After a few months now of only what i can define as a roller coaster of energy, I am taking the plunge and heading to the Dr this am. I feel as though Ive almost been putting off seeing a professional because i felt it MUST be my nutrition---but after these few months of feeling like garbage....i figure why not put the mind at ease and go in.
Eating a primarily plant based diet (with the (very) occasional cheese, fish, or ice cream :)---) Ive been always feeling...tired. Last summer in training---I always needed a couple hour nap after any workout for anything longer than 2 hours. This was something we almost figured...well we are working hard...so I guess your body needs to recover.
Well this year, I feel like its magnified. However, I feel like there are SO MANY things that could be going wrong:
B12: the women in my family on my fathers side don't absorb b12 naturally....also this is the one nutrient that vegans need a supplement for
Iron: well obviously women need iron....and active women need more. i did not take an iron supplement until roughly 1.5 months ago (I've been semi "vegan" for 5 years)
Water: well....less caffeine Ill just say that... water > caffeine
Sleep: I get up at 4:45 Tuesday- Friday, 6:00 Saturday ehh
Low Blood Sugar: Diabetes T1---also runs in my family on my fathers side. i know my mother always pushes me to see the doctor for this because I have really sweet breath, pee a lot, always hungry (and just started to have a couple night sweats --i think)
Rest: Training has picked up significantly this year vs last. maybe I'm just tired.
Gluten: i take a daily antacid for my stomach....becuase the stomach is dumb...and pre workout all i can eat is very very bland yuck things---which most days tend to be a bagel or something wheat. after reading a lot about symptoms of gluten intolerant....and well tried it. was just very hard to maintain.
Father: well my father likes to sleep a lot.
Or maybe its ALL IN MY HEAD....ahhhh.......but why do i need 2 naps a day?!....and why am i never quite awake?
So. WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO FIGURE OUT. I think I'm going to see someone that can (hopefully) tell.
Okay well. Happy (nutrition) Thursday!
Love, Erin
Good for you on finally going to the doctor! I hope he/she has some answers for you! I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, I love me some meat, but I go through alot of the same things as you. Pretty much after every long run I end up sleeping for a few hours in order to feel semi-recovered. If you can stick with the gluten thing I hear that is a huge help for stomach issues. I also tried it, but unsuccessfully... I heart gluten. My husband has been successfully gluten free for a few months now and he raves about the stomach improvement. And, the night sweats thing could totally be a hormonal thing. Every month I have night sweats for an entire week to the point where I wake up and change my shirt 'cuz its soaked. I am hoping for you that it's not diabetes! Fingers crossed! Hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteMORE coffee. Going GF is only hard for a couple weeks. It forces you to eat clean too.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get it figured out!
ReplyDeleteI have been more tired lately too but I know it's from ramping my training. I feel good just need those 8 hours...which means, I got to bed ridiculously early and my husband makes fun of me.
hon, after i went veg-o i had this same sort of issue--got worse and worse over 2 years. got a blood test for the indicator for celiacs and that was negative so i carried on eating gluten even though so many signs pointed to some sort of intolerance. eventually last spring i got desperate and cut it out as a test and it helped TONS--but it was gradual. i'd say it took about 8 wks for me to feel "normal," energy-wise. it is so worth a try as because of our other dietary restrictions, we end up eating tons of gluten and if you have some kind of intolerance to it (mustn't be full-on celiac), it becomes a downward spiral. could totally be b12 too but a gluten-intolerance ultimately inhibits your ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from food, which then ends up causing fatigue much like you are experiencing.
ReplyDeletei'm not a doc but just my 2 cents as i had a similar issue!