Why am I so tired? Suggestions please page 3

[Neckhammer]

Ha, ha, ha. Why am I not surprised .. ? All those who are such supporters of burning and burying babies alive (of course only ... certain babies - don't get me started) will show up to promote ... positivity.
Medhammer, I am pretty sure that you'll get full support, understanding, positivity and compassion from the neo-Nazi wing of the group.
Brrr.
You don't need positivity you need more food.

Thank you for showing why I refuse to be lumped in with anything you post... (even if your advice for more food is correct).

[anna5]

Thank you for showing why I refuse to be lumped in with anything you post... (even if your advice for more food is correct).

I can assure you we will never be in the same group.

[Warmbear]

@Anna, wtf are you talking about? @ op, as I am sure you know some people will try to help honestly and with your best interests at heart ( me) and some are interested in trolling everything and anything. Dont take some folks seriously.

[anna5]

@Anna, wtf are you talking about? @ op, as I am sure you know some people will try to help honestly and with your best interests at heart ( me) and some are interested in trolling everything and anything. Dont take some folks seriously.

It isn't a matter of help. This is a very diverse group of people and some bring their prejudices and agendas. Yes, there were some ugly moments here, so ugly that I felt compelled to post a picture of Auschwitz "ladies" relaxing after ...the hard work.
It had this feel - orchestrated, nasty, bigoted, bullying, primitive. "Ladies" mostly.

[twinmama]

High stress + low body fat + low hormones = ammenhoriea and creates cycle to the point of inability to determine which problem comes first.

High stress can also result in lost appetite. Where as other may be stress eaters, you are likely more of a stress starver (not sure that's a term)... think divorce diet... you probably ate less from the sadness and loss of your spouse. No desire for much of anything... and then burying yourself in exercise = endorphins just to feel good.

I would increase all food to be honest. Perhaps switch running to walking. Use music during these sessions to destress.

Did you have a complete thyroid panel or just a TSH?

[twinmama]

You're a frequent night time urniator. This was a huge problem for me. I thought it was weight related, post PG, or something wrong with my bladder.

Turns out I have severe sleep apnea. No more than actually 2 hours of sleep per night for years. At your weight, it's entirely possible your doctor will never ever suspect this. You will have to drop dead of an unexpected heart attack around the age 40 because anything suggesting heart disease is not present. Do you snore? Do you gasp for air in your sleep? Without a partner to report such activity you will not know this. You would need a sleep study. There is a take home test for this. You don't have to go into a lab. Apnea is often an obstruction by way of your design. High pallet, large turbinates, large tonsils, etc...

I could easily be in bed 10-12 hours a night, wake over an over again to pee. (It's not the need to pee that wakes you, it's the lack of oxygen, waking naturally triggers the need to pee). And then wake exhausted.

[Gorbag]

I've been primal for a few years now but lower carb primal (50-70) for the past 8 months. For longer than I can remember, I've been suffering from fatigue that I don't think is reasonable for someone of my age or fitness level. I'd really appreciate some positive and constructive suggestions. Here's a bit of background.

- 33yr old female, 106lbs 5'4.5" BF last tested at 13% two years ago...may be less now, not sure.
- Ammenhorea since 2007 after the death of a spouse
- High stress unpredictable job as a midwife on call 20days/month with frequent 24hr shifts. When not required to stay up all night I usually sleep 7-8 hrs. I also take 3-5mg melatonin every night.
- Blood hormones low (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone) while recent salivary testing was low normal. Thyroid last tested as normal, iron normal
- Work outs 5-6 times/wk. Combination of long cardio (trail runs, xc ski or spinning when I can't get outside due to work), light weights/ body weight training 2-3x/wk, HIIT 1-2/wk.
- Cals 1200-1400/day 20% carb, 45% fat 35% give or take a bit

Should I try to increase my fats? Increase my carbs? Decrease the cardio (I find it really helpful for stress reduction..but it can feel like chronic cardio and a bit of a chore).

I finally feel like I have the body I'm "happy" with but just wish I had more energy to enjoy my workouts and stay awake past 930

Thanks in advance for the feedback folks!

Seriously, you are eating far too little with your activity level and over a long period of time, and your hormones are on the low probably due to low bodyfat, low calories and low carbs! Want to fix your fatigue? Start by upping your calories to at least 2000 kcal and eat 40 % of them from healthy carbs like yams, potatoes or rice for a period. That will raise your leptin levels and make you recuperate better from your training, then later on you can go back to low carb eating if you like...

[BestBetter]

How accurate was that bodyfat testing? 13% bodyfat is considered the amount of essential bodyfat for a woman, meaning that with any less fat, you will DIE. If this percentage is even in the right ballpark for how much bodyfat you actually have (since a lot of BF% are somewhat inaccurate), then no wonder you feel exhausted; your body is probably struggling to perform basic functions.

It would be a really good idea to put some good quality fat on your body so it can have the reserves it needs to function optimally. While the ammenhorea may have begun as a reaction to an extremely stressful situation (death of spouse), to me it is an obvious warning sign that your fat % is dangerously low.

Since clearly you don't need to lose weight, can you come up with a better way to destress than cardio? For example, something like a hot bath would probably do wonders.

[Gladmorning]

neonazi... what? Burning babies.... WHAT? Where the hell are you getting this? Pretty sure neckhammer was talking about food.

[Pebbles67]

Hi Meghanner,

Just a little information...Your Basal Metabolic Rate (your calorie burn if in a coma) at your age, height and weight is about 1200 cals. You are doing heavy exercise on top of that.

I we multiply 1200 by 1.55 for moderate activity, It shows that your body needs between 1800-1900 calories just to be healthy and maintain weight.

If you do not wish to add more in food volume, then maybe add most of the calories in fat. You could use more than 45% for sure.
I also like the suggestions for more carbs and protein.