Low calorie diet causing shaky feeling

arigsby542
arigsby542 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm at 1300 cals/day I'm working hard to get a good variety of healthy foods. I eat nothing processed, no bread, no added sugar.. ooh I'm feeling so shaky like my blood sugar is low.. not sure what to do!

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    What are your stats - height, weight, goal weight, # of lbs per week you're set to lose?
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,669 Member
    Right now, eat a carb and a protein or fat (apple and cheese, for example).

    Then re-evaluate your plan.

    What are your stats (height, weight, goal)?

    Are you exercising and eating back at least 50% of those earned calories?

    Are you on too much of a deficit (2 lbs/week vs. .5 or 1 lb/week)?

    Weight loss is a science experiment with a sample size of one (you). So examine what you're doing now that isn't working, and tweak until it is.
  • SR1986
    SR1986 Posts: 92 Member
    I'd feel shaky if I didn't have any carbohydrates too. I'd die without bread. (Not really of course) there's such a thing as too much. Our bodies need some sort of sugars and carbohydrates. You could try nuts or fruit. Our bodies naturally convert carbohydrates to energy. Too many is a bad thing obviously, but we need some to function. There are healthy ways of getting carbs and sugars (like nuts and fruit) that aren't going to completely ruin your diet.I even have a slice of whole wheat bread and 2 tablespoons of reduced fat peanut butter every other day just to avoid binging baked goods. I also eat brown rice with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. You need a certain percent of carbohydrates and sugar every day as a part of a well-rounded "nutrition pie". You are more than likely are experiencing low blood sugar. You're going to have to compromise on the sugars and carbohydrates to some degree before you make yourself really sick.
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    SR1986 wrote: »
    I'd feel shaky if I didn't have any carbohydrates too. I'd die without bread. (Not really of course) there's such a thing as too much. Our bodies need some sort of sugars and carbohydrates. You could try nuts or fruit. Our bodies naturally convert carbohydrates to energy. Too many is a bad thing obviously, but we need some to function. There are healthy ways of getting carbs and sugars (like nuts and fruit) that aren't going to completely ruin your diet.I even have a slice of whole wheat bread and 2 tablespoons of reduced fat peanut butter every other day just to avoid binging baked goods. I also eat brown rice with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. You need a certain percent of carbohydrates and sugar every day as a part of a well-rounded "nutrition pie". You are more than likely are experiencing low blood sugar. You're going to have to compromise on the sugars and carbohydrates to some degree before you make yourself really sick.

    LOL ... no. I have been under 20g carbs for 4 years. I have never been shaky. I do not have any trouble thinking or working out. Our bodies can synthesis the small amount of glucose our brains need from protein. We do not need any carbs at all. Plenty of research to back that up - you can find it with a quick Google. OP beware of bad advice with no scientific basis.
  • frannieshack
    frannieshack Posts: 327 Member
    Protein, you need more?
  • b33zz33
    b33zz33 Posts: 47 Member
    Can you share a sample of what you typically eat in a day?
  • arigsby542
    arigsby542 Posts: 5 Member
    Hello everyone and thank you for the feedback!

    I am 5'8" 185lbs my goal is 140 and I'm set at 2#/day.

    Breakfast: 1/2cup egg whites + 1 whole egg, spinach, mushrooms, onion and calliflower into an omlette

    Snack: shrimp, tomatoes and mozzarella

    Lunch: a few oz of cubed turkey breast, sweet potato

    Snack: boiled egg, apple with peanut butter, small piece of cheese and a few almonds

    Dinner: several ounces grilled chicken, slice of avocado, 2 corn tortillas, lettuce, salsa, 1T sour cream, bowl of broccoli, one orange

    Snack: handful of light air popped popcorn, yogurt

    I'm at 1300 cals and I'm eating all of them plus at least half of any I gain from workout
  • cloverdaisy
    cloverdaisy Posts: 64 Member
    You eat similar amount I do yet I'm 5'3 116lbs... And with workout, mine calorie intake can go up to 1400-1500 some times.

    In that sense you might need to eat a bit more...
  • arigsby542
    arigsby542 Posts: 5 Member
    cloverdaisy wrote: »
    You eat similar amount I do yet I'm 5'3 116lbs... And with workout, mine calorie intake can go up to 1400-1500 some times.

    In that sense you might need to eat a bit more...

    Well that's not the worst news I've ever gotten :D
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    How many days have you been on this plan?
  • arigsby542
    arigsby542 Posts: 5 Member
    Yes 2/week ha, if 2/ day was possible though I might set it there :D
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited February 2017
    arigsby542 wrote: »
    Hello everyone and thank you for the feedback!

    I am 5'8" 185lbs my goal is 140 and I'm set at 2#/day.

    Breakfast: 1/2cup egg whites + 1 whole egg, spinach, mushrooms, onion and calliflower into an omlette

    Snack: shrimp, tomatoes and mozzarella

    Lunch: a few oz of cubed turkey breast, sweet potato

    Snack: boiled egg, apple with peanut butter, small piece of cheese and a few almonds

    Dinner: several ounces grilled chicken, slice of avocado, 2 corn tortillas, lettuce, salsa, 1T sour cream, bowl of broccoli, one orange

    Snack: handful of light air popped popcorn, yogurt

    I'm at 1300 cals and I'm eating all of them plus at least half of any I gain from workout

    With only 45 lbs to lose, 2 lbs a week is pretty aggressive. Change it to 1 lb per week and eat more! I am 5'4" 130 lbs and I usually feel bad if I try to eat less than 1400 cals or so.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
    arigsby542 wrote: »
    Hello everyone and thank you for the feedback!

    I am 5'8" 185lbs my goal is 140 and I'm set at 2#/day.

    Breakfast: 1/2cup egg whites + 1 whole egg, spinach, mushrooms, onion and calliflower into an omlette

    Snack: shrimp, tomatoes and mozzarella

    Lunch: a few oz of cubed turkey breast, sweet potato

    Snack: boiled egg, apple with peanut butter, small piece of cheese and a few almonds

    Dinner: several ounces grilled chicken, slice of avocado, 2 corn tortillas, lettuce, salsa, 1T sour cream, bowl of broccoli, one orange

    Snack: handful of light air popped popcorn, yogurt

    I'm at 1300 cals and I'm eating all of them plus at least half of any I gain from workout
    As a fellow tall person, I'm going to second that you need to eat more. Try 1500-1800 calories per day. Staying hydrated is also really important. I'm 5'9", started my weight loss at 174lb and lost weight at 1900 calories per day.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Might wanna try adding a serving of whole grains earlier in the day. Like an Ezekiel English muffin (start with 1/2 at 80 cals) or Flat Out wraps (90 cals) with a bit of nut butter or hummus. My dietician made that suggestion after reviewing my diary and it's made a big difference in my hunger.
  • sybillabryson
    sybillabryson Posts: 58 Member
    I was gonna say eat more often but by your sample day looks like you have that covered. Sounds like you need more calories.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    I'll agree with the above and say you're not eating enough. Your calorie deficit for your height and weight is really aggressive and is going to leave you with low blood sugar and possibly missing some important nutrition. I eat 1500 at 5'2" and 118# and maintain, if that gives you perspective.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Set your goal for 1 lb per week. Eat more.
  • Tretop76
    Tretop76 Posts: 256 Member
    You could be hypoglycemic as well. I didn't read if you have had your glucose tested or bloodwork for A1C?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,970 Member
    Your calorie deficit may be too aggressive. Go to 1600 a day and see how you do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • RunningMom1038
    RunningMom1038 Posts: 144 Member
    It's not every day we get to give this kind of advice on a weight-loss site - eat more!! (I wish that advice applied to me)

    In all seriousness, I am 5'2", less than 10 pounds away from goal weight, and I am losing on 1400 calories. At your size, I imagine you could eat 1600-1700 and still lose at a decent rate. That's just a guess, but you probably should change your loss rate to 1 pound/week and see what you can get from that.

    Thanks to the people on these forums, I went from seeing how little I could eat and lose weight quickly to seeing how MUCH I could eat and still lose at a slower, more sustainable rate.
  • rollerjog
    rollerjog Posts: 154 Member
    im at 1300 calories also for right now im 73 inches tall and weight 250
  • Kawaiidesu808
    Kawaiidesu808 Posts: 13 Member
    From what I learned recently, if your go to a really low calorie intake to lose weight you will severely slow down and mess up your metabolism. You will see results on the scale now, but once you finish losing weight and start to eat a more normal diet, you will start putting on weight again. And if you try to lose weight again in the future, you won't be able to because your metabolism will be all thrown-off. I just learned that because I am currently struggling with the same problem I am trying to lose weight and my calorie intake has been about 1200-1300 for the past week and its WAY too low. I need to get it back up to about 1600 to be healthy.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Yeah, it could be a bit low.

    I'm 5'8" and started at about 190lbs. I had my calories set for 1420, which I believe was 1.5 lbs per week, then I ate at average of 1500 kcals because I was hungrier than that. ;) I'm glad I did though, I ended up losing 2-3 lbs per week after an initial whoosh of (water) weight lost. I think my low carb high fat diet agreed with me. :)

    A LCHF diet can help avoid the skakey hypoglycemic symptoms too. If you are relying on fat for fuel, it doesn't matter if glucose intake (carbs) is lower than normal.
    SR1986 wrote: »
    I'd feel shaky if I didn't have any carbohydrates too. I'd die without bread. (Not really of course) there's such a thing as too much. Our bodies need some sort of sugars and carbohydrates. You could try nuts or fruit. Our bodies naturally convert carbohydrates to energy. Too many is a bad thing obviously, but we need some to function. There are healthy ways of getting carbs and sugars (like nuts and fruit) that aren't going to completely ruin your diet.I even have a slice of whole wheat bread and 2 tablespoons of reduced fat peanut butter every other day just to avoid binging baked goods. I also eat brown rice with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. You need a certain percent of carbohydrates and sugar every day as a part of a well-rounded "nutrition pie". You are more than likely are experiencing low blood sugar. You're going to have to compromise on the sugars and carbohydrates to some degree before you make yourself really sick.

    I second that this is not entirely accurate. The body does not need any carbs at all. There is no such thing as a carb or glucose deficiency because your liver can make any glucose it may need through gluconeogenesis.

    I do agree that some carbs are healthier than others. :) There are many carbs I skip now because I don't want to do that to my health.

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