or underestimate based on studies) of 2500 is 1000 calories... and that is a very big deal and can easily lead to the fatigue that you are experiencing.

Your exercise regimen, being new, will also contribute.

Please don't think that I'm trying to say anything at all negative about you, your journey, or your goals. My only comment that was even remotely critical is that your logging methods could be tightened up... and if you take a look around the forums, the one thing that you will consistently see as the problem that most people trying to lose weight have is inaccurate logging in one direction or the other.

Take what I say with a grain of salt, but realize that I'm on your side and offering you sound advice based on the evidence that you have provided, and taking a good hard look at your diary.

*edited to correct a typo.

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

Thank you for your advice, BecomingBane. I do appreciate it. I suspect that my fatigue is from eating too little. I haven't felt like weighing is that important, yet, as my weight is going in the direct that I want it to.

Now I want a scoop of peanut butter.

Eat the peanut butter.. it's my favorite food and quite good for you.

*Edited to ask... how fast has your loss been accomplished to date?

BigMama24mfp wrote: »

I just ate four ounces of cheese so I think I'll skip the PB tonight.
Also: as a nutrition major and science worshiper, I appreciate your approach.

Your first week of loss will almost always be the highest and will probably slow down, so don't worry too much about that. If the trend continues though, good evidence that your deficit is too large. Slowing down will make it more sustainable in the long run... healthier too.

Cheese is good too for those that eat it.

Thanks for the appreciation... coming from a place of bro-science and media based information has been a long journey for me, but very educational. The biggest problem that I tend to see personally, is that people don't know enough of the science behind food and body process, which would make the journey easier and less stressful than it already is. Losing weight is hard enough... especially when the general media is misleading us at almost every step of the way and fad-diets reign supreme. Not to say that it will ever be easy, especially for some, but it doesn't need to be as hard as it often is.