Tired by 5PM....

stephabef
stephabef Posts: 936 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been strictly at 1200 calories for a month now. I wake up every morning at 7 and either run or strength train. I love my routine and I love the progress I made.

But man, I get tired so early. It honestly reminds me of how I felt right before I was diagnosed with Celiac last year. I'm guessing this is related to my new regimen. I feel comfortable at 1200 calories - I'm 5'4" and small to begin with, so I don't think my body needs more. I go to bed every night at 10 or 11. I'm 22, so my friends don't really understand why I poop out so early every night. Oh, and I don't feel sick at all. I definitely don't think that's the issue.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    Just curious. 1200 total or 1200 net?
  • amdsdc
    amdsdc Posts: 23
    I find that if I only work out in the morning, I am exhausted by the evening. But if I spread my workouts through the day, I feel a lot better! But that might just be me. :smile:
  • CastleMadeOfSand
    CastleMadeOfSand Posts: 432 Member
    B6 or B complex vitamin.
  • robbinbj
    robbinbj Posts: 1
    You could try adding a vitamin pack with this... and I do believe you need to eat at least 250 to 300 more calories if you are running every day... You are more than likely burning that when you run, so in my opinion you need 1500 calories a day! I am 5'4 and this works for me!! Hope you get more energy!!!
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    1200 total. I occasionally dip into my exercise calories. I've heard mixed reviews on what we're supposed to do with those, but my burn is usually 300 or less.

    I feel that - I just have so much motivation when I first wake up. I'm in school from 11-7 every other day and work from 9-6 most other days, so mornings are pretty much the only time that I know I'll be able to fit a workout in consistently.

    I'll definitely look into the vitamin, thanks!
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    You could try adding a vitamin pack with this... and I do believe you need to eat at least 250 to 300 more calories if you are running every day... You are more than likely burning that when you run, so in my opinion you need 1500 calories a day! I am 5'4 and this works for me!! Hope you get more energy!!!

    Thanks! I stay full on 1200, but I guess I could throw in an extra tablespoon of almond butter or apple here or there.
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
    Could be the time change too, unless this has been going on for awhile. :flowerforyou:
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
    You could try adding a vitamin pack with this... and I do believe you need to eat at least 250 to 300 more calories if you are running every day... You are more than likely burning that when you run, so in my opinion you need 1500 calories a day! I am 5'4 and this works for me!! Hope you get more energy!!!

    Thanks! I stay full on 1200, but I guess I could throw in an extra tablespoon of almond butter or apple here or there.

    Yup certainly think this is true! 1200 is too little if you are running :] 1500 sounds much better
  • ninjapixie87
    ninjapixie87 Posts: 124 Member
    How are your calories spread out during the day? Are you eating more calories early in the day, or eating them fairly spread out over the course of the day? Experimenting with your eating schedule and calorie distribution might help.
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
    How much sleep do you get a night? How much caffeine do you consume in a day?

    Second thought is that you might want to up your calories a bit, maybe a hundred or two a day, to give your body a bit more energy.

    Good luck!
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    I eat most of my calories earlier in the day, a moderate amount in the middle, and very little at night.

    I sleep from 8-10 hours a night.

    How would I manually up my calories? MFP keeps telling me I need to eat 1200.
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    And thanks so much for all of your responses!
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
    Manually, change your goal to lose less each week.... go from a 1 lb loss each week to a 1/2 lb loss.... that should give you a bit more wiggle room.
  • aingersoll07
    aingersoll07 Posts: 17 Member
    Vitamins. I take an Active pak by GNC ...and I take them in the afternoon. With 3 kids to run after I feel the same way by early evening and I still have to finish the night with them. So it helps to keep me going till after bedtime.
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    Is there a way to manually change my macros? I'm thinking maybe focusing more on protein might help out, too. Carb overload makes me sleepy, and this site has us eating tons of 'em.
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
    To custom change your macros, go to My Home -> Goals -> Change Goals (at the bottom) -> Select Custom, Continue -> change percentages as you'd like and hit save changes.

    You could also just manually enter your exercise and eat back those calories, you really should be netting at least 1200 a day. Try it for a week and see if it helps with being tired so early, and if it does try it for a month and see if it affects your weight loss. From your profile it looks like you're getting close to your goal, you shouldn't be trying to lose more than one pound a week, maybe only half a pound - the closer to your goal the more your body wants to hold on to its fat. If you let your body know it's not in danger of being starved, it will let go of the fat more readily (hope that makes sense).
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