Feeling dizzy and light headed!

kikiokpara
kikiokpara Posts: 4 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Guys! I've been dieting for 4 days now. I don't starve, I just cut down a lot of carb intake and work out more. I consume about 1200-1400 calories a day. I don't know why I still feel dizzy & light-headed. This only started since the diet and doesn't usually happen to me. Any advice or tips?

Replies

  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    I would see a doctor. Lots of things can cause lightheaded and dizziness, some more serious than others.
  • yskaldir
    yskaldir Posts: 202 Member
    Sounds like low blood pressure, try taking some salt. Disclaimer: I'm no doctor.
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    edited May 2017
    1200 total or 1200 plus exercise calories back? About 1200-1400 is a big difference are you measuring intake with a scale?
    How many grams of carbs? also what is your height age and current wieght?
    1200 total is pretty low unless you are very short and sedentary. Especially if not eating cals back. The could be the cause of dizziness. To little food or incorrect macros mainly fat and protein goals.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    Are you eating back any exercise calories? What are your stats?
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    What exercise are you doing? And is your intake more like 1200 or 1400? How much do you have to lose? And has this directly coincided with the reduced calories and increased exercise?

    Too big a deficit could be the culprit. Or it could be a more serious medical issue.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    I lost a lot of weight years ago and would get very dizzy upon standing. is that what happens with you? if so, it is orthostatic hypotension, which is a common side effect in a calorie deficit. if you're just dizzy and light headed after standing awhile, see a doctor.
  • kikiokpara
    kikiokpara Posts: 4 Member

    jdog022 wrote: »
    1200 total or 1200 plus exercise calories back? About 1200-1400 is a big difference are you measuring intake with a scale?
    How many grams of carbs? also what is your height age and current wieght?
    1200 total is pretty low unless you are very short and sedentary. Especially if not eating cals back. The could be the cause of dizziness. To little food or incorrect macros mainly fat and protein goals.

    Thank you for you reply. I consume about 1200-1400 calories total. Then, I work out 3 times a week and burn about 400 calories. I am 29, 5'7". I weight 172 lbs & I am trying to lose 12lbs. How do I know what macro nutrients to eat so I can a balanced diet? I'm not sure how to measure my carb intake. I tried to each a little more today but I still feel light-headed.
  • kikiokpara
    kikiokpara Posts: 4 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    Are you eating back any exercise calories? What are your stats?

    Thank you for replying. No I am not. I am just eating 1200-1400 calories. I work out 3 times a week and burn 400 calories. I am 29, 5'7" & I weight 172lbs.
  • kikiokpara
    kikiokpara Posts: 4 Member
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    What exercise are you doing? And is your intake more like 1200 or 1400? How much do you have to lose? And has this directly coincided with the reduced calories and increased exercise?

    Too big a deficit could be the culprit. Or it could be a more serious medical issue.

    Thank you for your reply. I do different exercises usually cardio, strength and endurance. Some days I consume 1200 calories and some days 1400. I consumed 1400 today cos I was really feeling lightheaded. I'm trying to lose 10lbs in a month. This hasn't happened to me before. Just when I started dieting and working out.
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    edited May 2017
    my calculations put your BMR (calories needed to live) around 1500 and TDEE maybe around 2200. Your eating way to little for your age height and activity level. You never want to be under BMR. You would be better served to try to eat around 1900 and hit that every day. You'll still lose approx 0.4 ish ibs per week on average. 1 pound per may be to aggressive for you. 10 in a month isnt going to safely occur. See how that goes with dizziness and progression?
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    kikiokpara wrote: »
    Hey Guys! I've been dieting for 4 days now. I don't starve, I just cut down a lot of carb intake and work out more. I consume about 1200-1400 calories a day. I don't know why I still feel dizzy & light-headed. This only started since the diet and doesn't usually happen to me. Any advice or tips?

    @kikiokpara ...you are still light-headed and dizzy because your electrolytes are out of balance (you are describing common symptoms of "Keto Flu.") This can be quickly and easily corrected by upping your salt intake asap. Dissolve a bouillon cube in the appropriate amount of water and drink 1-2 cubes per day. The usual recommendations for those who decide to follow a lower carb or Ketogenic way of eating is to make sure your body is getting between 3000mg-5000mg of sodium every day. Also, I strongly suggest you check out the following main low carber daily forum group here in MFP. It's where we Ketophiles tend to hang out:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • 1Kristine1
    1Kristine1 Posts: 697 Member
    As a nurse I wouldn't recommend anyone take that much sodium in their diet before speaking to health care professional.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,436 MFP Moderator
    edited May 2017
    1Kristine1 wrote: »
    As a nurse I wouldn't recommend anyone take that much sodium in their diet before speaking to health care professional.

    Why? If you dont have hypertension or a family history of it, there arent really any side effects. Considering the OP cut carbs a lot and is exercising, increasing soduim would be one of the first things to do.

    What is also important is increasing potassium intake which can mitigate water weight and any negative effects of high soduim.

    ETA: OP, 10 lbs of month is overly aggressive, especially considering you aren't aiming to lose a lot of weight. At this point, 1lb per week is ideal.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It could be total calories, could be the carbs, could be a combination. How low did you cut the carbs?

    I also would eat back some exercise calories.
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
    edited May 2017
    Ease into it. Low calories plus training can do that. Specially if your new to training. Drink plenty of water.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,529 Member
    Dizziness is a common complaint, not just of dieters, but of people in general. I read recently that it is the 2nd most common medical complaint overall. Probably nothing major but definitely discuss with a doctor. My suggestion is to eat an apple or drink some diluted juice when it happens.

    The main thing is to let MFP do its job. Set up your profile with current accurate weight, height, goal weight, and 1lb loss per week. You can always do a little bit more, if you like, but I can say from experience that 1lb/week is sustainable for many months, once you get used to it.

    Most people should set their daily activity to "Sedentary." If you have a job where you are moving a lot, consider getting a fitness monitor or use your phone to estimate how many more calories you should add. There's an art to this and it pays to be conservative: Eat a bit less than is indicated. (If you have an Android phone, Google Fit is a good free fitness monitor, but you must have your phone in your pocket for it to work. I also like Fitbit Charge 2, Garmin Vivoactive HR, or Apple Watch.)

    Now, you must enter all significant exercise into your log, still being conservative about eating the calories back.

    Finally, it's all about portion control. Make as much of your own food as you can. Weigh and measure accurately. Bring your lunch to work. In general: make sure you're not eating too much or too little.

    Best wishes for your success. If I can do it, so can you!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories