so tired

Try a different diet. Sounds like low-carb is just nothing for you.
There is no one-size-fits-all-approach in dieting - if there was, we'd already have our one proven miracle solution.

There's no point in trying the same thing over and over again when you keep failing at it and keep experiencing the same symptoms. Don't hop on the wagon. Dig your own road.

Restricting your carbs is probably making you tired. Your brain and body runs on carbs. If you're a yoyo dieter try a high carb low fat vegan diet for a week and see if your energy levels go up!

prmtpsm wrote: »

Alice,
If you just looked at the last week or two, I've kinda slacked off a bit, on workouts and foods - but yes, all of my diary entries are accurate. The only things not logged are my daily multi vitamin and amino acids.
Even if I adjust and say I want to lose 1 lbs per week, Myfitness still tells me to stay under 1200 calories. If I go down to .5 it gives me 1300 calories per day.
I also track with FitBit.
I've lost 15lbs in 12 weeks. In the past I've been more extreme - losing 18 lbs in 6 weeks.
Maybe I should also add, that I have been caffeine free for about 2 1/2 months as well. Prior I used to have 1 cup of coffee per day, and sometimes drank iced tea.

Should I be using the "extra" calories I earn when doing workouts?

Yeah, I only looked through about 10 days. Even so, you had some crazy low-calorie days, which isn't necessary unless you're doing something like a 5:2 fasting thing. Your goal should be to eat as much as you can and still lose weight, not to eat as little as possible and make yourself miserable. Again, you already know that the latter doesn't work.

What is your CW? Typically, when you're getting really low calorie targets even for a goal of 1 pound per week, it's because you're already at or close to a healthy weight. (Or it's a weird glitch, which happens sometimes). Did you choose Sedentary? Very few people are truly sedentary, so you may want to try Lightly Active, which will give you a higher target.

Yes, you should absolutely eat back your exercise calories! That's the way MFP is designed; other calculator methods average those in, so if you used another method you'd have those extras built into your target. Try eating back 50-75% of them, because sometimes the burn estimates are on the high side, but eating them back should help.

Congratulations on being caffeine-free! You're a braver woman than I am After 2.5 weeks, you should be past the initial withdrawals, so the lack of caffeine shouldn't be impacting your energy level much anymore.

Do you absolutely have to do low carb? When I tried it (low carb) I was the same as you're feeling now. I've upped my carbs from 100 to 150-160 grams and I've started loosing weight. I've found my balance now-I'm enjoying HIIT workouts without feeling overly tired.
You need to find your balance too. There is no one-size-fits-all plan.

BldnBlue wrote: »

Alice,
If you just looked at the last week or two, I've kinda slacked off a bit, on workouts and foods - but yes, all of my diary entries are accurate. The only things not logged are my daily multi vitamin and amino acids.
Even if I adjust and say I want to lose 1 lbs per week, Myfitness still tells me to stay under 1200 calories. If I go down to .5 it gives me 1300 calories per day.
I also track with FitBit.
I've lost 15lbs in 12 weeks. In the past I've been more extreme - losing 18 lbs in 6 weeks.
Maybe I should also add, that I have been caffeine free for about 2 1/2 months as well. Prior I used to have 1 cup of coffee per day, and sometimes drank iced tea.

Should I be using the "extra" calories I earn when doing workouts?

According to your profile you have around 10 pounds to lose? If this is the case your weekly weight loss goal should be no more than 0.5 pound per week.

MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such the system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1

I was on a strict allergy diet once. Very low carbs and fat. Since I have a diabetic son, I was able to test my blood sugar during that time. My blood sugars were 29-30 range. My son went into a major diabetic reaction at those levels.
Restricting carbs too much will affect your brain and can cause minor brain damage if deprived over a long period of time. Plus I felt like crap and very tired.
Your skin and heart need fats to function properly. Balance diet and losing at a slower rate will stop you from the yo-yo dieting. Go to half pound/week loss goal. You will feel better and will still reach your goal. Hope you feel better.

I would try eating more whole foods. Add in some fresh veggies, you said you like chips if that crunch is satisfying try some baby carrots or celery. Congrats on the progress that you have made so far. Sticking to your diet for 80+ days is no small achievement.