light headed question

mama050709
mama050709 Posts: 100
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone :)

I don't know if its just me, but ever since I started cutting calories and working out I feel so light headed a lot more often!!! Is this normal? What can I do to help?

THANK YOU!!!

Replies

  • audiophile
    audiophile Posts: 70
    I get this too! I'm very interested in hearing the answer!
  • veganon50
    veganon50 Posts: 46
    Me too!
    Especially when I stand up quickly eg when bending down to get something out of the fridge - only over the last 3-4 weeks since I have been taking more exercise!
    I hope someone knows why!!
  • mrsyatesy
    mrsyatesy Posts: 173
    Light-headedness can result from low blood sugar - eating smaller more frequent meals should help with keeping this out of the way - healthy snacks will keep you filled up and keep your blood sugar balanced. Also make sure you are properly hydrated - exercising a lot dehydrates you and just the 8 glasses when you have sweated out for an hour are not enough - you need to replenish as well.
  • mama050709
    mama050709 Posts: 100
    Thank you!! Yeah I am ALWAYS drinking water.. :)
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Light-headedness can result from low blood sugar - eating smaller more frequent meals should help with keeping this out of the way - healthy snacks will keep you filled up and keep your blood sugar balanced. Also make sure you are properly hydrated - exercising a lot dehydrates you and just the 8 glasses when you have sweated out for an hour are not enough - you need to replenish as well.

    This is exactly what I was going to say but it's kinda hard to answer fully without seeing your food diary :smile:
  • ivyjbres
    ivyjbres Posts: 612 Member
    You may also be experiencing low blood pressure. Exercise (because its good for your heart) lowers your resting blood pressure and resting heart rate, so when you go from resting to moving, your heart has a little more pace to make up. I used to have this problem before I gained weight, not so much now (hardly ever).
  • rhoward66
    rhoward66 Posts: 34 Member
    Definitely have your blood pressure checked. I have been taking HBP meds for years, and since losing weight and becoming more fit, I began experiencing light-headedness too. My doctor cut my meds in half, and I hope to cut them out completely soon!
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    7 years ago when I lost a significant amount of weight I had the same problem. My doctor tracked it down to blood pressure. Even at 260 lbs my blood pressure was a the low end of normal, when I did the 6WBMO I lost 40 lbs quickly my blood pressure went very low. The doc told me to add in more sodium and make sure I was drinking 6oz of a sports drink a day in addition to the gallon of water.

    Kind of wierd, I have low blood pressure and am fat, the rest of my family are normal weight and have high blood pressure.:ohwell:
  • gypsythunder
    gypsythunder Posts: 6
    The other posts really hit the nail on the head for me.

    Not sure if this helps or adds anything but ...give yourself time to recover after a work out. In highschool I was a runner and after a run the coach would yell at us for not walking and slowly recovering. Once I made the mistake of stopping and just bending over. When I stood back up I almost fainted. Make sure to spend a good amount of time "cooling down".

    Also there is a limit to water intake. Almost noone hits it but with the heat as its been on the east coast, it may be more prevalent. Light/low calorie sports drinks are a better drink if you are sweating it up for extended periods. They help replace that sodium and other nutrients we sweat out. I drink my water before I exercise and then hit the sports drinks for the during and after phase.
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
    In addition to making sure you have sufficent sodium, don't forget potassium. There is an important balance needed between the two.
  • luvHim
    luvHim Posts: 35 Member
    Now I'm confused...I thought we're supposed to be watching the sodium while dieting? I've had the lightheadedness, too, and wondered what caused it. How much sodium should we be shooting for - for those of us with low blood pressure?
  • snyder2teach
    snyder2teach Posts: 22
    Me too! I always found it ironic that I'm by far the heaviest in my family, but according to normal check ups (cholesterol, bp) I'm the healthiest. Go figure :)
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    7 years ago when I lost a significant amount of weight I had the same problem. My doctor tracked it down to blood pressure. Even at 260 lbs my blood pressure was a the low end of normal, when I did the 6WBMO I lost 40 lbs quickly my blood pressure went very low. The doc told me to add in more sodium and make sure I was drinking 6oz of a sports drink a day in addition to the gallon of water.

    Kind of wierd, I have low blood pressure and am fat, the rest of my family are normal weight and have high blood pressure.:ohwell:
    [/quote\
    I have the blood pressure of a dead person, literally haha....when i was hospitalized the nurse came in and got a reading of 46 over 64, then went to the other arm and it was 69 over 96...had to go and get the doctor and the doctor asked if i felt ok and then basically said that it was ok....
    and sometimes the machines in the doctors office can't read my blood pressure so they always have to do it by hand....

    When i get lightheaded i will either have a little piece of dove dark chocolate or try to eat something proteiny, like nuts or something
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
    This happens to me as well and I know that my blood pressure is low, so I don't mind having the extra sodium in my diet. If you have these problems, do not get into a hot tub, especially for a long period of time. One time I had a deep quadriceps cramp that I couldn't stretch out, so I sat in a hot tub for a half hour. I got out, showered off, and started to feel light headed. I made it back to my bench and ended up fainting. I had a nice carpet burn on my forehead from falling over and landing on the carpet. The dangers of exercise!
  • budgetqueen79
    budgetqueen79 Posts: 310 Member
    It happened to me and I drank some Powerade Zero and I felt 100% better.
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