So, here I am, 3 weeks into my new regimen of no caffeine(ok, 1 cup per week), working out in the mornings, and on some new supplements. I feel worse. Yup... WORSE than before. Having been here before, I realize that most often when your body is healing you feel worse before you feel better but it is soooooo frustrating.
People sometimes say to me "get some rest" or " I hope you feel better", but there is a huge difference between tired and fatigue. Tired gets resolved with a good night's sleep but the deep fatigue I have felt does not get alleviated with those 8 hours of shut eye. As I have been coming off the caffeine, I am realizing that it masked my real energy(or lack thereof) levels. My new baseline when not relying on caffeine is LOW, really low. To put it in perspective, this week I struggled to even climb 12 stairs without taking a break. I am super embarrased to admit this. I am supposed to be healthy and fit right?
I am not immune to health issues just because I am a health coach and I was making great progess so this feels like a huge step backwards.
Looking for ways to get a little more energy I turned my attention back to my diet. I have looked for the next best thing in terms of diet or fitness my entire life, I kind of pride myself on having tried it all. BUT.. with HPA axis dysfunction all that restricting(food, and specifically carbohydrates) does more harm than good. I fell for the low carb lifestyle as it seemed like that was the golden ticket for fat loss and once you are "all in" it's hard to get back out.
The last few days I have experimented with adding more carbs back into my diet and noticed a little increase in my energy levels. Now knowing that I was probably relying on the caffeine for energy, I need to find the macro balance that works best for me in terms of mediating my fatigue and if that means more carbs, then bring on the sweet potatoes!
When trying to heal I think it's important to look long term. Take a big picture approach to your health. Yes, this fatigue kinda sucks right now, but it is also giving me the opportunity to uncover other areas that need work that might have been flying under the radar due to my false sense of energy from my caffeine intake.
Short and sweet today, because, well honestly I am just super frustrated and struggling to find some positive words to share!
I would love to hear from you- have you been on a journey of healing and felt worse before feeling better?
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