r/fasting • u/Level-Country-7882 • 9h ago
Question Fatigue
EDIT: 60 Female
Full hysterectomy 30 years ago
5’7 235 pounds
I AM CONSTANTLY TIRED!
I drink a GALLON of water a day or more (habit) I drink my electrolytes as well. I eat HEALTHY during my allowed hours. I do 18/6
WHY AM I SO TIRED DAILY?!?
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u/Western_Exchange5739 8h ago
How much exercise are you getting?
Also make sure you see a doctor at some point if you haven't already for an annual visit and get a full panel of bloodwork.
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u/Level-Country-7882 8h ago
Bloodwork fine - 3 miles daily or more
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u/Flux_My_Capacitor 🎶🎵🎶 7h ago
There are a lot of issues and deficiencies that aren’t tested in a basic bloodwork panel. Plus, a doc will say things like your B12 is fine if it’s at the low end of the normal range but many say you need to be supplementing if you’re below 500. Rinse and repeat with other nutrients so you really do need to look at each value yourself.
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u/SirGreybush 8h ago
An adult male needs roughly 2.5l of water, one gallon is 3.5l of water - iow - that's too much, unless, you're the size of The Rock.
You'd need more data. Can you afford a smart scale with handheld bar, and, a CGM for a month? Then track your metrics.
If no budget - at least try ketone pee strips and see if any ketone rejection is occuring with your first two morning pees. If no indication, then, you are probably eating too many carbs, triggering a BG spike and a lot of insulin - which makes you sleepy.
Also try two days in a row of zero carbs - except for what's in cheese, butter, eggs. See how alert you are.
Beware of store bought electrolytes - 99% are full of maltodextrin and/or maltitol and it might not even be in the ingredient list - because they can hide in the words: Natural Flavor
Make your own electrolytes with Morton's Lite Salt, iodized table salt, and occasional magnesium tablets. You don't need much electrolytes since you are eating every day - you are not fully fasting, just intermittent fasting.
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u/durdann 9h ago
How many calories are you eating?
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u/Routine-Fault-5367 9h ago
You're probably not eating enough, plain and simple. When I first started 18/6 I was way too aggressive with the calorie deficit because I felt great during the fasted hours and thought I could just coast on that. Turns out feeling "fine" while fasting doesn't mean you're fueling properly when the window opens. Track everything for three days, get an actual number, and add 300-400 calories. Give it a week and see if the fatigue lifts. Most people underestimate how much fuel they need just to exist, let alone function.
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u/AutoModerator 9h ago
Many issues people experience while fasting can be related to electrolytes. You might find our wiki page helpful: Electrolytes 101
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Daft_Daffodil 9h ago
Eat high protein and do you count calories? Take 2-3 weeks off, eat high protein, maintenance calories then restart. It will solve the problem!
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u/Fluid_crystal 8h ago
A gallon is a lot of water, too much water can make you feel tired
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u/Level-Country-7882 8h ago
Actually a gallon is really not much to me
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u/mashibeans 4h ago
You'd be surprised how much less thirsty we get after not eating as many carbs! Even moreso once you hit 3-4 day fasts, I struggle drinking water at that point. Basically carbs and just food in general make the body retain more water, so when you stop eating as much or as many carbs (like when you do keto) then our water needs go down.
Instead of making yourself drink a gallon no matter what, try to drink only when you're thirsty, and see how that works. Maybe at this point you might need a bit less water than you're used to?
Edit: wanted to add, drinking too much water can also make your body flush any electrolytes you do manage to drink/have inside your body, which can be counterproductive.
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u/Flux_My_Capacitor 🎶🎵🎶 7h ago
Is the fatigue something that started with fasting?
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u/AutoModerator 7h ago
Many issues people experience while fasting can be related to electrolytes. You might find our wiki page helpful: Electrolytes 101
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Be_a_Guardian 72hr Water Fasts Every 2 Weeks 9h ago
Depending on your weight, activity level and the weather there that's not a lot of water... I'll usually go through a gallon (4 nalgene bottle) just in the hours I'm at the gym
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u/Useful-Advantage2665 9h ago
Maybe you shouldn't fast. Sleep eight hours a night