[Lilbert]

Ok, im usually a lurker, but i need some help
I havent been doing a diet or counting calories per sey, ive just been concentrating on making smart substitutions, cutting back on portions and exercise. im a stay at home mum, not too sedentary looking after a lively little boy, but not as active as i used to be. im also breastfeeding about 8 times a day ontop of stage 2 weaning.
So for breakfast ive been a banana, or some porrige with skimmed milk, mid morning snack, low fat probiotic drink. lunch, all veg salad with either chickpeas, a little low fat cheese or chicken. Tea varies but usually centers around veg and protien with a medium portion of carbohydrates. eg, last night, had three baby potatoes, a sea bream and salad. day before, cous cous made with half cous cous/half veg, and half a chicken breast. drinking LOADS of water, some fruit for dessert, green tea, and that about it for diet!
exercise was a completely foreign concept to me, i will go completely out of my way to avoid any type of exercise, but have resigned myself to the fact that to lose weight and tone up it is a necessary evil!
But actually, a ive started it, im finding i enjoy it which is brilliant! Anyhow, ive started out doing a dvd which is a mix of cario, aerobics, pilates, weights, a bit of everything! i do 30 mins - 45mins a day, then about 10 - 15mins free weight, and sometimes i will also do 30mins - 1hr power walk/jog with the pushchair.

it all seemed great, i lost 4lb in 3 days, which i know is a little too fast but it was the first week and i thought after first week or two my body would adjust and id start loosing 2-3lb week. but on 4th day of starting this new regime, i woke up in the night, and i was shaking, felt sick and dizzy, like i was going to pass out. i dont have diabetes but have got low blood sugar before so i knew what it felt like. went downstairs and ate two mini kitkats. after 15mins, felt much better! so i gave myself the day off yesterday, ate what i wanted (went Carb crazy!! ive never been good at reducing carbs) and didnt do any exercise, but saying that i still did 1 1/2 hr gardening which was pretty intense, and today im back on my regime but im calorie counting this time to make sure im eating enough.

Anyhow, does anyone have any idea why this happened? i thought i was eating enough, and exercise seemed reasonable. maybe not enough carbs? im a bit lost, feels like i either lose weight and feel ill, or i eat what i want, dont lose weight and just feel bad about my body. i dont know what to do next!

[CatRocks]

This has happened to me a couple of times but I found it happened after a day of REALLY not eating very much. I would wake up and want to throw up and I'd be shaking...so I'd go to the kitchen, grab any food I could find and stuff it down my throat, then like yourself, I would feel better 10 mins later! No idea what causes it but I guess i just hadnt eaten enough??
Sorry, really not much help but just wanted to let you know you're not alone!
Cat x

[JayEll]

It's because you aren't eating enough.

This is a classic dieter mistake. You figure that to lose weight you should eat next to nothing, and you're not really keeping track so you have no idea how much you're eating, and the next thing you know you're feeling sick. And of course then what happens? You eat KitKats.

Try using some of the online calorie tracking sites, like FitDay, SparkPeople, The Daily Plate, etc. You can find out how many calories you need by going here:

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Then you can use the tracking sites to plan what you're going to eat. Keep a good mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.

Good luck!
Jay

[Moralia]

I could never lose weight while I was breatsfeeding... I was always too famished & run down... Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories, at least 500/day... I would talk to your Dr. about weight loss, my Dr. wouldn't let me lose an ounce while I was breastfeeding, especially in the beginning because baby needed the nutrients, and so did I! If you choose to try you'll probably need at least 1800 calories. Also, it's easy to become anemic while bf'ing, so be sure you're getting enough protein...

Here's a good link for you..

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/html/Nutrition.shtml

Good luck to you!!!

[Palestrina]

Don't be discouraged by this, it takes everyone a little bit of time to adjust their diets according to what your body needs in the beginning. I had a really hard time in the beginning too, getting hungry, getting dizzy, being confused. In time I figured out that in the morning I HAVE TO eat some sort of protein and healthy carb. If I don't, my body reacts in an unpleasant way. I started listening to my body and eventually got on the right track.

I would suggest writing down everything you eat, and the calorie count. I know it seems crazy at first like "oh why do the hooplah, I'll just eat more carefully" but believe me, you'll be thankful to yourself for doing it later.

In response to your dizziness, it sounds like you weren't getting enough to eat. You need more healthy fats and sugars in your diet (at least I do or else I turn into a raving lunatic)... in your case it looks like you become a chocolate monster in the middle of the night.

By the way, I am SHOCKED by how many calories I am allowed to eat and still lose weight. I know this is annoying but some days I can hardly even reach my minimum calories!

[TJFitnessDiva]

Moralia is right.....when you breastfeed (even if you are starting to wean) you do need to make sure you are eating enough to keep your body fortified with nutrients. For now at least I would look into keeping track of what you are eating to make sure this doesn't happen again. You really don't need to starve yourself to lose weight....breastfeeding or not.

Good luck!

[jendiet]

Well, I just wanted to add one thing. When I don't get enough food sometimes I plow through a huge variety of things--trying to get all of my vitamins and minerals. I learned to take a multivitamin. then the cravings for everything would go away.

I think it would be a good idea to make sure you are getting all your nutrients and micronutrients.

You will be run down, with all you have to handle, it couldn't hurt.