Low energy, tired a lot of the time

acfkaren
acfkaren Posts: 60 Member
in Food and Nutrition
HI,

Since I began losing weight from 2008, very very slowly I have lost 24 pounds. Some came back on and then went but I'm a steady 174 now. I do need to lose another 30. Anyway I have PCOS which slows things down and IBS which swells things up. I've tweaked calorie and macro settings, tried 1200 calories, eating back exercise calories - you name it!

I exercise regularly about 3 or 4 times a week with a mixture of hiking and weights but my main issue now is sheer tiredness. I get tired and low and don't want to do anything..........when I do try it makes me worse.

I am after some helpful advise. My diary is not always filled in so please don't be rude about that!

Thank you

Replies

  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    I'm the same way.

    When I first start dieting after about 3 days I crash. I think it's when your body finally decides it's not going to get the food it used to get.

    I find a paleo diet helps with more consistent energy levels and hunger levels.

    Steve
  • lausmit4477
    lausmit4477 Posts: 30 Member
    Making sure that you have a balanced diet that targets your nutritional needs and getting pleny of sleep is of benefit. I would suggest that you make an appointment with your physician to make sure that there is not a medical issue or underlying problem. This could be due to something other than nutrition or lack of sleep.

    :)
  • OkieTink
    OkieTink Posts: 285 Member
    Have you seen a doctor to rule out a medical condition?
  • ouluann
    ouluann Posts: 6 Member
    Try a high quality fiber supplement. Unbelievable the difference it made in my tiredness level. Best regards
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
    I agree that it's a good idea to see your doctor. For me, cutting out the grains gave me a huge increase in my energy (no more food coma, yay!), but it's different for each person.
  • brandonzeciri
    brandonzeciri Posts: 13
    The problem is people think of it as a "diet".
    The "norm" is to eat tons of food that offers no nutritional value.

    Start thinking it as a normal way of eating because that's what a proper "diet" is.

    Sorry that's just kind of my pet peave lol

    So if you're feeling tired a lot of the times remember to be pumping your body with "super foods".

    Cherries, Fish, Garlic, Bananas, Eggs, Lemon, Apples, Olive Oil (don't cook with it), Kale, Bell Peppers, Flax, Chia Seeds, Blueberries, Tomatoes, Sweet Potato, the list goes on and on. These are all essentials to help you cut the fat and lift your energy levels.
  • acfkaren
    acfkaren Posts: 60 Member
    Thank you all for your quick replies! I am debating to see my dr but if I can find a natural (or more natural) way first. I have read about paleo. It looks interesting! I know my body requires 2-3 ryvitas a day to keep regular, any more than that and things are a bit............gassy...........

    Should I have a calorie limit on paleo?
  • acfkaren
    acfkaren Posts: 60 Member
    Try a high quality fiber supplement. Unbelievable the difference it made in my tiredness level. Best regards

    What would you recommend? I am in the UK
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    have you had your thyroid tested?
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
    Thank you all for your quick replies! I am debating to see my dr but if I can find a natural (or more natural) way first. I have read about paleo. It looks interesting! I know my body requires 2-3 ryvitas a day to keep regular, any more than that and things are a bit............gassy...........

    Should I have a calorie limit on paleo?

    When I started on Paleo, I wasn't paying attention to calories. I added MFP back in when I hit my plateau in February (but I was already down over 20 pounds at that point).
  • acfkaren
    acfkaren Posts: 60 Member
    have you had your thyroid tested?

    No I haven't...............been avoiding that if I'm honest! I have many "small stupid" things wrong so whenever I do go to the dr I feel a bit of a fraud.
  • dot1212
    dot1212 Posts: 72 Member
    Believe me, fatigue is a real issue and could be the underlying cause for many problems. Do not feel like a fraud Your doctor can better diagnose your problem than you can. Supplements are a good way to up your energy. I just found out about B12, folic acid and low Vitamin D. Of course the Vitamin D should be tested as you can over do on that vitamin and let's don't forget that pesky thyroid. Do go to the docotor as fatigue can debilitating. Also some people have low blood sodium levels which can affect your energy. I just wanted to make you aware of other implications of fatigue.

    Dot
  • Greywalk
    Greywalk Posts: 193 Member
    I agree with those suggesting a doctor. I might add you see a nutritionist if possible but the fatigue can be a serious underlying symptom of something else. I have coached women sports off and on for a few decades and normally something like what you say I would add iron to their diet but also recmmend a check up.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    It is very possible that your fatigue is from the PCOS (fellow PCOSier here). This is a very common side effect or symptom (not sure which it is) of PCOS. With any diet/exercise change, PCOS women have hormone fluctuations that can cause fatigue.

    I know that for me, I had to go low or very low carb because eating carbs makes me tired. When I stay low on carbs I feel alert, happy and awake all day. When I eat even a small portion of carbs that isn't from veggies, I feel awful and tired for the rest of the day. I am not sure what your diet looks like right now but you might want to look into the low carb thing! :)
  • BarefootSerenity
    BarefootSerenity Posts: 100
    I challenge you to commit to the Whole30 program for 30 days. Google it. It will change your life.
  • HeinekenMan
    HeinekenMan Posts: 80 Member
    Making sure that you have a balanced diet that targets your nutritional needs and getting pleny of sleep is of benefit. I would suggest that you make an appointment with your physician to make sure that there is not a medical issue or underlying problem. This could be due to something other than nutrition or lack of sleep.

    :)

    100 percent with this! Sleep is essential. Nutrition is essential.
  • trojanjoy
    trojanjoy Posts: 12
    I challenge you to commit to the Whole30 program for 30 days. Google it. It will change your life.

    DEFINITELY look into this. also, look at adding coconut oil into your diet. healthy fats help you lose fat (crazy as it sounds)... you could google that too. the testimonials from Whole30 are incredible, though. hope it helps you!
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
    A friend of mine also has PCOS, and she was always tired and was steadily gaining about 2-3 pounds every couple months. She went to the Dr and she suggested to try eliminating gluten. Apparenly glutens have a bad affect on people with PCOS. Have you tried this? Make sure you talk with your Dr before trying it, but it is definitely a thought.

    She has now been gluten free for 2 months, and is feeling much better, and without trying to lose weight, has lost 20 pounds.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I am after some helpful advise. My diary is not always filled in so please don't be rude about that!

    That makes it kind of difficult to give very helpful advice, though.
  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
    I challenge you to commit to the Whole30 program for 30 days. Google it. It will change your life.

    Yay! I second this! :)
  • bubbliemae
    bubbliemae Posts: 16
    I totally agree with all the advice about eating the right foods, " super foods" Another thing I did is went to an herb specialist. They looked in my eyes, and could tell what systems in my body were weak and needed support. Gave me a list of foods I should eat, should never eat and foods I could eat in a limited amount. They also recommended what herbs and supplements, I needed to support the areas that were having trouble. I am new at this natural way of doing things, but I can tell you I have not felt so good in as long as I can remember!

    Two other things I have done that have dramatically changed the way I feel, well 3 really, NO FAST FOOD!!!! I was addicted!
    NO SODA!!!! Reg. or diet
    Regular consistent exercise.

    WATER WATER WATER

    These are the things that have changed my life, hope it helps someone else too!
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    HI,

    Since I began losing weight from 2008, very very slowly I have lost 24 pounds. Some came back on and then went but I'm a steady 174 now. I do need to lose another 30. Anyway I have PCOS which slows things down and IBS which swells things up. I've tweaked calorie and macro settings, tried 1200 calories, eating back exercise calories - you name it!

    I exercise regularly about 3 or 4 times a week with a mixture of hiking and weights but my main issue now is sheer tiredness. I get tired and low and don't want to do anything..........when I do try it makes me worse.

    I am after some helpful advise. My diary is not always filled in so please don't be rude about that!

    Thank you

    When my blood sugar was high on the regular, I was sleepy a lot of the time & was just plain tired when not sleepy.
    I'm on a ketogenic diet & this along with exercise has helped me to not only lose weight, but keep my BG's within targets of below 120 PP and in the double digits fasting. Everyone's different, but it's worked for me when nothing else did.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
    OP – first of all, I could relate to your post and could have posted it myself, word for word. I’m so sorry you have to go through this!

    I work out frequently, track my calories and carbs carefully, and yet have very few pounds loss to account for all my hard work. This has been on-going, for years. I'm also extremely tired ALL the time and lack energy... sometimes to the extent that it is debilitating, regardless of exercise. You’ll get a lot of people saying “just exercise, it will give you energy”; while it can, to a degree, most times you cannot escape the treaded fatigue, if you have a certain condition. It is not the kind of tiredness that is quenched by sleep, though a good night's sleep is necessary of course!

    The sad thing is: You can be doing *everything* right, and still feel this way. I have had just about every test under the sun run on me, so I know my body's deficiencies. I've worked extremely hard to counter these things, and yet many of the symptoms remain. I've basically resigned myself to the lack of energy I feel on a daily basis. The KEY? I don't let it stop me from doing what I know is good for my body: eating a nutritious balanced diet, regular daily exercise, drinking lots of water, and adding supplements that I am deficient in due to my health issues. (Btw, my blood sugars are under control - have been for over a year now - and yet I still struggle with daily, sometimes crippling, fatigue.)

    I have PCOS, insulin resistance, and a slow thyroid. In fact, most women with PCOS have issues with their thyroid, so I wouldn't be surprised if you do too. This probably accounts for the tiredness you are experiencing. The pattern of hypothyroidism that is common to PCOS women is called "Overconversion” – the unfortunate part is that we present with all of the symptoms of hypothyroidism (including the dreadful fatigue), but prescription thyroid medication will NOT help treat this kind of thyroid issue.

    For more info on this I recommend reading: http://www.milwaukeethyroid.com/patterns.html <--- scroll down to read "Pattern 4: Overconversion" or google “overconversion PCOS” and you’ll come up with quite a bit of eye-opening reading material.

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