Are these side effects of poor nutrition (or something else)?
alienseamstress
Posts: 4 Member
Hello all! My first post here so I figured I'd start by asking about something that has me really confused, and hoping someone else might have some insight.
I'm a vegetarian but I take lots of (appropriate) vitamins and supplements and am careful to take them at the right time of day. I don't have any health conditions but I did end up a little overweight by the time I entered my twenties because I tended to lean on carbs as a substitute for meat and dairy while growing up.
Of course, I realized the error of my ways and I've finally started working on replacing all those excess empty carbs -- mostly white breads, pastas, crackers, tortillas, etc. -- with more veggies and protein.
I've started feeling dizzy-lightheadedness sometimes though and I'm not sure why. I know that I'm not super fit (yet!) and my caloric needs are probably a lot higher than I'd like them to be, but if I'm eating a varied plant-based diet with a light amount of dairy, no sweets or processed foods, and taking all the vitamins/supplments I may need, what could most likely be causing that weak and dizzy feeling on some days?
In my teens I could almost go days without eating very much and would still be fine. I'm also not able to consult a doctor right now because I'm in-between health insurance. I suppose I'm just looking for what the most common causes of such symptoms (weak, dizzy/lightheaded) would be.. is it sugar-related? Not enough calories? An iron deficiency?
Whenever I feel this way I'll have something that is generally off the menu, like a bit of pasta with sauce and cheese. Then the next day I'll be fine. I typically eat only dinner but do have lots of snacks and a nutritional drink during the day, especially after a good workout.
Thanks for any advice or input on this subject!
I'm a vegetarian but I take lots of (appropriate) vitamins and supplements and am careful to take them at the right time of day. I don't have any health conditions but I did end up a little overweight by the time I entered my twenties because I tended to lean on carbs as a substitute for meat and dairy while growing up.
Of course, I realized the error of my ways and I've finally started working on replacing all those excess empty carbs -- mostly white breads, pastas, crackers, tortillas, etc. -- with more veggies and protein.
I've started feeling dizzy-lightheadedness sometimes though and I'm not sure why. I know that I'm not super fit (yet!) and my caloric needs are probably a lot higher than I'd like them to be, but if I'm eating a varied plant-based diet with a light amount of dairy, no sweets or processed foods, and taking all the vitamins/supplments I may need, what could most likely be causing that weak and dizzy feeling on some days?
In my teens I could almost go days without eating very much and would still be fine. I'm also not able to consult a doctor right now because I'm in-between health insurance. I suppose I'm just looking for what the most common causes of such symptoms (weak, dizzy/lightheaded) would be.. is it sugar-related? Not enough calories? An iron deficiency?
Whenever I feel this way I'll have something that is generally off the menu, like a bit of pasta with sauce and cheese. Then the next day I'll be fine. I typically eat only dinner but do have lots of snacks and a nutritional drink during the day, especially after a good workout.
Thanks for any advice or input on this subject!
2
Replies
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How many calories are you actually eating most days?
It's difficult to tell whether or not that is the problem without knowing that and a few stats about yourself to see if it seems adequate.
Why don't you eat anything much until dinner? I know some people don't get on with breakfast, but you might find you do better eating earlier in the day.
I would certainly be fainting away, and extremely grumpy if I did that.8 -
Well I'm not actually sure how many calories I'm getting, I haven't had much success with logging because my eating habits are so random. I am worried that I may not be getting enough calories, but I'm not sure the best way to fix that on days when I'm way under.littlegreenparrot1 wrote: »How many calories are you actually eating most days?
It's difficult to tell whether or not that is the problem without knowing that and a few stats about yourself to see if it seems adequate.
Why don't you eat anything much until dinner? I know some people don't get on with breakfast, but you might find you do better eating earlier in the day.
I would certainly be fainting away, and extremely grumpy if I did that.
I work in a really fast-paced office environment so I usually wake up, have coffee, take vitamins, have an apple or banana for lunch, more vitamins, then when I get home I'll either relax or get some exercise in and then relax. By the time I'm finally ready to eat a meal it is dinner time. I just don't ever get hungry during the day on most days.
But that is why I was hoping that all of the fruit & veggie juices and protein shakes I've been adding would be a better replacement for all the breads and pastas that I've cut out of my diet recently. It sounds like I really need to start tracking everything to get a better understanding of what's going on huh?
Aren't calories just calories though? Do I really need to consume a certain percentage of empty carbs per day? I eat pretty small portions so I've been trying to make them more meaningful. I hate to think that I was only getting by before because of all the bread and pasta I used to eat. All I did was remove that stuff lol8 -
Carbs are the body’s preferred source of energy. You can adapt to run on fats, but it’s not the first thing your body looks for. If you aren’t suffering from a medical need to restrict carbs such as diabetes or PCOS, there’s no need to avoid them. As for “empty” carbs, you seem a little confused on that subject. Fruit juices contain no fiber and lose a lot of the nutritional benefits of eating fruit, while whole grain bread can be full of nutrients. As a diabetic looking to avoid quick digesting carbs which spike my blood glucose, I would pick the bread over the juice any day!
Anyway I doubt you’ve been feeling dizzy because of too few carbs, especially since many vegetarian protein sources such as legumes are about half carbs, but who knows. Start by logging and make sure you’re getting enough calories period. Nothing but coffee and one banana all day would make a lot of people feel faint.14 -
It sounds to me like you really aren't eating enough.
It seems like you removed bread/pasta etc and are not eating enough other stuff To make up that deficit.
To work it out I would do TDEE calculator online to see what the minimum requirement is for you, that is just for your body to exist. Then track everything for at least a week to see what you are getting.
It is not about a certain amount of empty carbs, it's about the total calories you are taking in. Vitamin tablets can be great, but they don't provide any actual fuel. There is nothing wrong with bread and pasta anyway, you could choose wholewheat / seeded varieties.
Try having something for breakfast, porridge, overnight oats, yoghurt and granola, toast with nut butter.
And increase your lunch, quinoa, cous cous, lots of veg, some nuts or seeds, whatever. Doesn't have to be white bread products. Crudites and oatcakes with hummous.
I'm busy at work as well, but I'm much more productive and effective if I have taken 20 minutes to eat something at lunch.
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This screams “accidental undereating” to me. No way to know for sure unless you actually weigh and log your food for a week or so to see what your average calorie intake is, and compare it to your TDEE calculator figure mentioned above. If you’re at a healthy weight or close to it already, you should not be at a crazy 1000 calorie deficit. And if you’re not eating much until dinner, you aren’t getting enough energy to get you through the day, which is causing dizziness and lightheaded ness.21
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I've eaten an average of 1,100 calories a day this week when I should be getting 1,810 (at a 1,000 cal deficit) due to a stomach bug. I am very fatigued and dizzy and feel like I'm on the verge of fainting a couple times a day. If I had to guess, you're under eating. Start logging your food and see how that goes.12
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Thank you for these great and honest answers, everyone! I'm going to start using MFP to log and track everything, as well as being a little more open to what my body actually needs vs. what I want and don't want to eat. I probably do have a problem with undereating (though not intentionally!) and thinking I could replace one thing with another just doesn't really work that way.6
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What about your iron? Maybe a bit of anemia?1
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Calories are a unit of energy. No vitamin can replace that. If you don't get enough, it can hurt your body in all kinds of ways.8
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Have your potassium levels checked.0
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You're only eating a banana before dinner and exercising to boot and you're wondering why you feel weak and dizzy? Your answer is right there. Eat more.
I usually eat around 900 calories by the time dinner arrives. A few months ago it was more like 600 and I was usually shaky and hungry by dinner so I upped it. On heavy workout days, sometimes I've had 1400 calories by dinnertime.3 -
What are your current stats & goals? "My calorie needs are a lot higher than I would like them to be" seems like an odd statement. You don't want to have to eat that much? Fit people often have higher calorie needs to support their activity... it's not a bad thing.
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It would be a worthwhile exercise to track your calories for a week. From a carb and calorie perspective juice vs bread is not really all that much different. You are likely getting some more vitamins in your juice, but bread and pasta tend to be fortified so you may actually be lower in iron than you think. When I dropped processed grain It took me a minute to get my iron straightened out and chick peas were the answer for me.
The other potential is low blood sugar. I personally find fruit and veggies to not be very sustaining for a bllod sugar perspective and that may be contributing. Having sufficient protein throughout the day can alleviate that as well.2 -
Could be low blood pressure, could be low blood sugar, could be a number of things. I would start with a complete physical including blood tests like a blood panel and metabolic panel. Eliminate any underlying issues like anemia or electrolyte imbalance first, then look at the obvious. Why can't you see doctors at the moment? If you are uninsured and low income, most areas of the US have free clinics where you can go. I was in that position 4 years ago and the free clinic did blood and urine tests and even made sure I saw a cardiologist and nephrologist at no charge to me (turns out I was severely anemic from bleeds in my stomach).
Normally people don't need to randomly test for blood sugar but you can get an inexpensive glucose meter OTC from Walmart (about $9 for the meter and a box of 50 strips costs $9). If you are feeling dizzy and weak, test yourself and see. Same thing with BP but a decent home monitor will cost a bit more.1 -
""I work in a really fast-paced office environment so I usually wake up, have coffee, take vitamins, have an apple or banana for lunch, more vitamins, then when I get home I'll either relax or get some exercise in and then relax.""
I don't know how to correctly quote your reply, but if you're going all day at work, then also working out with only coffee, a piece of fruit, & vitamins then you obviously need more fuel than that. It's easy enough to track fruits & vegetables in MFP, just do it to make sure you're getting enough calories!
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Since you're unable to see a doctor, things like getting your labwork done (which would be my first suggestion) probably won't work for you. As far as things you can do -
Make a sincere effort at logging your food. Don't worry about breaking it up into breakfast/lunch/dinner if that helps. Just log it wherever in the diary. I agree with others that you might very well just not be eating enough.
Also how many vitamins and what kinds of vitamins do you take? If your body has too much of something, it can really throw off your electrolytes and screw things up. Also, vitamins tend to be full of chalky fillers, which can make a person's stomach feel bad and make you nauseous and not want to eat. And some OTC meds can react with others.
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ITA with so many here- make SURE that you are eating enough- maybe meal prep would help- just prep something basic to have for a quick breakfast or lunch- can still be vegetarian- but something a bit more substantial- Remember vitamins do NOt take the place of food1
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alienseamstress wrote: »Hello all! My first post here so I figured I'd start by asking about something that has me really confused, and hoping someone else might have some insight.
I'm a vegetarian but I take lots of (appropriate) vitamins and supplements and am careful to take them at the right time of day. I don't have any health conditions but I did end up a little overweight by the time I entered my twenties because I tended to lean on carbs as a substitute for meat and dairy while growing up.
Of course, I realized the error of my ways and I've finally started working on replacing all those excess empty carbs -- mostly white breads, pastas, crackers, tortillas, etc. -- with more veggies and protein.
I've started feeling dizzy-lightheadedness sometimes though and I'm not sure why. I know that I'm not super fit (yet!) and my caloric needs are probably a lot higher than I'd like them to be, but if I'm eating a varied plant-based diet with a light amount of dairy, no sweets or processed foods, and taking all the vitamins/supplments I may need, what could most likely be causing that weak and dizzy feeling on some days?
In my teens I could almost go days without eating very much and would still be fine. I'm also not able to consult a doctor right now because I'm in-between health insurance. I suppose I'm just looking for what the most common causes of such symptoms (weak, dizzy/lightheaded) would be.. is it sugar-related? Not enough calories? An iron deficiency?
Whenever I feel this way I'll have something that is generally off the menu, like a bit of pasta with sauce and cheese. Then the next day I'll be fine. I typically eat only dinner but do have lots of snacks and a nutritional drink during the day, especially after a good workout.
Thanks for any advice or input on this subject!
The bolded caught my eye. Why would you care if your caloric NEEDS were higher? It just means you need to eat more food but any weight management goals would be unaffected.
These kind of posts make me nervous. Days of skipping meals at a teen and an expectation that eating very little currently might be okay because of it, the restrictive diet, and the failure to recognize that eating more food makes you feel better doesn't strike me as a person with a healthy attitude towards food and/or themselves.
I know you said you couldn't see a doctor. My opinion though is that you need to see one. I would be happy to be wrong but I don't offer advice other than that in a potential ED situation thread.10 -
It sounds as though you didn't have this problem when you were eating carbs (and the ones you mentioned are NOT cheap carbs, they're complex and what your body craves) but now that you've cut them, you're dizzy and weak. I know that logging foods is a real PITA, but it's what you really need to do. I'm betting you're simply starving yourself, not enough calories to maintain good health. I can understand not wanting to see a doctor because of insurance or lack there-of (been there myself), but for your health, you have got to know how much you're eating! And no, it's not all about calories. It's the TYPE of calories you're eating that matters. Eating 1200 calories of potato chips is obviously not as good for you as eating 1200 calories of whole, unprocessed foods! And simply because you're eating veggie style doesn't mean you can ignore your macros! (Fat/carbs/protein) You need a balanced diet if you want to get the most out of your body! Please, for the sake of your health, take the time to record exactly what you eat each day, where your macros come in (under, over, WAY under or over)... and then you'll have a place to start altering your diet to get it where it needs to be. One more thing... you might think you're getting the nutrients missing from your food by taking supplements... but you have no way of knowing how much of those supplements are actually getting into your system. Supplements are meant to simply "top off" the nutrients you get from eating food, not to replace them completely.4
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What protein are you eating if you are a vegetarian? Are you eating eggs, cheese, yogurt, tofu, chick peas, beans? Are you eating Quinoa? Baked potatoes? Sweet potatoes? What healthy carbs and protein are you currently eating besides drinking liquids and taking vitamins, which is not eating.
The next day you are fine after eating pasta because you actually ate something. If you don’t want to fool yourself, but you do want to cut out processed carbs, try beans, sweet potatoes, hummus, couscous, and veggies, nuts and cheese, add a hard boiled egg with your banana as breakfast and then eat a lunch - salad with dressing and chick peas for example, chili with lots of beans, a veggie burger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato. Keep nuts and dried fruit to snack on at work. Have a sweet potato sprinkled with roasted pecans and drizzled with maple syrup.
There is so much conflicting info here. You know you are under eating and that’s the problem. Yes I agree with the OP. You need to put your health first and see a doctor. You need to consider that some of your ideas about food are not healthy. I wish you the best of luck in figuring this out.
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