to ask- if you needed to overhaul your health, where would you start?

[GFLoser]

I know there's a lot of posts like this at this time of year. I haven't posted in weight loss chat because that's not particularly my aim but I can struggle to stay on top of my weight/keep within a healthy BMI. This might be long but I'm overwhelmed with where and how to start.
I'm nearing my mid-thirties and it feels like my body is falling apart!
My biggest issue is my digestion. I seem to have developed an intolerance to gluten, and potentially something else that I've yet to work out. Nausea, bloat, constipation/diarrhea you get the idea. Spend a lot of time feeling like I've picked up a bug.
My hair is a state. Thinning, breaking, excessive shedding.
My skin is dull, spots in random places- usually only get them on my chin. Terrible dark circles and bags.
I don't sleep well, wake at least 5 times in the night for no apparent reason. Don't always get back to sleep either so I'm tired a lot.
I've had bloods done, all fine, I've checked levels not just taken Dr word for it. I haven't had coeliac screen as I'd have to eat gluten again and it makes me feel so ill.
My body aches, everywhere. It feels so draining. I have an old injury that can't be operated on so exercise is challenging and coupled with the tiredness, the school run is about all I manage.
Where would you start and wwyd?

I'd sort the sleep first, OP. Everything followed on from that for me. Loads of tips on line about this, mostly to do with consistency. I do understand it's easier said than done.

Try to walk loads and drink water.
Sounds too simple but you are looking for a stable base from which to build on. There's no quick fixes unfortunately.

I love this woman - you need to sign up but it's free.

graceandgrit.com/five2thrive

If you were 5/10 years older I’d say peri menopause.
Do you take any vitamins ?
Do you drink any water ?
Id start with making sleep your priority. I’d get some Epsom salts and commit to two baths, 20 minutes soak, twice a week. Then get some magnesium tablets and start taking them every night an hour before bed. Read up on the different types. Then get a good, consistent, relaxing bed time routine. No screens in bed, get a book and read.

Decent sleep

Drinking water

Movement in the form of at least 6k steps per day.

Start exercising, walking to jogging and cycling, once cardio health had improved then id be looking at weight bearing exercise and strength. 45 minutes daily at first - even a walk for 20 minutes daily in one direction then walking back. Its been shown that walking within 2 hours of waking improves sleep the following night. Id ditch any type of caffeine, both tea, coffee and cola type drinks.

At the same time I would be concentrating on eating 30 different plant based foods each week to aid my digestion and gut health. 3 regular meals without snacking, the later has been shown to affect our bodies and snacking is not a healthy option - not due to the food consumed but the work the body has to constantly do to digest the food.

Where I would start is up water intake. How much water do you drink?

I take powdered collagen for peri hair breaking/shedding. On third tub and massive improvement in hair.

Diet, sleep and exercise.

diet - back to basics - cook from scratch- veggies, meat, fish, rice, dairy, wholemeal bread (if you can manage it), plenty of water, go as low processed as possible. Avoid processed sugar and alcohol

Sleep - again basics - warm milky drink, no phones, dark, quiet, reading to relax you before sleep. Try OTC remedies if this doesn't work.

Exercise - find something that doesn't exacerbate your injury - swimming or cycling? Something non-impact. Or yoga or just walking.

... then gut. Your gut is another brain and hugely implicated in mood and wellbeing.
Broadest spectrum probiotic, fermented foods etc, good organic veggies. Avoid sugar as much as you can, especially refined sugar and sweet stuff.

What injury do you have. You could try stretching, armchair exercises, anything that gets you moving. I like to do some leg exercises in the bath. I take a variety of vitamins and magnesium helps keep my bowels regular. Weight is my problem, I’m sure I would feel better carrying less weight.

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

95% of serotonin, needed for sleep, made in the gut etc.
Good luck.

Is it possible you are going through an early menopause? Some of your symptoms resemble that.

I would start with a daily walk of at least 30 minutes, making sure I'm getting enough sleep, and cutting processed foods. Maybe add in a good multivitamin. Drink enough water.

joinzoe.com/post/tim-spector-gut-tips

www.verywellhealth.com/morning-sunlight-exposure-3973908

www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-activity/exercise-and-sleep

theconversation.com/why-snacking-could-be-damaging-your-health-100978

Agree, focusing on sleep made everything else easier for me.

30 plants a week. Make it a challenge. Can include nuts, seeds, herbs. Just trying to add in variety to the diet. Focus on what you can add in rather than constantly thinking about what you shouldn't eat.

Controversial but I suggest 5 mins of meditation. Really makes me feel better. I use the calm app.

I’m lots older than you but had similar a few years ago. these are the things I do and have felt made a big difference.

a game changer for me was the first drink of the day to be a glass of water, kick starts the body, I hate cold water so run a glass the night before and cover it.

vitamins, I chose multi b vitamins, for various get up and go properties, and have since added an iron tablet (every other day), and vit D (all year round for me but that’s because of health issues) but they do say we should take it in winter.

And definitely a good nights sleep, so about three nights a week I sleep in the spare room as DH snores enormously noisily some nights and keeps me awake.

Def diet - No ultra processed food. Make good from scratch even if simple meals. Loads of veggies/nuts/seeds.
drink water or herbal teas
no ‘crap’ food

try and get good sleep - sleep on left hand side to promote better digestion. I have trained myself to do this w my gut issues.

A really really good Probiotic is where I would start
and yoga / Pilates daily
no alcohol no caffeine, low sugar. No fast food
mostly plant based
vit D supplement
outside walk at least once a day

Some excellent advice and points raised here, thank you all for replying. To address a few things:
I've queried Meno with my GP but she felt it was highly unlikely. My mum didn't go through it early or anything.
I probably don't drink enough water and that should be a relatively easy one, I can start that right away.
I am guilty of using my phone in bed- I get bored when the insomnia strikes. Maybe a proper book or an audio book would be better.
Diet is a strange one. I like vegetables and eat them a lot, but generally the same ones. I don't tend to eat much through the day at all. Never have breakfast, lunch maybe 3/7 days. Then I get ravenous and eat too much and feel dreadful. Not too fussed for sugary stuff. Gluten free replacements are heavily processed but I don't have them often either. There's definitely room for improvement but it's not terrible iyswim.
No vitamins- my tummy issues got much much worse when I was taking one, but it may not be linked.
My injury is spinal, swimming could work, I'd need to try it gently and see how it felt I guess! Walking can be fine or it can be agony. I walk the school run, within 2hrs of waking, but it's not terribly far.

Willing to try decaf if it would help too!
My meal of the day is usually made from scratch and a variety of veg. I'm not bothered if it's meaty or veggie so can incorporate more veggie days easily.
Can anyone recommend a really good probiotic?

Did you get your thyroid antibodies checked? You sound like me before I was diagnosed with Hashimotos (which is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid). The good news is that if you do have that and start treatment, your hair will grow back, all the random aches and pains will go and you will be back to normal energy wise. I do still have to avoid gluten though - you don't have to have celiacs to be intolerant to gluten: the gluten-thyroid connection

Having read your later posts I would do the following:

Start the day with a glass of water.

Eat breakfast. Honestly it’s so much better for your health.

Get up at the same time every day. This has been a game changer for me and I sleep like a log almost every night now.

What collagen do you use ?

Just to mirror what everyone else says, walking and water will be your best friend!

I too have developed an intolerance to gluten and had issues with my hair thinning etc. what really helped me was taking vitamin b12 (you can get an apricot spray version on Amazon that's fab) as it helps digestion, and also taking vitamin D. I find some multivitamins can hurt my stomach depending on the iron content, I really do not agree with iron tablets but spatone in orange juice works really well for me for an iron boost

I don't think you have to worry about being repetitive with veg as long as you're eating the rainbow as they say!

Your diet and eating habits sound awful, you could actually be malnourished!

If I could only make one change: a walk outside every day. Doesn't have to always be a long one but it would help with mood, digestion, physical fitness and its really achievable so you'll feel good.

Another easy win is vitamin D supplements (super cheap and NHS guidance is we should all be taking from October to March anyway).

I love the book of sleep by Nicole Moshfegh. Its iCBT based and helps you work out what the problem with your sleep might be and gives you very simple strategies to help.

I'd stay away from weightless related goals and focus instead on really looking after yourself and giving your body everything it needs to be healthy (exercise, time outside, nutritious food etc). If you look after your body like this you will end up at a healthy weight but if you decide to go at the weightless hard in a way that isn't about caring for your body you'll probably end up feeling worse.

You are what you eat.

Eating only one meal a day most days is desperately unhealthy.

Everyone would feel awful and get ill on that diet even if you are eating veg.

You are probably deprived of various vitamins and minerals.

Are you having oily fish 3 times a week to get your omegas?

Are you eating enough red meat to get iron?

Are you eating enough dairy to get calcium?

Are you getting outside in the sun everyday to get vitamin d?

Are you eating enough citrus fruit/ berries/ leafy green veg to get vitamin c?

Are you eating enough whole grains to get your fibre?

I'd recommend going to a nuitritionist.