Any ideas?

I have kind of a perplexing problem. Last year I made some changes to
what I was eating and I lost a fair amount of weight. After several
months, I noticed that I was exhausted all the time. I raised my calories
per day, immediately felt better, and maintained for several months. I've
recently decided to try to lose the rest of the weight. I've been
exercising for about two weeks now, and am trying to eat about 1400
calories per day. Immediately, I'm exhausted again. I haven't made any
drastic changes. I'm eating the exact same foods I've been eating, just
smaller quantities, less snacks, and I've been trying to replace some of
the potatoes, pasta, and rice I was eating with more salads and
vegetables. I have been taking a multivitamin every day, and already was
for several months.

"JK" wrote in message
...
I have kind of a perplexing problem. Last year I made some changes to
what I was eating and I lost a fair amount of weight. After several
months, I noticed that I was exhausted all the time. I raised my calories
per day, immediately felt better, and maintained for several months. I've
recently decided to try to lose the rest of the weight. I've been
exercising for about two weeks now, and am trying to eat about 1400
calories per day. Immediately, I'm exhausted again. I haven't made any
drastic changes. I'm eating the exact same foods I've been eating, just
smaller quantities, less snacks, and I've been trying to replace some of
the potatoes, pasta, and rice I was eating with more salads and
vegetables. I have been taking a multivitamin every day, and already was
for several months.

How much do you weigh now? Male or female? How tall? Could you post a
typical day's diet and exercise?

det

I'm curious to see one or two sample days' menus from you. I usually
find I have more energy when I eat around 1500 calories than I do
when I'm stuffed with many more calories of nutritionally poor food.

janice
233/161/133


On Fri, 26 Sep 2003 17:01:54 -0700, "JK" wrote:

I have kind of a perplexing problem. Last year I made some changes to
what I was eating and I lost a fair amount of weight. After several
months, I noticed that I was exhausted all the time. I raised my calories
per day, immediately felt better, and maintained for several months. I've
recently decided to try to lose the rest of the weight. I've been
exercising for about two weeks now, and am trying to eat about 1400
calories per day. Immediately, I'm exhausted again. I haven't made any
drastic changes. I'm eating the exact same foods I've been eating, just
smaller quantities, less snacks, and I've been trying to replace some of
the potatoes, pasta, and rice I was eating with more salads and
vegetables. I have been taking a multivitamin every day, and already was
for several months.

"janice" wrote in message
...
I'm curious to see one or two sample days' menus from you. I usually
find I have more energy when I eat around 1500 calories than I do
when I'm stuffed with many more calories of nutritionally poor food.

janice
233/161/133

It doesn't vary much. Here's a sample:

Breakfast:
hot chocolate - 80 calories
cereal, fruit, milk - 300 calories

Lunch:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Snack:
usually fruit - 100 calories

Dinner:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Snack:
ice cream bar or fruit - 100 calories

Exercise:
15 minutes on exercise bike, 15 minutes with weights

I use a multivitamin plus calcium and vitamin C and I drink water all day
long.

I don't think you're getting enough protein. Your breakfast especially is
loaded with sugar and very little nutrition. Try having some eggs or cheese
instead of the cereal and milk. One of my favorite breakfasts is an egg
sandwich. I use 1 whole egg, an extra egg white or two, beaten and then
fried up in a pan. I have it on toast with a little Miracle Whip Lite.
Depending on what type of bread I use, this comes in at 210-280 calories and
is very filling. I drink coffee, and am cutting down on the sugar I use. My
first cup has sugar and non-dairy creamer, my second cup is usually made
with Splenda.

If I start the day with cereal and fruit, I'm starving by 10 a.m. I can
eat the breakfast I mentioned at 8 a.m. and not be hungry until almost 1
p.m.

For your exercise, try doing aerobic on one day for 20-30 minutes and the
weights on alternate days, with a day off each week.

Melissa



"JK" wrote in message
...
"janice" wrote in message
...
I'm curious to see one or two sample days' menus from you. I usually
find I have more energy when I eat around 1500 calories than I do
when I'm stuffed with many more calories of nutritionally poor food.

janice
233/161/133

It doesn't vary much. Here's a sample:

Breakfast:
hot chocolate - 80 calories
cereal, fruit, milk - 300 calories

Lunch:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Snack:
usually fruit - 100 calories

Dinner:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Snack:
ice cream bar or fruit - 100 calories

Exercise:
15 minutes on exercise bike, 15 minutes with weights

I use a multivitamin plus calcium and vitamin C and I drink water all day
long.

"Melissa" wrote in message
...
I don't think you're getting enough protein. Your breakfast especially is
loaded with sugar and very little nutrition. Try having some eggs or
cheese
instead of the cereal and milk. One of my favorite breakfasts is an egg
sandwich. I use 1 whole egg, an extra egg white or two, beaten and then
fried up in a pan. I have it on toast with a little Miracle Whip Lite.
Depending on what type of bread I use, this comes in at 210-280 calories
and
is very filling. I drink coffee, and am cutting down on the sugar I use.
My
first cup has sugar and non-dairy creamer, my second cup is usually made
with Splenda.

If I start the day with cereal and fruit, I'm starving by 10 a.m. I can
eat the breakfast I mentioned at 8 a.m. and not be hungry until almost 1
p.m.

For your exercise, try doing aerobic on one day for 20-30 minutes and the
weights on alternate days, with a day off each week.

Melissa

The cereal has 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein in it, that's my
primary fiber source so I need to keep that. My husband told me I need to
get off the hot chocolate and have an egg instead, that would probably be
more beneficial. Is lack of protein a likely reason for fatigue?

"JK" wrote in message
...

It doesn't vary much. Here's a sample:

Breakfast:
hot chocolate - 80 calories
cereal, fruit, milk - 300 calories

Your not getting enough bang for your calorie buck is what is making you
fatigued. In my opinion.
I would change to a coffee or tea in the mornings to free up the
calories your spending on the hot chocolate. Then go with a high protien
or complex carbs for breakfast. Oatmeal or eggs come to mind. Keep the
fruit and make the milk skim milk.


Lunch:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories
Here I would drop the pasta/rice/potatoe to free up more calories that
you can spend on meat and fresh/steamed vegetables. Which gives you more
to eat, fills you up for longer period of time and your body actually
gets nutrients out of them unlike the "filler" pasta/rice/potatoe

Snack:
usually fruit - 100 calories

Consider something dairy here.. cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese etc. It
will increase your calories some but since I am going to suggest you
omit the sugar snack at night completely you could use those calories
here.

Dinner:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Really plan this meal out to get the most for your calories your
spending. I find that it is important to make this meal the most
important. It keeps me full through the night til morning. High protien
meats such as fish, chicken etc. lots of leafy green veggies, and this
meal is normally where I get my fats in the way of olive oil, real
butter, or an oily marinade for the meat.

Snack:
ice cream bar or fruit - 100 calories

No sugar Have you ever been tested for diabetes? I'm not suggesting
you are diabetic but I have found in my own eating changes that I can
control my bloodsugar spikes by cutting out the simple carbs and sugars.
Which "levels" me out when it comes to being tired and not tired. Before
my changes I was on a constant sugar high or low due to my eating
habits, the highs were VERY high, and the lows were extreme lows causing
me to be fatigued almost constantly.

Exercise:
15 minutes on exercise bike, 15 minutes with weights

Keep this up! Steady increases in your time spent on each will give you
some amazing results and more energy.


I use a multivitamin plus calcium and vitamin C and I drink water all
day
long.

I'm the queen of water. Make sure you are getting enough.


Susan
260/219/160

---
2weeks 5days 4:35hours of being smoke-free, 766 cigs not smoked, $141.71
saved, 2day 15:50hours of my life saved

Whenever I have been idle for whatever reason, the first couple of weeks of
exercise exhausts me. Usually by week three, I have more energy than before
and can begin to really appreciate the benefits.

Recently my BF got a tad lazy and just two weeks ago, he began regular
exercise again. Although he has always lifted weights, he added aerobics to
his routine. He has had the same experience although I notice he is feeling
better after a couple of weeks.

Why not set your calories at the rate you figure you need to lose weight and
then add the approximate number of calories that you burn exercising to
that? Give the exercise a little time and I bet you will feel great!

j
"JK" wrote in message
...
I have kind of a perplexing problem. Last year I made some changes to
what I was eating and I lost a fair amount of weight. After several
months, I noticed that I was exhausted all the time. I raised my calories
per day, immediately felt better, and maintained for several months. I've
recently decided to try to lose the rest of the weight. I've been
exercising for about two weeks now, and am trying to eat about 1400
calories per day. Immediately, I'm exhausted again. I haven't made any
drastic changes. I'm eating the exact same foods I've been eating, just
smaller quantities, less snacks, and I've been trying to replace some of
the potatoes, pasta, and rice I was eating with more salads and
vegetables. I have been taking a multivitamin every day, and already was
for several months.

Eat more protein and less sugar!


"JK" wrote in message
...
"janice" wrote in message
...
I'm curious to see one or two sample days' menus from you. I usually
find I have more energy when I eat around 1500 calories than I do
when I'm stuffed with many more calories of nutritionally poor food.

janice
233/161/133

It doesn't vary much. Here's a sample:

Breakfast:
hot chocolate - 80 calories
cereal, fruit, milk - 300 calories

Lunch:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Snack:
usually fruit - 100 calories

Dinner:
some combination of meat with rice, potatoes, or pasta, salad or other
vegetable - 400 calories

Snack:
ice cream bar or fruit - 100 calories

Exercise:
15 minutes on exercise bike, 15 minutes with weights

I use a multivitamin plus calcium and vitamin C and I drink water all day
long.

Lack of protein may not be the reason as much as increased refined carbs.
However, if you want to reduce carbs, you need to eat something in place of
them and protein is the logical choice as opposed to fat filled foods which
are calorically dense. Look up the glycemic index and choose carbs that
have a mild to moderate effect on blood sugar and always eat some sort of
protein or even fat when you have carbs. If you find yourself particularly
tired late morning and mid afternoon, it may well be because of blood sugar
fluctuations.

j
"JK" wrote in message
...
"Melissa" wrote in message
...
I don't think you're getting enough protein. Your breakfast especially
is
loaded with sugar and very little nutrition. Try having some eggs or
cheese
instead of the cereal and milk. One of my favorite breakfasts is an egg
sandwich. I use 1 whole egg, an extra egg white or two, beaten and then
fried up in a pan. I have it on toast with a little Miracle Whip Lite.
Depending on what type of bread I use, this comes in at 210-280 calories
and
is very filling. I drink coffee, and am cutting down on the sugar I use.
My
first cup has sugar and non-dairy creamer, my second cup is usually made
with Splenda.

If I start the day with cereal and fruit, I'm starving by 10 a.m. I
can
eat the breakfast I mentioned at 8 a.m. and not be hungry until almost 1
p.m.

For your exercise, try doing aerobic on one day for 20-30 minutes and
the
weights on alternate days, with a day off each week.

Melissa

The cereal has 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein in it, that's my
primary fiber source so I need to keep that. My husband told me I need to
get off the hot chocolate and have an egg instead, that would probably be
more beneficial. Is lack of protein a likely reason for fatigue?