Low energy levels from counting calories and exercise?

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Tanie98
Tanie98 Posts: 675 Member
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

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  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    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: 10,026 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Thank you guys for your insights. I will take everything you said into consideration
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
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    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.

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