If you overhauled your diet how long before you saw changes?

[veggieefforts]

I've made a massive determined effort to really up my veg intake and in general make sure all my meals are bursting with nutrients. Prior to that, I was eating fairly well overall, but due to tiredness I'd slipped into dinner being something like a pile of toast three days a week. Now four weeks into eating loads of veggies and proper dinner everyday, I was hoping to have more energy and just feel a bit better but I don't really feel different at all

I have autoimmune illnesses so it's probably just that. Am I right to think if I wasn't ill I'd have experienced some benefits by now? Or AIBU can it take months to feel more energy from a diet change?

For instance, I slept for 4 hours this afternoon because just couldn't keep my eyes open despite actually having a decent sleep last night. It's fucking ridiculous. I hate fatigue so much.

Fatigue might be your body missing the carbs. It can take a while to retrain it to live without the sugar highs. Make sure you’re getting enough iron and I am a fan of healthy fats too ☺️

Yes maybe it's the reduction in refined carbs. I'm still eating them though, just more nourishing ones. Potatoes and yogurt and some fruit and things like that. Just not filling up on toast etc as it's pretty empty of goodness, even if it's a filling and zero hassle supper.

I personally found it was a good 6 weeks before I started noticing real differences.

Is that level of fatigue normal with your illnesses?

Yes, it's quite common unfortunately. But there are always people with my main illness who are doing really well and seem to have amazing energy. Thing is though with autoimmune once you have one, it's more likely you develop others and I have done, but there are people who don't too. And maybe I'm comparing myself to others who have not got the same situation as me.

I just want to feel well, but suppose this comes down to acceptance or some bullshit. It's demoralising.

I eat a high carb, low fat whole foods plant-based diet and it has been nothing short of fantastic! I also cut out bread and caffeine.

Eat as much as I want and confidently loose weight. Lost 9lbs the first week (I was about 180lbs to start). It’s a diet that allows food to move quickly through your system unlike meat etc which can sit about in your colon for days.

Less bloat, less water retention, less saturated fat and a bucket load of nutrition!

You’ve mentioned dinner a few times, but what are you having for breakfast? When I was making a concerted effort to be healthier, I’d have a mug of hot water with sliced lemon in it (sounds dreary but is surprisingly pleasant) and quinoa porridge with a (fruit) soya yogurt stirred in. It wasn’t the most interesting breakfast, but I found it kept me going until lunchtime.

Also, I didn’t cut anything out, but I cut certain things down. So I’d have one latte a week and one sandwich a week (rather than daily), and on other days I’d have tea or water, and hummus with carrot sticks for lunch.

It probably sounds a bit worthy, but I enjoyed it and felt better for it.

Good luck.

I have things like yogurt and granola for breakfast. Keeps me going for hours. In cold weather, I do really like porridge but get hungry quite quickly when I have it!

Lunch is a large salad or a wrap with a couple of portions of veg. Cheese or tuna for protein. I don't like low fat food so just eat full fat things.

I'm not hungry or craving anything, so think I must be getting a good range of nutrients. But just wish I feel better, the way you read about people getting a new lease of life when they make sure they're eating well.

Intermittent fasting is ridiculous for energy. If I do 23/1 then I struggle to fall asleep in the evenings as I’m buzzing.

My history is glandular fever that led to ME. I successfully control it using diet. If I eat sugar I’m stuffed. My food is protein heavy, small amount of carbs, hardly any sugar. Drinks are water and tea. I used to get terrible afternoon slumps but I’m rarely tired nowadays.

Eating veggies is great however overloading your digestive system will make you tired. I like to make a veggie juice and whack is loads of celery, kale, raw beetroot, apple, ginger and then I’ll split that over two or three days. I tend to mainly eat salad, piles of veggies make me tired.

Are you actually getting enough calories? If you've cut out a lot of carbs in the form of bread etc and replaced them with veg, it's possible your calorie intake has dropped quite a bit. Might be worth doing some calculations online to find out how much someone of your height, weight and lifestyle actually needs in terms of calories, and then perhaps just keeping a tally for a few days to make sure you're meeting that? (If you need to lose weight, you can factor that in - there are loads of online calculators that work all this stuff out for you.)

However - assuming you are eating enough calories to keep your energy levels up, I think four weeks would be quite early to feel a change in your health. And there are so many other variables that affect how you feel.

Definitely eating enough calories, except for last night when I was too tired to eat dinner at all so just went to bed. This is why I used to end up with bloody toast or cereal for dinner honestly this exhaustion is so debilitating. But last night I had zero appetite at all, needed to just sleep. I didn't even have energy to shower yesterday. In fairness, a day that bad is quite rare. But not unusual either.

Which means yesterday I was only out of bed - lying on couch so not exactly up to much - for a grand total of 9 hours

Feel better today and appetite has returned. So will try to eat a little extra today to balance out missing dinner.

My lunches and breakfast are basically the same as they have been for years it's just the bad habit of eating empty carbs for dinner a few nights a week that has changed.

Interesting reading that fasting can help, I should read up on it.

Maybe I will go back to making green smoothies, I used to like doing that. But thought it was always better to be actually eating the thing whole.

I’ve also read it’s better to eat vegetables and fruits while however you have to do what works for you and makes your life better. Overloading my digestive system does not work for me. Intermittent fasting and veggie juices along with salads, proteins and a small amount of carbs is just right.

It works pretty much straight away, so try it. If you still feel like crap then nothing’s wasted! I also had a full blood profile with a private doctor as I went on HRT. He found my iron levels were ridiculously low as was my vit d. So I had an iron infusion and now make sure I take vit d and a good multi vit.

*whole

An actual two day and night fast might help reset you (in addition to the intermittent). Studies show it can help with the immune system. Then maybe try keto? Personally when I fast I drink (quite a lot of) black coffee to keep the caffeine headaches away
this link says 72 hours, but reports also say 48 works too

thesource.com/2018/11/21/fasting-for-72-hours-can-reset-your-entire-immune-system/

Intermittent fasting has really made a difference to my weight loss and energy levels. I do the 16:8 fasting most days.
You mentioned an autoimmune disorder. Have you had your thyroid levels checked recently? As an underactive thyroid could cause you to feel sluggish. I have an autoimmune disorder too, so I know how difficult the struggle is.