lightenup2016 Member

For right now, while I’m eating at a deficit…alcohol. Really, it came about from me determining that I needed to cut out eating/drinking anything after dinner, which automatically cut out alcohol, since I usually drink it later at night. The upside is that I’m not only skipping the alcohol calories, but also the snacking…

I’ve experimented with various versions of IF over the last decade or more. What has worked the best for me is pretty much the 16:8 version (8 hr eating window), although I’m not super strict about the times. What I changed recently that has really helped, was to be sure to end my window right after dinner/dessert. I used…

When I do my long runs, I wear a water bottle around my waist. Before, my muffin top would keep the strap in place, so it didn’t ride up. Now, there’s almost no belly flab left to keep the strap in place around my hips, where I like it! I guess I’ll take it, though!

When that happened to me, it was anemia. I had given blood during Covid, and that plus monthly blood loss and a lot of running, I became anemic and could feel it on my runs. Maybe get your hemoglobin, iron and ferritin checked?

As far as filling foods, protein does fill me up the most effectively. Things like eggs, yogurt, shrimp, turkey, etc. That being said, there is some produce that can be filling as well, like bananas, and higher volumes (but relatively low calories) of carrots, cauliflower, etc. Drinking a glass of water before or while…

Ghirardelli 86% squares—60 calories each, and they’re individually wrapped

I agree that it seems like you didn’t do too bad, but I will say that one thing we’ve started doing on our long road trips across the country is to actually just stop at grocery stores instead of fast food joints. We might pick up sushi, some small bags of produce, either pre-cut or already bite-size (carrots, cherry…

Okay, thank you kshama! It's nice to talk to someone with experience with this. Although I have to say, you obviously don't know me if you're suggesting I eat liverwurst... :lol: I'm not that desperate yet!

Soooo, I was feeling better after about 5 days of taking the iron every day, but a pretty heavy period started Friday, and since then I've felt the exact same as before--really exhausted and muscles tired/weak from stairs or lifting anything. Would a heavy period wipe out any iron gains I had from the supplements last…

I'm in the same boat! I had been doing both, and it seemed to help to run in the morning, lift that same evening, skip a day of running, then repeat. So this only allows for running every other day. I've recently drifted away from StrongLifts as I've been focusing more on running lately, but I'd like to get back to the…

Yeah, I totally see that. I would like to know what they’re adding. I wonder if what you’d absorb would still be more than the comparatively lower amounts of iron in meat and beans? I was surprised that a serving of red meat is still only 10% of your daily requirement (albeit, more absorbable of course). I just can’t eat…

I actually drink my coffee black, and I hate milk, so no problem there! I do take half of a vitamin C chewable when I take the iron. Thanks! My hemoglobin was 11.5, and my ferritin was 6, which apparently is pretty low, with normal ranges being 12-200 for women. I’m supposed to go back after one month of supplements, and…

Right now I'm taking iron bisglycinate, and I'm taking about 180 mg/day (60mg 3 times per day). My doctor recommended 195 mg, but this is how it worked out with the numbers. I am also trying to get more in my diet, but mostly through fortified cereals. Do you know for sure the fortified foods are low quality? I haven't…

Yes, Long QT! I recently switched from Nadolol to Propranolol, and I feel slightly better, even with running. But I do wish there was a different option than beta blockers! They're not friendly for workouts!!

Thank you, yes I'm following my doctor's advice on how much iron to take. My ferritin level was pretty low at 6 (should be 12-200). Since I think donating blood depleted me and I never replenished, I think food alone will take a long time. I am eating a bit more iron-rich food just for extra, but I think the iron pills…

If you’re going to turn on a stove burner and walk away for a bit, make sure you’ve turned on the correct burner—the one with the pot of water, not the one with the empty pan.

among others...cottage cheese :|

I got my CBC blood test and ferritin/iron test results back. Hemoglobin was low (11.5) and ferritin was low (6). A few other things low/high also indicating iron deficiency anemia. So, iron pills and fortified cereals, here I come!! :smiley:

Yikes! Bear encounters, especially with mom and cubs, scare me!

Ugh, yeah I’ll call my doctor today. My hemoglobin was 13.0 when I donated blood back in April, so this is a recent thing (but the timing does align with when the fatigue started). I wonder if I never recovered well after giving blood in April? It was the first time in a very long time that I had donated, and I’ve been…

Last September our family of 5 took a trip out west with our popup camper. It was a great trip, but on one of our hikes, in Bryce Canyon, we didn’t take enough water. We really had to conserve, and it was a pretty hot and hilly hike. It turned out ok, but I felt pretty foolish having taken that risk with our kids! Another…

Well, since my last post saying my legs felt better, I’ve had the dead legs several more times during runs. Then, today I went to give blood and my hemoglobin was 10.2, far too low to donate blood (needs to be 12.5 for females). Have any runners here experienced anemia, and if so, did it cause leg fatigue? I’m going to…

I'm new here (to the running challenge, not to MFP)... I've been getting back into running more after finally losing the 20 lbs I'd been carrying around for too long (still have more to go). I've worked up to just over 20 miles/week, and now trying to get to 25. I've struggled a bit with potential injury (sore heels and…

I second (or third) the benefit of running fasted. Then you don't have to worry about food in your belly. I run in the morning and then don't eat until 1 or 2pm.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and enjoyment of a new sport/exercise. Generally with running, it can help prevent injuries if you follow the 10% rule--don't increase your weekly mileage more than 10% from the previous week. That can be tricky to figure out at first, but I think jumping into 8-10 miles/week at…

Do you mean stomach, as in intestinal cramps, or something that might be more in the diaphragm? If it's actually intestinal, you might be running too soon after eating, or running too fast. The only time I've had intestinal cramps running was during really hard workouts, longer distances than usual, faster, etc. If it's…

Just an update--my legs are feeling better! Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I think it was just from running hard and not recovering well.

Do you take any kind of medication?

I haven't noticed that myself, and this came on at a different time in my cycle. But thank you!

I might ask to have all of my electrolytes checked again at my physical in a couple of weeks, especially since my heart condition is affected by electrolyte levels. I have been taking a magnesium supplement recently (have taken it off and on over the past several years), and I've never been low. Thank you!