threeloaves

I was just reviewing what i ate today. Maybe Im not eating enough?

Breakfast: 7:30am

- 1/2 Cup of Oatmeal

10:30am

- Banana

Lunch: 12:30

- Peanut butter sandwich on sprouted bread

4pm

Banana

Orange

1 cup of Kashi GoLean dry

6:00pm

Post workout Shake

- 2 scoops of rice protein

- water

- handful of frozen strawberries

9pm

Tempeh jambalaya

- quinoa

- sauteed red, green peppers, onion, and garlice

Peanut Butter sandwich on sprouted bread

Bowl of Kashi Golean with a splash of almond milk

Couple pieces of dark chocolate

I usually drink around 1.5 - 2 liters of water throughout the day.

I have oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon almost every morning. It doesn't hold me off very long though. Seems like a couple hours later Im either wiped out, starving, or both.

Fat is needed for hormones....that should be a concern for anyone looking to build muscle. Just as important as protein in my book.

My diet is greatly lacking some good fats. Peanut butter is probably my only source. I think Im afraid I'll turn into a lard ass. The lack of fat is probably contributing to my fatigue, and lack of energy.

About seven years ago, I was incredibly ill - some days I was so weak and fatigued that I had to lie down and rest for a half hour after taking my morning shower because I'd become too exhausted by that simple act to have the strength to even get dressed. Also, pardon my being graphic, but my digestion was so poor that I was recognizing most of my food on the way out the other end but I was still somehow gaining weight like crazy. There were other symptoms, but those were the most alarming. Any old idiot who spent a day with me would've agreed that I was very ill.

 

Apparently my doctor was a special kind of idiot, because when my blood tests came back very close to normal, she deemed me perfectly healthy and encouraged me to come back for a checkup in three months if I still wasn't feeling well. WTF??

 

One of the limitations of Western medicine, as you and I have discovered, is the inability for doctors to recognize a patient as unhealthy if their symptoms don't fit neatly into any particular disease diagnosis and their blood tests come back as normal or near-normal.

 

I feel your frustration.

 

I'm not even going to try to guess what might be causing your symptoms or suggest anything to try. Besides heredity, the factors that affect our health (or lack of it) are what we eat and drink, how we exercise, rest, and breathe, as well as what we think. Environmental factors (lack of regular sunlight, exposure to molds, etc) can also come into play. It looks like you're very conscientious about what you eat, so that's probably not where I'd look first for a solution.

 

It doesn't sound like your doctor is going to be very helpful. You might get a 2nd opinion from another doctor, but unfortunately you may get the same expensive blood tests and same meaningless response. If you can find a medical doctor who is also trained as a naturopathic doctor, they seem to take a little more time and be willing to do more than just write a prescription to treat whatever they find. Don't discount "weird" alternative medicine in your quest for health - I have a chiropractor and an iridologist here that I'd honestly visit before a regular doctor if I started having unusual symptoms. I've also made incredible progress after having some energy work done.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I feel the same way everyday when i get home from work. I usually take a 20 minute nap, and still feel like hell when i wake up. But, i down some fruit, and get ready to workout.

I do plan on getting a second opinion, and have been searching for some naturopathic physicians around here.

Granted this is a fitness board, but do you do much cardio or heavy lifting? I usually feel like crap and have no energy when I'm away from the gym for more than a few days.

yeah, I lift 4 days a week, and do cardio on my off days. Ive noticed i feel the worth during the time im at work - from 8am - 4pm. After working out i do feel a hell of a lot better.

I couple years ago I got 1440 builder bars off of ebay. Ate about 4 a day for a year or so. Maybe longer. Towards the end I started to get sick of them, felt like they were doing weird stuff to my energy levels (sugar effects maybe?). In moderation they're probably fine though.

 

-Aaron

Whoa, thats pretty excessive. Im more concerned with the calories, and saturated fat they contain.

http://mysite.verizon.net/etiolate/builderbar.gif

Aren't those numbers a bit high?

I think they're delicious. Which leads me to believe I probably shouldn't be eating them. Discuss?

Could be iron deficiency?

That was my initial concern. Especially since my mom, and brothers are both anemic. I wasn't specially tested for anemia, but my hemoglobins came back normal.

Vitamin D deficiency? Did you get tested for that? They usually test for iron in common blood tests, so that would come back normal.

I was not. I'll look into that.

seriously mate i think posting here is only going to give you paranioa or just worry you like! cos we're not qualified to give a proffessional opinion (most of us anyway maybe)

maybe try alternative therapy! like accupuncture!

I've had that in the past and that has worked wonders for me!

what is your sleep pattern like?

I couldn't possibly get any more paranoid. I read enough crap in books, and the internet to fulfill that void. Im not asking for professional advice either. I understand the repercussions of asking such questions on an open forum like this. I just hoped to gain some more insight, and possibly other areas I should research. I Appreciate the concern though.

Make sure your multi vitamin has everything in it...like copper. Sounds weird but you need copper if your are taking extra zinc for deeper sleep. I am guessing you take zinc for better sleep? Try a good ZMA that is the zinc mangnessium aspertate with copper.You need a good balance maybe? It could lead to fatigue. Well, I post because I assume you are looking for suggestions... this is in no way medical advice!

That is the reason Im taking zinc. I just started on it last week though. The zma's i've found only have 10mg of zinc. The zinc i've been taking is 50mg.

I've been severely lacking adequate amounts of sleep over the past few years. Its something I'm been really trying to get under control. Lately I find myself getting around 7 hours of sleep a night. But, I still feel pretty drained about halfway through work. By the time I get home, and workout Im about to fall over.

As far as the multivitamin I should probably invest in something better. Im thinking about trying NOW's multivitamin once I finish these up.

Thanks for the responses so far.

I saw my physician last week to address the following complaints:

- always weak and/or fatigued

- always cold - especially my hands, and feet

- weight loss with increased hunger

He didn't seem too concerned. He pressed me about my overall diet, health, and ordered blood tests.

A nurse contacted me a few days ago with the results. Everything came back normal.

My diet consists mainly of the following:

Daily:

Oatmeal or Kashi cereal

Almond Milk

Peanut butter

Sprouted Bread

Fresh Fruit

Various Frozen veggies

2 protein shakes (2 scoops of nutribiotic, water, and a handful of frozen fruit)

Other things in the mix ( but not always daily ):

Quinoa

Beans (lentils, black, chickpeas)

Hummus

Tempeh

Multi vitamin

B Complex a few times a week

Zinc before bed

So, why do i always feel like crap?