Fatigued - Opinions?
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nadia712
Posts: 18 Member
Hi everyone! I'm a little over three weeks into my second ever Whole30 (first one was about a year ago). I've been gluten free for over six months now, but I found that I was relying a bit too much on gluten-free grains/sugar as time went on.. so I decided to jump back on the Whole30 wagon.
When I did my first Whole30, I found I had a lot more energy than I was used to. I needed noticeably less sleep. This time, I haven't noticed much of a change in my energy levels at all. I'm feeling consistently fatigued, I'm needing quite a bit of sleep, and I'm sleepy shortly after dinner. I am not sure if my macros are off or if I'm eating too much/not enough. My food diary is open, so I would be really grateful if some of you could take a look and let me know what you think. I was eating 1200 calories, then 1350, and now I'm on 1500 - though I'm finding it hard to eat that much, to be honest. I've logged every day of my Whole30 so far, minus one.
Background information: I've got PCOS, am (used to be?) insulin resistant, and have about 40 pounds left to lose. I have just started a couch to 5K program, and haven't exercised much (apart from walking everywhere I go) for months before last week. I've noticed I get really cold about an hour after a run/walk, which can apparently be a sign of carbohydrate intake being too low slash adrenal fatigue. I am thinking about IFing (with bulletproof tea), but I am unsure whether or not that would be the right move for me at this stage.
Let me know what you think, and thanks in advance. :-)
EDIT: Forgot to add that I'm under a fair amount of stress on a pretty regular basis - very heavy course load at university. I think I handle it well, but it may be contributing in some way I'm not aware of.
When I did my first Whole30, I found I had a lot more energy than I was used to. I needed noticeably less sleep. This time, I haven't noticed much of a change in my energy levels at all. I'm feeling consistently fatigued, I'm needing quite a bit of sleep, and I'm sleepy shortly after dinner. I am not sure if my macros are off or if I'm eating too much/not enough. My food diary is open, so I would be really grateful if some of you could take a look and let me know what you think. I was eating 1200 calories, then 1350, and now I'm on 1500 - though I'm finding it hard to eat that much, to be honest. I've logged every day of my Whole30 so far, minus one.
Background information: I've got PCOS, am (used to be?) insulin resistant, and have about 40 pounds left to lose. I have just started a couch to 5K program, and haven't exercised much (apart from walking everywhere I go) for months before last week. I've noticed I get really cold about an hour after a run/walk, which can apparently be a sign of carbohydrate intake being too low slash adrenal fatigue. I am thinking about IFing (with bulletproof tea), but I am unsure whether or not that would be the right move for me at this stage.
Let me know what you think, and thanks in advance. :-)
EDIT: Forgot to add that I'm under a fair amount of stress on a pretty regular basis - very heavy course load at university. I think I handle it well, but it may be contributing in some way I'm not aware of.
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Have you had your iron and B12 checked? I was also having serious "tired" issues and it came up that I was low on D, B12 and Iron. It wouldn't hurt to have a full blood panel done just to make sure you're not low on something.0
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I haven't - that's a good point. I can't imagine that I could be low on iron with the amount of meat I eat (a lot of it is red meat), but vitamin D could definitely be an issue. I don't take any supplements at the moment. I will definitely get a blood test and take a look - thanks!0
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It looks to me like you're probably not eating enough calories. I had a quick peek at your diary and you were consistently well under your daily calorie goal, and by quite a bit on some days--especially when you exercise and don't eat back the calories.
Vitamin deficiencies could definitely be an issue--you don't eat much in the way of veggies and fruits at all.0 -
Def have a full blood panel done. I was exhausted and felt flu-like for probably a year. In a routine lab I found out I have hypothyroidism and at at that time had a vitamin D deficiency. Yikes!
Can't hurt to check. Best wishes!0 -
I'm going to second the not enough calories thing. I know it can be hard when eating such dense good for you food to eat enough, but really 1500 is probably too low. Particularly since it's sounds like you're pretty active. I would recommend http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Also the Eat More To Weigh Less Group. Good luck!
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Have you had your iron and B12 checked? I was also having serious "tired" issues and it came up that I was low on D, B12 and Iron. It wouldn't hurt to have a full blood panel done just to make sure you're not low on something.
^^This. I eat a lot of meat as well, yet my iron levels were quite low for a while after a brief illness (to the point where I couldn't even donate blood). Depending on your loss during TOM, you may need more than usual. I'm still taking an iron supplement over 12 months after it dropped and it's still pretty average.
And agreed, maybe you need more QUALITY calories. Had a quick look at your diary and maybe you could be eating more leafy greens and vegetables (Whole 30 does specify vegetables at every meal, not just protein and fats).0 -
I will join the calorie bandwagon,they look quite low.
Stress(as you said),can have lots of negative effects on your health and it will make you super tired.
Hope you find a solution soon.
Good luck0 -
Thanks so much for your opinions, everyone. I appreciate them. I'll definitely schedule some bloodwork and increase my veg consumption. I have been eating a TON of tomato and a fair amount of onion/zuchinni, but I agree that I need to be eating more spinach, for example. I'm staying away from fruits at the moment, as I'm trying to cut out sugar entirely.
I will try my best to increase my calorie consumption, too. The calculator munzinni posted (thanks!) said I need to be eating over 1700 calories daily. What's the best way to add in extra calories without feeling like I'm overloading on food? Fat, I guess? Maybe a side salad with avocado and some sort of balsamic vinaigrette at each meal, or something like that?0 -
Thanks so much for your opinions, everyone. I appreciate them. I'll definitely schedule some bloodwork and increase my veg consumption. I have been eating a TON of tomato and a fair amount of onion/zuchinni, but I agree that I need to be eating more spinach, for example. I'm staying away from fruits at the moment, as I'm trying to cut out sugar entirely.
I will try my best to increase my calorie consumption, too. The calculator munzinni posted (thanks!) said I need to be eating over 1700 calories daily. What's the best way to add in extra calories without feeling like I'm overloading on food? Fat, I guess? Maybe a side salad with avocado and some sort of balsamic vinaigrette at each meal, or something like that?
Yes, fat. Eat fattier cuts of meat, avocados, real butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, walnut oil...I put half an avocado on every salad I eat, and always add dressing. I make my own mayonnaise and use that a lot. I mix it with tuna, top burgers with it, also use it to make creamier dressings and stuff. I put meat on every salad I eat. Bacon is a favourite salad topping, so is tuna. If you eat nut butters, that's another way to up your fat pretty easily.
Tomato, onion, and zucchini isn't much variation for your veggies. Adding spinach is a great idea, but why not strive for even MORE variety? Do you not like most veggies? A stir fry is a great way to have a ton of veggies at once. I also do big salads. I add veggies to scrambled eggs, or have a bit of sauteed veggies if I'm eating poached or fried eggs that morning. Lunch is usually a big salad, or sometimes I make little "sandwiches" by wrapping whatever fillings and condiments in a leaf of romaine lettuce.
I avoid sugar, too...and don't eat much in the way of fruit. I do have berries here and there, and on occasion perhaps an apple or orange. I really limit fruit consumption. I don't limit veggies at all though, apart from white potatoes.0 -
Have you had your thyroid level checked? Some women who have PCOS also have thyroid issues (I have both). Low thyroid can cause fatigue as well as probelms regulating your body temperature.0
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It's not that I don't like other veggies (apart from peppers - hate those!), I've just been focusing on eating dense sources of energy to ensure that I am eating enough fat to sustain my currently very to moderately low carb regimen. By the time I've eaten those, I'm not hungry - so it hasn't come naturally to add veggies on top of what I'm already eating. That's probably purely because they're normally an afterthought, though. I think what I'm going to do is prepare them alongside my main meal from now on, and eat them at the same time, without decreasing the amount of protein/fat I normally eat. Hopefully doing so will mean that I've gotten through the veggies before I start feeling full.
I've just made an appointment to have blood tests done, so hopefully that will provide some insight as well. Looking forward to getting my energy back! :-)
@alevans - I haven't had my thyroid checked. Is that something that can be done via a blood test? If so, I will ask to have that checked alongside the other numbers I'm going to request.
If anyone else has any other thoughts (re. bulletproof IFing, increasing carbs, etc. etc.) or just general tips I would love to hear them.0 -
increase your fat intake0
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increase your fat intake
How much fat do you recommend? It's not uncommon for me to eat over 100g in a day (over 60% of my calories). Surely that's enough?0 -
increase your fat intake
How much fat do you recommend? It's not uncommon for me to eat over 100g in a day (over 60% of my calories). Surely that's enough?
I was just looking at your diary again and was wondering what you have your macros set to?
I notice that most days you are way under on your protein.
I would also say to look at your calories and make sure you are getting enough food.Perhaps an increase in your veggies as well.
Just an opinion.0 -
I was just looking at your diary again and was wondering what you have your macros set to?
I notice that most days you are way under on your protein.
I would also say to look at your calories and make sure you are getting enough food.Perhaps an increase in your veggies as well.
Just an opinion.
I know, I hardly ever hit my protein. I'm not sure what I should do to remedy that, though. I'm planning to increase calories, and definitely going to look at increasing the amount and variety of veggies I eat.
My macros are currently set to 60% fat, 30% protein, and 10% carb. I have changed them a bunch of times, and I'm not totally sure I have them right now. Open to suggestions.0 -
I've had the same problem (minus the PCOS). Once I got my insulin resistance under control, I ended up doing a carb refeed once a week. Take one night and eat a crap ton of carbs (sans gluten). It worked to bring up my energy levels and randomly, I ended up feeling like my jeans were looser the next morning. It might be something to try if your blood work comes back normal.0
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I've had the same problem (minus the PCOS). Once I got my insulin resistance under control, I ended up doing a carb refeed once a week. Take one night and eat a crap ton of carbs (sans gluten). It worked to bring up my energy levels and randomly, I ended up feeling like my jeans were looser the next morning. It might be something to try if your blood work comes back normal.
Hmm.. Sounds like an interesting option for sure. I will definitely consider it if my bloodwork comes back normal. It's very possible that I'm no longer insulin resistant, as the last set of blood tests I had done (about seven months ago) came back "normal" or better in all categories - a definite improvement over what my numbers were before. Can you quantify "crap ton?" ;-)0 -
@alevans - I haven't had my thyroid checked. Is that something that can be done via a blood test? If so, I will ask to have that checked alongside the other numbers I'm going to request.
I think a check of your thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH is proably part of routine bloodwork. Maybe ask your doctor beforehand?0 -
I've had the same problem (minus the PCOS). Once I got my insulin resistance under control, I ended up doing a carb refeed once a week. Take one night and eat a crap ton of carbs (sans gluten). It worked to bring up my energy levels and randomly, I ended up feeling like my jeans were looser the next morning. It might be something to try if your blood work comes back normal.
Hmm.. Sounds like an interesting option for sure. I will definitely consider it if my bloodwork comes back normal. It's very possible that I'm no longer insulin resistant, as the last set of blood tests I had done (about seven months ago) came back "normal" or better in all categories - a definite improvement over what my numbers were before. Can you quantify "crap ton?" ;-)
If I had to guess, probably upwords of around an extra 150-200g carbs than I normally eat. It might be more. I don't really count.0
