is it normal to be so tired when dieting?

[stitch]

i havent got any energy. no cravings or anything, just dont feel like doing anything..

am i eating too little?
hel pp please

Hi Stitch,

It's fairly normal IME, but not healthy I would say. Perhaps you are going for it a bit too hard. If you drop the calories too much I think that you start to burn muscle instead of fat....not sure. There must be some diet gurus out there.

Sorry not to be more helpful

Just to add that we all have a baseline calories requirement just to keep our metabolism ticking over - mine is about 1497 calories at height 5'11. If you are eating below that it might explain the tiredness.

Absolutely not normal to feel tired whilst dieting unless you are way undereating and you won;t lose weight that way, you will start conserving energy (hence tired-ness).

Min 1000 calories per day on average and only that low if you have only a little weight to lose, most women will lose weight on 1500 calories per day.

Average calorie intake for a woman not losing weight is 2000.

It's also about keeping your sugar levels steady by eating the right foods (we all know what they are!!) rather than wasting precious calories on chocolate or crisps. That is maybe why you're flagging, you need to be eating wholegrains (porridge for breakfast), lots of fruit and veg obv and a healthy dinner with two sensible snacks per day. I've been following a Low-GI plan since March and I've never been hungry and I've never felt better to be honest. Not losing tons of weight, but slow and sure, couple of pounds a week.

You won;t lose any more weight by cutting down below 1000 cals. the reason you are tired is because your body is conserving energy. Losing weight is just calories burnt- calories eaten. If you are burning less calories and eating less you won;t lose any more so you're feeling tired for nothing. If you want a quick burst of weightloss far better to up your exercise levels and eat a little more (as Kbear says low GI)