Lack of energy during exercise

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Lack of energy during exercise

Postby Koalabear » Sun Mar 11, 2018 8:17 am

I started on MWL program 2 weeks ago and doing great, living on oats for breakfast, rice for lunch and potatoes for dinner.
I have lost nearly 4kgs over two weeks, I don't feel hungry nor lethargic.
However what I notice is that when I exercise I feel lack of energy. The motivation is there but physically I feel my body just couldn't do it.
Does anyone have any advice on this?
Is it because I'm not eating enough? I have about half a kilo of potatoes for dinner which I think does not have a lot of calories.
Thanks in advance.
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby SonjaK » Mon Mar 12, 2018 7:54 pm

Hi Koalabear,

If you're not eating any green veggies/fruit, that could be your problem. (You might have just been highlighting your starch options though.) I would feel really lethargic if I weren't eating those. (And actually potatoes make me feel that way. I do okay on sweet potatoes if I don't eat them too often or to excess.)

I know this is abnormal but for me, I like to exercise shortly after I eat. I feel the most energetic then. I usually take a walk after lunch and then do some sort of exercise in the evenings after dinner as well. Since eating this way, I'm even more likely to get a burst of energy about an hour after I eat.

Some days though, I feel like I'm just forcing every step. I do 10 minutes and if it's still sucking and I really want to quit, I do. Because that's the exception, it's not a big deal.

You don't mention if you were exercising before you started WFPB or if this is an energy decrease/change compared to before. I know that when I first started eating a lot more whole foods and cut out junk food (about 10 years ago) I couldn't exercise a lot. Being really sick inspired the change and it took me awhile to feel up to more than just eating better. After a few months of that, I started with baby steps of just walking a little - 5 minutes out and 5 minutes back. I was sick enough that I had a very legitimate fear of getting too far from the house and not being able to make it home. As I ate better and just took it easy, I increased in health and stamina and walked longer times and farther distances.

Sonja
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby debknott » Mon Mar 12, 2018 8:28 pm

About a month and a half into the McDougall plan, I found that my energy was really lagging. After some thought I decided to add back my multiple vitamin/mineral supplement, and very quickly I felt better. There must be something in it that I really need to feel well, so for now I'm taking one per day of a two a day supplement. I will reassess after a few months. I know it's not what the doctor advises, but for now I'm trying to listen to my body.

Maybe you are lacking some nutrient. Just a thought.

Deborah
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby SonjaK » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:58 am

Along the lines of of deb's comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvlaQJImt9w

This is from Dr. Klaper and discusses a couple missing nutrients that long-term vegans might need to focus on. (Of course a lot of people are probably missing these items in their SAD too.)
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby moonlight » Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:46 am

Hi Koalabear,

I had the same experience as debknott. When I stopped my vitamins I noticed a change in my energy levels. I take Vit D3 and half the recommended multi-vitamin daily and B12 weekly. I stopped recently due to something I read about supplements but I noticed a change in my energy. After starting back on the vitamins, I noticed increased energy.
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby JeffN » Tue Mar 13, 2018 9:49 am

Koalabear wrote:I started on MWL program 2 weeks ago and doing great, living on oats for breakfast, rice for lunch and potatoes for dinner.
I have lost nearly 4kgs over two weeks, I don't feel hungry nor lethargic.
However what I notice is that when I exercise I feel lack of energy. The motivation is there but physically I feel my body just couldn't do it.
Does anyone have any advice on this?
Is it because I'm not eating enough? I have about half a kilo of potatoes for dinner which I think does not have a lot of calories.
Thanks in advance.


It is not that uncommon for somebody to feel a lack of energy at times when they first go on the maximum weight loss program. The reason is, the food can be so low in calorie density that they may be getting in enough food by volume and weight, but not enough calories. If you have seen my calorie density talk or the one on YouTube for free, when following the principles of calorie density, eating whenever hungry until comfortably full and take in over 40% less calories.

Except for vitamin B 12 we do not recommend the use of any supplements. There is nothing in a traditional m/v supplement that would give somebody energy unless there is a stimulant or sugar in it.

Dr Klaper’s video It’s based on a very old survey of vegans who were not vegan for health reasons. It does not apply to anyone following our recommendations nor do we make any of those recommendations or have ever found thm necessary outside of the B 12. This has been covered in other discussions in my forum.

A few years ago, The Kaiser Permanente Journal published an article on WFPB diets and said there were some nutritional concerns with the diet. Dr McDougall and his son, Dr Craig McDougall, wrote a response to that, refuting those claims, which you can read here (along with the original article).

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... deficient/

In Health
Jeff
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby JeffN » Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:05 am

Also, in regard to listening to our bodies...

There is a well known concept called "Hidden Hunger" which is a major global problem accounting for 10% of the global health burden. Hidden hunger is defined as a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals. It is a deficiency of micro-nutrients. Yet Hidden Hunger, which has been well studied, has no visible warning signs, so that people who suffer from it may not even be aware of it. It has no symptoms.

Interesting, as this is the exact opposite of what people often say when referring to “listening to their bodies” about their nutrient needs.

You can read more about Hidden Hunger here..

http://web.archive.org/web/201304271404 ... .asp?x=573

What is Hidden Hunger?

Hidden hunger is unlike the hunger that comes from a lack of food. It is a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals that often has no visible warning signs, so that people who suffer from it may not even be aware of it. Its consequences are nevertheless disastrous: hidden hunger can lead to mental impairment, poor health and productivity, or even death. One in three people in the world suffer from hidden hunger. Women and children from the lower income groups in developing countries are often the most affected.


In Health
Jeff
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby Willijan » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:43 pm

JeffN wrote:
Koalabear wrote:I started on MWL program 2 weeks ago and doing great, living on oats for breakfast, rice for lunch and potatoes for dinner.
I have lost nearly 4kgs over two weeks, I don't feel hungry nor lethargic.
However what I notice is that when I exercise I feel lack of energy. The motivation is there but physically I feel my body just couldn't do it.
Does anyone have any advice on this?
Is it because I'm not eating enough? I have about half a kilo of potatoes for dinner which I think does not have a lot of calories.
Thanks in advance.


It is not that uncommon for somebody to feel a lack of energy at times when they first go on the maximum weight loss program. The reason is, the food can be so low in calorie density that they may be getting in enough food by volume and weight, but not enough calories. If you have seen my calorie density talk or the one on YouTube for free, when following the principles of calorie density, eating whenever hungry until comfortably full and take in over 40% less calories.

Except for vitamin B 12 we do not recommend the use of any supplements. There is nothing in a traditional m/v supplement that would give somebody energy unless there is a stimulant or sugar in it.

Dr Klaper’s video It’s based on a very old survey of vegans who were not vegan for health reasons. It does not apply to anyone following our recommendations nor do we make any of those recommendations or have ever found thm necessary outside of the B 12. This has been covered in other discussions in my forum.

A few years ago, The Kaiser Permanente Journal published an article on WFPB diets and said there were some nutritional concerns with the diet. Dr McDougall and his son, Dr Craig McDougall, wrote a response to that, refuting those claims, which you can read here (along with the original article).

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... deficient/

In Health
Jeff


Thank you for this post, Jeff, and for the link to the article by Drs. John McDougall and Craig McDougall. It is really good to have the principles of this diet restated, so I can be reassured that I don't have to worry about all the concerns about nutrient deficiency that come up repeatedly on this board.
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby Willijan » Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:47 pm

JeffN wrote:Also, in regard to listening to our bodies...

There is a well known concept called "Hidden Hunger" which is a major global problem accounting for 10% of the global health burden. Hidden hunger is defined as a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals. It is a deficiency of micro-nutrients. Yet Hidden Hunger, which has been well studied, has no visible warning signs, so that people who suffer from it may not even be aware of it. It has no symptoms.

Interesting, as this is the exact opposite of what people often say when referring to “listening to their bodies” about their nutrient needs.

You can read more about Hidden Hunger here..

http://web.archive.org/web/201304271404 ... .asp?x=573

What is Hidden Hunger?

Hidden hunger is unlike the hunger that comes from a lack of food. It is a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals that often has no visible warning signs, so that people who suffer from it may not even be aware of it. Its consequences are nevertheless disastrous: hidden hunger can lead to mental impairment, poor health and productivity, or even death. One in three people in the world suffer from hidden hunger. Women and children from the lower income groups in developing countries are often the most affected.


In Health
Jeff



Jeff, I tried to go the link above on Hidden Hunger, and the page said, "No Content Found."
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Re: Lack of energy during exercise

Postby JeffN » Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:09 pm

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