I have noticed that I've started binge eating, wanting to sleep more, and I'm dreading work outs. I am currently doing a week "hiatus" of exercising and "watching my calories" because after a year and losing 40lbs, I don't understand why this is happening. The only thing I can figure is I'm not eating enough and working out too much. I have been eating around 1700cals and do high intensity workout 6 days a week. So I'm "resetting" this week and trying to figure out where to go next. Suggestions?
(I feel this should be answered urgently so I’m going to write this standing in the eggs aisle of the grocery store)
That absolutely 100% sounds like a combination of overtraining and undereating. I urge you to reformulate your plan, and would like to sympathize because that is exactly where I was last year. Six high-intensity workouts per week is already a lot for a body to deal with, even hardcore athletes. Add undereating to that and you’ve got a nasty combo, and definitely one that commonly causes the binge eating you're experiencing. Whatever your goals are, you are very unlikely to achieve them under these conditions. Your body is literally, physically unable to give you the results you want if it is fatigued and undernourished all the time. And it takes a serious toll on your mental state, very quickly. You already know that you dread your workouts - what a terrible thing to feel six days a week! In my opinion, this is not a good way to exist.
If you are training six days a week, you NEED to eat more than 1700. Try 2200 at least, and that’s probably not even enough to fully maintain your muscle mass. 2500 and up might be even better. I can’t say for sure because I don’t know your stats and calorie counting is a stupidly flawed pseudo-science anyways, but I am so serious. Eat more. Rest better. Maybe try a new workout approach if you’re burnt out. If you are unhappy and tired, time to change something.