Exhausted/No Energy.

youngtweezy

I seem to only have energy for the first five or six hours I'm awake and moving around each day. I work mornings (for example, this week I'm working 4:30AM until sometime mid-day each day) and am fine as soon as I wake up. I work in a coffee shop, so I have access to unlimited caffeine, but it just doesn't do the trick, so I've cut myself down to either a cup of Earl Grey tea or 2 shots of espresso a day.
I am fairly certain I have no vitamin deficiencies.
Also, I always feel the need to nap, but am usually exhausted for about two hours after I take one... which makes me useless. I'm finding it hard to exercise these days. I reached my goal weight of 117 this past December but also started my job at the same time, so I've gained about 7 pounds back due to lack of energy and motivation! I eat several meals a day to try to keep my metabolism boosted, but I'm still hungry and tired.
Any advice on how to boost my energy so I can get back in the swing of things and lose those 7 pounds?

Fayve

What you're talking about sounds very familiar to my own issues, but I know that mine stem from low hemoglobin and iron deficiency. I know you said you doubt you have any vitamin deficiencies, but some occur really easily, even if you think you're eating really well balanced (especially iron for women).

I'd maybe check with your doctor to get your iron tested for anemia, or maybe try some vitamin D supplements as well? Good luck!

pjrisher

I have lab from 6 30 AM- 1 PM so I know what you mean about being tired. I have some days where I can just push through a workout before I need to crash for a while but I take half of a 5 hour energy some days too. I know that they're not the best for you but they do the job when you need them.

lisa35120

What you're talking about sounds very familiar to my own issues, but I know that mine stem from low hemoglobin and iron deficiency. I know you said you doubt you have any vitamin deficiencies, but some occur really easily, even if you think you're eating really well balanced (especially iron for women).

I'd maybe check with your doctor to get your iron tested for anemia, or maybe try some vitamin D supplements as well? Good luck!

I agree, I would get tested for anemia! I have to take iron supplements regularly, especially when I'm dieting, or else I get really tired too.

youngtweezy

I take a multi-vitamin every day that has 100% DV of iron and also eat a lot of foods that contain iron. I may get checked for anemia soon, though.

hartsmart

I am in a similar situation and have been pretty much in your exact situation...well, minus the part of reaching my goal weight!
currently i work 2 jobs (6 days a week between the two, but almost never both jobs the same day). 4 days a week i am up at 3:30 am to get to work by 4:30, then i work until noon. i am pretty much useless once i get home from work. lately i have been especially tired, and decided i just wasn't getting enough food (fuel) to keep me going the whole day. now i am starting to feel a little more energy further into the day, which allows me to workout again. what is your calorie intake?
i also used to work 5 days a week managing a coffee shop where i pretty much worked alone for a large part of the day. that job was terrible for me, b/c we also made our own bagels!! I almost never worked out there, and sometimes it's the caffiene...you get used to it and it doesn't help at all. how busy is your shop? are you constantly moving?
it could be any number of things, but from my own struggles with early mornings and energy levels (naps are completely out of the question...i always feel worse/more tired afterwards), i felt like I just needed to try getting a few more calories to keep my body running.
It's hard to know why our body reacts the way it does, we can only experiment and see what works. i also recommend making sure you are adequately (sp) hydrated. sometimes in the gogogo of coffee shop, you forget to drink something other than coffee (at least i did).
good luck!

youngtweezy

I am in a similar situation and have been pretty much in your exact situation...well, minus the part of reaching my goal weight!
currently i work 2 jobs (6 days a week between the two, but almost never both jobs the same day). 4 days a week i am up at 3:30 am to get to work by 4:30, then i work until noon. i am pretty much useless once i get home from work. lately i have been especially tired, and decided i just wasn't getting enough food (fuel) to keep me going the whole day. now i am starting to feel a little more energy further into the day, which allows me to workout again. what is your calorie intake?
i also used to work 5 days a week managing a coffee shop where i pretty much worked alone for a large part of the day. that job was terrible for me, b/c we also made our own bagels!! I almost never worked out there, and sometimes it's the caffiene...you get used to it and it doesn't help at all. how busy is your shop? are you constantly moving?
it could be any number of things, but from my own struggles with early mornings and energy levels (naps are completely out of the question...i always feel worse/more tired afterwards), i felt like I just needed to try getting a few more calories to keep my body running.
It's hard to know why our body reacts the way it does, we can only experiment and see what works. i also recommend making sure you are adequately (sp) hydrated. sometimes in the gogogo of coffee shop, you forget to drink something other than coffee (at least i did).
good luck!

My calorie intake is set at about 1200, but lately I've went over on calories (but still trying to eat healthy). I work at the only Starbucks for about 20 miles immediately off of a popular interstate, it's pretty busy and I'm moving around quite a bit. I also have a 20oz bottle of water that I fill and drink at least 5 times a day, so I'm sure I'm well hydrated. I'm really confused about how I simply have no energy, though.
Thank you, though.

maddymama

Are you sleeping enough?
I find that I have trouble losing weight and having enough energy to get through the day without relying on a ton of caffeine if I haven't slept enough in the previous few days.
Good luck finding a reason for your exhaustion.....

Colfiii

hi ! ... Seen u said u get the vitamin pills with Iron etc eeach day - actually if your metabolism is slow or has a problem - fatigued or exhausted will not metabolize/absorb well the vitamins that you're taking. Check online some articles about vitamin absorption.
The vitamins that you take might be great but your body might simply not absorb them properly because of deficiencies - this i very tricky many people fool themselves with 'taking vitamins' that don't get absorbed and they have no idea what the cause of their problem is. i didn't check your calorie goal but more than 80 percent of the people that stay under 2500 or exercise intensively ( if both even worst) have severe lack of Iron = Anemia. You should drop by a doctor to get a check and ask for tests like serum ferritin, transferrin saturation and total iron-building capacity not only iron.
Check this article too http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/staying-healthy/30-things-every-woman-should-know-about-running/285.html
Best of luck !

Melk967

Hello I'm fairly new to MFP, but I feel like I can hopefully offer some advice since I've run into the same problem!

I started my first job in August. I come home everyday so exhausted, to the point where I can't really bring myself to do anything.
I actually work in a medical laboratory, and I know quite a bit about anemia, thyroid problems, etc. so I decided to go to my doctor to get bloodwork done. I would suggest that could be your first step-going to your doctor. Besides anemia, thyroid issues (hypothyroidism) can cause fatigue. Your doctor can do basic bloodwork to see if there is an actual physiological reason your your fatigue.

Do you have problems sleeping? I do not get enough sleep at night, and I tend to wake up during the night. This is likely why I am so tired all the time. The reason I can't sleep is because I am anxious about my job...I really despise it currently. It's possible that even anxiety/depression can be making you tired.

These are all things you can discuss with your doctor, so that's my advice However, I would look at your current sleep schedule and see if that's contributing to anything.

Hope that helps a bit