I’m officially in week four of my diet and exercise regime. My goal was to stick to my meal plans and get to the gym five times a week.
I had a total of three cheat days diet-wise and I only hit the gym four times a week with some additional walking home from work, but I would say I was successful and for once I can actually proclaim I’ve hit week four.
Despite this success, I feel lousy. Halfway through the three-week window I was feeling really run-down, as if I wasn’t treating my sleep apnea, except that my hunger was under control. (Before treating my sleep apnea, I was hungry all of the time for carbs and junk food).
My doctor could offer no explanation since a nutrient screen showed no deficiencies and my thyroid is fine. She suggested it was possibly mood-related and that seeing a nutritionist might help, even though she reviewed my eating habits and agreed I was on course.
In the meantime, I’ve consulted friends who work out, taught boot camps, as well as a colleague who is studying natural medicine part-time and got differing viewpoints on the issue. About half say it’s natural to feel poorly when you ramp your exercise routine. The other half say I should feel good because I am active.
At my last session with my trainer, he created a list of recommendations. One was a reminder to get lots of protein. I always assumed I was getting enough protein because I eat a lot of meat. But with no other explanation apparent as to the cause of my lethargy, I decided to double check.
Turns out I need a lot of protein. At my age with my weight level and build I need about 100g a day if I’m sedentary and about 125g a day if I’m really active, and I would say going to the gym five times a week makes me officially very active. And based on a review of my diet, I was lucky to hit half my required protein intake.
Since Friday I have been trying to up my protein intake. I have protein shakes and bars – without them, I wouldn’t be able to hit my target, even with a protein-rich menu. I am hoping this is the missing piece to the puzzle. Already today I’ve got half of my daily protein requirement thanks to a breakfast sandwich, a tuna sandwich and two protein bars. I’ll make a protein shake after my workout tonight and hopefully hit my mark with my dinner.
I really hope this is the answer.
