I am at my wits end with trying to lose weight. I eat healthy. Am very active and get plenty of sleep but struggle badly with fatigue. I have had my thyroids checked and they are normal! I am not comfortable with my size and just wish I would lose the weight. It makes me so depressed. And because it not a simple solution doctors put me in to too hard basket and tell me to go away.
6 Replies
My first step would be to see a registered dietician. They are surprisingly cheap and you'll get a Medicare rebate. If you have other health conditions and your doctor refers you it's sometimes free.
The biggest thing I did in helping myself to feel better/lose weight/feel healthier etc was abandon any sudden change in my diet. Doing a sudden overhaul I realised from experience was a disaster. So with the help of my dietician I changed my breakfast only. So I only focused on breakfast, I found a range of breakfasts that worked for me, that didn't leave me feeling deprived or starved and that I enjoyed eating. I focused on only that for about 10 weeks and it was just a habit, and I didn't have to think about it anymore.
Then I worked on lunch as my new habit for about 10 weeks and then my new habit became dinner. My current habit im working on is healthy snacks.
Then I added in walking. I literally could only manage 1km at the start but Ive systematically increased that I would never have thought that late last year I'd run a 12k fun run!!
You might also find your doctor can refer you to an exercise physiologist. They can help you set slow and steady goals for you.
Make sure you have ruled out any mental health disorders, depression and some other disorders can make you feel sluggish too. But walking and eating healthier can help with those as long as appropriate treatment. I found my psychologist has been extremely helpful in my goal setting and changing my habits etc.
Oh and when trying to loose weight make sure you use multiple ways to track but only measure once a week max for weight. So I weigh, tape measure (monthly) and generally note how my clothes fit. I don't loose kilos like some people do, but I do drop fat and shrink! I'm a heavy girl for my size If I was only tracking weight I would have given up long ago, but because I'm tracking other changes I do continue to feel motivated.
Thank you for your advice. It's not that I want to weigh less. I have a tummy on me that won't budge. as we all know weight around the midsection has been linked with heart disease and well it is rife in my family. I have always had a reasonably healthy diet. Low in processed sugar and full of whole foods. I ride three times a week, do yoga, weights. Etc. I also run after three children. As for the fatigue. The doctors aren't concerned at all. Some days it get so bad I almost can't get out of bed. It's all very frustrating and upsetting
How much are you eating? Sometimes I'm eating healthy but too much of it ?
When my kids were little I remember feeling exhausted ALL the bloody time. It kind of got better when they became less demanding.
As to the stomach I still have stomach to loose but my over all weight size is changing very very slowly.
But honestly I'd see a dietician, some of the things I thought were good for me really were holding me back from reaching my goals. Whole foods are great I found I had to tweak my meat to veggie ratio and now eat very little meat.
I've had the same struggle with fatigue for a long time and I eat healthy and exercise, I'm a personal trainer so know and do all the right things but I still used to suffer chronic fatigue and doctors were no help either. My thyroid test came back excellent. Are you taking the pill? I used to and once I went off it I felt a million dollars after about a week, worth looking into or any other medications you might be on.
I started seeing a naturopath a few years ago and it's the best thing I've ever done. They will look at your hormones and go through everything like a fine tooth comb (well mine does anyway), adrenal fatigue is also something that doctors won't look at but a naturopath will. She has been the biggest help to me for so many things over the years and while some times I do through those tired stages they are no where near as bad as they used to be and don't last as long.
A dietician is also a good idea as others have suggested all though a naturopath will help with diet as well.
I am currently using an IUD (merina) and am not on any medication. I do take a multi on top of watching what I eat. My doctor has checked my thyroids and and done all basic tests. They also tested my cortisol levels to see if it was a chance of adrenal fatigue. because I am so fatigued my body is starting to crave simple carbs and sugars for quick energy to burn. I do avoid it though. Breads, pasta are a no go and I eat brown rice occasionally. I have been exercising and it is just making me feel worse
A GP will only run basic (Medicare covered) tests.
I got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, so I saw an integrative GP. He works with a team of allied health professionals, including a naturopath, dietitican, psychologist, physiotherapist/acupuncturist. He has an interest in women's health.
There is hope. Don't wait until there is something seriously wrong (the current medical model) and then throw pills or surgery at it.
Get the help you need and deserve to live a happy energetic healthy life.