Thread: Maintaining Energy

So, I'm up to practicing at least 4 times a week now (1.5 hours+ per session), practicing at home whenever, and performing every week to every other week AND am trying to lose weight! I need to lose about 100 lbs and am wondering - how DO you eat right AND maintain energy AND create a deficit necessary to lose weight? Whenever I eat less, I end up feeling really awful, tired, and drained. :( Help?

multi vitamins help me a lot

If you are tired and losing energy, I think it is important to diagnose why. It could be a number of things:

1) Vitamin Deficiency - if you go in for a check-up with your doctor and get some blood work done he or she can check for this. I recently found out I was low on D and taking my D vitamin supplement in addition to my daily multi has made a noticeable difference in my energy level.

2) Dehydration - this is a big one. It is a killer for me because I really struggle to stay hydrated. This becomes a greater issue when you up your activity level. Keep in mind that when you drink water, you sometimes also need a little sodium or other minerals to help your body absorb the goodness. Smart water is supposed to contain those minerals and it is steam distilled which I understand is a good thing. Juicy fruits, like melons that are really watery can be a good way to hydrate. You can also try out mineral flavor tabs you can drop in your water. Just watch out for the sugary drinks. Like vitamin water, might give you a quick boost, but it is full of sugar.

c) Sleep, are you getting enough? Is it quality sleep?

d) Something else: stress, depression, a thyroid condition, a stopped up colon, coming off a caffeine addiction. Lots of things can make you lose energy and could potentially keep you from losing weight. Self asses and/or talk to your doctor to see if anything else may be factoring in, so you can address those things directly.

(cont)

e) Not getting enough quality food can be the issue. Sometimes we gain or retain weight not because we are eating too much, but because we are actually starving our bodies of the nutrients they need and the body goes into starvation mode and stores every possible calorie as fat. This happens in particular if we binge or eat a lot of empty calories, highly processed foods or foods high in fats and sugars and low in nutritional content. It is possible if you have upped your activity level, you may actually need more food in order to lose weight. It may be that you just need to make sure it is the right kind of food: whole grains, lots of colors in fruits & veggies, healthy veggie oils like olive oil, proteins - avoid dairy, transfats, processed foots, refined grains, simple starches and sugars.

I recommend reading Eat, Drink & Be Healthy:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743266420/ref=cm_sw_su_dp]Amazon.com: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating (9780743266420): M.D. Walter C. Willett, P.J. Skerrett: Books[/ame]
It is the best healthy eating book I've ever read.

Find a calorie chart that takes your activity level into account, then make sure you fill those calories in the healthiest way possible. If you've already done that and still need to reduce your food intake, I suggest one day of fasting. Just one day where you only drink water (or you can skip the water too). It is cleansing for your body and it gives your stomach an opportunity to shrink a little. After 24 hours, don't eat a huge meal, but start gently. It will help you feel more full on less food.

Keep in mind protiens (like a tuna sandwich -sans mayonaise) and potassium packed foods (like bananas) are natural energy sustainers which can keep your energy levels up naturally. Look for these kinds of foods to keep you going throughout the day. Also, eating more smaller meals, and generally become more of a grazer, instead of eating large meals with nothing in between, can actually be quite healthy and help you sustain steady energy. As long as you graze on healthy foods.

just some thoughts...

Wow!!! Thank you so much for all the information! My new doctor (love my new doctor) just did a full work up on my blood tests and discovered I don't absorb vitamin b12, so I'm getting monthly shots for it now. I HAVE been stocking up on bananas, though, because I read pro athletes use those a lot! Those are some REALLY, REALLY good suggestions! I hadn't thought about checking my hydration - that could definitely be it as I have a pretty hard time staying properly hydrated.

Other great suggestions, too - I'll definitely be trying them out, too! Thank you so much!