I need energy and I am sensitive to caffeine page

[kimann79]

I started the primal diet about two months ago and am six weeks pregnant. About three days into the diet my energy levels crashed and have not rebounded. I can't bring myself to do even moderate exercise and after a walk I need a nap (it's been this way from the beginning so I can't attribute it all to pregnancy.)
What can I eat or do that will increase my energy levels? I felt awesome the first few days eating this way and I'm not sure why that wonderful, euphoric feeling went away or how to get it back.
I'm willing to cut out or add almost anything at this point, except maybe raw dairy bc WAPF tells me my baby will have crossed eyes and a deformed palate without enough raw milk.
I know I'm at least 80/20 (if you consider dairy primal.) I'm not overweight, though I weigh a lot which is strange since I don't look it. I do have thyroid disease and adrenal issues but I felt much better before going primal.
Any tips on how to put the pep back in my step?

Editing to say I did have a mild burst of energy about two or three weeks ago but it only lasted a few days before going kaput. I just need my energy levels to be consistent.

[TigerLily]

Hi. I suffered from the same.

How many carbs are you averaging per day? With your hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue (I have(had?) both too), you'll do better and will feel better on greater than 50.

Other things that will help:
Vitamin D
Vitamin B complex
maca
coconut

[sweetp]

What about fish or krill oil?
Are you on any medications for your thyroid?
Do you keep a journal - maybe looking into any changes or something you did during the times your energy increased again - anything to do with your cycle? Ie hormonal? I know you are pregnant now but before that did you have big energy swings depending on your cycle?

[JPA]

Stop this and immediatly raise your carbs. It wasn't until I raised mine to 200g a day with potatoes and rice that I started feeling better.

[js290]

The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. » Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt II

[TigerLily]

Diana Schwarzbein, MD, writes a lot about low carb/hypothyroidism/adrenal fatigue/insulin sensitivity vs. resistance. VLC is too hard on a hypothyroid with blown out adrenals. I have no idea where on earth people get the idea that VLC is always the way to go and why people want to go down in their carbs rather than up when things aren't clicking; VLC is simply not appropriate for all of us (including this body).

"Schwarzbein says that a diet too low in carbs can cause stress to the adrenal glands. It can also stress the thyroid gland."

Why some don't tolerate very low carb diets? : Schwarzbein Principle Forum : Active Low-Carber Forums

[DFH]

Diana Schwarzbein, MD, writes a lot about low carb/hypothyroidism/adrenal fatigue/insulin sensitivity vs. resistance. VLC is too hard on a hypothyroid with blown out adrenals. I have no idea where on earth people get the idea that VLC is always the way to go and why people want to go down in their carbs rather than up when things aren't clicking; VLC is simply not appropriate for all of us (including this body).

"Schwarzbein says that a diet too low in carbs can cause stress to the adrenal glands. It can also stress the thyroid gland."

Why some don't tolerate very low carb diets? : Schwarzbein Principle Forum : Active Low-Carber Forums

I have hypothyroidism/adrenal fatigue/insulin resistance and no way could I do 200+ carbs. Some of the comments on this thread sound like they are coming from another species. I keep carbs to absolute minimum, and my dr agrees.

[belinda]

Can you post a sample of your daily diet (including quantities)? Also your stats (height, weight).

Are you having any morning sickness?

Are you eating any carbs? Half a sweet potato or a cup of white rice might be all that you need to get you headed in the right direction.

[Sweet Tart]

Have you had your thyroid levels checked since you've been pregnant and started primal? You may need some adjustments to your treatment.

I probably wouldn't do VLC when pregnant (YMMV).

[Lewis]

I know I'm at least 80/20 (if you consider dairy primal.) I'm not overweight, though I weigh a lot which is strange since I don't look it. I do have thyroid disease and adrenal issues but I felt much better before going primal.
Any tips on how to put the pep back in my step?.

Probably not with anything with caffeine in it (I noticed the title you used for the thread). I wouldn't take anything stronger than an occasional cup of green tea.

As I understand it, the time taken to switch from a basically sugar-burning mode to a basically fat-burning mode varies from individual to individual, but is generally something between two and six weeks. Maybe this is what is going on; maybe not. I guess that could be consistent with your energy going after three days and not coming back yet.

I don't know whether it's advisable to try to switch your metabolism while pregnant. At the same time, I can't see that high carb wouldn't be less than optimal for you or the baby. What should your level of carbs be? Should you go back up a bit? If you do, should you then taper down? I just don't know. Maybe you could sort of figure this out with a glucometer: you might need a few more carbs, but you probably don't want so many that your blood sugar spikes too high. Maybe you should eat more often—not generally encouraged with Primal, but, heck, there are snacks listed in Mark's book, and you are complaining of low energy. Maybe a couple of snacks between meals would be called for. Balanced snacks: i.e., not standard snack food, which is just carbs, but some protein and fat in there, celery + cheese, whatever. I keep saying "maybe" because I don't know. I think you'd be best off taking advice from a medical professional who knows a lot about pregnancy and is also clued-up on "traditional" diets.

I'd see your family doctor and get some blood tests run, because maybe it's not the food or not just the food.

You could probably get some good general advice on what to eat during pregnancy from Chris Kresser's site. He has a WAPF/Paleo focus, and has put up a special microsite offering dietary information relating to pregnancy. Don't know what he's charging, but here it is:

http://healthybabycode.com/signup