What to do if you run out of energy?

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sjch1234
sjch1234 Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
Today I ran out of energy and was feeling really sluggish and weak. So I downed two bowls of sugary cereal and felt better again although it put me above my calorie target for the day.

What do you guys do in this situation?

Or perhaps my target of 1500 cal a day is too low?

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Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited September 2016
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    What do you guys do in this situation?
    1/ Eat something.
    2/ Work out why I felt sluggish & weak.
    Or perhaps my target of 1500 cal a day is too low?
    As you are male, probably. (Unless you are tiny and sedentary.)

    Have you selected the most aggressive rate of weight loss?
    Are you eating back your exercise calories?
  • Neanbean13
    Neanbean13 Posts: 211 Member
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    Eat more carbs in my total limit. Drink more water. Few days of eating at maintanence.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
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    In this order:
    Eat enough.
    Drink water.
    Sleep.
    More caffeine as needed.
  • pinkstarberry
    pinkstarberry Posts: 79 Member
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    I either drink lots of water or take a short nap. Eating sugar only gives me temporary energy, then I come crashing back down worse than before.
  • IzzyBooNZ1
    IzzyBooNZ1 Posts: 1,289 Member
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    I will drink water or have a green tea, that seems to perk me up. Sometimes I will go out for a wee walk.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,138 Member
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    1. Drink a tall glass of cold water.
    2. Drink a cup of black coffee.
    3. Get up and ... go for a walk, climb some stairs, do some housework, do something that doesn't involve sitting.
    4. Eat something.
  • DoughyJoey1008
    DoughyJoey1008 Posts: 7 Member
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    Black Coffee.
  • cinnag4225
    cinnag4225 Posts: 126 Member
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    I tend to cycle through recharge foods. Right now I'm finding 60g (roughly) of naan, half an avocado, and about half a teaspoon of lemon juice is working well for me, but before that a pack of peanut butter cups worked wonders. Try experimenting with different options and remember to switch things up from time to time. Variety is good for the metabolism and keeps the urge to "cheat" or overeat treats at bay.
  • avadahm
    avadahm Posts: 111 Member
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    Grab some vitamin B for a quick pick up and try raising your calorie goal for a while to see if that helps.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    I will pop a Vitamin B12 pill and two 200mg caffeine pills for a pick me up.
  • learningtolove
    learningtolove Posts: 288 Member
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    Coffee/green tea,naps,and b12
  • smile_laughter
    smile_laughter Posts: 3,682 Member
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    Power nap - Lay down on the ground and take a nap. Since you are on a hard surface, you will probably only sleep about 20 minutes. I agree with others above, but this is my biggest help. I am lucky to have my own office, so I close door, turn off lights and rest.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    OP, I think I like your own solution the best, although it does sound as though you may want to up your calories.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    People who said B12... B12 is NOT an energy booster. Only if you're B12 deficient is it even a factor.
  • Zombella
    Zombella Posts: 490 Member
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    Usually I will eat something. You have to look at what you've eating during the day as well.
  • fireytiger
    fireytiger Posts: 236 Member
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    I eat something or take a nap. One thing my dietitian taught me, the goal isn't to have a perfect diet or to meet your calorie goal exactly. If some days you need to eat a little more, it's not going to matter in the long run.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    How tall are you, how much do you weigh, and M/F? That's the only way to know how many calories you need in a day.

    If two bowls of cereal picked you up it could be your sudden lack of energy was a result of a depletion of your glycogen stores. No worries; given time your body will release more from your fat stores.

    A pick me up snack with enough calories could be a couple of Glucotabs if you want to keep the calories low. Or if you want a more sustained energy boost get some protein and fat in there. That could be a protein bar, a half cup hikers mix, or an apple with nut butter or cheese.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    sjch1234 wrote: »
    Today I ran out of energy and was feeling really sluggish and weak. So I downed two bowls of sugary cereal and felt better again although it put me above my calorie target for the day.

    What do you guys do in this situation?

    Or perhaps my target of 1500 cal a day is too low?

    For a male, 1500 calories is basically the floor...it's a very aggressive weight loss target and I'm not at all surprised that you would be sluggish with that. If it were me I would stick to a less aggressive target...I always aimed for about 1 Lb per week and with my exercise I was eating around 2200 calories daily to achieve that.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    OP hasn't logged on since the starting the discussion.
    A few months ago I was targeting the 1500-1600 range for daily calories and not eating back exercise calories. One Saturday while doing heavy yard work I also experienced the sluggishness of a glycogen shortage. If you had been exercising quite a bit and not eating back some of your exercise calories, you could have been rocking along happily with just barely enough glycogen, only to experience the shortage when you increase your exercise burn. When I was actually in that situation, I downed one banana and finished the job, staying within my calorie budget for the day. Those who advocate taking a nap are also correct, as it allows your body to reduce the exercise burn to 0 while activating the slow fat-converting process to both feed the brain and replenish the glycogen.
  • sjch1234
    sjch1234 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for all the comments guys which Ive just seen - the phone app doesnt show these. Ive decided to add exercise calories - much more realistic.

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