Anemia/Whole30

[TaraTall]

Hi there, R1D4 here. 

 

My question for you all is if you have low iron or anemia, did you continue taking your (doctor recommended) iron supplements? Did the increase in veggies and meat make a big enough impact that you no longer needed them?

 

My story: Diagnose Anemic and Celiac. Stopped taking my pills (forgot a couple times then dropped off the wagon). Started Whole30. I am 4 days in and exhausted. Like, sandpaper eyes after 8 hours of sleep.

 

I'm thinking I'll go back on the iron supplements and see if that affects the fatigue. 3x a day, then taper while I continue the W30?

 

 

Thanks for any feedback.

[SugarcubeOD]

Yes, you should keep taking iron if that's what your doctor has recommended.  There are better and worse versions of iron supps... I take Feramax100... 

I would do the full whole30 with the iron and then go off and see if it's improved... 

[jmcbn]

Hi there, R1D4 here. 

 

My question for you all is if you have low iron or anemia, did you continue taking your (doctor recommended) iron supplements? Did the increase in veggies and meat make a big enough impact that you no longer needed them?

 

My story: Diagnose Anemic and Celiac. Stopped taking my pills (forgot a couple times then dropped off the wagon). Started Whole30. I am 4 days in and exhausted. Like, sandpaper eyes after 8 hours of sleep.

 

I'm thinking I'll go back on the iron supplements and see if that affects the fatigue. 3x a day, then taper while I continue the W30?

 

 

Thanks for any feedback.

Umm, aren't you the same person who just asked about the need for pre & postWO meals? The same person who often works out x2 times a day??? Who currently trains fasted...???

Did it occur to you that you are under-eating/over-training, and that this might be the cause of your fatigue?

If you'd like to post a few days worth of your food/liquid intake, along with activity levels we can check you're at least on the right track food-wise....

I'm not saying you don;'need that iron, I'm just saying you may also need more food is all 

[SugarcubeOD]

In relation to what jmcbn just pointed out, I can see from your first day of meals that you are not eating enough and you don't seem to include fat in your meals.

 

M1: Compliant Chorizo Sausage, spinach and pepper frittata, roasted veggies, and a few berries. 

M2: Pork chop, roasted veggies, peppers and carrots.

 

if you're as active as you say, you need to be eating the pre and post workout meals (not just if you feel fatigued, they are important for recovery and fueling) and all three of your activities qualify for at the very least the post workout, but ideally pre and post.

That means three template meals a day (read the template below) and three pre workout snacks and three post workout meal/snacks.

[TaraTall]

I will say I neglected more of the detailed ingredients for the meals (ie, olive oil, avocados, etc) but I will certainly be more mindful of the fat content in the meals. I thought i was reasonably close to template but will reassess. (And better track them to share with y'all for future insight). 

 

The reason I felt the iron and pre/post workout meals were irrelevant was because the fatigue was there before I started W30. I was assuming that the upped veggie intake should assist in the iron absorption. 

 

I will likely re start - and set my bloody pill alarms - the iron 2x a day and add in at least one pre/post workout routine on my active days.

 

Thank you both for your help in this, despite the wealth of knowledge in the books, actual practice of it seems more challenging than I expected. Not difficult, just thinking outside the box a bit.

 

You rock. Thank you.

[jmcbn]

The reason I felt the iron and pre/post workout meals were irrelevant was because the fatigue was there before I started W30. I was assuming that the upped veggie intake should assist in the iron absorption. 

You might want to take a read at >this article< to make sure you are getting enough down time, AND enough fuel.....

[praxisproject]

When you're celiac, absorption isn't always great, so you can get plenty of intake, but your absorption may not be 100%.

 

It's really important not to skip food or pills, as when you do, you can be in a constant state of catch up, just backfilling a deficiency, which will leave you feeling very tired as you're right on the red line of running out of body-fuel.

 

I found Vitamin C and Magnesium helped a lot for my anemia, as does chicken liver and bone broth and gelatin. Some things don't help directly, but they help my gut and then it's better at absorbing things.

 

If you're feeling really tired, it's also okay to skip the gym, it'll be there tomorrow.

[TaraTall]

You might want to take a read at >this article< to make sure you are getting enough down time, AND enough fuel.....

Great article, thank you.

I find I'm in a tricky spot right now with the soccer season starting up they tend to jam it all together. I have a slow yoga class tonight but will also focus on more recovery time and reassess my fuel. 

Thanks for your expertise and insight.