Anyone else tired?

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AllegraWilliams
AllegraWilliams Posts: 34
in Health and Weight Loss
It seems like every time I try to get into shape and start losing weight I get extra tired. I'm not the sort to nap during the day usually, but when I'm eating few enough calories to actually lose weight I become sluggish mid-day (about 3pm).

I take a multi-vitamin every morning with breakfast,.

Anyone else notice they are more tired or have any suggestions? (I'm not the type to nap, if I lay down I will be out for 6hrs and hating myself at anything less because I wont really wake up fully all night.)

Replies

  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
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    Make sure you're getting all your iron and protein from whole foods and just just supplements. It will really help - especially for us ladies!
  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
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    Make sure you're getting all your iron and protein from whole foods and just just supplements. It will really help - especially for us ladies!
  • JJBRAY85
    JJBRAY85 Posts: 35 Member
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    How about a peice of fruit. Apple or something. All the natural sugar and carbs would probably give you a nice little boost to get thru your sluggish times. I try to eat one before I head home from work because I got a long drive home. Works okay keeping me awake. I see your in school AND working full time. I know that has to be wearing you out. Maybe a combo of your day in addition with the low cal diet is whats making it hard for you. Do you work out too? That might put a lil pep in your step after a few weeks of working out in the gym.
  • ashleighlvschris
    ashleighlvschris Posts: 29
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    I get like that too, I found waiting to take my multi vitamins at lunch helped me alot. I take the once a day womans dieting vitamins. They give me that kick of energy I need half way thru the day.
  • brafordrm
    brafordrm Posts: 19
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    3PM? If you work a day job, especially one at a desk, that is pretty typical. Most people on this site won't recommend caffeine at all, but since I know that I hit a bit of a wall at about this time everyday, I save my coffee drinking time for the afternoon.
  • JesaGrace
    JesaGrace Posts: 799 Member
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    I was just thinking that right now(it's almost 3 right now) and I'm at work....and I'm about to fall asleep....just thinking of exercising after this makes me want to close my eyes and sleep....
  • joshandstacy
    joshandstacy Posts: 56 Member
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    I was actually really tired all the time which is why I started eating healthier. I needed to lose the weight anyway but just wasn't doing it. I haven't been doing it very long but here are a few things that have been suggested to me. Make sure you aren't going too low on the calorie intake because your body needs the calories like fuel. So, if you aren't eating enough, than this will cause the sluggish feeling. Drink tea for the caffeine (the nutrients and stuff in tea are also good for weight loss). Obviously, make sure you get enough sleep... For me, I've discovered that I can also very easily get too much sleep which is just as bad as not enough sleep (in terms of my drowsy feeling). I also started taking women's one a day with energy supplement. It says it on the bottle. I think that's been helping me.
  • AllegraWilliams
    AllegraWilliams Posts: 34
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    3PM? If you work a day job, especially one at a desk, that is pretty typical. Most people on this site won't recommend caffeine at all, but since I know that I hit a bit of a wall at about this time everyday, I save my coffee drinking time for the afternoon.

    Actually I have a strange schedule. I work from 7AM to 7PM on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Though that usually turns into 7AM to 8:30PM). My Monday-Thursday is school and the occasional OT for work.

    I have started jogging in the mornings, which has really helped me mellow out. (I'm naturally quite jittery, which should not be confused with energetic b/c it tends to wear me out more than anything.)

    I've been pairing my fruit with cheese stick to try to slow my blood sugar rise and fall, but maybe at times like this I should omit the cheese stick. I do kinda sit around this time of the day, so maybe just getting some movement in will help.
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    Everyone's metabolism is different. But I had mine tested by my doctor a little over two weeks ago, and ever since then, the new rules he's given me have made a *huge* difference. I am no longer having wild mood swings & periods of extreme exhaustion throughout the day... anyway, here's what he told me:
    When you eat carbs, they provide your body with instant fuel. That's why it's good to eat them right before you exercise. But what happens is that you use it up, then you crash. How hard you crash, again, depends on your metabolism. What you want to try to do is eat fewer carbs and force your body to burn something else (fat), but do that without going into starvation mode where your body just slows down & gets tired. You do that by eating plenty of protein throughout the day (the energy-making process uses one part protein, three parts fat). My doctor has me eating (or drinking) 50g protein every three hours from the time I wake up until I go to bed. You look like a little bitty thing, you probably wouldn't need to eat quite that much to keep your metabolism going. :-) But the idea is to keep it constantly, steadily fueled with protein to stimulate fat-burning.
    So anyway, long story short, I would eat fewer carbs at lunch to avoid such a big crash around 3, and make sure & have plenty of protein at lunch and also another protein-filled snack around mid-afternoon. I'd recommend omitting the fruit rather than the cheese stick.
    But like I said, everyone's metabolism is different, what works for me may not work for you! (How's that for a disclaimer?) :-) Good luck!
  • trish1960
    trish1960 Posts: 39
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    I started taking iron tablets/vitamins. Helps some. I'm a secretary and sit at a desk all day. Sometimes I just have to get up and move around.
  • AllegraWilliams
    AllegraWilliams Posts: 34
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    Everyone's metabolism is different. But I had mine tested by my doctor a little over two weeks ago, and ever since then, the new rules he's given me have made a *huge* difference. I am no longer having wild mood swings & periods of extreme exhaustion throughout the day... anyway, here's what he told me:
    When you eat carbs, they provide your body with instant fuel. That's why it's good to eat them right before you exercise. But what happens is that you use it up, then you crash. How hard you crash, again, depends on your metabolism. What you want to try to do is eat fewer carbs and force your body to burn something else (fat), but do that without going into starvation mode where your body just slows down & gets tired. You do that by eating plenty of protein throughout the day (the energy-making process uses one part protein, three parts fat). My doctor has me eating (or drinking) 50g protein every three hours from the time I wake up until I go to bed. You look like a little bitty thing, you probably wouldn't need to eat quite that much to keep your metabolism going. :-) But the idea is to keep it constantly, steadily fueled with protein to stimulate fat-burning.
    So anyway, long story short, I would eat fewer carbs at lunch to avoid such a big crash around 3, and make sure & have plenty of protein at lunch and also another protein-filled snack around mid-afternoon. I'd recommend omitting the fruit rather than the cheese stick.
    But like I said, everyone's metabolism is different, what works for me may not work for you! (How's that for a disclaimer?) :-) Good luck!

    I will definitely try this! It is easier to keep high protein lower carb. stuff around the house anyways b/c my husband is diabetic.

    The fear I always have is when your body burns fats and protein one of the nasty bio-products is H+ ions in the blood stream, which in extreme cases can cause acidosis, so I think it's important to not burn TOO much fat and protein and once. (Sorry I'm going to school to be a chemist, so I get all into this stuff.)

    I wonder where the healthy balance is? (I know that is one down side to the Atkins diet, is the high acidity of the blood is damaging to organs over the long term, as in if you stuck to the diet for years and years) I guess it's a balancing act. Obviously too much carbs with too little protein is bad too, as in the problem I'm having.

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