It’s all too easy to get tired. A stressful busy life, poor diet, lack of exercise, hormonal imbalance, and more can contribute to the problem. Throw dieting into the mix and it’s even easier to get run down. So what can you do to keep your energy levels up on a low calorie diet?

1. Eat enough food! Eating enough to meet your basal energy needs (basal metabolic rate or BMR) PLUS the energy cost of exercise matters. It is possible to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight without going overboard. Reducing caloric intake too much gets many dieters in trouble.

Take the time to assess your calorie needs. You are unique and your needs will not be exactly the same as anyone else. (Whatever your target calorie intake might be, read 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started! to determine whether or not you are on track.)

Image via Wikipedia

2. Make Time to Eat Meals. Your metabolism and energy levels will be at their best when you give yourself nourishment throughout the day. Eat something for breakfast (lunch and supper also). Yes, you can. (Read 50 Ways to Succeed with Weight Loss Starting Today! for a tip on how you might renew your interest in breakfast if you claim you aren’t hungry in the morning.)

3. Eat something healthy every 3 hours or so for a total of 5-6 times a day. If you have the time and desire to figure it out, mini-meals each time you eat might be the best choice for you.

On a 1200 Calorie Diet you might have 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) of 300-350 calories or so plus two snacks of about 100 calories each (see my 1200 calorie sample menus for ideas). On a 1500 calorie diet you might choose to have 3 meals of 350-400 calories plus two to three 100-150 calorie snacks. Or you might have 5 300-calorie mini-meals spread throughout the day.

4. Eat bigger meals earlier in the day rather than later. This concept may be easier said than done for many Americans who all too often are pressed for time in the morning. If it is a problem for you, some advance planning can help you out. In the coming months I will be sharing tips on how to prepare easy healthy low calorie meals in minutes. Be sure to check back!

5. Drink plenty of water. You can meet your fluid needs in a variety of ways on a low calorie diet. However, your best bets to keep calorie counts down are to choose unsweetened tea, coffee, or water. Your body needs water to keep your metabolism and physiological processes running smoothly. Dehydration can result in low energy or even fatigue.

6. Eat balanced meals. In addition to water, your body needs a variety of nutrients in a well-orchestrated balance to keep your energy levels up.This happens in part because a proper balance of nutrients are needed to keep your hormones in balance. Your hormones in turn influence your metabolism. For the greatest success, you will want to get your nutrients from whole, healthy foods NOT supplements or highly processed foods.

Nature holds the secret to a healthy balance.Keep in mind that there are nutrients we may need that scientists do not yet not know anything about. This is especially true for antioxidants and other compounds sometimes called phytochemicals that have yet to be officially designated as nutrients.

7. Exercise or engage in some kind of daily physical activity. Making time for exercise can give you energy AND time rather than take time away. How? By keeping your energy levels up and helping you to be fully awake and efficient for more hours each day. (For quick, easy ways to be physically active and burn calories when there is no time for exercise, read 25 Quick, Easy, and Fun Ways to Burn 100 Calories)

A little bit of exercise is good but a lot is not necessarily better! Also, as I pointed out in the first tip, not eating enough food to cover the energy cost of exercise can leave you feeling very tired.

An added bonus for exercise, especially when it is earlier in the day, is that it might help you sleep better at night. That leads to tip 8.

8. Get enough rest. I know an overly demanding schedule can make it hard to carve out enough time for sleep. If that’s true for you, maybe you need to re-examine your priorities. Sleep matters. Not getting enough sleep will not only rob you of energy but it can set you up to overeat.

No one I know can successfully put all of these tips into practice all the time. But just knowing what may be contributing to your lack of energy will hopefully give you a chance to turn things around as you are able. Low calorie diet or not, it possible to feel less tired more of the time.