I know it's pretty dumb, but ...

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  • purpleposies
    purpleposies Posts: 90 Member
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    keep in mind it's really hard to make a TON of DRASTIC changes in a short period of time. instead, focus on making changes in habits and routines gradually. it's easier to get discouraged and overwhelmed if you attempt to make a complete overhaul of all these things at the same time

    This is exactly part of my issue. I've learned that when I try to do too many things at once I get overwhelmed and then I run away from it all. I've also never been thin, so I have no idea what it's like. I guess part of me thinks that I've never been and never will be. That was one of the reasons why I was asking this particular question to see if anyone had done anything like this. I have made smaller changes over the past few months, but it's time to add more. I'm trying to add regular exercise now ... I'm just so friggin' tired, LOL. I might just have to grin and bear it and pray for the best!
  • purpleposies
    purpleposies Posts: 90 Member
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    I also have PCOS and cutting out gluten/dairy helped immensly. Anyway, I know you know that the Monsters aren't good for you, so I'm not going there (and btw, sugar is horrible for PCOS). I am also hypothyroid and a lot of doctors only measure TSH and tell you that you are fine, but it's better to have them test TSH, T4, Free T4, Free T3 to get a better idea. I was always tired, foggy, cold, blah, blah, blah...until I found out that I had hypothyroid. I'm on Armour (thyroid med) and no longer feel that way.

    I didn't know they only tested for one! I'll have to ask and make sure that they test the others, then, too. Thank you so much!

    Also, I'm actually not on medication for my bipolar disorder anymore. I'm self-managing (it's working for now, so if I don't have to take meds, I'd rather not), though of course if I find I can't I will utilize medications and try to find one that works for me mentally and physically.
  • purpleposies
    purpleposies Posts: 90 Member
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    There are a lot of ways to get some energy natually.
    Are you a tea drinker? Ginseng tea is great and there are some teas made just to boost energy levels without the added sugar of energy drinks.

    That being said I drink the Monster Lo-Carb, helps me out a ton when I am lagging. Redline is another energy drink (0 calories) that works great for me.

    The really funny thing I have found since starting this new lifestyle is that working out gives me the most energy. I will notice if I don't work out in the mornings I am sleepy and sluggish all day. It gives me a better boost than any of the energy drinks, and I LOVE energy drinks.

    I do love tea! I'll look into something ginseng based, thank you.
  • hughtwalker
    hughtwalker Posts: 2,213 Member
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    I wouldn't function of less than 6 cups of tea or coffee each day - unless I'm at home when the teapot is 'bottomless'.

    what's wrong with this?
  • Seriousmom3
    Seriousmom3 Posts: 164
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    Possibly Chronic Fatigue Syndrome...or depression. Contact your doctor.
  • purpleposies
    purpleposies Posts: 90 Member
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    have you had your meds check recently? I have to wonder if your bi-polar is in a low and causing the crushing fatigue...I struggled with clinical depression for years, and one of my main symptoms as a teen was crushing fatigue.

    Instead of the Monster which is chock full of caffeine and sugar, I would try Emergen-c or 5 hour energy. Both of them are more vitamin based, and the 5 hr energy has a decaf version. the 5 hr energy is B vitamin based and has like 8,000% of your daily RDA in a 2oz shot.

    or if they went into a manic depression and slept all the time.


    but what if her obligations made her unable to get the sleep her body is demanding? THAT would cause some of the crushing fatigue that she is talking about.

    according to this article, caffeine is NOT good for patients with bipolar...and a loss of energy is a sign of falling into a depressive state.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/90028-caffeine-bipolar-disorder/

    Part of the problem is that I work late, sometimes I don't get home/in bed until 12 AM - 1 AM ... kidlet is up around 6 or so. So I average about 5-6 hours of sleep. Sometimes I will take a nap when he takes his nap, but I don't feel like it actually helps sometimes, so I try not to (though I have caught myself dozing on the couch for like 20 minutes or so sometimes when I relax when he naps, too tired to keep my bloody eyes open).

    I feel more hypomanic when I drink the Monster, which is probably one of the reasons why I like it so much. I have bipolar disorder type 2, so I don't go into full mania, but that also means I spend more time depressed. My baseline (if that makes sense) is much improved from what it used to be (so I'm less depressed on the regular), but sleep deprivation will start to make it worse.

    I want to thank everyone again for their input. I'm actually really touched at the amount of responses this post has garnered. Makes me feel like I'm not alone and I might be able to tackle this mountain. ;)
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    Medications can be a cause.

    Getting more cardio exercise has had a tremendous effect on my energy levels. Being on your feet all day working isn't quite the same as getting out and being active for 30 minutes or more at a time. Even just brisk walking every day, for at least 30 minutes, can improve both your energy levels and your quality of sleep.
  • Gennawest
    Gennawest Posts: 171
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    I lost 107 lbs (or so.. i havent updated weight) in about 10 months. I have kept the weight off now for one year. I did it by eating right and working out. No magic pill, etc.

    Two things I vowed to never give up:
    1) caffeine of all sorts
    2) cereal

    I would drink monster absolute zero, starbucks, etc. I did not drink diet coke or any diet soda. I needed caffeine to function. I am not saying it will work for you, but for me, I had no prob losing weight, "getting healthy", and still drinking coffee, energy drinks, etc.
  • Dandawa
    Dandawa Posts: 97
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    I am wondering about your protein are you consuming enough. I suggesting having blood work drawn up. Sometimes folks need b12 shots cause they are not able to absorb it. Get rid of monster drink and add protein shakes, my vote.
  • 1holegrouper
    1holegrouper Posts: 323 Member
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    The one thing that I never would have considered til they did all sorts of labwork on me:

    The reason I was so tired was because my Vitamin D was low.

    I take 10,000UI Vitamin D3 daily, at it's made a WORLD of difference. It took about 10 days before it started to be noticeable.

    You have to be VERY careful with taking vitamin D suppliments. I did the same as you and it caused 2 very painful kidney stones all just after 5 months of supplimentation. They were analyzed and guess what; caused by vitamin D3 suppliments.
  • purpleposies
    purpleposies Posts: 90 Member
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    I lost 107 lbs (or so.. i havent updated weight) in about 10 months. I have kept the weight off now for one year. I did it by eating right and working out. No magic pill, etc.

    Two things I vowed to never give up:
    1) caffeine of all sorts
    2) cereal

    I would drink monster absolute zero, starbucks, etc. I did not drink diet coke or any diet soda. I needed caffeine to function. I am not saying it will work for you, but for me, I had no prob losing weight, "getting healthy", and still drinking coffee, energy drinks, etc.

    Congratulations! That's a big deal. Thank you for your encouragement. :)
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
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    Believe me, I know how hard being and staying healthy can be! It's not easy. When people say I made my weight loss look easy, it gets me so angry because they only saw me from time to time. They didn't see the fight I had somedays to keep it up and to continue. I know you are thinking "If Monster works, then why not?" but its not good or you. Plain and simple.

    If your main goal is to find motivation to get up, work out and be healthier, then you have to dig deep for that motivation. Your only going to find it in yourself. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. Why take something that's unhealthy for you, to help you be healthy? It doesn't make much sense, does it?

    If your looking for something with a boost of energy, try a Banana. I mean it, they are a magical fruit!! One banana can provide enough energy for a 90 minute work out...90 minutes!! The natural(healthy) sugars in the Banana are turned into energy for your workout.

    Please consider nixing the Monster drink. Think of it this way. One Monster drink is 100 Calories and 27 grams of sugar. That's an extra (and unnecessary) 100 calories you'll have to burn off working out. And if you do continue drinking it, your body will eventually get used to it, and it won't give you that energy boost anymore.
  • wheresheidi
    wheresheidi Posts: 213
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    I feel constantly tired/exhausted in my very core. If left to my own devices I would sleep up to 10 hours a day. I do take Vitamin B and Iron supplements, but between my job (I'm an Assistant Manager right now at a fast food restaurant, so I'm on my feet and pretty constantly moving up to 9 hours a day, five days a week at least) and my toddler, I'm just plain friggin' tired. I have tried energy drinks in the past (like, 7 years ago when I was in college) and they never worked for me, but a friend bought me a Monster at work once and the thing is amazing. I feel energetic and motivated. I KNOW they're not healthy for you, but I'm kind of thinking of using them to help me get motivated to work out and keep up my energy throughout work, working out, and taking care of my son ... at least up until the point where working out and eating properly, etc., I would start to see an increase in my own natural energy reserves, so to speak. I'm about 150 lb overweight ... nothing to sneeze at. I just feel like even though they're unhealthy, if for now they help me get motivated and get moving, then in the end it's not such a bad thing.

    Any comments or thoughtful advice? =\

    When I worked 3 jobs what helped me out the most was support hose, I used light support but it truely makes a world of difference, you also need well made shoes. I know you were looking for a different solution but try it. :flowerforyou:
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    as a general rule I don't use energy drinks and I'm not a coffee drinker. But there were days when I had an early morning water aerobics class I wanted to get to that I just couldn't seem to wake up enough to get ready for and drive there. On occasion I used the 5-hr energy shots and that did the trick. I didn't crash afterward because by then the release of endorphins from my 3 hour workout had kicked in. Are they the best plan? NO. But if I needed to do it a couple times a week to get the energy to work out then I think its the lesser of the evils rather than skipping a workout. You know your body best. Don't use it as a regular crutch though. And the energy shots I took are 5 calories so I know I burned more than that in the first few mins of my workout. I don't do it daily, only when I really need it. We all gotta do what works for us. I am also taking supplements, vitamins, lots of water, and get plenty of sleep most of the time. And my health/blood tests are fine.
  • talikaveronica
    talikaveronica Posts: 9
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    Have you tried 5hr energy? Not as much crap in them and my friend tells me there are awesome. Just a thought...
  • bethfartman
    bethfartman Posts: 363 Member
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    PCOS = insuline resistant
    Try a low carb diet. Those Monster drink are really horrible for you (well, for everyone in general).

    It's time for a complete blood panel.

    Caffeine can have a negatve effect on PCOS as well, so that's a double whammy.
  • bcerz811
    bcerz811 Posts: 39 Member
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    I also have PCOS and bipolar disorder, so I struggle with those medical and mental issues, too. I have been trying to drink more water, and have just had to pee so much (LOL, sorry for the TMI!) which sucks at work a lot because we're very busy. But I try to get in at least 64 oz every day. I was just so surprised by the energy kick I got off the drink that I was like ... WOW, maybe I could use this to my advantage.

    ^^
    I don't know much about Bipolar medications specifically, but I have anxiety and depression and was on antidepressants for six years. I chose to go off them because of the side effects--they made me so incredibly tired I could hardly move. I was falling asleep driving.

    I am NOT suggesting you go off your medication. I found a way to manage my depression with therapy and exercise after getting through the initial crisis period where I needed meds--but bipoloar disorder is a whole different ballgame. What I WILL suggest is that you talk to your doctor about possibly changing your dosage or the medication itself. Our body chemistry changes sometimes and you may need a higher/lower/different kind of dosage of whatever it is you're taking. That stuff can have a big impact on your energy levels.

    Again, NOT suggesting you go off your meds. Please don't do that. Definitely talk to your doctor about them, though. If everything else (hypothyroidism, anemia, low blood pressure, or any other medical problems) have been ruled out, tell him/her firmly that you are very very tired, so tired you cannot exercise even at this point, and you would like to try adjusting your medications if possible.

    My solution turned out to be going off them, but because of that experience, I know that the meds have a big affect on your energy. So it would be a very good idea to talk to the doctor about them. Working with that might make you feel a lot better.
  • linz1125
    linz1125 Posts: 441 Member
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    You should also consider a sleep study. You might be sleeping but if you don't get enough oxygen during your sleep you don't go into REM sleep. You might have sleep apnea. If you snore or you hold your breath during sleep, it's something you should look into.

    I agree. I was just like you - couldn't move to save my life. I wanted to do things, but actually getting my body to move was a whole other battle. I did a sleep study because my doctor thought maybe sleep apnea was to blame. I could sleep all day. My naps weren't just a 20 minute snoozer, I would nap for 4 hours at a time. It made it really hard to be productive at work. It turns out that I did not have sleep apnea, but I did have something called hypersomnia. Basically, my brain does not register that my body has had enough sleep. So it keeps trying to get me to sleep more. Its kinda in the narcolepsy family. Once I discovered what it was and was able to get on medication I was great. My doctor had perscribed Ritalin...in people with ADD it slows them down, but if you don't have it it speeds you up. So a few pills throughout the day and I'm good to go.

    There's definitely something going on. Maybe see an internal medicine doctor to find out what's going on. They specialize in finding out this kind of stuff.
  • purpleposies
    purpleposies Posts: 90 Member
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    I feel constantly tired/exhausted in my very core. If left to my own devices I would sleep up to 10 hours a day. I do take Vitamin B and Iron supplements, but between my job (I'm an Assistant Manager right now at a fast food restaurant, so I'm on my feet and pretty constantly moving up to 9 hours a day, five days a week at least) and my toddler, I'm just plain friggin' tired. I have tried energy drinks in the past (like, 7 years ago when I was in college) and they never worked for me, but a friend bought me a Monster at work once and the thing is amazing. I feel energetic and motivated. I KNOW they're not healthy for you, but I'm kind of thinking of using them to help me get motivated to work out and keep up my energy throughout work, working out, and taking care of my son ... at least up until the point where working out and eating properly, etc., I would start to see an increase in my own natural energy reserves, so to speak. I'm about 150 lb overweight ... nothing to sneeze at. I just feel like even though they're unhealthy, if for now they help me get motivated and get moving, then in the end it's not such a bad thing.

    Any comments or thoughtful advice? =\

    When I worked 3 jobs what helped me out the most was support hose, I used light support but it truely makes a world of difference, you also need well made shoes. I know you were looking for a different solution but try it. :flowerforyou:

    I never thought of support hose. I'm not even sure I know what that is, LOL. I'll look into that, thank you! :)

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