We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Low energy levels from counting calories and exercise?

Tanie98
Tanie98 Posts: 675 Member
edited December 2024 in Getting Started
I used to be 125 lbs but fell off the wagon and gained 10 lbs. Now I'm back to logging in food and exercising 5 times a week for an hour. I eat clean and high protein foods but an hour later I'm hungry. I'm amining to lose 1 pound a week. Eating 1500 calories since I have an active job. I eat back my exercise calories. But for the last few days I have low energy levels

Will my body adjust over time? It's only been 8 days and I have already lost 1.5 lbs

Replies

  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Are you eating back exercise calories? If not, this is probably why you’re hungry as you’re in more than 1lb/wk deficit by not eating those back. You need to fuel your body properly, so at the very least eat back your exercise calories and preferably also switch to .5lb/wk rate of loss.
    Make sure you have the right activity level selected in your MFP settings.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,132 Member
    I agree that 1 week of data isn't enough to draw any solid conclusions, but your goal (1 lb a week) is too aggressive for someone with only 10 lbs to lose, your one week of data (losing 1.5 lbs in 8 days) also suggests that your goal is too aggressive, and your description of your job as "active" strongly suggests you should be eating more than 1500 calories a day. So likely you're not eating enough. Try adding a couple hundred calories to your day and see what that does for your energy levels.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    This sounds like a classic case of not fueling your body enough. Cut your goal to half a pound a week and make sure you are eating back all your exercise calories.
  • Tanie98
    Tanie98 Posts: 675 Member
    Thank you guys for your insights. I will take everything you said into consideration
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
    I found that eating fewer calories plus exercising did the same to me. I added in more protein and fat calories (think eggs and avocados and nuts) and my energy returned. The people suggesting you re-set your rate of weight loss is good advice. I was losing 1.5 pounds a week, as well as my hair and muscle mass. There's no reason, really, for me to have done that.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories