Advice

MrsMegBlevins

For the past week I have been feeling really tired and hungry. I had been doing well at eating and working out, but I have been so tired for the past week that I've slid off course. I am taking my multi-vitamin, vitamin B12, and some other vitamins. I try to get a decent amount of sleep. I just feel so exhausted and fatigued. I would really appreciate any advice.

astrampe

How much do you eat, what do you eat, how much exercise etc?
Very hard to help without any info.....

SueInAz

You may want to make your diary public so we can take a look and see what you're eating. Other than less calories have you made drastic changes from the way you were eating before? For example, I know that the first few days on a very low carb diet will leave people really tired and lethargic but it passes pretty quickly. A diet that is far too low in calories might do the same.

I_Will_End_You

Open your diary, it'll make it easier for people to give you tips and suggestions.

Azexas

Please make your diary public. Go to your food tab- settings- and its on the bottom.

You may not be getting enough protein, but unless we can see your diary we can't offer up much help.

missiontofitness

Yes, please make your diary public.

MrsMegBlevins

I'll go and open it. Fair warning the last few weeks it has gotten bad. I keep it private because I am always afraid of people judging me. I'm just trying to find my triggers and what not. I usually get enough protein, I get enough calories (the past week I know I have gotten way too many calories), and I try to get a decent amount of fruit and veggies in my diet. I'll go open it now.

missiontofitness

MrsMegBlevins wrote: »

I'll go and open it. Fair warning the last few weeks it has gotten bad. I keep it private because I am always afraid of people judging me. I'm just trying to find my triggers and what not. I usually get enough protein, I get enough calories (the past week I know I have gotten way too many calories), and I try to get a decent amount of fruit and veggies in my diet. I'll go open it now.

Thank you. We won't judge; we'll offer constructive comments to help you out.

Azexas

MrsMegBlevins wrote: »

I'll go and open it. Fair warning the last few weeks it has gotten bad. I keep it private because I am always afraid of people judging me. I'm just trying to find my triggers and what not. I usually get enough protein, I get enough calories (the past week I know I have gotten way too many calories), and I try to get a decent amount of fruit and veggies in my diet. I'll go open it now.

We won't judge you. I do give you a lot credit for logging accurately even on the days you've gone over.

So peeking into your diary I've noticed the days that you didn't go out to eat you've been averaging about 50-60 grams of protein. The days that you've gone over your protein and hit around 70-75 did you feel fuller?

I_Will_End_You

It doesn't look like you're eating too little. You've said it's been a week....are you PMSing by chance?

SueInAz

I also give credit for continuing to log. I'm terrible at that... if I know I'm going over I don't bother and I think that makes it worse.

Are you still feeling tired with the increase in calories? I see your calorie goal is 1200. Perhaps that's just too low for you. Do you have your calorie goal set at 2 pounds per week? You might try pushing that back to 1.5 or even 1 pound. You don't have so much to lose that 2 pounds per week, or 1000 calories under maintenance each day, is really sustainable long term.

I should also gently point out that your sodium is super high but that's because you've been eating the trinity of high sodium foods: take out, canned soup and deli meats. As long as you don't have a medical issue for which you should limit sodium it's not a huge issue but eating like that every day for a lifetime will eventually make it an issue.

sofaking6

You said you've been getting 'decent' sleep. How has that been going? Have you tried getting an awesomely amazing amount of sleep? Did that help? When I'm tired I'm more hungry, the two go hand-in-hand.

neaneacc

I have three suggestions that might help. 1) Drink more water. The body send the same signal for hunger and thirst, and dehydration can cause all sorts of issues. 2) Eat more protein. This can be from shakes, or meats/eggs, or even Greek Yogurt. I would try to hit at least 100 grams a day. The body wants to use carbs for energy, but if you eat too many they body just stores it for later as fat. By replacing some of the carbs in your diet with protein this will help to prevent this from happening while keeping you full. 3) Get more sleep if possible. Our bodies need about 8 hours a night to repair. If you try all three I think you will feel much better.

Renee

MrsMegBlevins

It is about time for me to be PMSing, but I've never felt this exhausted. It feels like a struggle to keep my eyes open. I get around 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep. I go to work at 4:30 a- 3p, then come home and workout, take a shower, eat dinner, and get stuff ready for the next day and then go to bed. It's a real struggle to get a full 8 hours. I really believe the water intake is not where it should be. Not sure why, but I've just been cutting it back for some weird reason without realizing. I really appreciate all the help and advice without feeling like I'm being majorly judged.

Azexas

Could you be anemic? When was the last time you had some blood work drawn?

MrsMegBlevins wrote: »

It feels like a struggle to keep my eyes open.

Liftng4Lis

Are you possibly pregnant?

futuremanda

I get variable symptoms when I PMS, and fatigue can absolutely be one of them. I also find I benefit from a bit more food around then.

Agree that you might feel better if you got more water. Especially if you're going to eat out, water becomes super important because of the salt. And not being properly hydrated actually can tire you out. Also agree with the sleep & protein recs.

Another thing that helps me is to *ensure* I'm getting plenty of natural light. Even on a dark day, it's way more light than inside. Open curtains and blinds, eat breakfast while gazing out a window, take walks, whatever you have to do, even if you gotta bundle up.

And you say you've been working out but don't give details. Do you feel energized after your workouts? If not, you might want to try something else, at least for awhile. And/or try to get yourself excited and really try to approach them with a good attitude -- if you think "this is going to be a great one", it will be, and if you think "oh god this is going to suck"... it probably will, and it'll take more energy and not give so much back. Even if you have to fake it 'til you make it, the practice and choosing positive thoughts will lead to real positivity.

Finally... have you been carrying guilt about how you've been eating, or were you only worried about others judging? Guilt can really weigh a person down. It's okay to go out for pizza. And if you think you'll feel better and be taking better care of yourself if you do it less often, then frame it that way. Focus on what you did that was awesome, not on what you could have done better. Wanting to treat yourself better is a positive thing, and includes eating a certain way and moving a certain way... but does not include beating yourself up when you don't.

RodaRose

MrsMegBlevins wrote: »

It is about time for me to be PMSing, but I've never felt this exhausted. It feels like a struggle to keep my eyes open. I get around 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep. I go to work at 4:30 a- 3p, then come home and workout, take a shower, eat dinner, and get stuff ready for the next day and then go to bed. It's a real struggle to get a full 8 hours. I really believe the water intake is not where it should be. Not sure why, but I've just been cutting it back for some weird reason without realizing. I really appreciate all the help and advice without feeling like I'm being majorly judged.

How long have you been on this shift? Has it been at least two months or are you being switched around?
What times of the day do you sleep on your off days?

MrsMegBlevins

I've been on this shift since the beginning of the year. I was 5:30a-4:00p, but requested the new shift so I can get home and walk outside before it gets dark. I might go back to the 5:30 shift once the time changes. I do best when I can do my workout at home. I try and get to the gym when it's too cold or rainy outside, but I have better workouts when I do them at home.

I had been feeling pretty great after workouts. I like the feeling of knowing I am doing something good for myself and know that it takes off a bunch of stress. I try to plan what I eat ahead of time, so that way I can plan my workouts and burn for what I am planning on having. I know I was feeling overwhelmed because it was going to take me around 4 hours of a workout to burn enough, so then I felt like a failure. We try not to eat out a lot, but lately it's been happening: birthdays, friends coming into town and celebrating, having to stay with my parents while our water heater was getting fixed, etc. I just feel embarrassed because I know that what I've been eating lately isn't healthy and I also have a fear of getting huge. I'm learning (from this month) that when a wrench gets thrown into my routine, I completely fall off course. I'm trying to find a way to beat it when this happens, because life is always going to throw a wrench into your plans every once in a while.

As far as being preggo, I guess there's a possibility. I'm on the pill, but we know that isn't 100% effective. I'm planning on taking a test soon.

I used to be anemic when I was in high school and taking Acutane. I've never been told that I've been anemic since then though. I think the last time I had blood taken was in September.

Thank you all again for helping me try to figure this out, for the advice, and really helping/caring and not making me feel like I'm being judged and being a bad person for not eating perfect lately. It makes me feel like I can actually ask questions on these boards without having to worry about anything.

SueInAz

Trust me, we all go through times when we're not eating as well as we should. That was pretty much my whole December.... Thankfully, I was also training for a half marathon so was burning a lot of calories, too, but I still gained a few pounds.

If you're eating more and still feeling tired, it's definitely time to explore other causes. Perhaps 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep just really isn't enough for you. I know my sleep needs have increased as I've gotten older. Have you tried going to bed a little earlier for a few days in a row? I know there's not enough hours in the day but, honestly, getting enough sleep is an important component of weight loss, even more important than exercise, IMHO.

If it's not lack of sleep, anemia or pregnancy are you under a lot of stress? I have had a few times in my life when my stress level has been horrible and all I wanted to do at those times was sleep. I could honestly drop off if I shut my eyes for more than a couple of seconds at any time of the day.

segacs

Sounds like, quite simply, your body trying to adjust to the earlier shift. Honestly, sometimes I think we underestimate the effect that even an hour or two of time shifting has on our bodies. It's like low-grade jetlag. We see it en masse whenever we change the clocks in fall or spring -- it takes us some time to adjust. That, and the shorter days at this time of year, could be taking a toll.

Try to get a bit more sleep and give it some time. Maybe look into a Vitamin D lamp for your desk?