To think my weight is causing tiredness

[Pinkpowerofthought]

I have physically demanding job. I am dead as a dodo when I come home. Sometimes I even cry at the thought of making dinner. It's crippling.
I am four stone overweight. I am fit but I'm fat.
My diet hasn't been great.
I have been researching for weeks on how to improve my health and get some energy back.
I was all for booking a blood test today but I know it's the weight, I feel heavy. My knees are achey and I'm slower than I was.

I have started taking a tsp of turmeric a day along with a cod liver oil capsule.
My diet before was like this

3 packs of breakfast biscuits for breakfast

A pack of mini cheddars and an energy drink for lunch
Oven chips and coujons and beans or a full blown takeaway for dinner.

For the past few days it's been like this

Overnight oats for breakfast

Chicken veg and boiled potatoes for lunch

Sausage and lentil stew with veggies for tea
Fruit for snacks

Aibu to think if I lose weight but focus on eating for health then I will start to feel better?
I hate the thought of slimming world or weight watchers and having to over think it.

If anyone has words of advice or wisdom please share

[wheresmyphone]

Pick up a suitcase weighing 4 stone: then imagine carrying that all day every day.

I am no better so not being judgy but yes it will cause you to be tired!

[Porpoises]

Get a blood test, though that needn't so you also working on the weight. It could well be a simple vitamin or mineral deficiency, which is easily fixed - it would be annoying to suffer for months longer if it turns out you just need supplements in something.

[NeilPetark]

Slimming world is surprisingly easy once you get in to it.

[user1471462115]

Vitamin D, I will put money on you being deficient.
You also have no fruit and veg in your diet so you need to make sure you get your five a day.

It could also be type two diabetes as this makes people very tired. You need to see your GP and get them all tested.

But you are right , being so overweight will make you tired.

[ofudginghell]

My dad lost 4.5 stones over the course of 18 months following slimming world which is back to basics good portion control and plenty of fruit and veg to fill up on.

He picked up my dd at the stage he had lost 3.5 stone and said she felt heavy. I then told him she was the exact weight he had lost and he couldn't believe it as it goes on slowly.
A lot of people struggle this time of year like I do so I take double the calcium and vitamin d dose aswell as a multi vitamin and a cod liver oil capsule.
I started doing that last winter and drop the d dose in summer and it's made a big difference to how I feel.
I don't spend a fortune on them either.

[Pinkpowerofthought]

I don't think it's vitamin d cause I spend five hours a day outdoors in all weather's but I could be wrong.

[clippityclock]

Chuck high strength vitamin b, magnesium and zinc supplements into you, after about 3 months you should start to notice a difference. I take an osteo supplement that has the magnesium, zinc and vit d in.

[Pinkpowerofthought]

Diabetes is a risk factor. I better make an appt.

[blamethecat]

Might be worth getting your thyroid checked too.

[mummyretired]

Your new diet (past few days) sounds fine and I think you will feel better on it. I am not now overweight but I know if I eat high sugar for a few days it will make me tired, and I agree with pp the weight will make you tired too.
Slimming World isn't for everyone - I never liked the group sessions - but the rules are pretty straightforward.

[PragmaticWench]

If type 2 diabetes is a risk factor, take a look at the pre-diabetes diet or the LowCarbHighFat diet boards on here.

I've felt so much better after losing two and a half stone on lchf this summer. So much less tired and I don't ever get a post-food slump now.

[user1andonly]

Aibu to think if I lose weight but focus on eating for health then I will start to feel better?

Yanbu. I lost a fair bit of weight a couple of years ago by deciding to include as much fruit and veg as possible in my diet and lots of protein.

I fell off the wagon and have put it back on (and kick myself for it ) but it's definitely possible to lose weight and feel much healthier this way without feeling too deprived.

[Pinkpowerofthought]

I find that my muscles are constantly sore too. I walk 8 to 10 miles everyday at a brisk pace. I think my weight means I'm not recovering properly. It's a constant struggle.

[SpaghettiAlphabetti]

I'm not sure it's weight but yes, I think it could well be diet related.

I was like this at the beginning of the year. Dog tired and would fall asleep on the train everyday.

I think it was insulin related as I would feel particularly wiped out after a carb heavy lunch. Your energy drink resonates with me because to combat the after lunch slump I would have a KitKat and a coffee to help me function.

I was on the cusp of visiting the GP when i decided to have a health kick. I started skipping breakfast so I only only eating for about 8 hours out of 24. Giving my body such a long period without needing to release insulin is really helping.

I've all but given up bread (have a slice or so a week as a treat) and reduced my carb intake. I've reduced (but definitely not given up) my sugar intake. I've cut out any low fat, artificially sweetened diet foods.

I feel a million times better for it. I've lost 12lb and feel like I have so much more energy. I wasn't massively overweight but it feels good to move towards a healthy weight and not feel so tired all the time. I'm also back to reading my kindle on the train rather than instantly falling asleep!

[Nanna50]

imagine strapping 4 stone to your back it will take more effort to do anything. Sugar and energy drinks cause a dip in your energy levels so look for foods with slower release.

I would still have a blood check for thyroid, sugar, vit D and anaemia and take one day at a time with the healthy eating, even if you lose weight slowly you will feel better for eating well.

[Pinkpowerofthought]

Spaghetti it sounds like your change in habits has really helped you. That's what I'm aiming for.
I'm sick of the low confidence being fat. I'm so conscious of the fact Xmas is around the corner and i cannot afford to put on any more weight. It's not healthy. I am freaking out but I think it's the kick up the butt I need.
I don't want to have diabetes or heart trouble. I want to lead a healthy life for my dd and be super healthy when I try for more. I couldn't face a pregnancy with all this weight ready on my back.

[Apileofballyhoo]

I always have more energy when I'm slimmer. Even 3 or 4 pounds makes a difference - I just feel less sluggish and more energetic.

Energy drinks or any sugary drinks are lethal.

Judging by your previous diet, you aren't eating for energy either. You need slow release energy food as you are so active. Look into GI foods.

[Nanna50]

If your bloods are ok you could always ask for a sleep trial, it can be done at home overnight.

[lubeybooby]

It was for me but also a few other factors. Firstly I had undiagnosed asthma so got that sorted. Started walking once I could actually breathe and 40lbs down now and never felt better! I did also discover I was vitamin D deficient and that recommended blood levels of vit d have increased too, so an intensive course of superdosing from the GP has sorted me right out.

I also recommend soluble fibre (available as stuff called inulin from chicory root - recommend homework health on Amazon) I felt like a new person entirely after a week adding that to fizzy vit c drinks (the vit c has also really helped improve my iron and ferritin levels)

Anyway, the soluble fibre - Just a teaspoon at first and gradually increase. There was a study done on it and also one on vit d - both massively improve sleep quality (usual caveat of - when included as part of a healthy diet and exercise 3 x per week etc)

[MrsMozart]

Go and get your bloods done, definitely including Vit D if you're in the UK.

I've lost two stone and definitely feel the better for it. I have dogs and horses and now find I can walk and look after them all without feeling bolloxed all the time.

I had an episode mid-August that really made me sit up and take notice. I've cut out the energy drinks and the fizzy drinks (used to have a can of Coke a day), the chocolate (two bars a day), biscuits, etc., and increased veg and protein sources. I've also, over the weeks, reduced portion size and frequency. I track everything on MyFitnessPal.

[BerylStreep]

I think that very often excess weight and tiredness can both be symptoms of the same underlying cause.

There could be so many reasons, and it is probably an idea to speak to your GP, as well as trying to improve what you eat. What you have posted of your 'before' diet was very high in wheat, carb heavy, and no fresh fruit or veg. As a pp has suggested, you might want to look at the Low Carb threads to see if it would be for you.

Possible underlying causes could be:

Underactive thyroid
Vitamin deficiency - Vitamin D, or iron
Food intolerance / ceoliac / leaky gut
Systemic inflammation
Candida overgrowth
Hypoglycaemia / prediabetes
oestrogen dominance

I really rate The Whole30 and Zoe Harcombe - both of which are basically elimination diets which remove foods which may be causing weight gain or other health problems. They also give a bit of a primer on some of the health conditions I have listed above.