Can you please help out a newcomer? Tired and fatigued

mon1905 · May 2019

So im a female 5'2. I have not weighed myself since ive gained weight but im assuming im around 200-215. I was addicted to heroin for a long time. Im happy to say ive been clean for 7 years. Before the drugs my normal weight was about 130-135. Ever since i got clean ive been gaining and gaining. I downloaded this app and started a 1200 calorie a day diet a little over 2 weeks ago. I usually end up eating between 1200-1350 cal. A day. The last few days i have been SO tired and fatigued, also have been getting light headches. I did not think it was diet related at first but i noticed that When i eat a decent meal i feel a bit better. Do you think this is diet related? Is this something that can happen? I ate like this for about 2 weeks without feeling this way so why all of a sudden? I am not very active. As far as exercize i walk at a leisurely pace for 30-60 min. everyday. And on the weekends 60-90 min. If anybody could give me some input on this it would be greatly appreciated. Also any suggestions or tips for a newcomer are welcome. Thanks!

Teabythesea_ · May 2019

1200 calories is very low and should be reserved for those who are very short, sedentary, and/or elderly. Hardly anyone actually needs to eat that little to lose weight. It is very likely related to your calorie intake. What is your rate of loss set to? What does MFP tell you to eat when you input your stats? If it tells you to eat 1200 then choose a slower rate of loss and try that. While it will be slower, it will be more sustainable and that's what matters most.

apullum · May 2019

This can definitely be related to eating. You’re getting lightheaded before a meal, so one solution is to fit snacks into your calorie budget. It may also be that your macros aren’t ideal for you. For example, some people find carbs satisfying, while other people find that if they eat a lot of carbs, they’re soon hungry again.

Additionally, you should be eating back exercise calories assuming they are calculated accurately. If you’re using estimates like the MFP exercise database, start with eating back half those exercise calories.

Finally, your stats probably can support a 2 lb/week rate of loss depending on your starting weight, but that doesn’t mean you have to have such an aggressive deficit. You can go down to a 1 lb/week rate and be able to eat more calories. I think it’s better to lose slowly and feel better in the process, rather than losing fast but being miserable.

If those things don’t help, it’s worth checking in with your doctor.

mon1905 · May 2019

I put in 2 pounds a week and it said to eat 1200 a day. Maybe i should reset it to loose 1 pound a week and try that? Thanks for the reply

WholeFoods4Lyfe · May 2019

1200 calories is the bare minimum that you should be consuming. You are likely not eating enough. I'm the same height and weigh 235lbs. On a sedentary day (less than 5K steps) I burn 2400 calories, so I aim to eat about 1400. On the days that add in a walk or two, thus getting my steps up to 10k, I burn more in the 2600-2800 range so on those days I am to eat anywhere from 1600-1800 calories. You really shouldn't have a deficit of more than 1000. Not to say that I never do, yesterday I walked a lot but wasn't really hungry and only consumed 1145 calories but burned over 3100. I plan to eat back some of those calories today

Teabythesea_ · May 2019

mon1905 wrote: »

I put in 2 pounds a week and it said to eat 1200 a day. Maybe i should reset it to loose 1 pound a week and try that? Thanks for the reply

Yes, try that. I'm not sure what a normal day of eating looks like for you, but you may also find benefit in focusing on low calorie, high volume foods to help with satiation. Remember, it's not a marathon, slow progress is better than no progress. Good luck.

rheddmobile · May 2019

What are your macros like? What others are saying is all good advice, but the timing and your description of the symptoms makes me wonder. With your calorie limit so low, it’s possible you have been eating very few carbs, and unintentionally putting yourself into ketosis, then feeling the effects of the “keto flu.”

If your daily carbs are low at present, try eating a few more carbs and see if it helps how you feel. Also make sure you hydrate enough, since some people don’t drink as much when they don’t eat, and headaches / tiredness can also be caused by dehydration.

mon1905 · May 2019

So my macros fluctuate from day to day but on avergae im about 40% carb 40% fat and 20% protein. Honestly i havent been paying much attention to them. Im very new to this and have never dieted or watched what i ate before. Do you have any suggestions on where i should strive to be macro wise? Thanks

Sharon_C · May 2019

You could probably lose weight on 1700-1800 calories per day. And make sure you're eating carbs for fuel.

lorifrance · May 2019

Thank you for your question as I have the same light head every so often before a meal. Will now incorporate a snack in between meals and see if that helps. And if not change the setting for one lb a week.

rheddmobile · May 2019

mon1905 wrote: »

So my macros fluctuate from day to day but on avergae im about 40% carb 40% fat and 20% protein. Honestly i havent been paying much attention to them. Im very new to this and have never dieted or watched what i ate before. Do you have any suggestions on where i should strive to be macro wise? Thanks

That’s probably fine for you - different people vary but to be sure to stay out of ketosis I need between 100g to 150g net carbs daily. Most people who are trying to get into ketosis eat below 50g. So there’s a bit of a gray area there. And of course this is just a guess, carbs could have nothing to do with the issue you’ve been having! If you see your carb grams have been on the lower end of this on days when you felt poor, try eating a little bit higher carb.

Macros absolutely don’t matter to weight loss, but getting enough protein while you lose weight can help preserve muscle, and also helps some people feel fuller. The main thing is finding a way of eating which makes you happy in the long term.

Yivs_87 · May 2019

Weigh yourself. You need to know how much you weigh or otherwise you won't be able to know how much you need to eat in order to lose weight.

After that, take a deep breath and take some time to read the topics linked in those two threads:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest

It's hard at first, especially until you understand the basics, but it's worth it.

You've already taken the first step by deciding to join MFP.

kshama2001 · May 2019

mon1905 wrote: »

So im a female 5'2. I have not weighed myself since ive gained weight but im assuming im around 200-215. I was addicted to heroin for a long time. Im happy to say ive been clean for 7 years. Before the drugs my normal weight was about 130-135. Ever since i got clean ive been gaining and gaining. I downloaded this app and started a 1200 calorie a day diet a little over 2 weeks ago. I usually end up eating between 1200-1350 cal. A day. The last few days i have been SO tired and fatigued, also have been getting light headches. I did not think it was diet related at first but i noticed that When i eat a decent meal i feel a bit better. Do you think this is diet related? Is this something that can happen? I ate like this for about 2 weeks without feeling this way so why all of a sudden? I am not very active. As far as exercize i walk at a leisurely pace for 30-60 min. everyday. And on the weekends 60-90 min. If anybody could give me some input on this it would be greatly appreciated. Also any suggestions or tips for a newcomer are welcome. Thanks!

Congrats on getting clean! A friend of mine was addicted to heroin for 28 years and has been clean for 19. He found yoga extremely helpful.

Yes, do change your weekly weight loss goal to a pound a week. That should help, but if not, go to your doctor and discuss testing for deficiencies. I'm anemic and when that isn't treated properly I have crippling fatigue.

kshama2001 · May 2019

mon1905 wrote: »

So my macros fluctuate from day to day but on avergae im about 40% carb 40% fat and 20% protein. Honestly i havent been paying much attention to them. Im very new to this and have never dieted or watched what i ate before. Do you have any suggestions on where i should strive to be macro wise? Thanks

If those macros (plus more calories) keep you full there is no need to change them. Macros are helpful for satiety, which can then help us maintain a calorie deficit and so lose weight, but they are not directly related to weight loss.

Can you please help out a newcomer? Tired and fatigued

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