Extreme tiredness, what to do?

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bananananamilk
bananananamilk Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I started MFP again a few weeks ago. The first couple of weeks were great and I even lost a kilo. But this week has been completely different. I've been so tired all week it's getting impossible to do anything. I still got exercise done as I cycle to work (about an hour every day) but my diet has been really bad because I just don't have the power to actually cook meals so I've been buying everything ready from the store. Today it's almost midnight on my free day and I have been awake roughly five to six hours and I'm already tired again. That doesn't sound very healthy to me.

So does anyone have any advice on what I could do about this and what might be causing this kind of extreme tiredness? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
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    Are you getting enough iron? I've been feeling really weary and sluggish and tired too, and when I looked at the reports tab, I could see I'm not getting enough iron. So I'm going to try and change that, and have also bought some supplements to see if it makes a difference in the interim. :smile:
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    Eat more. Less rubbish, more whole foods. More sleep, more water.
    You have to fuel your workouts and nourish your body.
  • Peachy1962
    Peachy1962 Posts: 269 Member
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    Iron was my first thought as well as maybe not enough protein!! Good luck!! :flowerforyou:
  • cingle87
    cingle87 Posts: 717 Member
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    Sometimes when you start a new "diet" it takes a while for your body to get use to it. Remember it took most of use years of eating excess to put all the weight on, so if all of a sudden you drop from lets say 4000 calories a day to 1200 its going to shock your system.

    Try taking a multivitamin just to rule it out and give it a couple of week to get over the beginners hurdle.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    If you can get in to see your doctor it wouldn't hurt.
  • ChristinaR720
    ChristinaR720 Posts: 1,186
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    It may be helpful to have your Vitamin D levels checked as well. I experience extreme fatigue whenever my levels are low.
  • chelsifina
    chelsifina Posts: 346 Member
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    I would pay close attention to how you feel and consider seeing your doctor. There are so many things that it could be. Vitamin/mineral deficiency sounds right, and it could be iron or B12, or the other Bs. It could be that you are stressing your body too much and you entering adrenal fatigue (which would make it hormonally harder to lose weight later on), it could be that your diet doesn't give you enough energy, it could be that you are developing a heart condition. This is not a normal part of dieting and you should look into it. I don't mean to scare you, just to get you to pay attention. I ignored my exhaustion for years and it turned out I had a parasitic infection for 2 years, with 2 different types of parasites. Never had any GI symptoms. It always pays to stay curious.
  • thevegankelly
    thevegankelly Posts: 85 Member
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    I got really bad fatigue when I was drinking a lot of water and not eating enough salt. If your electrolytes are out of balance you can feel pretty crappy.
  • MsEndomorph
    MsEndomorph Posts: 604 Member
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    If you open your food diary I might be able to help more. Could be an iron issue, a carb issue, a vitamin issue...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Your profile says you have hypothyroidism and are on medication. Do you think it could be something interacting with that? Maybe talk with your doctor or/and a registered dietitian and see if they can help rule out anything else?
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    Are you getting enough iron? I've been feeling really weary and sluggish and tired too, and when I looked at the reports tab, I could see I'm not getting enough iron. So I'm going to try and change that, and have also bought some supplements to see if it makes a difference in the interim. :smile:

    A ton of MFP entries, user based, only include calories, fat, protein, sugar, sodium and carbohydrate details - when you're lucky. Sometimes only calories or only protein, etc.

    Things like iron, calcium, and vitamin quantities are often left out. Unless you're very anal about making sure all your entries include these and are accurate, I would not look to this information as at all accurate.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    I would pay close attention to how you feel and consider seeing your doctor. There are so many things that it could be. Vitamin/mineral deficiency sounds right, and it could be iron or B12, or the other Bs. It could be that you are stressing your body too much and you entering adrenal fatigue (which would make it hormonally harder to lose weight later on), it could be that your diet doesn't give you enough energy, it could be that you are developing a heart condition. This is not a normal part of dieting and you should look into it. I don't mean to scare you, just to get you to pay attention. I ignored my exhaustion for years and it turned out I had a parasitic infection for 2 years, with 2 different types of parasites. Never had any GI symptoms. It always pays to stay curious.

    And this. You can tweak a few things, make sure your carbs and vitamin intake is good, make sure your sodium levels are okay, but in the end, if it's really affecting you, a doctor testing your blood will give you a safe answer. Hope you feel better.
  • GormanGhaste
    GormanGhaste Posts: 430 Member
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    You may not be eating enough calories. Are you eating what mfp calculated for you? Are you eating back your exercise calories? I really wouldn't recommend using the 2 lb/week goal unless you are obese.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    eat more
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    What's your calorie goal? Are you eating back your exercise calories?
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 335 Member
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    HEY,

    Definitely check iron! Alot of caffeine intake can block iron absorption, so avoid that!

    Time for yearly physical too and blood work. Vit D deficiency is more common now. Could be anything! Make sure u take a good multi vitamin and drink 60 oz water per day :) best diet drink out there,lol!

    Sounds like ur sleeping, so that's good. Give your body a few wks to adjust to new lifestyle!

    Quick recipes using a crockpot are great!u can throw a meat in there and tons of fresh veggies, herbs and light seasoning and walk away...go to bed...to work and come home to a meal! I love my weekly lean chicken or turkey chili. Also a pot roast sometimes, or even chicken breast! Definitely eating processed and fast foods can have a toll on health and ur pocket$$

    Checkout my girl Jamie Eason on bodybuilding.com for great simple recipes! http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-recipes-main-page.html She also has a 90 day challenge with free videos of workouts, clean recipes and the videos of her cooking and more!
    Good luck, Shannon ATL
  • peace_pigeon
    peace_pigeon Posts: 120 Member
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    Ditto X 10 on the Iron thing. I take a daily tablet and if I forget or run out, I'm in trouble. That said, I had my levels checked first by a MD and know that I am a bit anemic. I would try to get to your Dr and check iron, thyroid, vitamins and a general check up if you can. When I was hit by major fatigue 10 years ago, I waited way to long to go to the Dr.. Turns out that it was the first symptom of an auto-immune disorder. Fatigue can mean a lot of things- mostly diet or stress related, but always good to make sure!

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