What can I do to get more energy?

Some ideas- Get more sleep. Check for calories too low. If you just started low calorie, it's normal to feel tired the first week or two. Check for depression symptoms. Make sure you drink enough. Get more exercise. Eat more iron rich foods and/or take a multivitamin with iron. Good luck!

Also- $250 for a gen. practitioner sounds crazy high. Might want to call around and make sure that's right. I think my doctor charges like $59 for an office visit. Some tests are cheap.

Also also- Are you in college? Most have school clinics.

I would recommend looking into increasing your iodine in your diet to support your thyroid.

If you are a caffeine drinker that could contribute (not knocking caffeine). Before I got pregnant I drank redbull daily and felt like a zombie without it. I have heard the same complaint from some coffee drinkers. Some medications can also have the same effect. You could also try going to bed a little earlier and see how you feel after a week or two. Sleep issues such as sleep apnea could also be a factor.

In for any good advice.

I feel you OP! I am tired ALL the time as well. I went to the doctors and had a physical and test done. The doc said I was healthy and all blood work came out fine.

I don't know what it is.

The best to you!

while doing what you can to adjust your diet is great, you do need to see a doctor.

I understand the dilemma but please try this; call the clinic AND hospital closest to you, talk with their business office/billing and ask about different options you have.

Many clinics/hospitals offer programs, discounts etc. to help out in different ways.
You need to explain you are feeling terrible and do not know what to do as you cannot afford to pay but need to see a doctor.

They can help you find out if they have a program that you would be eligible for. Never hurts to ask.

Iodine, Iron, Vitamin D, and Evening Primrose Oil. Covers basis for ovary disfunction, thyroid imbalance, and anemia. If it persists after a month of CONSISTENT supplement use, then you might have a bigger problem. Don't leave something like this to strangers on the internet.

Just sayin'.

Edit: Melatonin at night to help you get GOOD sleep.

I'm going to guess it has to do with your diet but hard to say without much logged.

Higher protein and healthy fats may help. If you're used to a lot of carbs, consider a gradual transition as a major drop in carb intake can make you feel a bit off. Consider more of a South Beach approach (lower, healthier carbs) rather than an Atkins approach (very little carbs at first). Meaning when you eat carbs, try picking more fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc.

You may also want to consider taking a mutli vitamin. Could be you're lacking iron, Vit D, etc.

Keep saving up for that doc's visit too just in case the change in diet/nutrition doesn't help.

Good luck!

Is there a reason you are maxing sleep at 8 hours/day (weekday?) your max is actually the minimum recommended amount (anyone correct me if I am wrong)... BUT IF you can swing it... add an hour so you are sleeping 8-9 hours/day... there are studies suggesting that a lack of sleep can lead to weight issues in adults...and there are links to sleep issues based on overweight (obesity) (apnea) ...

IF you are too tired to get some exercise... try taking a 15 minute "rest, nap, meditation, before your workout... How is your diet? think about adding a multi-vitamin... do you work at night?

Generally when some is "TOO ANYTHING" .. it means something is out of balance... plot out your day... keep a log...for a couple of weeks...keep track of everything you do and when you do it...

My wife is a bit jealous of me... she has timed me and I can fall asleep in as little as 7 seconds of my head hitting a pillow... I wake at 4 and turn in at 9 during the week... if I end up laying on the couch watching TV on the weekend... I will fall asleep... so maybe your issue is just being too comfortable... BUT ... IF you think there might be something wrong.. then you owe it to yourself to get it checked out... before seeing the doctor.. it will help him if you can provide that daily log.. and the longer and more detail you can keep in that log will be of more help to the doctor...

Best of luck... and having overweight parents doesn't mean you have to follow that path...

Estimate your TDEE and eat close to it. Establish a good sleeping pattern at night. Exercise MODERATELY. See a doctor as soon as possible.


Don't drink caffeine to combat the tired. I know, I know. I only drink 4 cups of coffee on the days ending in "y" but if I drink more, I crash. Caffeine stimulates serotonin production in the brain, altering mood and aggression patterns in users. When these serotonin levels drop, the results can range from loss of mental acuity to anger and exhaustion (see Majithia, 2007).

I hate that I use caffeine for energy. I try to only use/drink it 1-2 times a week as I hate the idea of becoming dependent. I have a pretty good sleep schedule, but I do not sleep deeply if that makes sense. Even in my deepest sleep, a whisper could wake me up. I have considered the possibility of sleep apnea, but what even can they do? Sell me a $2000, super nosy (so by-by husband in my bed) machine? I would absolutely hate to be diagnosed with that, but I guess I'd have an answer.

My husband has sleep apnea and the machines are actually pretty quiet. It doesn't disturb me at all. They aren't cheap but are under $1000. If you were to be diagnosed with sleep apnea it would be best to treat it as it can cause health problems. Sometimes it can be cured with surgery.

I think 8-9 hours is normal for young adults. What you're doing now obviously isn't healthy for you if you're always tired so why not try the obvious, easy, free solution-- try more sleep? Napping can be good, too, and there are alarms to keep you from going 3 hours.

Perhpas TMI, but you mentioned having endo. I have severe (lvl4) endometriosis, had surgery followed by a year of Lupron shots. Post Lupron check-up and 6month post lupron check-up showed the cysts are refilling (I should have made sure to gotten a surgeon to do an excise surgery instead of just draining). Its been a two year process so far, its hard to compare how I felt before to how I feel now.

I'm also a night owl and generally get 6-7 hours of sleep a night. I end up drinking 1-2 cups of coffee mid-morning, or grabbing a diet soda purely for the caffine kick. So I feel your pain.

I know I function at my best if I sleep 8-9 hours a night, but I just don't do it. I work a regular 8am-5pm job and when 9pm rolls around I get a second wind of energy and stay up until midnight or 1am. It's easy to say "go to bed" it's harder to actually do it. I know what time it is, I know I should go to bed, sometimes I even start to get ready for bed, but I end up staying up anyway.

They only useful tip I have may not work for you. My employer has a privacy room for nursing mothers, with a decent recliner in a small internal office with no windows. When I'm really dragging at work I'll pop down there, lock the door and take a quick nap. I set my cell phone to wake me up and have friend in the office that I could tell to come get me if I'm not back at my desk. I listen to a 25 minute guided meditation (heh, the cd from paul mckenna's I Can Make You Thin book). I always wake up as he's counting back up at the end of it, and I feel less stressed going back to the rest of my work day.

As far as nutrition, I agree with the other poster who said to re-calculate your TDEE. Give your general everyday go-to meals a once over and tweak a few spots if you can. On the Endo front, I started researching anti-inflammation diets, which is similar to Mediterrean diet style of eating. I'm sort of on the bandwagon about chronic inflammation exacberating the condition, so the tweaks I am making is in that direction. I'm increasing veggies, decreasing gluten/bread/pasta products, and avoiding dairy. Not sure I'll ever give up cheese or ice cream entirely. I am specifically eating more fish and less pototaoes. I'm saying no to soy products whenever possible. I just started taking fish oil and Vitamin D. I already try to take Niacin daily.

My rational isn't completely based in proven science, but proven science and doctors haven't been able to help me that much the last couple years. They just say this is how things are and dodge my inquiries about nutrition. My approach is what I feel okay with. Its what I haven't tried in the past and what I think sounds reasonable and do-able for me.

Nutrition and sleep/naps are bandaids if you have some other medical condition that is causing the lack of energy, but since you aren't able to get tests done right now tweaking your nutrition, lowering stress, and trying to get to bed are good strategies. See if anything changes in a week or two. For me, sometimes its chronic stress that throws my sleep off. It sounds like you have a lot going on all the time.

Poor sleep quality can be a form of insomnia, which has a variety of causes. I get the same kind of sleep that you do and I also wake up every 45 minutes to an hour. So while I'm "sleeping" for 8 hours a night I never, or very rarely, go into REM sleep. The only thing that helps me is taking an OTC sleeping aid. You could try something like that in the meantime. Melatonin works for a lot of people and is safer than an actual sleep aid.