Tips for reducing fatigue?

surrealdta3956 · August 2023

As I loose weight and start eating less, I am feeling more tired and fatigued. When I get these symptoms there is nausea that can only be solved by eating. Is there any tips to reduce nausea and tiredness?

SuzySunshine99 · August 2023

What is your height, current weight, and goal weight?
How many calories are you eating and how quickly are you losing weight?
Are you exercising as well?
It's possible you are not eating enough and being too aggressive in your weight loss.

spiriteagle99 · August 2023

You could be dehydrated, so drink more water. You could be eating too little. Trying to lose weight quickly often backfires. If you move less because you are under-eating, you will burn fewer calories. You are also a lot less likely to stick with your plan.

What are your stats and what is your goal?

zebasschick · August 2023

how many calories per day are you eating, and have you started eating low carb? are you eating back some of your exercise calories?

if you eat more calories, does that take care of it? if not, talk to your doctor!

when i stopped eating my normal calories after i first found MFP, i was dizzy and tired all the time - dropping from around 2000 to 1200 or less calories (i usually shot for 1000 per day) was too dramatic a change. i started eating my full 1200 calories, and that took care of it.

Corina1143 · August 2023

For me it was exercising so I could eat those exercise calories. Exercise I liked--dancing, swimming, etc.
All exercise calories were carefully considered, veggies, fish, etc. No candy, etc. My body needed vitamins.

westrich20940 · August 2023

The combination of increasing activity (by a significant amount relative to what your 'typical' activity level is) PLUS restricting your calories (usually to a significant degree relative to what you were 'typically' eating)....is a recipe for fatigue.

If your goal is to lose weight...focus on what you are eating first. You lose weight in the kitchen, not in the gym. What is your current consumption level and how does that compare to your current caloric needs? Work on getting that more in line ---figure out what your caloric needs are (maintenance level calories and/or TDEE) and adjust what you are consuming to match that or be at a slight deficit to that.

Adding activity is great bc activity is healthy for you - but it burns calories further than what you are restricting - creating a much higher deficit in calories than needed...and basically you are simply under-fueling yourself. You are expecting your body to do full-tank work on 1/2 a tank. It will never happen.

So firstly - if you used the guided set up in MFP to figure your daily calorie goal (1st thing is did you choose the appropriate weight loss rate? Always error on the side of a slower rate of weight loss. Everyone wants it to be fast but that's not always doable or appropriate). The calorie goal in MFP is already at a deficit to your estimated maintenance calories --- then when you DO engage in intentional exercise, eat those calories back, that's why MFP adds them when you log cardio exercise.

csplatt · August 2023

When I need to get back into a deficit, I tend to feel more sluggish for about two weeks, then I adjust. Exercising to earn back more calories also helps!

kshama2001 · August 2023

My first thought is that you selected a weekly weight loss goal that is too aggressive. IOW, you're undereating.

That said, I had crippling fatigue when my anemia got out of control. If this might be an issue for you, get blood work - simply supplementing with iron when you don't need it can cause other problems.

AnnPT77 · August 2023

Make sure sleep quality/quantity is as good as it can be.

Eat enough calories. A deficit is fine, but trying to lose aggressively fast is counterproductive. (If you're fatigued, you move less/rest more, burn fewer calories than expected, among other counterproductive effects.)

Get overall decent nutrition: Enough protein, healthy fats, plenty of varied, colorful fruits and veggies.

Drink/eat enough fluids.

If you're eating low carb, try increasing electrolytes. (Look up "keto flu" for suggestions, even if you're not full keto.) Also, some people find low carb tanks their energy level. If this is a possibility, try moderate carb for a couple of weeks and see if things improve. Focus on nutrient-dense foods that contain carbs, things like fruits, beans, whole grains, etc.

Reduce stress, either by cutting stressful things out/down in your life, or using stress-management techniques like mild exercise, prayer/meditation, journaling, calming music, being outdoors in nature, etc. Stress is fatiguing. Stress from all sources is cumulative, and a calorie deficit is a physical stress. Even if it's a sensibly moderate deficit, stacking it on top of other major stressors can overload a person, and lead to fatigue.

Don't do lots of intense new exercise. It's not essential for either weight loss or fitness (can be counterproductive for either or both, in fact). Increase exercise gradually, shooting for just a moderate, manageable challenge to current capabilities. It should be energizing (except for a few minutes "whew" right after the exercise), not exhausting.

Get blood tests for nutritional deficiencies, and maybe thyroid.

Can you get away with skipping or ignoring some of this stuff? Sure. It's all optional, in one sense. But if you have a highly negative side effect, the above are things to experiment with and adjust, in order to feel better. Some may be more important in your case than others.

Tips for reducing fatigue?

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