Getting Enough Calories?

[Guest nini]

I'm wondering if I'm getting enough calories in my diet. Since my dx almost 3 years ago, I've lost 100 pounds... the last 20 within the past 2 1/2 months. It seems to be coming off really quickly now, AND I'm tired a lot of the time. I eat when I'm hungry and eat til I'm full, but is it possible that I'm not getting enough calories to sustain me throughout the day?

I'm not into calorie counting so I'll just list a typical days meal

morning coffee: cream and sugar

breakfast: 2 enjoy life foods snack bars

mid morning snack: fruit

lunch: big salad with tuna salad and cheese and Annie's Natural's French Dressing

afternoon snack: nacho's or popcorn

dinner: baked chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetable.

dessert: chocolate, or cookies

I just drink water throughout the day. I don't like milk or juice very much.

I do try to vary my diet so it's not boring, but this is a pretty typical example of most days. I'm starting to wonder if the fatigue I'm feeling is because I'm not eating enough. And I'm also worrying that I'm losing weight too fast right now. I barely have a chance to even wear my new clothes and they are already baggy.

I just had a Dr. visit this week and the Dr. thought I was doing fine. But I am supposed to go in for some fasting bloodwork just for a follow up.

Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. I do have blood sugar issues so I can't really add MORE carbs to my diet.

Also, I am a massage therapist and work 9-1 doing very strenuous massages at a chiropractors office. Maybe I'm not eating enough to sustain the energy I need... Plus I have a VERY ACTIVE five year old.

[4getgluten]

It does seem you are dropping the weight fast. Maybe you do need more calories. Have you considered adding a meal replacement drink, like Boost or Ensure. I have not been able to find a vitamin I can take without feeling sick, so I started drinking a Boost everyday. It's really helped me with my energy level and helps me keep my weight up. I lost about 15 pounds after going gluten-free, which is great, but I don't want to lose anymore. BTW, all Boost flavors are gluten-free except chocolate malt.

[Jnkmnky]

I'm wondering if I'm getting enough calories in my diet. Since my dx almost 3 years ago, I've lost 100 pounds... the last 20 within the past 2 1/2 months. It seems to be coming off really quickly now, AND I'm tired a lot of the time. I eat when I'm hungry and eat til I'm full, but is it possible that I'm not getting enough calories to sustain me throughout the day?

I'm not into calorie counting so I'll just list a typical days meal

morning coffee: cream and sugar

breakfast: 2 enjoy life foods snack bars

mid morning snack: fruit

lunch: big salad with tuna salad and cheese and Annie's Natural's French Dressing

afternoon snack: nacho's or popcorn

dinner: baked chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetable.

dessert: chocolate, or cookies

I just drink water throughout the day. I don't like milk or juice very much.

I do try to vary my diet so it's not boring, but this is a pretty typical example of most days. I'm starting to wonder if the fatigue I'm feeling is because I'm not eating enough. And I'm also worrying that I'm losing weight too fast right now. I barely have a chance to even wear my new clothes and they are already baggy.

I just had a Dr. visit this week and the Dr. thought I was doing fine. But I am supposed to go in for some fasting bloodwork just for a follow up.

Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. I do have blood sugar issues so I can't really add MORE carbs to my diet.

Also, I am a massage therapist and work 9-1 doing very strenuous massages at a chiropractors office. Maybe I'm not eating enough to sustain the energy I need... Plus I have a VERY ACTIVE five year old.

First off, I want your problem... I have 20 I can't remove from my butt no matter how many miles I tread on the mill. Aside from that, you know, the average American has no idea how thin and lean they're really meant to be. You can be quite a few pounds UNDER the recommended for your weight and height by todays bloated standards and be NORMAL. Did you know virtually the ENTIRE clothing industry in America upsized their clothing sizes for kids last year???????? I could not believe it was true until I couldn't find pants for my three kids who are lean, mean playing machines. All three of my kids went down a full size and the new "improved" sizing is ridiculous. My daughter can't keep pants up any longer because the waists on even the size 6 kids would fit a kid wearing *what used to be* an 8. It's nuts. SO... my point is, you're meant to be lean and mean and the working machine you are. Eating healthy, working hard produces a finely tuned body. You're gonna be slammin' this summer on the beach if you keep going this way. I ordered Power 90 today when I realized I can walk 5 miles a day with WEIGHTS and these pesky pounds will not budge! grrr.

[Guest nini]

the thing is, I can still stand to lose more weight, BUT, I don't want to lose it too fast if that is putting my health in jeopardy! LOL!

I hadn't tried the Boost shakes, didn't know they were gluten free, I will have to try that and see if it helps...

My hubby thinks I'm "slammin" already! ROTFLMAO! But you know how hard we women are on ourselves! I think there is still so much room for improvement. I want to start exercising and really toning up, but I just don't have the energy!

[Canadian Karen]

I want your problem too! I have weight piled on from the prednisone that I haven't been able to get off. It's stuck there, just won't move, no weight gain, no weight loss.

Can't offer advice since I am at the opposite end of the spectrum, just wanted to say I envy you!

Karen

[Guest nini]

LOL! If it was JUST the weight loss by itself I wouldn't be complaining! It's the lack of energy that's got me concerned! That and I'd like to be able to wear my new clothes at least ONCE before they are too big on me!

[Canadian Karen]

The lack of energy I am VERY familiar with.....

There are some days where I can barely get back up off the couch if I sit down because I just feel soooo exhausted.

I was a the dr. this week for a follow-up. She is monitoring my iron because, as usual, it is low. She took the blood to test the level. Got a call yesterday that my iron is plummetting and I have to go see her on Monday because she wants to start injections. Oh joy. But, hey, if they give me my energy back, I can tough them out.......

Has anyone had the iron injections? Are they painful? Are there any side effects?

Karen

[Jnkmnky]

LOL! If it was JUST the weight loss by itself I wouldn't be complaining! It's the lack of energy that's got me concerned! That and I'd like to be able to wear my new clothes at least ONCE before they are too big on me!

Just keep typing stuff like that..... My sympathy for ya is overwhelming!!! But lack of energy could be all sorts of things. Just go to your dr and get a physical... blood drawn. Maybe you have a bug you haven't really shaken. Plus, you may need to get more sleep???? Are you really resting at night? Maybe lift some LIGHT weights in the evening as you watch tv. I do that and whoo- It's good for your energy levels to lift some weights. Get three pounders, nothing crazy. I find I'm so much more energized when I've got muscle.

The lack of energy I am VERY familiar with.....

There are some days where I can barely get back up off the couch if I sit down because I just feel soooo exhausted.

I was a the dr. this week for a follow-up. She is monitoring my iron because, as usual, it is low. She took the blood to test the level. Got a call yesterday that my iron is plummetting and I have to go see her on Monday because she wants to start injections. Oh joy. But, hey, if they give me my energy back, I can tough them out.......

Has anyone had the iron injections? Are they painful? Are there any side effects?

Karen

What is the underlying cause of the low iron??

[Guest nini]

Just keep typing stuff like that..... My sympathy for ya is overwhelming!!!

lol, sorry! I do have an appointment for the blood work, so we'll see how that turns out.

I'm taking a multi vitamin and b-12 every day...

[Canadian Karen]

I was taking my regular multi-vitamin AND three Jamieson Elemental Potency Iron (50 mg) per day. Iron still plummetting (although she wouldn't tell me over the phone).

This is my family doctor, who, co-ordinated with the specialist down at St. Mike's, my family dr is in charge of monitoring my thyroid and iron, etc., while the GI specialist down at St. Mike's deals more with the different medications we are trying to get the collagenous colitis under control. He is also co-ordinating with the immunologist at St. Mike's also that I am seeing.

Now, this GI specialist is apparently the best in the country (he is professor who teaches at the hospital), and he is wonderful, I have all the time in the world with him, don't feel rushed, and he really knows his stuff. But there is one thing that I don't agree with him on (and is the reason why I haven't mentioned it here) is the fact that his official diagnosis of me is refractory celiac sprue with collagenous colitis. He seems to feel that although my numbers have come down (which he says proves to him that I am faithfully gluten free and gluten contaminating me is not an issue), I still have all the issues and symptoms of celiac that won't clear up. i.e. my villi will not repair, malaborption, inability to get the collagenous colitis under control (which apparently under normal circumstances 95% of the time prednisone takes care of that.... but not with me).

Anyway, when I got visibly upset when he used the dreaded "R" word, he made it very clear that it is in way necessary to be scared of such a diagnosis - bottom line he said is that it only means "unmanageable celiac sprue".

So, that's it in a nutshell. But don't look for me to be changing my signature anytime soon to say "refractory"!!!

Karen

[Guest nini]

Yikes Karen...

should I follow up with my GI on this issue or is my PCP sufficient to try to solve this mystery? I mean, I'm not having GI issues, just mainly fatigue and bone and joint pain. Or is there a different kind of specialist I should be seeing?

[Canadian Karen]

I would think you are okay with whom you are seeing. The only reason I got referred to this guy is because the GI doctor who diagnosed me with celiac in the first place had him as his professor. So when I turned out to be non-responsive to the gluten-free diet, this professor down at St. Mike's saw me as a favour to the other GI. The professor was the one who pegged collagenous colitis right away on the first visit and then confirmed it with the pathology reports from the colonoscopy that he did afterwards.....

I wouldn't worry too much unless you went below your normal weight for your height and build..... Maybe this is just your body's way of ridding itself of weight that is not required.....

Karen

[hez]

Nini,

I wish I had something useful to say! I would be concerned more about the loss of energy than the weight. Maybe the blood tests will pinpoint something. It is so hard to work and raise a family when all you really want to do is nothing at all.

Karen,

I am glad you are not accepting the docs dx!

Hez

[Guest nini]

thank you all for responding. I'm certainly not complaining about the weight loss, as I still could stand to lose another 20-30 pounds, BUT, overall I was just worrying that I was losing it too fast and that may be tied in to how many calories I'm getting... but I don't even know how many calories I'm supposed to be getting per day AND no idea how many actual calories I'm getting. I guess that would help if I knew that, huh?!

[ianm]

Looking at your diet it seems to me that you should eat less carbs and add more protien. As a former heavyweight myself I find that more protien takes longer to digest and provides more sustained energy. Even good carbs like fruit will produce an insulin spike and I will lose energy if I don't eat protien along with it. Green veggies like raw broccoli and spinach digest more slowly. Also I find that eating small portions 5-6 times a day provides more energy than 3 meals a day. If I eat too much at once I start to lose energy. I find that if I have a lot to do I feel better if I eat less not more. Stress seems to disrupt my digestion and eating more does more harm than good. It also appears that you are taking in more calories a day than I do so that may not be the problem.

Weight lifting does a lot to improve my energy. I do a lot of walking and bicycling which is good but was not enough. When I started lifting weights I noticed a big increase in energy. Sometimes it is a real hassle and I don't like doing it but I feel like crap if I don't.

From what I know you are probably not losing too fast. If you were losing 20-30 pounds a day I would be concerened. My weight came off at about the same rate as yours is coming off and I had no problems. Having to buy new clothes was a pain because I am a guy and HATE shopping but that was the only negative to losing weight. Keep going, you're almost there.

[Guest nini]

Thank you Ian, that really makes sense. I agree that I am probably not getting enough protein. I will try to get more protein into my diet and less carbs. But I do love my fruit!

I used to do weight lifting when I was in high school. I was on the weight lifting team. My coach said that he had never seen a girl able to lift as much as I could. I also had a Dr. study one time that concluded that I had an enormous amount of natural muscle potential. Much higher than the average female.

Thank you again for your feedback, that makes me feel better!