Tired - too little food? Not the right food?

homemadecider

Trying to shift the few pounds I put on over Xmas and going back to clean diet. Had lots of wine, turkey, pudding etc etc in December and I put on about 6 lbs. I am female, 5'3 and now 129lbs (9 stone 3lbs). Ideally I'd like to be a stone lighter though feel happy at 8.5 stone.

Myfitnesspal is telling me to eat about 1200 cals a day, which I have been doing, but by jaysus by 6pm every day I'm totally exhausted. Ready for bed exhausted. Typical diet is below - am I missing something energy wise, iron wise, nutrient wise??

Breakfast - Weekdays I have about 170g yogurt mixed with 20g sunflower seeds and 10g raw oats. This keeps me full until lunch. On weekends I have 1/2 an avocado and 2 eggs.

Mid morning - Cup of tea, milk, no sugar.

Lunch - Homemade veg soup with some cream OR salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion) with chorizo/ cheese/ meat OR cauliflower/ brocolli fritters with salad

Dinner - Some sort of meat/ veg combo. I don't eat pasta and when I have spuds I have a very small portion. Might have a stir fry with mixed veg and a tbsp hoisin OR shepherds pie with lots of veg OR bolognaise with brocolli OR chicken leg with rice and veg. It varies but I'm mad on veg and always include a fair bit.

I'm tracking my cals and its roughly 1200 per day. What am I doing wrong?

SunnyDub1

IMO in you are not eating enough food and not getting enough protein.

What kind of lifestyle do you have ? Active, Slightly active ?

1200 cals a day seems pretty a low, I wouldn't be able to survive on that :eek:

Stench Blossoms

MFP gives everyone the 1200.

A better way to calculate your calories goal for weight loss is lbs x 12.

How long have you been eating at 1200?

homemadecider

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

MFP gives everyone the 1200.

A better way to calculate your calories goal for weight loss is lbs x 12.

How long have you been eating at 1200?

Don't think the first bit is true - my OH signed up in MFP too and it's telling him to eat 2000 cals as obviously he is bigger and heavier than me.

I've only been eating at 1200 for a week and not sure if its sustainable. I do go running about once a week and try to walk as much as possible but admittedly don't get as much exercise as I could. Should I up the exercise and therefore get more scope for eating more food?

Stench Blossoms

Sorry what I meant to say was that it gives pretty much everyone female under 5'4 the same calories goal.

I would up the calories because yes in the long run the 1200 will not be sustainable.

You won't lose the weight as quickly but you aren't as likely to put it back on doing it this way.

If you want to PM me I'll give you my MFP username and you can add me.

If you like exercising then up it.

It gives everyone female over 5'4 1200 as well, tried to stick my friend and I on that!

Gauge

I think it depends on the "goals" you enter as well- when I put in 2lbs loss/week it put me (5'6) at 1200, but if I adjust the goal for slower weightloss it increases the daily calories.