"Every Two Weeks" - extreme fatigue

#1

This may or may not have anything to do with this way of eating, but of course I’m trying to pinpoint what causes this so I can stop it from happening and … who knows… with all the knowledgeable people we have on here, maybe someone’s got a clue for me:

Lately I’ve been getting taken down with debilitating fatigue. It’s not just “I could use some coffee”… it’s more like “I need to sit or lay down” and then I fall asleep and am pretty much comatose for 2-3 days. I try to get up and function but need to keep taking breaks and am too tired to focus on any work. For the past few episodes I thought it was a slight cold or flu since there are so many illnesses going around, but since it happened again yesterday I tried to look for clues as to when and why this is happening so much, and it seems to happen every two weeks!

I had my thyroid levels checked - they’re fine. It’s not my cycle - I’ve been done with that for a while. I pretty much eat the same foods all the time with the occasional “carb up”, but it doesn’t seem to coincide with those. If this is going to continue to happen it will be a problem because it pretty much renders me dysfunctional for 2-3 days. I try to muddle through but I’m definitely not at peak performance by any means and have to keep cancelling evening plans.

Any hints or clues as to what I should have checked or try to focus on? My Vitamin D is ok, I supplement with magnesium, and with all the meat I eat, I’m sure my B12 must be fine. If I talk to my doctor about it (I’m seeing her for something else tomorrow) she will tell me it’s this way of eating… she’s big into “no animal products”.
Sue

(Karen) #2

Eyes yellow??sister has Gilbert 's disease. Sure made her tired.

K

(Liz ) #3

Ugh that sounds so frustrating! I don’t have any answers but I’ll start the ball rolling by saying a few times this week I’ve been getting SUPER fatigued after dinner and I think it’s when I’ve had too much protein so I’m starting to dial it back and see what happens.

The other thing that comes to mind is even if you are past your cycle, estrogen is still stored in fat tissue so if you are actively losing weight your hormones could still be giving you grief in another way.

And the last thing I can think of is something you are sensitive to, either a food, or a sweetener. Or maybe a chemical like a household cleaner
or scented laundry product someone uses every two weeks. I am super chemically sensitive so I think about this stuff a lot. I was once completely knocked out by a plug in room scent.

#4

Wow, thanks for the brainstorming, ladies! Gives me a lot to look into and watch for, and I’m sorry you are so sensitive to chemicals as those are so very hard to avoid in this day and age!

My eyes aren’t yellow but what did stand out is that it can be exacerbated by fasting. Time to go off and read about that a little… thanks for the link, and keep the brainstorming going as I’m sure lots of us deal with extreme fatigue from time to time… would be so nice if we could zero in on some of the causes.
Sue

#5

Well, rather disturbing update: I was struggling so badly by the time I went home for lunch that I decided to try adding a half-cup of brown rice to my usual lunch of hot dog and avocado. This afternoon I feel almost “normal” again. Definitely much less mush-brained and I didn’t struggle getting up the stairs back at the office like I did this morning.

I get my carbs on a daily basis through broccoli, green beans, and nuts, but could it be that I need the type that is available in rice, too? I know there are different types of carbs, and I hate the thought of re-introducing any of the starchy ones back into my diet, but the improvement after lunch can not be ignored.

Thoughts?

(bree) #6

That has happened to me when starting out and still sometimes feel tired and worn out for no reason. Have you tried drinking some Powerade Zero for the electrolytes? I keep a bottle in my fridge and take sips when I am feeling sluggish. It sounds weird but could help especially if you felt better after eating rice.

(Tubeman) #7

Are you eating enough?

I remember reading a story a while back about a woman who was having a lot of fatigue with keto. She tried a whole bunch of stuff, and it turns out she was under-caloried. Thinking of it now, I bet this ramped down her metabolism. If you ate rice and got an energy boost from the sugar in it, maybe your body needed more energy. Or, if you’ve been having too many carbs, maybe you’re just out of ketosis, and your body can’t get to your fat stores. Which may be why the rice helped. Some things to consider.

Lack of water and salt can cause fatigue too.

#8

Thanks for the suggestion of Powerade Zero… worth trying. I guess I could be under-caloried, but I don’t think so. I’m probably around 1500 a day, give or take 300 calories. I may be under-carbed for my bodies’ needs, though. I know some people simply need more to function well, but the main reason I hesitate to put back in any starchy carbs is because they make me hungry! I LOVE the fact that I only eat about twice a day now and am never starving and my blood sugar levels never rise and crash anymore. If I start adding in a little rice or a sweet potato, I’ll probably start getting hunger pains again. :frowning:
Sue

(Jay Patten) #9

I get that, too. At times I’m like “where is all of this freaking energy everyone keeps blabbing about?”

It usually goes away after two or three days and then I’m fine. I think it’s just the way my body works.

I also get cramps in my legs at night something fierce. I take magnesium and potassium and drink a Powerade Zero or Propel from time to time.

Finally, I got a minor case of gout for the first time in my life as well.

I guess we have to take the bad with the good.