I'm not sure if it's a combination of getting older, chasing two young kids, and trying to restrict calories, but I feel completely drained. Exhausted. Particularly today, but just in general as well. I've been restricting calories to lose weight since January. I wonder what to do... I'm pretty sure I'm getting enough sleep. Part of me wants to blame calorie restriction...

Are you getting enough iron and B vitamins in your diet? How low are you going in calories?

I aim for 1200 calories, but I'm probably ~200 over that on average. I'm losing about 0.5 lbs per week.

maybe you're not getting enough protein or fat. or perhaps it could be a caffeine thing?

When I want to kick start into losing a little more quickly, I eliminate ALL bread/grains/starches and fruit for 3-5 days. That means NO cereal, rice, bread, potatoes, pasta, chips, cookies, etc that contain flour. Only protein, non-starchy vegetables except I will have legumes/beans, dairy, and some fat. It basically puts me back on Phase I of the South Beach plan and it works for me.

When I get like that I like to take a week to just recharge. Figure out what your maintenance calories are, and eat that much. Still try to make healthy choices, but don't eat a deficit. Dial down the workouts and just let your body recuperate for a little bit. It makes a huge difference for me.

I second what MonteCristo says. Take a maintenance break and if that doesnt work go see about getting tested for iron and other stuff.

As your are doing this, and restricting calories, are you monitoring that you are getting Adequate nutrition?

There is a difference.

I have found that if you get the nutrition down pat, get quality sleep, quality me time, and some activity that you enjoy, this is much easier.

Yes, this does mean, some times, saying, "I am going for a walk, every morning, from x time to y time.

It also requires we look at the big picture. Getting the nutrition on point, with good food, that you need to experiment with to make it taste good.

IT also requires a change in our thinking.

Changing our mind set is our biggest challenge.

Instead of "I can't, we need to get around to "I choose"

It is a process, one of self discovery. Do not give up, and be patient with your self and the process.