Plasma donation while on a calorie deficit

jsecret
jsecret Posts: 606 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone here have any experience with donating plasma while on a calorie deficit. I'm just starting my weight loss again but have been donating plasma for quite some time. I normally get a little "off" feeling after donating but I do it in the evening so I can eat supper and then go to bed.

However, last night I went to donate and it took considerably longer than normal which was odd because I have been really good at drinking large amounts of water lately. Afterward I was pretty damn sick feeling. I only had about 600 calories in me for the day when I went to donate, then drove to pick my kids up and grabbed a bite to eat. I could barely keep the food down and was pretty sure I was going to be sick. I went to bed nearly immediately and still felt pretty bad this morning up until a few hours ago.

Can I write it off as a one time thing, should I look into eating before donating from now on? Or is it all around just a bad idea while I'm on low calories?

Replies

  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    I donate regularly. I eat more on the day of donation and eat again after. Hasn't stopped my loss, and I don't feel sick or dizzy. It's very important to eat well before donating.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,647 Member
    I donate whole blood regularly, including while in a deficit, but donation day is a day off for me. I eat extra the day before and make the day of donation a maintenance day. Sometimes I'm a little tired, but I haven't gotten ill yet.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I usually eat at maintenance the day before and day of. I get plenty of protein and carbs.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,188 Member
    I donate blood not plasma, but I always eat something before and after. It isn't a daily thing and eating more on donation days is not going to hurt your weight loss.
  • RBillard
    RBillard Posts: 49 Member
    I normally donate platelets and had done so almost 50 times without a hitch. then i visited haiti and had to go a year before i could donate platelets again, but apparantly plasma was allowed. I thought i had eaten ok before my donation but I passed out during the process and was told to wait until i could donate platelets again. I had started taking creatine a few weeks before my plasma donation, so i don't know if that was a factor or not. steering clear of it until i try a platelet donation next month.
  • lisalewis7588
    lisalewis7588 Posts: 76 Member
    I donate plasma regularly (twice a week) and my center REQUIRES that you eat a healthy meal no more than 2 hours prior. I usually eat dinner then go straight over to donate. I've only felt sick ONCE and that was when I was dehydrated (and I honestly knew I probably shouldn't have donated that day but they had an amazing bonus and so I did.... yeah, never again, took over twice as long and I was SO SICK for a day). I don't eat any more on plasma days than normal, but I do drink an extra liter of water and make sure I have plenty of protein that day. I've never had troubles.
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