Something for energy? I'm too tired to exercise. - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

kandyrews · 12-30-2011, 12:45 PM

Does anyone know of a good supplement or smoothie to take for energy? I am so exhausted and tired all the time. I mean it's really bad. I'm too tired to even get ready to ever go outta the house, let alone exercise. And I've heard exercising gives you energy, but not me, it makes me that much more tired. I can sleep 6 hrs, 8 or 10 I'm still exhausted. I pretty much stay on the couch all day because I'm too tired to move.

I thought I would start by replacing my breakfast and lunch with the P.I.N.K smoothie... 1 cup coconut milk or 1 cup almond, milk, hemp milk, or rice milk, 1scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1 cup frozen (unsweetened) or fresh strawberries. Anyone heard of it? I figure it's worth a try.

berryblondeboys · 12-30-2011, 03:58 PM

Give us some more background information. Have you had any recent blood work? Do you know if your thyroid is ok? Blood sugars? When you sleep, are you sleeping peacefully? Or fitfully? And, are you a carb queen? That's for starters.

For what is worth I was where you say you are now a year ago. Once I got things straightened out medically, I felt like a new person which then allowed me to get moving.

kandyrews · 12-30-2011, 04:10 PM

Yes, I've had bloodwork done and my thyroid checked, they're all okay. I do take antidepressants, but supposedly they gave me one that's suppose to help w/energy, but it didn't. As far as being a carb queen. I don't think I eat a lot of carbs. Carbs is like pastas, breads, sugar stuff and things of that nature right? Only thing I know where I use sugar is two cups of coffee in the morning w/one tablespoon of sugar for each cup. That's about all the sugar I know of off hand. I don't eat a lot of breads or pasta's. We have the occasional pasta dinner, but that's it. Not really a lot of potatoes either. Of course, the Dr. always says to exercise for energy and I've tried, but it I'm just so tired and exercise just makes it worse, not better. I dunno what it could be. I've always leaned towards being tired most of my life, but it's been especially bad these past few years. Changes...weight gain and more meds. Next time I go to the Dr. which is April, I'm going to try and bring it up again.

beth4365 · 12-30-2011, 04:29 PM

Hi kandyrews,

Is there any possibility you're not getting enough "sunlight"?

I know in the winter I struggle with winter blahs. I feel tired, grumpy and just generally not myself.

To help this year, I did some research and found this light that simulates sunlight. I bought one on Amazon that could be returned as I was extremely skeptical.

Well. I have no idea if I feel okay because of the light or if it's something else. But, the light doesn't hurt and might have even helped. The winter is still young, but I still feel great.

Best wishes to you...

kandyrews · 12-30-2011, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beth4365

Hi kandyrews,

Is there any possibility you're not getting enough "sunlight"?

I know in the winter I struggle with winter blahs. I feel tired, grumpy and just generally not myself.

To help this year, I did some research and found this light that simulates sunlight. I bought one on Amazon that could be returned as I was extremely skeptical.

Well. I have no idea if I feel okay because of the light or if it's something else. But, the light doesn't hurt and might have even helped. The winter is still young, but I still feel great.

Best wishes to you...

Oh I'm sure I'm not getting enough sunlight. I am outside with my dog several times a day, but I'm on the porch where I don't get any sunlight and other than that I rarely go out of the house. I've heard about using the light therapy and have thought about checking into buying one from amazon...what are they called?

kandyrews · 12-30-2011, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kara

Hey Kandy. You said in one of your other threads that while you didn't eat "that bad" you "didnt eat good either".

I'm here to tell you from experience that what you eat makes a HUGE difference in how you feel. If you are vitamin deprived, if you don't drink enough water, if you eat a bunch of processed stuff over healthy fresh foods, you are going to feel much worse. And yes, it totally will affect your energy levels.

If you try to exercise on a crap diet without plenty of nutrients, it will make you tired. Start exercising w/out the right nutrients and your body, that wants good food and good nutrients, starts going "what the heck - she wants me to do MORE on this type of food?"

You seem to be pretty focused on this "PINK" thing. I have no idea what that is, but I will say that substituting a bunch of smoothies for real food is not a magic bullet. It's not going to make you feel any better if you don't look at what you're getting nutritionally and make sure that you're getting what you need.

Mind you, I have a big smoothie for breakfast most mornings - I use greek yogurt, protein powder, spinach, almond milk, and fruit of some kind. make sure that the smoothie I make is packed with nutrients. I also take vitamins with that.

Then the rest of the day I work hard to eat as balanced as I can. I try to eat a lot of veggies, I try to eat a lot of lean meats or seafood, and I keep things like bread and carbs and snacks to a minimum.

And yes, even the sugar in your coffee can set you up to be sleepy and have no energy. 1T of sugar (are we talking a real measured out tablespoon, or a heaping dinner table spoon?) is going to spike your blood sugar and then when you crash from that, you'll be tired and un-energetic.

It seems to me that you need to really look at what you're eating - create an account on one of the free sites like livestrong.com and log your food .See what your calories and macros are and see where you can make small changes that will help with your overall energy level. I'd say cutting out the sugar in the morning would be a good first step!

I'm not really into the PINK method, just interested in the smoothie. I was just thinking of drinking an energy smoothie in the morning. The smoothie I was going to drink is whey protein, strawberries and almond milk. Then maybe eating a light lunch and dinner. I bought me some fruits to eat today, so hopefully that will help with my eating during the day....makes for a good snack. I use sugar and creamer in my coffee, Idon't like coffee without sugar, so I thought maybe I would cut out the sugar and just use creamer. Maybe that'll help some. I really don't snack that often...things such as chips, cookies & so on...I don't really eat any of those, so I'm good there as well as I don't eat many carbs, especially the bad carbs. I'm definitely going to go to that website and start tracking what I eat. Thanks for that.

twinieten · 12-31-2011, 07:55 AM

You sound just like me! I'm fat and fatigued and I have no answers!

Tell me, did your doctor do a TSH test for your thyroid, call it normal and that was that? Or did he run Free T3, Free T4, blood sugar, iron and have you had your vitamin D tested? What about B12? Is it possible you are anemic or in need of B12? If your TSH was on the high end of normal, you could still have a problem. Have you tested your saliva to see what your cortisol levels are? Maybe you could see a Naturopathic Doctor who can guide you through all of that.

Of course your nutrition is going to factor in big time. I think starting there is key. Fruits and veggies, etc. which it sound like you're already starting to improve. I hear that the D3 is better than D2. I take 2000 i.u. per day even though my test showed well within normal limits. I don't know what is the recommended dose. Maybe you could try a liquid multi vitamin which absorbs better and more quickly. I also take fish oil which I understand is supposed to help with energy, among a few others, including B vitamins.

I'm still tired. I could sleep all day, all night. There are days when I come home from work and I'm so fatigued, I just can't think, or do anything. It's that brain fog. It's bad! I hate it! Sometimes I lay down for 20 minutes or even an hour after I get home, before I get up and start dinner.

Lately, I've been pushing myself to get on the treadmill instead of lying down. For me, the exercise helps. It doesn't wear me out more, and it doesn't revive energy, but it's better than lying down and sleeping, which also doesn't wear me out more or revive my energy. In the end, after I have exercised, I just feel better because i know I did something good. Probably, the endorphins help, but I have yet to experience the phenomena where I feel like I have to exercise because my body craves the endorphins.

Sometimes I think you have to just do it. Just move. I mean, if you feel like a slug after a nap or lounging around, and if you feel like a slug after exercising, then exercise instead. Maybe it's worth trying. If it wears you down more, then maybe try shorter rounds. Maybe some sit ups and push ups in your living room while you watch TV, squats or jumping jacks or bounce on a mini trampoline during commercials..... just a little bit, not a lot and see if you can't increase your time slowly.

Oh, so your original question.... is there something you drink or take that helps? Not that I've found. I'm interested in learning more about your PINK smoothies if you wouldn't mind sharing a link. I did a quick google search, and a lot of stuff comes up that I don't know if they have anything to do with a "PINK method".

I've been drinking ********** shakes most days to fight that mid afternoon hunger and fatigue. It's helped with the hunger aspect, but not so much with the fatigue. I'm looking for a cheaper alternative that is as nutrient rich as **********, so I'd like to learn more about that PINK.

kandyrews · 01-01-2012, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinieten

You sound just like me! I'm fat and fatigued and I have no answers!

Tell me, did your doctor do a TSH test for your thyroid, call it normal and that was that? Or did he run Free T3, Free T4, blood sugar, iron and have you had your vitamin D tested? What about B12? Is it possible you are anemic or in need of B12? If your TSH was on the high end of normal, you could still have a problem. Have you tested your saliva to see what your cortisol levels are? Maybe you could see a Naturopathic Doctor who can guide you through all of that.

Of course your nutrition is going to factor in big time. I think starting there is key. Fruits and veggies, etc. which it sound like you're already starting to improve. I hear that the D3 is better than D2. I take 2000 i.u. per day even though my test showed well within normal limits. I don't know what is the recommended dose. Maybe you could try a liquid multi vitamin which absorbs better and more quickly. I also take fish oil which I understand is supposed to help with energy, among a few others, including B vitamins.

I'm still tired. I could sleep all day, all night. There are days when I come home from work and I'm so fatigued, I just can't think, or do anything. It's that brain fog. It's bad! I hate it! Sometimes I lay down for 20 minutes or even an hour after I get home, before I get up and start dinner.

Lately, I've been pushing myself to get on the treadmill instead of lying down. For me, the exercise helps. It doesn't wear me out more, and it doesn't revive energy, but it's better than lying down and sleeping, which also doesn't wear me out more or revive my energy. In the end, after I have exercised, I just feel better because i know I did something good. Probably, the endorphins help, but I have yet to experience the phenomena where I feel like I have to exercise because my body craves the endorphins.

Sometimes I think you have to just do it. Just move. I mean, if you feel like a slug after a nap or lounging around, and if you feel like a slug after exercising, then exercise instead. Maybe it's worth trying. If it wears you down more, then maybe try shorter rounds. Maybe some sit ups and push ups in your living room while you watch TV, squats or jumping jacks or bounce on a mini trampoline during commercials..... just a little bit, not a lot and see if you can't increase your time slowly.

Oh, so your original question.... is there something you drink or take that helps? Not that I've found. I'm interested in learning more about your PINK smoothies if you wouldn't mind sharing a link. I did a quick google search, and a lot of stuff comes up that I don't know if they have anything to do with a "PINK method".

I've been drinking ********** shakes most days to fight that mid afternoon hunger and fatigue. It's helped with the hunger aspect, but not so much with the fatigue. I'm looking for a cheaper alternative that is as nutrient rich as **********, so I'd like to learn more about that PINK.

I've heard B12 helps with energy, vitamin D, fish oil, etc, so many things that I don't know which one to try. I've also been told to take L Carintine with B12, so I don't know what I should do. I want to take the right thing. Hopefully, I will soon have my treadmill so I can get started. I found a nice used one today that I can afford, so I would be able to get it within the next two weeks. As far as the PINK Method goes, I don't think we're allowed to post links here so just do a google search the pink method and it should be the first link that pops up and it says P.I.N.K. Method HOME

I was only really interested in the drink they used. They have videos to work out to, me I would just use my treadmill and then do some free weight work. I have some 3, 5 & 8 lb dumbbells to use. I wish you luck in your journey too...may we both be successful!

StraitLover · 01-01-2012, 10:02 PM

I'd be willing to bet you are Vit D deficient. There was a while where I was so tired I could barely put one foot in front of the other. My Vit D level was in the toilet. I had to take a prescription level pill (50,000 IU), one pill per week for 12 weeks. Made a big difference!

Make sure your doc tests your Vit D level. I don't think it's part of regular blood screenings, they have to specifically request it.

kandyrews · 01-02-2012, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StraitLover

I'd be willing to bet you are Vit D deficient. There was a while where I was so tired I could barely put one foot in front of the other. My Vit D level was in the toilet. I had to take a prescription level pill (50,000 IU), one pill per week for 12 weeks. Made a big difference!

Make sure your doc tests your Vit D level. I don't think it's part of regular blood screenings, they have to specifically request it.

It could very well be that because I'm not outdoors to get sunlight much, in fact, very, very little. I'll have to bring that up to Dr. next time I go.

NEMom · 01-02-2012, 06:13 PM

There is a drink called Spark that I have used. You mix it into water and it gives you a little pick me up. Also has some benefits for your immune system. Does not contain all the sugar and caffeine in engery drinks. I don't use it on a regular basis but do like it.
I do find that the more I lay around the less engery I have. Forcing myself to get up and exercise does help but it takes time to see the benefits.

kandyrews · 01-02-2012, 06:22 PM

Thanks for that. I think I've heard of that drink before. I'm getting my treadmill this Friday, but my energy level is still at an all time low, so I know I'm going to need something to help me along. I've never felt this tired in my life. But I am determined to lose this weight.

memoree · 01-03-2012, 06:06 PM

I had this same problem. I contribute it to SUNLIGHT. I live where we get about 65 days a year of sun. SUCKS!! I bought the light for light therapy. So far I haven't really seen a plus or minus to it. I will keep using it and hopefully it'll kick in. I also notice it's after 2 when I get so tired and blah. I work and don't get home til 5 and by then I do not even wanna exercise. I wanna sleep

kandyrews · 01-05-2012, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by memoree

I had this same problem. I contribute it to SUNLIGHT. I live where we get about 65 days a year of sun. SUCKS!! I bought the light for light therapy. So far I haven't really seen a plus or minus to it. I will keep using it and hopefully it'll kick in. I also notice it's after 2 when I get so tired and blah. I work and don't get home til 5 and by then I do not even wanna exercise. I wanna sleep

I know I don't get enough sunlight. I thought about getting one of those lamps, but they're so expensive. The cheapest one I've seen on Amazon.com is like $69.99 and unless I know it works and works great, I'm not willing to spend that kind of money. In the meantime, I'm looking for other alternative such a energy drinks or vitamins. There are many out there I've heard of to take, but the question is which one...there's so many.

Zemelle · 01-14-2012, 09:56 PM

I have been on Nexium for acid reflux since 2006 and I got wore out! Perhaps consider B-12 shots or a B-12 patch? I also take probiotics and they have helped with the bloating feeling, which was dragging me down too.