Jittery and fatigued...HELP!!

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mamagotti82
mamagotti82 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
With losing weight, I get stressed, jittery and fatigued easily. I have had a complete Hysterectomy in 2012 and am on no hormones. The only way I have found to ease my stress/jitters is to go off my diet and eat. Any suggestions on how to get past the moods?
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Replies

  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
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    How much are you eating? It shouldn't be like that.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
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    Is your diet too restrictive?
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    Hummm fatigued maybe not enough calories? Jittery maybe too much caffeine or sugar?

    For stress... sleep is key! get 7-8 hrs of sleep at night. I use Olly Restful Sleep Melatonin to help me sleep.

    Full Fat
    Fiber
    Protein

    Help me stay full.

    I also started taking Maca Root (google it to see if it may help you) for a natural hormone balance.
  • mamagotti82
    mamagotti82 Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm on a 1200 calorie diet, but if I get stressed/jittery I'll eat like a nutrigrain bar or other food to ease the tension. I believe hormones/chemicals are stored in the fat and as you lose the fat this releases them into your system. Just not sure how to deal with it to keep losing weight.
  • mamagotti82
    mamagotti82 Posts: 10 Member
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    I don't think my diet is too restrictive. I allow myself only 2 cups of coffee a day and my sugar level is fine also. I will look into the sleep melatonin and hormone therapy. THANK YOU!
  • OldHound
    OldHound Posts: 17 Member
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    If it's just a matter of a small amount of food like a nutrigrain bar, why worry at all about it? Maybe try an apple or a few strawberries or some fresh pineapple?
  • mamagotti82
    mamagotti82 Posts: 10 Member
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    I am fructose intolerant. Fresh fruits hurt me the worst. I don't understand it but I can eat a nutrigrain bar and only get a headache.
  • Bxqtie116
    Bxqtie116 Posts: 552 Member
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    It sounds like 1200 calories may be too strict for you to handle. Try adjusting your goal to lose 1 lb per week to increase your calories and see how that helps.
  • hiyomi
    hiyomi Posts: 906 Member
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    1200 may not seem restrictive, but your body is telling you otherwise. Listen to your body and try upping your calories for a week or two and see how you feel then.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    What are your stats? 1200 cals is not a lot of food.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Yes, if you can give us a bit more info it will help -

    How many pounds a week are you trying to lose?

    Do you exercise? How much?

    Do you eat back exercise calories?

    How many pounds are you trying to lose in total?

    I think it is likely that you are undereating and it is messing with your blood sugar. It also might help to rebalance your diet to include more whole grains, protein and fibre in order to allow yourself to cope better with a reduced energy intake.
  • mamagotti82
    mamagotti82 Posts: 10 Member
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    1200 calories really isn't strict....if you eat the right foods 1000 can fill you up....but I do eat as my body needs it.....even if I have to go over the calorie intake level I do..I just use it as a guide...I do think this diet is messing with the blood sugar levels, but I'm not a diabetic...my stats?...I have 60 pounds to lose...and any weight I lose, be it a half a pound or 2 pounds a week I would be happy with...I fell in December and have not been able to walk much since...I am getting better, but it's a slow process....I am using a cane part of the time now, mainly when I'm out and about. In the house I have things I can hold onto. Thank you all for your help! It's much appreciated!!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    @mamagotti82 if I drank two cups of coffee a day I'd be jittery too. Try switching it out for tea and nothing with caffeine in it after lunch. Try this for a week and see if it makes a difference.

    1200 calories may be too little for you. I was fatigued when I was on a medically supervised VLCD diet. If the multigrain bar works for you but you are worried about the calories try eating half.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    It could be reactive hypoglycemia. Blood glucose levels falling after they went high after a meal. It often gives symptoms like shakes, jitters, weakness, light headedness, brain fog, and such. Symptoms usually improve after eating.

    If that is the case, eating protein with lower carb meals can help regulate blood glucose. A low carb high fat diet will also do the trick.

    I went very low carb over a year ago, to deal with insulin resistance. My daily bouts of shaking and weakness stopped within days.
  • Alienique
    Alienique Posts: 122 Member
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    mamagotti82 wrote: »
    I don't think my diet is too restrictive. I allow myself only 2 cups of coffee a day and my sugar level is fine also. I will look into the sleep melatonin and hormone therapy. THANK YOU!

    Are you drinking these cups of coffee on an empty stomach? How big/strong are they? I know, personally, if I've eaten little (or worse yet, not at all) caffeine affects me much more intensely. That could be causing/contributing to the jittery-ness.

    Also, 1200 calories is not too restrictive of a diet if you work your way down to it gradually, but a jump from, say, 2500 calories to 1200 might be a bit too much for your body to handle. As a general rule, don't make caloric deficits of more than 1000 - you'll put your body into panic mode and ruin your metabolism.
    Oh, make sure you're getting enough carbs. Going too drastically from a high-carb to low-carb diet will definitely make you feel burned out.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited August 2016
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    mamagotti82 wrote: »
    1200 calories really isn't strict....if you eat the right foods 1000 can fill you up....but I do eat as my body needs it

    And yet you're getting symptoms which indicate your body is not coping with it.

    1200 IS strict. I know, I've done it. I routinely eat 1200 net on weekdays and it is difficult even when I can exercise. When I injured my knee earlier this year and could not exercise, it became pretty much impossible.

    Why are you so wedded to 1200cal? You are recovering from an injury, cut your body a break. It needs calories to heal. Why not set your goal to half a pound a week, at least until you are able to exercise and have exercise calories to play with?

    Maybe you will find that increasing your calories does not help and you need to try something else, but maybe it WILL help, and it's the easiest thing to try in the first instance.
  • nikkitimkitembo89
    nikkitimkitembo89 Posts: 27 Member
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    That happens to me sometimes but I just eat a snack and drink some water and it subsides I'm on the 1200 calorie plan but you have to listen to your body so if I get jitter or feel off I eat a serving of nuts, a piece of fruit, some veggies and hummus etc. And I usually feel better in 20 minutes this has not happened but if I were still off I'd ear more healthy snacks and my jittery feeling is once in a while probably when I have expended more energy than other days
  • nikkitimkitembo89
    nikkitimkitembo89 Posts: 27 Member
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    Oh also try making your own bars at home it will be be better for you processed foods are just bad even the ones that look healthy like nutrigrain, Kelloggs etc. Also for stress I always love a hot bath with essential oils and Epsom salt some nice zen garden music and a good relaxing tea like camomile nothing with caffeine if you do it right before bed you will sleep like a baby
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    Assuming your blood pressure is normal or low you can take licorice root to help your body handle the stress, but not if blood pressure is already high. If blood pressure is high then Nervous Fatigue TCM will accomplish the same thing.

    Also, you may want to try DIM as a hormone balancer.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    mamagotti82 wrote: »
    With losing weight, I get stressed, jittery and fatigued easily. I have had a complete Hysterectomy in 2012 and am on no hormones. The only way I have found to ease my stress/jitters is to go off my diet and eat. Any suggestions on how to get past the moods?

    Go speak with your doctor or a medical professional, no one on here knows your medical history, has seen your blood work... It would all just be assumptions.

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