Reviving Threads re: vitamins, since info changes each year.

[divergrrl]

So I''ve been feeling run down, exhausted, tired, ALL THE TIME. I can''t seem to shed the last 15lbs of baby weight (from my 1st child mind you...I lost what little I gained w/ my second). I''m always cold & I bruise easy. And I''m always tired. It takes an act of God (or crying baby) for me to haul my booty out of bed.

I''m not depressed or anything, I''m a pretty happy person. And my baby & my preschooler sleep. Yeah, they are a ton of work, yeah I do most of it alone, cuz dh works long hours, but we''ve always had this schedule. And they are good kiddos.

So I had my bloodwork done on monday. Everything, (and I mean it all) came back great. If I were a student, I''d have gotten a 4.0! Thyroid, anemia, cbc, potassium, magnesium, iron, blood sugar, kidneys, liver, blah blah blah its all just peachy.

So why the hell am I so tired, sluggish & keepin'' the chub on?

I run 3 days a week, kickbox on saturdays, eat as many veggies as I can stomach, try to stay away from processed foods (but I do have weaknesses...coffee...wine...sugary sweets).

So what can I do to SNAP THE HELL out of this? Its been ongoing for YEARS..

Is it really motherhood? I mean, my kids sleep. They are in bed by 8pm, I''m in no later than 11, and I cannot get out of bed before 8am. My alarm goes off at 7, and I hit snooze until the first kid hollers for me.

Do I need fish oil? Q-10? B-12? Multivitamin? Can I take generic? Are prescription brands really better? My friend who sells Amway insists hers are the best. My doc said I don''t have a vitamin deficiency, so I have no idea what the hell my problem is.

I''ve tried to cut back on my caffiene this week, since I surmise drinking an entire pot a day myself is probably not good. (but I''m sooooooooo tired). So I ratcheted it down to 3 cups today, but was so worn out by noon that I had a double iced nonfat latte at Starbucks (no sugars--80 calories).

I''m gonna try systematically cutting out the crud in my diet (good thing DH wants to shed some pounds...)but there isn''t a whole lotta wiggle room. I eat pretty good, don''t binge, and enjoy the treats in moderation .

No fun.

But I figure vitamins can''t hurt if taken sensibly, and I know I need calcium (I''m 37) so if anyone has any information on how to find out what to take (my doc was really no help here...) and where to get stuff that is A) not made in China (no offense, but after the dog food & toothpaste scare, I''m waiting it out), and B) not overly pricey.

Thanks for taking the time to read my book.

 

[oobiecoo]

So I don''t know exactly what you are going through but I can relate. I feel like the past couple of months I''ve been tired, aching, and just weak. I''m curious to see what others suggest. Maybe talk to your doctor about getting a B-12 shot?

 

[Skippy123]

Diver, Perry posted something in the Healthy lifestyle thread about food allergies and feeling tired; did they check your blood for food allergies? I thought I would post the link hope you feel back to yourself soon honey. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/healthier-lifestyle-thread-7th-july-till-13th-july.89431/page-4

 

[Deelight]

Before I found I was wheat and dairy intolerant I would literally only be awake for 2-3 hours before I would need a nap again. I would ask your doctor to do a couple of tests though you may need to do an elimination diet, I did mine felt alive again and dropped 12kgs in 2 weeks (mainly water).

Could be something worth checking out

 

[aprilcait]

Is there a history of thyroid issues in your family at all? It''s not uncommon for thyroid issues to not show up easily in bloodwork. My mom has hypothyroidism and so often has to deal with blood work that comes back saying she''s A-OK, even though she''s not. It just requires re-testing and a good doctor.

 

[Lorelei]

Diver, this may sound silly, but are you drinking enough water? I have heard that 2 litres a day is about right, and that if you don''t drink enough it can make you feel sluggish. I am not saying that it will fix the problem, but it is something you could try that might help a little.

Maybe take a break from the running for a couple of weeks and see if that helps you feel less tired, also as Dee says, try eliminating some foods and see if that helps.

 

[VegasAngel]

I take B-complex 1 pill 2x a day. I feel good when I take & I have lost a good amount of weight since starting it. You can't OD on it, it's water soluble so whatever you dont need you will pee out (Which will be bright yellow). It pretty cheap, too. Since you are active I think you will get good results with it.

Most M.D.'s wont help you when it comes to supplements since they arent prescribed/OTC A nutritionist/hollistic practitioner will of course.

 

[robbie3982]

Hmmm, I don''t really know about the vitamins and feeling run down, but as far as the weightloss, are you tracking what you''re eating? It''s possible that you''re eating too much or not enough for weightloss. You could also need to balance what you''re eating more. Check out sparkpeople.com. You can set it up with your goals and it will give you ranges for calories, protein, carbs and all that good stuff.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I swear by fish oil for many things, but I doubt you will find it helps you with energy problems.

Have you looked into chronic fatigue syndrom? I don''t know much about it, but some doctors believe it exists and others don''t, but its worth looking into.

 

[angel_nieves]

Oh Diver I hope you feel better soon.
Some quick notes here.
Coffee can dehydrate you body, it is a diuretic. You need water to keep your body from feeling run down. Also all the caffeine is hard on your body and can do some odd things to your blood sugar. Making you carve sweets. I am diabetic and my doctor made me cut out caffeine from my diet.

Food allergies this can be a big factor, I cut out dairy and have never felt better (turns out I was dairy intolerant).

Vegas angel has a good point on the B vitamins. I take a sublingual B-12 when I feel sluggish, and she is right you simply urinate what B-12 your body can not use.

Also if you are cutting too many calories out of your diet your body can start trying to conserve energy by slowing down.

This is a good site to see what your Basal Metabolic Rate is. These are the calories that you body uses just to accomplish basic actions.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Also this is a wonderful site to help you lose weight make sure you are getting all the right amounts of carbs, protein and necessary fats.
http://www.thedailyplate.com/

 

[divergrrl]

Thanks everyone! Great suggestions!

No, there is no thyroidism in my family. We are pretty healthy stock. Live into our 90''s and the old folks do it without taking a million different meds.

But from what everyone said I can say this:

I don''t drink enough water.

I drink too much coffee (I''m in the process of cutting down)

I need to take vitamins

I''ll look into the allergies, but food allergies & allergies in general dont'' run in my family either.

As far as exercise, if I don''t jog & work out I feel worse & start to gain. I''m not over-training....far from it, I could use amping it up a lot more.

And as far as food, I''m on WW, and I count points. I know I''m eating just enough to maintain my weight, so I need to eat less I guess.

My doc did say my Lexapro could be causing my plateau/tiredness & wanted to know if I was ready to wean off of it. I think so..I only took it to prevent PPD after my baby & she''s 9 months now.

Thanks everyone!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 7/17/2008 5:38:21 PM
Author: divergrrl
Thanks everyone! Great suggestions!

No, there is no thyroidism in my family. We are pretty healthy stock. Live into our 90''s and the old folks do it without taking a million different meds.

But from what everyone said I can say this:

I don''t drink enough water.

I drink too much coffee (I''m in the process of cutting down)

I need to take vitamins

I''ll look into the allergies, but food allergies & allergies in general dont'' run in my family either.

As far as exercise, if I don''t jog & work out I feel worse & start to gain. I''m not over-training....far from it, I could use amping it up a lot more.

And as far as food, I''m on WW, and I count points. I know I''m eating just enough to maintain my weight, so I need to eat less I guess.

My doc did say my Lexapro could be causing my plateau/tiredness & wanted to know if I was ready to wean off of it. I think so..I only took it to prevent PPD after my baby & she''s 9 months now.

Thanks everyone!

If it turns out you are not ready to be off meds, you might try Celexa. It is closely related to Lexapro, but for me, it has fewer side effects than any other anti-deppresant or anti-anxiety drug I have used. I am sensitive to others (paxil, prozac) and had many of the worst side effects, but not with Celexa.

Good luck, and you still may want to try fish pills, even though that is one problem they won''t fix

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 7/17/2008 5:38:21 PM
Author: divergrrl
Thanks everyone! Great suggestions!

No, there is no thyroidism in my family. We are pretty healthy stock. Live into our 90''s and the old folks do it without taking a million different meds.

But from what everyone said I can say this:

I don''t drink enough water.

I drink too much coffee (I''m in the process of cutting down)

I need to take vitamins

I''ll look into the allergies, but food allergies & allergies in general dont'' run in my family either.

As far as exercise, if I don''t jog & work out I feel worse & start to gain. I''m not over-training....far from it, I could use amping it up a lot more.

And as far as food, I''m on WW, and I count points. I know I''m eating just enough to maintain my weight, so I need to eat less I guess.

My doc did say my Lexapro could be causing my plateau/tiredness & wanted to know if I was ready to wean off of it. I think so..I only took it to prevent PPD after my baby & she''s 9 months now.

Thanks everyone!

I know you said you''re counting calories, but are you tracking nutrients? Changing up the proportions of carbs, protein and fat in your diet while staying within your calorie range could actually have a big effect on how you feel and even how much weight you lose. The recommended calorie breakdown that Sparkpeople gives me is 55% carbs, 15% protein and 30% fat.

 

[Miranda]

I''m glad you started this thread! I feel the same way! Only, I can''t keep weight on. I''ve had a CBC with thyroid levels and a host of other things checked. Conclusion: I''m the picture of health. I cut out coffee (most mornings) and switched to a cup or 2 of tea. I''m beginning to wonder about food allergies. I ate lunch at Wahoo''s today and this evening I feel terrrrrible. Hmmmmmm....

 

[divergrrl]

Trade ya problems Miranda!! LOL.

Robbie: I eat a fairly balanced diet. Lots of fresh veggies, lean proteins, and only high fiber (aka good for you) carbs. I love some good olive oil & don''t use butter or high fat dairy, I only do non fat. That''s why I''m so peeved...I eat REALLY WELL. I don''t keep junk in the house, and I don''t drink sodas or juices, etc.

grrrr......

I am going to try some of the things mentioned in here. I''m more than ready to ditch the lexapro, my old ob put me on it, and now he''s retired, so the new one hasn''t picked up the slack like he used to. My PCP told me to start weaning.

Is it abnormal for my 9 month old daughter to be cruising (walking holding on to furniture) already? Mebbe thats me problem. She''s a firecracker!

 

[Miranda]

OK! I''ll trade! I''m so over the anorexic/ bullemic jokes from my parents!

Perhaps it is the crazy baby making you tired. FWIW, DS started pulling up at 8 mos cruizing at 9 and walking at 10mos. It''s normal...Whether you are or aren''t.

My MIL once told me a story. DH is 14 mos older than BIL. When BIL was about a year old she went to the Dr. thinking there was something terribly wrong with her because of her extreme fatigue. Her Dr. laughed and told her it was because of the babies. LOL. They sure do take a lot out of us, don''t they?

But, oh so worth it!

 

[Gemma12]

Diver, I wish I could give you a magic bullet but unfortunately....

I used to take B vitamins when I was under the pump-maybe placebo effect but I felt better. Having said that your diet sounds pretty kickin'' so I don''t know that a vitamin supp will make a huge difference.

Um, I just saw your post in the mommies thread tho and have to say-I can think of two reasons why you are tired-one starts with D and ends with elaney and one starts with J.... Sounds like fun but I would be tired too

! You are packing a lot into every day!!

 

[divergrrl]

Gemma: oh trust me when I say that yesterday was a FLUKE! I am never that busy. Poor D was loopy from all the running about.

I will NEVER sign my kid up for another class that early! YUK! It was the only slot I could get!

I have been weaning off my lexapro, and I''m feeling more peppy. Maybe it was the cause of my sleepiness.

At any rate, I''m glad I''m ok..

 

[Diamond Confused]

In college I was an prof. assistant on a large study on diet based on an evolutionary biology perspective. Bototm line was that you need to eat nuts, berries protiens (from meats and fish) and lots of fruits and veggies. The only thing vitamin supplements do is give you expensive urine (unless a major difficiancy is present). Robbie3982 is right. It''s not about counting calories it''s about eating small portions of the necessary stuff.

Look into the paleodiet, that''s the one that has come out of studies into physical anthropology and evolutionary biology.