gfighta Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 In the last few months I've made a real effort to live a healthier lifestyle. I've started working out, getting more sleep and I've hired a vegan nutritionist to prepare all my meals. So far everything is going great and I'm putting on muscle. However I feel tired and light headed ALL the time. I've tried cutting back on the number of days I work out and sleeping more but it doesn't seem to help. I went and took a blood test by a naturopathic doctor and she said everything looked normal. Does anyone have any thoughts on what is wrong and what I can do about it? I'm in my early 30's and honestly I feel like I'm in my 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeB Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Maybe your nutritionist is no good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_raVen_ Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Hi, gfighta, welcome! What exactly are you eating? Do you eat a lot of faux meats? They contain a lot of soy and a lot of wheat -- both of which you may be allergic. Also, are you eating enough? On a vegan diet, one usually needs more volume of food. Do you take any supplements? Is it possible you may be experiencing a reaction from a combination of supplements? Have you started anything at all new? Hope you get to the bottom of this! You should be feeling better on a vegan diet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlightlyBitchy Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 make sure you are consuming NO artificial sweetners, those make me really tired and weak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 and I've hired a vegan nutritionist to prepare all my meals.wow, that must be nice. how much raw food do you eat? i find that raw fruits and veggies are good for energy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Perhaps you aren't getting enough recovery vs. activity? I did a more-intense-than-usual workout rotation a couple of years ago, and I neeced a nap almost every day following the weight workouts. Also, how often are you eating? You may be having some blood sugar ups and downs from not eating often enough (then blood sugar drops and makes you tired). Have you cut out processed foods, white flour, white sugar? Adrenal fatigue is something some nutritionists talk about that can affect those who exercise intensely. You might want to look into that (Brendan Brazier addresses it somewhat in "Thrive." ). There is supposedly a good book out about it, if you search "adrenal" at Amazon.com, you can probably find it. You might want to add some adaptogenic foods to your diet, like reishi mushrooms, maca, goji berries, mangosteen, wihch help strenghten the body and the immune system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfighta Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 Thanks for the replies everyone, I've felt this way for a long time (10 years) but I always thought it was because of my lifestyle. I used to work a very physically/mentally stressful job where it was common for me to not eat anything all day. I don't cook so I was eating out all the time and getting 4-5 hours sleep. I went and saw Vesanto Melina and she put together a nutrition plan for me. I don't think I eat a lot of faux meat. According to my calorie tracker I'm eating around 3000 calories a day, although I'm not gaining much weight right now. I'm not taking any supplements right now, not even creatine. There is a salad bar right by my gym so I eat a huge portion of veggies everytime I work out. I don't eat any junk food, no soda or alcohol. "Adrenal Fatigue? Tired for no reason? Having trouble getting up in the morning? Need coffee, colas, salty or sweet snacks to keep going?Feeling run down and stressed?" Thats how I feel. "Adrenal Fatigue is a health disorder that can affect anyone who experiences persistent or severe emotional or physical stress." This would be an accurate description of the last 10 years of my life. I knew my work was not good for my health but I always thought if I quit work I could recover from it. I haven't actively worked in almost a year and I still don't feel 100%. Maybe I should go back to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 man that sucks! I had chronic fatigue in my high school/early college years but eventually it faded out, Thank Allah. I don't know what I would have done if it had lasted as long as it did with you. Sorry to hear it and I hope you find a fixable reason for it soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Are you depressed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willpeavy Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Do you get enough EFA's? I feel tired when I don't get enough of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 what are efa's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willpeavy Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 what are efa's? Essential Fatty Acids You can get them from flax seeds or flax oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcat Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 oh.... thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylie Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 everyone has given some good advice in this thread but its hard to say what it might be from. at 3000 cals/day you are getting enough, but are you getting enough macros in the right ratios? what's your protein intake? what kind of fats are you getting? I know I had some difficulty when I first started doing the vegan thing, then I tried more protein and that helped tremendously. maybe consider an enzyme supplement, you can find vegan versions quite easily. I think there's something about the vegan diet that causes digestion difficulty in some, possibly due to a lack of bile production which is necessary for proper digestion - which would make sense as bile is manufactured in the liver from cholesterol which the vegan diet is lacking in and the body must produce its own. in order to do that it needs saturated fats, another thing the vegan diet is lacking in. try extra virgin coconut oil, if that doesn't help you out i would be very surprised. are you taking a multi? as healthy as the vegan diet is, it like any other diet lacks in something somewhere, that's why you've got to supplement. it may be a lack of B vitamins - particularly B12 or B6, it may be calcium deficient. go with calcium citrate supplements - you can find them with magnesium added also, which is another mineral to watch. when you are active your body uses minerals up so quickly and may not be able to absorb them as easily as non-vegans will, so be good to yourself and just go get a good multi. hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compassionategirl Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 yes, depression can make you feel tired too. that adrenal fatigue thing sounds like something I may have as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Yeah, stress, depression and what about your sleeping habits? I'd think about those things if your activities and nutrish are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaSiren Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 I'm going to throw something into the mix....I get the "winter blues". A dose of sunshine helps with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compassionategirl Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 oohh yes another good point. something about seasonal affective disorder where you might get depressed in the winter without sunshine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfighta Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Thanks for all the insight. I've modified my diet and added a couple supplements and so far I'm feeling a litter better. First thing I did was start taking smaller amounts of VEGA. I thought the stuff was super healthy so I was taking the full dose twice a day. That was causing all sorts of problems with my stomach so I've cut way back on how much I take. I eat a couple of these flax cookies a day along with the cereal. Don't know if they are giving me enough EFA's or not. I also started taking 5-HTP along with a VitaminB supplement. I have had issues with depression in the past but have never actively sought treatment. I've taken SJW before and have had a positive response. I'm going to ask my nutritionist to up my caloric intake and increase the amount of protein, we'll see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendaC Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Just wanted to address the comment that the vegan diet does not provide foods that make the liver produce bile. (And the added comment that this is "just another thing the vegan diet does not provide for"). I KNOW I'm not the only vegan on here who's sick if hearing stuff like that from people who obviously haven't done their homework. There is nothing the vegan diet does not provide for---nothing! B12, protein, calcium, and yes, bile producing foods are abundant! FYI, any foods that are a little bitter, like dandelion greens and arugula, for instance, cause extra bile release. Dandelion root tea and milk thistle tea are also good vegan choices to boost bile production and support liver function. But all foods cause a certain amount of bile release. It is simply the way food is digested---all food, not just cholesterol-ridden stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durianrider Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 People forget the basic fundamentals. They forget about CONSISTENT early nights. They forget about CONSISTENT hydration. They forget about CONSISTENT carb intake with 10g of carbs per kg per day a baseline minimum IMHO. Ive seen a lot of people both vegan and non vegan do amazing after adding in some consistent b12 injections too. Its the simple things that undo us and that often get the overlook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_T Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I suggest you start indoor tanning on an experimental basis for 30 days and report back if it did anything for your chronic fatigue syndrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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