Tired and headachy - normal?

ghostrider1924
ghostrider1924 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!

I'd appreciate any advice from those who've been doing this longer and know more about it!

I've been eating more healthily for one month now, and also started jogging regularly. I'm eating my guideline calories and generally not falling short or going over, and am drinking plenty of water every day.

For the last week, I've been getting headaches and feeling quite tired during the day. I usually do some exercise one hour after dinner, which has worked superbly as I feel most energetic then.

I wondered... is feeling this way a natural part of changing up diet and exercise habits, and something I'll go through and get out the other side of, or should I be looking at what I'm eating now (I've cut out some old foods and introduced new healthier ones) to see if they may be causing the headaches and tiredness (I'm eating a range of fat, carb and protein and hitting my targets pretty much)?

Many thanks for your time in reading this!
All the best and feel free to add me as a friend.

Replies

  • lilapapas
    lilapapas Posts: 8
    What's your daily intake? Do you eat your calories back after exercising?
  • julieh1973
    julieh1973 Posts: 121 Member
    Get you blood pressure checked.
  • lilapapas
    lilapapas Posts: 8
    If you are only eating around 1200 a day AND exercising, you might want to read this:

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/70221-effects-consuming-fewer-calories-daily/
  • diemodemdie
    diemodemdie Posts: 37
    How many carbs are you consuming?
  • LauriBriner
    LauriBriner Posts: 1
    Some times headaches and being tired can happen when you start doing healthier things. I would suggest getting some extra sleep and allowing your body to rest. It may be doing more than normal, cleaning house so to speak. It should pass.

    If it does not pass, try removing one food item for a few days and then bringing it back in. You may be sentistive to a certain item. For example, I cannot eat soy products more than twice a week or I get really tired and as long as I continue to eat soy the tiredness will not go away. But once I have been off them for a week or 2, I find I can eat a small amount with no ill effects. I know other people who cannot eat a lot of white bread products. You will need to figure out what works for you.
  • ghostrider1924
    ghostrider1924 Posts: 9
    Thanks for all your replies!

    In answer to your questions,
    - I've been following the recommended guideline calorie intake, eating no less than 8400 calories a week (average of 1200 a day) which is the guideline calorie intake for my height, weight and age.
    - I do eat back my exercise calories! Thanks for the link to the article, Lilapapas - I definitely do not want to go down that road, and don't believe people look healthier being skinnier, if they're not getting the right goodies in their diet!
    - I do eat a balance of the five food groups daily, with 165g carbs, 40g fat and 45g protein a day.

    Thanks for the tips on removing one food item at a time if this doesn't pass. It does make sense to be more tired if you're doing more exercise, so perhaps that's just it. After only a month, it's definitely worth persevering and seeing if it passes, and if not, looking into what might need to change.

    I was just curious as to whether other people had experienced this in making changes to diet and exercise. Most of the time, it feels great. I definitely enjoy what I eat more now because I'm considering it more and savouring different tastes, and jogging is getting easier every time!

    My goal using MFP was to increease my heart strength and lung capacity and tone up, with losing weight being a positive by-product!

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