How do you avoid muscle fatigue while on a cutting routine/calorie deficit?

[josef1kr]

I have been on a cutting routine for the past two months and have been consistently eating about 500 calories below my maintenance level. So far I have been consistently losing about a pound a week, give or take, but over the past couple weeks I have been feeling extremely fatigued especially in my legs. This doesn’t ever seem to affect my workouts, because once I get moving and the blood pumping I seem to have plenty of energy to power through my workouts (workouts consist of five min warm up on elliptical, five day split weight lifting, finish up with 20-30 min elliptical). I know that because I’m eating at a calorie deficit my body isn’t getting all the energy it would like, but it is necessary in order to lose some body fat. For the record, my diet is pretty balanced with an adequate source of complex carbs, protein and some healthy fats. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to avoid this terrible fatigue feeling and get some of my energy back, without adding additional calories to my diet? I would like to continue to cut fat at the consistent pace that I’ve been going, but this weak tired feeling in my legs everyday is killing me.

Height: 6 foot 1 inch
Weight: 165 pounds
Age: 22
Estimated Calorie Maintenance: 2975
Total Calories Eaten Daily: 2500

[WaNNaB3Bigg3r]

Maybe using some BCAA will help aid you?

[Sean S]

Is your performance actually suffering or do you just "feel" tired in the legs? If your performance isn't suffering terribly, then it's just something you have to deal with. If your training and diet are dialed in as well as you say, you shouldn't have massive fatigue from a slow weight loss diet. I would re-evaluate everything including diet, nutrient timing, training, sleep, stress, etc....