Tired And Sick ? Need Help

[MelliDuff]

I was just diagnosed with Celiac, but have been gluten free for two months now. I decided after putting on about 15 pounds from the gluten-free food (and exhaustion) that I should loose them before it is to late, and they become permanent. I was 120 lbs when I started the gluten-free diet - which is not under weight (but people made comments about how thin I was a lot ) - I'd like to be 125. As is I think i am at 137 or 140 now?

My problem is after 6 or 7 days of dieting and working out I get an all day major drained feeling. I start to feel weak and tired and sick....and I can't sleep at night because I am so hungry. I get insomnia, and only sleep about 5 or 6 hours at night. I have two children at home all day to take care of - One is 4 the other is 11 months old. I can not rest when I am tired.

I also have hashimotos (hypothyroid) and anemia plus b12 and folic acid deficiencies. I have been taking doctor prescribed vitamins for these deficiencies but i still feel tired A LOT. I have been on them for over 3 months. I also was diagnosed as having an active Epstein Barr virus - and was told it would not heal for 6 more months. The symptoms are akin to mono (which I do not have). Some days I just feel SICK - which is ok but the drained not being able to walk feeling is horrible... My question is Should I even be dieting at this point? Does anyone else feel sick after dieting for a few days? Are there things I should be taking (supplements) to help me not feels this way? Is this how everyone feels when they diet?

I'm confused -

Need help

[lizard00]

My very very first question: What are your "diet foods"? If you are newly dx'ed, you don't need to starve yourself. It's never a good idea even when you're healthy, but if you've been suffering malabsorption, not eating enough will just perpetuate the problem.

And how tall are you? Is 125 a reasonable goal for your body to maintain?

[MelliDuff]

My very very first question: What are your "diet foods"? If you are newly dx'ed, you don't need to starve yourself. It's never a good idea even when you're healthy, but if you've been suffering malabsorption, not eating enough will just perpetuate the problem.

And how tall are you? Is 125 a reasonable goal for your body to maintain?

Yes I think it is - I'm only 5'4...at 125 I fit into about a size 2 or 4.

My diet foods are - fruits - vegetables - fish and chicken- carob raisins or grapes for "desserts" .

Typical Day is

Breakfast - Hand full of grapes or an apple

(cream of rice if im really hungry)

Lunch - sometimes i skip - or Tuna fish plain or raw carrots with half a grilled chicken breast

Dinner - Frozen vegetables boiled with a little rice noodles and usually a small piece of salmon.

I don't know where to add fat in- The salmon has fat in it -

Multi vitamin - Doctors vitamin Foltron, B12 200mgs,magnesium 250

Plus I run or lately walk 30-45 minutes because I'm pretty much to exhausted (for the first time in my life) to run. I just keep getting weaker and more tired ...

I eat about 600-900 calories per day - I cant eat more than that or I gain weight. I have been having malabsorption that is why i am on the supplements. I'm just worried that I might be doing more harm then helping with trying to "diet". I wondered if everyone that dieted felt "crappy" besides the normal "hungry" feeling. I haven't had to "diet" in a while.... and when I did in the past I always felt better not worse...

I don't know what to do, because what I am doing now is not working, it's making me sicker. That is unless everyone just feels terrible when they are restricting calories.

[home-based-mom]

At 600-900 calories per day, your body is in starvation mode and will desperately cling to every calorie it gets. Think 3rd world refugee camp. You should be eating 1000-1200 nutrient-dense calories every day.

You are exhausted because you are not getting enough to eat.

Add an egg for breakfast.

*NEVER* skip lunch or any other meal.

Add some salad with a gluten-free dressing or avocado slices.

You might not be absorbing some of the vitamins you are taking because they have to be with food for you body to absorb them properly.

Work on your health first, then if you still feel the need to work on your weight you can work on it later. It might not be necessary - the issue might just resolve itself!

Isn't Epstein Barr virus associated with chronic fatigue?

[lizard00]

Home based mom said it all! You are in fact, doing more harm than good. If you are consuming 900 calories a day for dietary purposes, you should be under a doctor's supervision. That is barely enough to sustain your body's necessary fucntions, much less try to add in exercise. If you are exercising, you need to eat more... and be sure to add protein. You need to focus on eating healthfully and getting yourself well. Deal with the 15 lbs when your body isn't fighting to heal itself.

[MelliDuff]

Thanks - I think i will "chill out" on the dieting for now. I have always eaten under 900 calories because of my thyroid... I have had to do that just to maintain a normal weight... it pretty much bites!

[Joni63]

I was just diagnosed with Celiac, but have been gluten free for two months now. I decided after putting on about 15 pounds from the gluten-free food (and exhaustion) that I should loose them before it is to late, and they become permanent. I was 120 lbs when I started the gluten-free diet - which is not under weight (but people made comments about how thin I was a lot ) - I'd like to be 125. As is I think i am at 137 or 140 now?

My problem is after 6 or 7 days of dieting and working out I get an all day major drained feeling. I start to feel weak and tired and sick....and I can't sleep at night because I am so hungry. I get insomnia, and only sleep about 5 or 6 hours at night. I have two children at home all day to take care of - One is 4 the other is 11 months old. I can not rest when I am tired.

I also have hashimotos (hypothyroid) and anemia plus b12 and folic acid deficiencies. I have been taking doctor prescribed vitamins for these deficiencies but i still feel tired A LOT. I have been on them for over 3 months. I also was diagnosed as having an active Epstein Barr virus - and was told it would not heal for 6 more months. The symptoms are akin to mono (which I do not have). Some days I just feel SICK - which is ok but the drained not being able to walk feeling is horrible... My question is Should I even be dieting at this point? Does anyone else feel sick after dieting for a few days? Are there things I should be taking (supplements) to help me not feels this way? Is this how everyone feels when they diet?

I'm confused -

Need help

I think I'm dealing with similar issues right now. I have iron and d deficiencies and was told by my doctor to stop working out (even 3 days/week) until my iron is back up. She said it would only drain my energy that I needed for everyday tasks. I'm sure that is contributing to your fatigue.

I had mono as a child and I'm supposed to be tested for the EB virus. The Naturopath said that once you have it it never leaves your system and can become active again. I had mono at 14 and she thinks that might be what's happening with me. That would also cause fatigue.

Your caloric intake is really low for exercising too. I think your being hungry at night and losing sleep is telling you that. Your body needs nutrition and plenty of it.

If you've been on supplements for 3 months, has your doctor retested your vitamin levels to see if the supplements are increasing them? It's probably a good idea to get them rechecked at this point. You may need higher amounts and they should be rechecked anyway. I just found out about my deficiencies and they wanted me re tested in 1 month.

You've also got a lot going on with 2 young children. That is enough to drain your energy some, without your additional issues. Try to focus on getting all the rest that you can. Your body needs rest and good nutrition to heal. I know it's hard, but try not to put too much emphasis on reducing your weight. I think once you get your vitamin levels back up and the EB virus rests again, you will feel better and can add in diet and exercise. Is your thyroid issue under control? That also can cause fatigue.

Melliduff, it really takes some time once going on the gluten free diet to get your system straightened out. Try to be patient with yourself. Once you feel better and have more energy, I'm sure you will be able to take the weight off.

[darlindeb25]

Isn't Epstein Barr virus associated with chronic fatigue?

It certainly can. The Epstein Barr virus will always lay dormant in your body, and will always show up in your blood work. If your Epstein Barr virus is active right now, then yes, it will cause fatigue, and, if you are not very careful, it will develop into cronic fatigue syndrome. A friend of mine's daughter has it now. She had mono at 5 yrs old, she was diagnosed with crohn's disease last year at 17 yrs old, and when it finally went into a remission, the Epstein Barr virus kicked in. The doctor says if it doesn't settle down by 6 months, then it can become cronic fatigue syndrome. So, for now, I think you should concentrate on getting better, eat 1200 calories a day, eat sensibly, stay away from high fat foods, stay away from high sugar foods, stay away from high fructose corn syrup--eat whole foods, very little processed foods, and I think you will find the pounds will not find you anyways.

Good luck and feel better.

[MelliDuff]

It certainly can. The Epstein Barr virus will always lay dormant in your body, and will always show up in your blood work. If your Epstein Barr virus is active right now, then yes, it will cause fatigue, and, if you are not very careful, it will develop into cronic fatigue syndrome. A friend of mine's daughter has it now. She had mono at 5 yrs old, she was diagnosed with crohn's disease last year at 17 yrs old, and when it finally went into a remission, the Epstein Barr virus kicked in. The doctor says if it doesn't settle down by 6 months, then it can become cronic fatigue syndrome.

I am terrified of this Chronic Fatigue Syndrome thing....There is not cure for it. My doctor said he wanted me to come back again in one month and that he would "retest" things. He said expect not to feel "better" for 6 months. He did not mention Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I am pretty sure he did not want to scare the crap out of me. The weired thing for me is that I test negative for the Mono virus - which means I have never had mono - and honestly I don't remember ever having it.

I thought I would be feeling better in a couple months - but I was wrong. I am not used to dealing with this exhaustion and sickness. I guess dieting is a way to "have control" over something that my body is doing. I feel like I take a billion vitamins a day.

My thyroid lvls are ok, I take Levoxl for it but I wish I could get on Armour.

My GI did a biopsy of my stomach to test for pernicious anemia... I haven't got those results back yet.

That scares me too -

I am so ready to feel better. Thanks for the help.

[RiceGuy]

Yes I think it is - I'm only 5'4...at 125 I fit into about a size 2 or 4.

My diet foods are - fruits - vegetables - fish and chicken- carob raisins or grapes for "desserts" .

Typical Day is

Breakfast - Hand full of grapes or an apple

(cream of rice if im really hungry)

Lunch - sometimes i skip - or Tuna fish plain or raw carrots with half a grilled chicken breast

Dinner - Frozen vegetables boiled with a little rice noodles and usually a small piece of salmon.

I don't know where to add fat in- The salmon has fat in it -

Well, I always was a "big eater", and have never liked going without food (probably due to malabsorption). Actually, if your lifestyle supports it, research shows that many small meals are better than few large ones. Now, being gluten-free I do find (for the first time in my life) that I can eat less than I used to, but it has taken time to get to that point. I spent over a year literally gorging myself until I simply could not cram down one more bite. My stomach bulging, uncomfortable as it was, I was still hungry! So I think due to malabsorption you may need to eat more, not less, than what would normally be right for you. Depending on the particulars of the intestinal damage, you may be absorbing certain nutrients better than others. I know I was, and I found it necessary to reduce proteins for awhile, and carbs to some degree as well.

In the example you give, I don't see whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, etc (I hope the rice is not white). I for one would certainly be hungry and tired on such a diet.

Multi vitamin - Doctors vitamin Foltron, B12 200mgs,magnesium 250

Oh, now that I'd say is definitely insufficient (I'm guessing you mean mcg for the B12). Try 3mg B12 (that's 3000mcg), and make sure it's a sublingual of the methylcobalamin form. The daily recommended intake of magnesium is somewhere around 400mg, but due to malabsorption, I suspect you'd need more. I know I do for sure, as I feel best when I take a LOT of the stuff. These two nutrients are tremendously important for energy and numerous other things. I can say they have proven to be most important for me.

I eat about 600-900 calories per day - I cant eat more than that or I gain weight. I have been having malabsorption that is why i am on the supplements. I'm just worried that I might be doing more harm then helping with trying to "diet". I wondered if everyone that dieted felt "crappy" besides the normal "hungry" feeling. I haven't had to "diet" in a while.... and when I did in the past I always felt better not worse...

Isn't the typical RDI something like 2000 calories? Seems to me you are eating far too little, especially considering the malabsorption issues. But what types of foods you get your calories from is likely to be important IMO, as well as when you eat them. For instance, medium chain fatty acids (abundant in coconut oil) are much easier for the body to burn as fuel than any other type of fat. Google coconut oil to learn more about that. Animal proteins can cause your body to use up calcium three times faster than proteins from vegetables. Vitamin C can increase iron absorption from vegetables upwards of six fold, but other nutrients like calcium interfere with iron absorption. Therefore, it might help you to eat your iron rich foods apart from calcium rich foods. This is just one of numerous nutrient interactions, which I believe we wouldn't normally need to be very concerned about. Again, it's when malabsorption prevents us from getting what we need from food that some extra care need be taken.

Again, I'd suggest higher doses of those supplements. You cannot overdose on B12 either, so there's no medical reason to restrict that. Magnesium on the other hand, will tend to loosen stools in high dosages, which I suppose is a good indicator of how well you are absorbing it. When that occurs, you can probably cut back a bit.

Obviously, I agree with what others have said - that dieting doesn't appear like such a good idea right now. Also keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so the number on the scale won't always tell you when your weight is off. IMO nutrient density should take precedence over total caloric intake, though obviously there needs to be a balance somewhere.

I don't know of any specific food allergy that might be responsible for how you feel, but I don't rule out the possibility. Often, it seems that things like dairy present a problem for awhile, until the intestines have healed sufficiently as to be able to break down lactose for example.

Hope you get it figured out soon.