Low energy while dieting
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tjsims8
Posts: 46 Member
My third day on my diet 182lbs and on a 1200 cal diet. I feel very sluggish and tired. Today I feel asleep while my son was at school, ended up getting a call from the school. I had overslept and was late picking up my son. I’ve never done that before. Advice?
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Replies
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Most people do not need to eat 1200 calories...I would change your weight loss rate to 1 pound a week and if you exercise eat 1/2 of your exercise calories since MFP over estimates the calorie burn...Wishing you the very best on your journey
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Eat more. The less energy you have the less energy you burn. You need to properly fuel your body.10
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eat more. 1200 is not a magic number women need to eat to lose, many of us have lost eating more.
put your stats in MFP and select 0.5 or 1lb a week as rate of loss.
if you exercise, you must eat back the exercise calories.9 -
It's your body slowing down to try and conserve what every you have. It's also a sign that if you continue restricting you could end up with a slew of other issues that are difficult to reverse.6
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And to add to 1200 cal is the minimum and too few calories for you.
Do not put your activity level at the lowest. If you are a stay at home mum with a young child you are minimum lightly active.
1200 was ideal for me at 5’1, 54yo, 130lbs and sedentary, no children at home etc. I lost close to 1lbs a week, which was my initial goal, and ate back every single exercise/extra activity calorie.
Make this not so much how little you can eat and lose fast, but more how you can manage your calories so you are losing while still being comfortable with your food choices.
Think more of learning how to manage your food intake for life, rather than getting the weight off fast, then putting it all back on because you didn’t learn how to eat for the long term.
Cheers, h.8 -
Cutting calories down to minimal levels provide minimal energy. You can do it, but you wouldn't want to for very long. Choose a proper deficit that allows you to lose fat and still be able to function.7
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You are eating too little.6
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what you do is wrong try my way for a month then let's see your results
what you do is like this
1321 calories is your daily calories if you want to reach 121lbs +(the burned through exercise)
let's say you walked for 10000 steps that around 500 calories so you eat 1621 calories a day instead of 1821 (keep a small deficit of 200 calories)
let's say you swam for 2 hours that is between 900-1000 calories so you eat 1321+900=2221 calories a day so you eat 2000 calories instead. you just need a small deficit to keep your weight loss plan on point.
you need to know something eating white carbs , fatty meats and rubbish will ruin your weight loss , you need a proper foods (home made most of the time) and take care of yourself. take measurements ( hands , stomach , your lower back and thighs) don't rely on the scale cause scale doesn't tell you everything.
I would suggest that you get at least .8gram of protein for every pound of your weight. the higher the protein per day the better your body burns 14 calories for every gram of protein you eat. and if you can add weight training to it oh god the amount of fat loss is gonna be insane. also try fasting for 16 hours a day (sleep included) it's called 16-8 (intermittent fasting) it's a great help too. and good luck ^_^32 -
what you do is wrong try my way for a month then let's see your results
what you do is like this
1321 calories is your daily calories if you want to reach 121lbs +(the burned through exercise)
let's say you walked for 10000 steps that around 500 calories so you eat 1621 calories a day instead of 1821 (keep a small deficit of 200 calories)
let's say you swam for 2 hours that is between 900-1000 calories so you eat 1321+900=2221 calories a day so you eat 2000 calories instead. you just need a small deficit to keep your weight loss plan on point.
you need to know something eating white carbs , fatty meats and rubbish will ruin your weight loss , you need a proper foods (home made most of the time) and take care of yourself. take measurements ( hands , stomach , your lower back and thighs) don't rely on the scale cause scale doesn't tell you everything.
I would suggest that you get at least .8gram of protein for every pound of your weight. the higher the protein per day the better your body burns 14 calories for every gram of protein you eat. and if you can add weight training to it oh god the amount of fat loss is gonna be insane. also try fasting for 16 hours a day (sleep included) it's called 16-8 (intermittent fasting) it's a great help too. and good luck ^_^
You really need to know that what you eat will not directly affect weight loss, which is all about calories in versus calories out. However, what you eat will affect your satiety and your overall health.
It would also be helpful for you to realise that IF does not directly affect weight loss either. Some find that IF keeps hunger at bay, which makes it easier to sustain a deficit. On the other hand, others find IF leads to binging and eating more, rather than less.
You have found something that is currently working for you which is fantastic but not everyone has to do things your way. Not everyone will have success in doing things your way. In fact, some would find it downright misery.15 -
MFP gave me 1200 calories and I changed it to 1300. I often eat 1350. Still losing about .5 pounds a week.5
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When I started trying to lose weight this time around, I was feeling very tired and sluggish by 5pm. And for the record, I was consuming 1,600 calories per day with no added exercise. It took my body about a month to acclimate to the lower caloric intake. Now, at 1470 calories a day, I feel fine.
Depending on your height/weight, I'd also up the amount of calories you consume. I remember trying to lose weight on 1200 last January and quit after 2 weeks due to massive migraines.
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I feel this, trying to count and cut calories the last few days has me feeling quite tired. I spend a considerable amount of time during the week running but still every day its getting harder and harder to push myself to do the next run.0
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I feel this, trying to count and cut calories the last few days has me feeling quite tired. I spend a considerable amount of time during the week running but still every day its getting harder and harder to push myself to do the next run.
What is your deficit as a % of your TDEE? Are you trying to create a >20% deficit while slightly overweight or normal weight?2 -
I feel this, trying to count and cut calories the last few days has me feeling quite tired. I spend a considerable amount of time during the week running but still every day its getting harder and harder to push myself to do the next run.
What is your deficit as a % of your TDEE? Are you trying to create a >20% deficit while slightly overweight or normal weight?
My deficit is right at 30% while on the low end of overweight for my height. At 6'1 202 does not sound big but it feels big.
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I feel this, trying to count and cut calories the last few days has me feeling quite tired. I spend a considerable amount of time during the week running but still every day its getting harder and harder to push myself to do the next run.
What is your deficit as a % of your TDEE? Are you trying to create a >20% deficit while slightly overweight or normal weight?
My deficit is right at 30% while on the low end of overweight for my height. At 6'1 202 does not sound big but it feels big.
Think about this: Fatigue carries over into your daily life. You rest more, do less, in workplace, chores, non-exercise hobbies. You say your exercise intensity is getting more difficult, maybe even flagging. All of those things mean lower calorie burn.
We all have some individualized "sweet spot" where we have enough of a calorie deficit to lose weight, but not so big a deficit that our energy level (and all-day activity level) drop significantly.
Your body is telling you that you've cut beyond that sweet spot. Pay attention. Staying at that "danger zone" longer term can potentially have worse consequences than low energy: Maybe hair loss, gallstones, all kinds of crazy stuff. But maybe none of the really bad stuff will happen. Wanna bet? (Not a great bet, methinks.)
Lose a little slower, but stay healthier, or at least on the side of less health risk. You may possibly even find that you lose almost the same at a higher calorie level that doesn't leave you feeling fatigued. Find that sweet spot. Worth trying!8 -
I had the same exact thing happen when I first started dieting. It made it hard to get my workouts in. I ended up increasing my calories to 1400. (I’m 123lbs) i still lost .5 lb a week but i felt a lot better.1
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@tjsims8 I agree with everyone that you may just be eating too little. However, it's a good idea to go to the doctor and have some bloodwork done to be on the safe side. I've been dieting and working out seriously since November 2018, and have had the same problem- fatigue and falling asleep- and I just found out that I have anemia. My iron stores have depleted to half of what they should be. Definitely see a doctor if you're feeling a little dizzy or off balance, that is what made me go to the doctor in the first place.4
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BuiltLikeAPeep wrote: »@tjsims8 I agree with everyone that you may just be eating too little. However, it's a good idea to go to the doctor and have some bloodwork done to be on the safe side. I've been dieting and working out seriously since November 2018, and have had the same problem- fatigue and falling asleep- and I just found out that I have anemia. My iron stores have depleted to half of what they should be. Definitely see a doctor if you're feeling a little dizzy or off balance, that is what made me go to the doctor in the first place.
I have been told that I am slightly anemic. I never thought about that being the reason. Thank You3 -
BuiltLikeAPeep wrote: »@tjsims8 I agree with everyone that you may just be eating too little. However, it's a good idea to go to the doctor and have some bloodwork done to be on the safe side. I've been dieting and working out seriously since November 2018, and have had the same problem- fatigue and falling asleep- and I just found out that I have anemia. My iron stores have depleted to half of what they should be. Definitely see a doctor if you're feeling a little dizzy or off balance, that is what made me go to the doctor in the first place.
I have been told that I am slightly anemic. I never thought about that being the reason. Thank You
It can definitely be a factor. I’m iron-deficient anemic, and bone-crushing fatigue was my biggest symptom.2
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