Calorie deficit energy levels vs fitness goals

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Are you getting enough protein?

    Do you take rest days?

    The body has a great way of naturally telling us its needs, any time I experienced lack of energy/fatigue it was one of those two things I have mentioned.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    Do you eat during workouts? If I'm lifting for 2+ hours, I bring snacks.
  • shiny_shiny
    shiny_shiny Posts: 14 Member
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    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    Are you getting enough protein?

    Do you take rest days?

    The body has a great way of naturally telling us its needs, any time I experienced lack of energy/fatigue it was one of those two things I have mentioned.

    Sunday's usually my rest day as is Tuesday, kind of (a 30 minute abs class and an hour's dog walk but that's it). I'm getting 80-100g protein per day; Im working really hard on that actually because I don't eat much meat. I think it's helping with satiety. Energy, not so much.
  • shiny_shiny
    shiny_shiny Posts: 14 Member
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    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    Do you eat during workouts? If I'm lifting for 2+ hours, I bring snacks.

    My classes only last an hour but that's a good tip!
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    shiny_shiny wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What weekly weight loss goal did you select? With only 15 pounds to lose don't use more than a half pound per week.

    What percentage of your exercise calories are you eating back?

    I'm not eating back exercise calories because I don't know that i can trust them, due to having 2 Garmin devices in the last few years that have given very different readings for incidental exercise! I'm eating 1500 calories a day which seems to be enough to feel more or less normal most of the time, but when I work out, I feel the difference.

    There’s your answer. You need to actually fuel your workouts. If you don’t trust MFP, use a TDEE calculator and come up with a 250-calorie deficit a day from that.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    shiny_shiny wrote: »
    collectingblues wrote: »

    There’s your answer. You need to actually fuel your workouts. If you don’t trust MFP, use a TDEE calculator and come up with a 250-calorie deficit a day from that.

    OK. According to IIFYM my TDEE should be 2100. So with a deficit of 250 cals that leaves 1850.

    I think I'll try this for a week or two and see how I feel :)

    sounds like a better calorie goal to me. enjoy the extra calories!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,118 Member
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    shiny_shiny wrote: »
    collectingblues wrote: »

    There’s your answer. You need to actually fuel your workouts. If you don’t trust MFP, use a TDEE calculator and come up with a 250-calorie deficit a day from that.

    OK. According to IIFYM my TDEE should be 2100. So with a deficit of 250 cals that leaves 1850.

    I think I'll try this for a week or two and see how I feel :)

    Much better. That's about where I lose, 1700-1900.
  • shiny_shiny
    shiny_shiny Posts: 14 Member
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    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Sanity check...
    • Are you losing weight? Yes Do you feel good and have decent energy? Yes -- keep doing what you're doing
    • Are you losing weight? Yes Do you feel good and have decent energy? No -- eat a little more
    • Are you losing weight? No Do you feel good and have decent energy? Yes -- eat a little les
    • Are you losing weight? No Do you feel good and have decent energy? No -- something doesn't make sense, needs more discussion.


    If you pass that sanity check, then it's really just finding what works for you and what doesn't. I'd suggest playing around with meal timing and/or macro levels as a first step.

    The problem is, I've never managed to get the balance right and achieve that holy grail described in the first line!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,118 Member
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    shiny_shiny wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Sanity check...
    • Are you losing weight? Yes Do you feel good and have decent energy? Yes -- keep doing what you're doing
    • Are you losing weight? Yes Do you feel good and have decent energy? No -- eat a little more
    • Are you losing weight? No Do you feel good and have decent energy? Yes -- eat a little les
    • Are you losing weight? No Do you feel good and have decent energy? No -- something doesn't make sense, needs more discussion.


    If you pass that sanity check, then it's really just finding what works for you and what doesn't. I'd suggest playing around with meal timing and/or macro levels as a first step.

    The problem is, I've never managed to get the balance right and achieve that holy grail described in the first line!

    ..and you solve it by eating more. Which you've agreed to do! You'll have a lot more energy with more food. I eat 2000+ on exercise days.

    • Are you losing weight? Yes Do you feel good and have decent energy? Yes -- keep doing what you're doing
    • Are you losing weight? Yes Do you feel good and have decent energy? No -- eat a little more
    • Are you losing weight? No Do you feel good and have decent energy? Yes -- eat a little les
    • Are you losing weight? No Do you feel good and have decent energy? No -- something
    doesn't make sense, needs more discussion
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    shiny_shiny wrote: »
    Djproulx wrote: »
    shiny_shiny wrote: »
    Does anyone else have issues with low energy and muscle weakness when they're in a calorie deficit and if so, how do you manage that?

    I exercise a lot, it's an important part of my life. But whenever I try to maintain a calorie deficit, almost immediately I notice I can't lift as heavy; can't run as fast; can't push myself to the extent that I would do in maintenance.

    I find this even in a fairly mild deficit and even if I'm getting a decent amount of protein. I'm not low carb.

    How do you push your weight loss and fitness goals at once? I really don't want to choose between them!

    You've received some great tips already. I would add that if you are doing a high volume of cardio work, you just need adequate fuel if you want to perform. I'm very familiar with the challenge of trying to drop weight while building cardio fitness. You didn't say how much or what type of running you are doing ( other than "a lot") so I don't know if suggesting intra workout fueling is appropriate. Are your long runs in excess of 90 minutes? If you're running for 2-3 hours, you'll definitely notice performance degradation if you don't have a fueling strategy. (I'm also making the assumption that you're not a "fat adapted" athlete). The other point I'd offer is to have a recovery meal (whether a drink or food) within 30-60 minutes of ending your workout, if you're not doing that already.

    Finally, your strategy might vary based on your goal. I consulted a registered dietician before pursuing a final push to get lean during a 12 week build to an endurance race in 2017. During this training block, I consumed 6 meals a day to manage hunger while in a slight deficit, as well as consuming liquid fuels during my long workouts to keep performance degradation in check. It is definitely a balancing act.

    I somehow missed this yesterday but this is so insightful, thank you!

    I'll sometimes work out twice a day but it's never for longer than an hour unless I'm hiking so intra workout fueling probably isn't necessary. I spin, run and do Crossfit. (I also walk with my dogs but that's low intensity and I feel fine for that.)

    I expect there would be a lot of meal prep involved during that 6 meal a day push? It sounds as though you're a different level of "athlete" from me (I'm a hobbyist at best) but I expect I could learn a lot from you.

    Just had a chance to re-read this thread and it sounds like you've decided to take in some more fuel as others have suggested. I'm guessing that would really help.

    Regarding volume and duration of training: though more of my weekly volume is cardio work (0-2 strength sessions, vs 7-9 cardio sessions weekly) I'm guessing that your cumulative training load (i.e. fatigue) is also fairly high at times. So while you may not need extra fuel during your sessions, your lack of energy, strength, etc., suggest more fuel taken in overall would help. The other variable to check is your sleep.

    As far as meal prep, yes, 6 meals a day is a major planning task. I chose this approach since I have a huge appetite during long course triathlon builds and I get very hungry after only 2.5-3 hours. Finally, in response to your last comment, I"m strictly an age group athlete, I just fell in with the wrong crowd. ;)
  • erinfreel524
    erinfreel524 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks for this post! I came here to ask this same question but with the caveat that my weight seems pretty static...it went down by .2. Sigh. But my energy is getting tanked for workouts. I too exercise a lot...I run about 20 miles a week, swim for an hour or so 2-3 times a week and bike 4-5 hours. 1500 calories or so a day and I’m hungry and tired, but still lose nada. I’m going to try bumping up a little.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    erinfreel524 wrote: »
    Thanks for this post! I came here to ask this same question but with the caveat that my weight seems pretty static...it went down by .2. Sigh. But my energy is getting tanked for workouts. I too exercise a lot...I run about 20 miles a week, swim for an hour or so 2-3 times a week and bike 4-5 hours. 1500 calories or so a day and I’m hungry and tired, but still lose nada. I’m going to try bumping up a little.

    Is any of that exercise new? If so, you are likely retaining water, which masks fat loss.

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