Why do I feel sooo exhausted? (Day 9)

[fitetak]

Hi All,

Wondering if you can help me figure out why I'm so bone-tired this week. I have just enough (barely) energy to get through my morning workout, and then I'm exhausted the rest of the day.

I started my Whole30 Jan 2nd, so I'm about 9 days in. The last two days I've been absolutely miserably tired throughout the workday. Here's what an average day has looked like for me the last few days:

6:45am - Pre-WO: 1 egg + half banana (~120 cal)

9am - Breakfast: 1 slice egg bake (~250 cal) consisting of mix of: egg, pork, beef, sweet potato, peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini

12pm - Lunch: 2-3 cups mixed veg salad w avocado and chicken (~250 cal) + apple (~90 cal)

6pm - Dinner 1: roasted chicken (1/2 breast) and vegetables (3/4 cup) with EVOO (~400 cal)

8:30pm - Dinner 2: 1 cup pork/beef bolognese over 2 cups spinach (~350 cal)

At 7:30am I do about a 3 mile run + 20 minutes strength training.

I've been getting 7.5 hours of sleep a night. I also have been drinking a ton of coffee and tea (3-4 cups/day) just to stay awake at work this week.

I'm 27, female, 5'5", 120 lb. (I'm at the end of a weightloss journey - lost 14 so far, looking to go down to about 117, and have been aiming for about 1500 calories a day to do so. Above is equal to 1460.)

Any help or advice is appreciated!

[audmeighan]

I'm on day 4 and having the same problem. My menu is similar to yours and I've been thinking maybe I need to up my veggie intake. Sorry I don't have the answer but, for what it's worth, I feel your pain!

[ladyhoward]

I would probably up your fat intake and add some starchy carbs, like a sweet potato, to your lunch. That usually helps me. Also, I would relax on counting the calories - from your food log, I wonder if you are eating enough and if that's contributing to your exhaustion. I'm sure some of the moderators will have more helpful suggestions, but most of the time, when people are so tired like that, it's due to stress, poor sleep, or not enough of the right kind of food to sustain them and their energy levels.

[Tom Denham]

You are not eating enough overall. If you did nothing but increase your food intake by about 66 percent, I bet you would be feeling good.

I am pretty sure you are not eating enough protein. Start following the Whole9 meal template - a serving of protein as big as the palm of your hand at every meal, fill the rest of your plate with veggies cooked in a measure of fat as big as your thumb. If you are eating eggs, eat as many as you can hold in one hand at that meal. You probably need more carby veggies like the sweet potato if you train regularly.

Stop counting calories. Counting calories keeps you from following the meal template and is probably a big part of why you are not eating enough and wondering why you are tired.

[Renee Lee]

Everything that Tom said.

and I'll add: EAT MORE!!!!!! :)

[fitetak]

Thanks everyone. I am definitely nervous about increasing intake and calories... but will try it for a few days and see where I land. I figured that's what people would say - but it's definitely hard to break the pattern of counting calories and smaller portions!

[fergie]

For your activity level and stats, you are not be eating near enough carbs... I'm saying that as a medic, and not as any kind of expert on W30 since I am only on Day 10 of my first W30. Please stop counting calories. I would be obessing and stressing out about my caloric intake every time I tried counting calories and I would not see or feel any positive changes. I know the Mods here are fantastic with their advice and I am so happy to see you come here and ask questions! Taking a deep breath and asking for help on this forum was so scary and hard for me at first, now it is a daily support I can't seem to go without!

Good luck and Good Health!!!