Feeling like crap

kaylacyr123

I have recently started dieting, just by making smarter food choices and portioning my food better. I am drinking 8 glasses of water a day and eating lots of greens, fiber and protein. I have cut out meat and fast food from my diet. Before starting this I was eating fast food about three times a week ( hamburgers, poutines etc) and now that I have started eating better I am tired, have a constant headache and just feel weak.

Is this normal? or am I doing something wrong.. do any of you know of anything i should include in my diet to help, especially since I have cut out meat.

Thanks

farway

I do not know "proper" answer, but detox makes some feel like crap, maybe same for you although not detox as such you have cut well back on so called junk?

MSam1205

If you have cut sugars, caffeine, carbs, etc it may take time to adjust. The energy/highs from these are nice, but hard to come down from!!

lyndsayb13

Don`t give up! Your body is essentially in withdrawal from all those bad foods and is on a come down. Just think though what affect they are having on you to make you feel like this without them. Keep going and you`ll be able to enjoy a positive high that your mind and your body will thank and love you for x
:flowerforyou:

ps you mentioned you have cut out meat and vegetarians can often suffer from lack of energy - you need something to replace that - I know nuts are a good source of energy but they can also be extremely high in fat so be careful x

micervera

I felt the same way when I started my journey. I call it 'withdrawals' and after a while they went away. Now when I eat junk food, my body rejects it by making me feel bloated and to the point of constipation (TMI i know). I guess it's a way my body reminds me to stop eating so much crap. Try eating fruit for natural sugars, veggies for energy, drink tea for caffeine (chamomile is good for this) and don't be afraid of using healthy oils such as olive, canola, flaxseed, etc. for cooking. You body requires fatty oils too along with protein. Hope you feel better soon!

mizzie1980

Did you used to drink a lot of caffeine? A sudden drop in caffeine consumption can actually cause you to have withdrawal effects, including feeling tired and having headaches. If that's it, it'll just take a few days for your body to adjust to it.

Just curious, why did you cut out all meat? Are you sure you are getting enough protein from other sources? That could also be a reason you feel tired and weak. I limit red meat (maybe once a month) and eat mostly chicken, turkey and fish. You want to make sure you are getting enough protein (and exercising, but that's another topic) or some of the weight you lose will be lean muscle mass instead of fat.

BellaFe

Sh!tty food withdrawal, give it some time and you will start to feel great!

TinaCleg

Maybe you are eating too little ?

kaylacyr123

Thank you everyone for all the responses! I appreciate it a lot

To answer some questions- I have not given up caffeine I generally drink 1 cup a day and have been since I started I just drink it without sugar now. I am eating nuts and trying to get protein from other foods but I am quite a newbie at this vegetarian thing so I want to make sure I am doing it right. I don't think I am eating too little ( I'd have way too much trouble trying to do that and never would be able to) Since tend to overeat and eat huge meals. I've replaced that with 5 small meals a day. I will be adding more nuts into my diet and looking into other protein sources. The reason I cut out meat was with the advice of my doctor, I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple years ago and my doctor said if i lost weight i would get rid of a lot of the syptoms and might be able to reach fertility. He suggested I stop eating meat as he thought it was affecting my body and hormones terribly.

thanks!
Its been hard not to give up because of how much i feel like crap but I am trying hard not to

cuterbee

If you are not eating meat and you are still having menstrual cycles, it could very well be that you are not getting enough iron.

You can eat more spinach or other plant sources of iron, but combine it with strawberries or oranges; vitamin C helps you metabolize the iron in spinach better. You can also switch to cooking in cast iron pans; and add a multivitamin with iron.

Iron helps your blood carry oxygen. If your iron is low, you will feel fatigued because your body is not getting the oxygen it needs.

kaylacyr123

Thanks for the tips! I will incorporate those foods in my diet. I am not menstruating and havent for about 5 months, I am hoping that with these changes I will.

4_Lisa

I have cut out meat and fast food from my diet. Before starting this I was eating fast food about three times a week ( hamburgers, poutines etc) and now that I have started eating better I am tired, have a constant headache and just feel weak.

Is this normal? or am I doing something wrong.. do any of you know of anything i should include in my diet to help, especially since I have cut out meat.

Thanks

Cut out meat completely? you need to talk to a nutritionist to find out what types of things you need to be eating to replace what you are lacking from meat. One of those will be tofu. You are probably not getting enough iron in your diet, hence the tired and possibly headaches. You should still include fish in your diet even if you are not looking at eating red meat since it has other nutrients you need that without it you will likley require supplements!

kaylacyr123

Thanks I haven't spoken with a nutrionist only my family doctor so I think that would be a good idea. I am planing on still eating fish but I usually just eat tuna.

morkiemama

I would join a PCOS group here and maybe ask for advice there? I'm sure there are vegetarian groups too that could help you out with non-meat protein sources.

OR start a new thread with something like "PCOS and New Vegetarian Advice Needed" in the title. That would get you more specific attention rather than a generic thread title.

If it continues, I would get blood work and get your vitamin/mineral levels checked.

Good luck!

adenium11

I agree completely with the ladies.. We all go through withdrawls when we stop eating sugars and intaking caffiene etc. So on that asepect that does ( even thought it takes some time) will go away. HOwever if you cut out meat you may not be getting the iron and protein needed to go about your daily functions. You can up that with a nutritional protien powder, eggs, tofu , beans and lentils.

A nutrtionist is definitely your best bet. May I ask why you cut out meats? Chicken and steak are wonderful protiens with lots of rich nutrients

Firefox7275

I have recently started dieting, just by making smarter food choices and portioning my food better. I am drinking 8 glasses of water a day and eating lots of greens, fiber and protein. I have cut out meat and fast food from my diet. Before starting this I was eating fast food about three times a week ( hamburgers, poutines etc) and now that I have started eating better I am tired, have a constant headache and just feel weak.

Is this normal? or am I doing something wrong.. do any of you know of anything i should include in my diet to help, especially since I have cut out meat.

Thanks

Are you now eating a balanced diet including all the food groups aside from meat? Enough calories for your activity level? What are your sources of carbs and healthy fats? Have you cut out or down on caffeine (coffee, soda)? You need more than greens, all the colours are highly beneficial, you need minerals (nuts, seeds, beans, lentils) as well as vitamins. Do get this right, insulin resistance and diabetes are associated with certain nutrient deficiencies. Seeds tend to be richer sources of minerals than nuts.

Water alone doesn't help your body hold water, carbs minerals and other nutrients all play a role, it's possible reducing salt has had an effect on your water balance or your blood sugar is low because you are not eating enough or you are withdrawing from caffeine. Have you had the glycaemic index and glycaemic load explained to you?

If you are cutting out meat simply eat more fish, especially oily fish - rich in vitamin D, B12, super healthy long chain omega-3s which are linked to lower bodyfat, beneficial in insulin resistance/ hormone imbalances and are powerful anti inflammatories. If you are cutting fish as well please carefully research a balanced vegetarian diet on vegetarian charity and society websites. Also consider supplements especially either fish body oils or a high strength marine algae supplement (expensive). Given that your reasons for quitting meat are health rather than moral I would recommend you ask your endocrinologist about oily fish, I suspect he would be delighted for you to be a pescatarian. Canned tuna does not class as an oily fish.

rosiemay3

That's exactly how I felt when I cut out meat, too. Why did you cut it out? Lean meat is very healthy. Obviously it's up to you, but if I were you I'd add meat to your diet again

KenosFeoh

Some of have to increase our salt a bit when we increase our water. Since you gave up the junk food, you may not be getting enough salt and have become dehydrated.

kaylacyr123

Thank you everyone for all the feedback!!