Need some help MFP friends!

Options
So I’ve been finding that my energy levels have been slowly declining especially since starting my workout routine. I eat fairly healthy and drink enough water. I find that getting out of the bed in the morning has been incredibly difficult despite getting about 7.5 hours of sleep regularly a night.

Anyone else experienced this? If so, any advice on how to get some energy back?

Thanks everyone!

Replies

  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    Options
    What are your stats (height, weight, age) and how many calories are you eating per day? What's the general macro makeup of those calories (i.e. carbs, fats, protein)? Working out can make you feel tired if you just didn't have enough energy to fuel it.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,244 Member
    Options
    How many calories are you eating and what are your stats? What is your macro split?
  • phildog50
    phildog50 Posts: 31 Member
    Options
    Make sure you are eating PROPERLY and getting enough sleep. Carbs are great for energy, so it's normal to feel groggy when you cut back to lose weight
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    Options
    I found by tracking my sleep via my Fitbit has been invaluable because while I think I got 7 hours of sleep, I was actually awake for at least an hour and never realized it and I know I feel better based on how much deep sleep I got...

    Also some people just aren't morning folks. No matter how much sleep my ex got, getting him out of bed in the morning was close to impossible.
  • HealthyisMindful
    HealthyisMindful Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    Calories 1380 (although I don’t always hit that)
    Macros 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein (I had did have my carbs lower than that for a bit but it wasn’t helping)
    Age 33, 5’7 and 130 lbs
  • angelsja
    angelsja Posts: 860 Member
    Options
    Tanielle85 wrote: »
    Calories 1380 (although I don’t always hit that)
    Macros 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein (I had did have my carbs lower than that for a bit but it wasn’t helping)
    Age 33, 5’7 and 130 lbs

    No wonder your tired why are you eating so little? You should be eating all your allowance + a portion of exercise calories and 1380 seems low for your stats
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    Options
    Tanielle85 wrote: »
    Calories 1380 (although I don’t always hit that)
    Macros 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein (I had did have my carbs lower than that for a bit but it wasn’t helping)
    Age 33, 5’7 and 130 lbs

    Adding more calories in will help. You definitely need to fuel your workouts, especially when you’re already lean.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,956 Member
    edited February 2019
    Options
    Tanielle85 wrote: »
    Calories 1380 (although I don’t always hit that)
    Macros 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein (I had did have my carbs lower than that for a bit but it wasn’t helping)
    Age 33, 5’7 and 130 lbs

    Well you're at 20 BMI.

    It's definitely time for you to eat a lot more. You're going to start having health problems if you don't listen to your body...fatigue is your body trying to conserve.

    Since you don't need to lose any weight, I would go to maintenance calories and start a progressive strength program/recomp if you just want to change how you look.

    Please eat more. It's going to bite you, hard.

    I would bet maintenance for you is somewhere north of 2000 before exercise cals.
  • HealthyisMindful
    HealthyisMindful Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    Thank you all for your advice! I really appreciate it. My workouts aren’t very difficult (No heavy lifting) I’m just starting 21 day fix right now. So I didn’t think that would warrant many extra calories. I had a trainer not too long ago and he said I was “skinny fat” and he’s the one that put me in that calorie range. So I think after that I felt almost afraid to eat more because I didn’t want to lose progress since I’m trying to lose body fat. (Not weight). Perhaps he didn’t give me the best advice because I feel incredibly drained.
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    edited February 2019
    Options
    It sounds like your trainer gave you some bad advice, like really bad you definitely need to eat more not cut calories further. If you are not trying to lose weight but want to lose body fat look into re composition or "recomp" for short. This is where you eat at maintenance but also do a progressive lifting program so you burn fat and build lean muscle leading to an overall leaner look without losing any weight.

    Here are some links to help get you started

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
    Options
    Tanielle85 wrote: »
    Thank you all for your advice! I really appreciate it. My workouts aren’t very difficult (No heavy lifting) I’m just starting 21 day fix right now. So I didn’t think that would warrant many extra calories. I had a trainer not too long ago and he said I was “skinny fat” and he’s the one that put me in that calorie range. So I think after that I felt almost afraid to eat more because I didn’t want to lose progress since I’m trying to lose body fat. (Not weight). Perhaps he didn’t give me the best advice because I feel incredibly drained.

    Yes, most trainers are not qualified to give nutritional advice.

    If you use MFP to set your calorie goal, exercise, but don't eat back any exercise calories, you are not using MFP the way it was designed.

    Unlike other sites which use TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this 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. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • StargazerB
    StargazerB Posts: 425 Member
    Options
    It sounds like your trainer gave you some bad advice, like really bad you definitely need to eat more not cut calories further. If you are not trying to lose weight but want to lose body fat look into re composition or "recomp" for short. This is where you eat at maintenance but also do a progressive lifting program so you burn fat and build lean muscle leading to an overall leaner look without losing any weight.

    Here are some links to help get you started

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Yes to all of this. If you don't want to lose weight you need to eat a maintenance not in a deficit.