Constantly hungry/weak/tired on 1800 but not losing? Ridiculous?

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esless004
esless004 Posts: 24 Member
edited August 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
It's been 3 weeks of eating 1600-2000 calories. Stepped up my workouts and I was already quite active before but I'm not really recovering from the workouts now. My macro % are set at 55c/20f/25p right now and I am not perfect but get consistently pretty close to them. I am trying to focus on whole foods and a good amount of fiber to lose these 20ish lbs.

What could be going wrong? I feel like my well being and energy levels are suffering and I'm not losing an ounce!

Thanks a lot, you guys are always very insightful!
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Replies

  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    Three weeks is still pretty early days - it might be worth going back to what you were eating before and then taking it in stages - first increase the workouts, then change your diet, or vice versa.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,609 Member
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    If your deficit is truly having an impact on your energy levels then it is too large of a deficit and it is counterproductive.

    Your weight varies daily for many reasons.
    Some of these reasons cause your daily weight to go up regardless of your underlying fat level.

    A trending weight application may help you see your weight trend over time. A suitable period of time is several weeks, not several days.

    Choose a sensible deficit that is no more than 20% of the energy you spend each day. For most people this would be in the order of 500 Cal a day. Not 1000.

    Apply it over a period of time.

    Evaluate the results.

    Patience.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    sex? current weight? goal weight? what do you have your MFP goal set to? how much were you eating prior to starting on MFP
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Height?
    Weight?
    How much weight are you trying to lose?
    How much of a deficit is that?
    How much of a change is this from your previous way of eating?

    If you are willing to open your diary, that could help too!

    ETA: LOL @deannalfisher two minds with one thought!
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    Please change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • accidentalpancake
    accidentalpancake Posts: 484 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.

    It's all relative. Based on pure numbers, I'd lose over a pound and a half a week, with no added exercise, on 2000kcal/day.

    Way more information needed, as usual.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.

    It's all relative. Based on pure numbers, I'd lose over a pound and a half a week, with no added exercise, on 2000kcal/day.

    Way more information needed, as usual.

    Oddly enough, for some reason I just assumed that the OP was female. Didn't even think that it could be a male.

    Even so, 2000 calories is a lot of food. Assuming no exercise, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody go low energy or lethargic at that target level.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.

    It's all relative. Based on pure numbers, I'd lose over a pound and a half a week, with no added exercise, on 2000kcal/day.

    Way more information needed, as usual.

    Oddly enough, for some reason I just assumed that the OP was female. Didn't even think that it could be a male.

    Even so, 2000 calories is a lot of food. Assuming no exercise, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody go low energy or lethargic at that target level.

    Profile says female
  • accidentalpancake
    accidentalpancake Posts: 484 Member
    edited August 2017
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.

    It's all relative. Based on pure numbers, I'd lose over a pound and a half a week, with no added exercise, on 2000kcal/day.

    Way more information needed, as usual.

    Oddly enough, for some reason I just assumed that the OP was female. Didn't even think that it could be a male.

    Even so, 2000 calories is a lot of food. Assuming no exercise, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody go low energy or lethargic at that target level.

    I agree with you. I'm a big guy (6'3", 225), so I have the luxury of eating a ton, especially when I'm staying active. Even at 2000, I certainly don't feel lethargic though, even with some activity.

    OP, I'd experiment with your ratios, right off the bat. Up the protein at fat just a bit and see if that works better for you. I never assume, but don't rule out some sort of medical issue as well. Get thyroid checked and blood work. If you have decent insurance, they should cover that once a year anyway.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.

    Could be the type of food and how she reacts to it. For example, bread made from wheat flour makes me sleepy. I feel awful after traditional birthday cake and ice cream. That is in the context of a balanced diet. Too many carbs and not enough protein and I don't feel well either.
  • Kimi0371
    Kimi0371 Posts: 19 Member
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    Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration can make you feel tired and hungry as well.
  • misnomer1
    misnomer1 Posts: 646 Member
    edited August 2017
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    OP, make sure you havent set activity levels too high. maybe thats why you arent losing weight, the low energy could be a separate issue. edited to add: i cant understand how they are constantly hungry though.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Overestimating portion sizes? Skipping a macro? Trying to build muscle while trying to lose weight?
  • kam3190
    kam3190 Posts: 157 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Stats would be helpful, as would the amount of calories you're burning per day. What is your net calorie intake after considering exercise?

    In truth, 2000 calories is a ton of food and it would be the rare case that somebody would feel low energy at that level unless they were doing so much high-burn exercise that they significantly reduced their net calorie intake.

    It's all relative. Based on pure numbers, I'd lose over a pound and a half a week, with no added exercise, on 2000kcal/day.

    Way more information needed, as usual.

    Oddly enough, for some reason I just assumed that the OP was female. Didn't even think that it could be a male.

    Even so, 2000 calories is a lot of food. Assuming no exercise, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody go low energy or lethargic at that target level.


    I'm a female 5ft 6 inches. 215 lbs. I lose 1.5 lbs on a 2000 calories per day.
  • esless004
    esless004 Posts: 24 Member
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    Thanks for all the suggestions.

    Currently:
    Female, early 20s
    151 lbs
    5'5.5
    24% bf according to my home scale (but who knows if that has any accuracy at all).
    Goal is 130, 20% bf (I know I will have to lose some muscle for this but I'm a little bulky now imo).

    Looking at what I was eating before, I was maintaining on 3000 or so. So, it's definitely a cut, but I figured if I'm eating more than what a lot of women maintain on, I should be ok - I'm no 'special snowflake'. Could be a tracking error, or being overly cautious... I just don't know, gah.