Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold standard whey is pretty good tasting, and you can get it sweetened with stevia, IIRC, instead of sugar. It’s got very high ratings on Amazon and Vitacost (where I recommend you buy it from) and is what my SO drinks after a workout. Muscle Milk Light is also very tasty; I recommend the juice-box style packs you buy at Costco and Sam’s (but seemingly nowhere else).
You’re correct protein is 1gram per KILOGRAM (not pound) of weight.
But protein is a building block. Generally you need about 11 calories per pound of body weight to maintain your weight. So I weight 175 pounds. That is 175 X 11 = 1,925 per day
I weigh about 79 kilos so I need 79 grams of protein. Since there are 4 calories in a gram of protein (carbs also have 4 and fats have 9 calories per gram) that is 4 X 79 = 316
So that means of my 1,925 calories a day, I should be getting about 316 of them from protein, the rest can be from fat and or carbs.
Protein shakes are OK but they’re not gonna taste like a real shake. The best food you can eat is cottage cheese. You can get it in various kinds of fat, from 4% to fat free, depending on how you want to flex your diet. It’s great way to add protein.
I would also really get checked out for sleep apnea. That was my first thought when I read your OP
I have been struggling with Chronic Fatigue for years and I will share my story - but please don’t take it as a diagnosis.
I had all the blood tests - and indeed, over the years, we found me to be deficient in many things. Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin D and B12 just to name some. Treating me for them did not improve my fatigue.
Last fall my doc treated me for depression. That didn’t seem to help.
I kept searching and I found the book From Fatigued To Fantastic.
In that book I learned that Candida infections are thought by some to be a cause of Chronic Fatigue. Please let me stress that this is considered a fringe-medicinal theory by many. If you are interested, I strongly recommend that you read about it and then discuss the idea with your GP.
This really made sense to me. In 2001 a botched surgery on a severe hiatal hernia (actually a para-esophgeal hernia that was mistreated as a hiatal hernia) meant that I would undergo several operations and eventually lose my stomach. More than once they pumped strong anti-biotics straight into my intestines via a feeding tube. This causes both bad and good bacteria to die, which allows for Candida to flourish.
Further, I was having many fungus-related issues besides the fatigue. I had very bad dandruff that would not respond to medicinal shampoos (both over the counter and prescribed.) I had both jock itch and athlete’s foot that also would not respond to medicine (both over-the-counter and prescribed) and some other less pleasant issues.
My GP has been supportive of the idea, but has not fully endorsed it. My stomach surgeon on the other hand said this: This could very well be your problem. The body must fight an infection regardless of whether it is a bacterial or a yeast infection and doing so will take energy. He went on to say that many of his patients have seen benefits from the things I am doing.
Last Christmas my GP gave me a 20 day prescription for an Anti-fungal to fight Candida. Within 10 days of taking it, I saw marked improvement. (Improvement, not a whole fix.)
I also have been taking probiotics to help keep Candida under control.
I am not “there” yet. I still have many bad days in which I struggle with fatigue - but I have many good days now too, and I can tell you that a year ago I did not. For my bad days, my GP has given me a stimulant. I take much less of it than I originally needed to, but I still need to take it some days.
My dandruff has disappeared, my stools are solid, my jock itch is gone.
I have not yet dismissed the idea that my GP has, which is that this is a symptom of depression. She and I have talked about this a lot. The meds didn’t help, but that doesn’t mean she was wrong… She and I meet every 3 months to discuss progress and future treatment.
Since I haven’t dismissed it, I have taken an active interest in the function of the brain and have been reading many books on neural-plasticity From my reading I have become more convinced than ever that I will find a path to feeling good.
I continue treatment as if I have candida - it is very slow, but I believe I still see a little improvement each month. My GP and I also research other treatments.
Also related, my GP and I wonder if I have an allergy to yeasts. She suggests that I give up cheese, bread and beer entirely. It is a plan we may implement, but I want to see if I continue to get better before I give up so many things that I enjoy.
I wish you luck.
Another vote for this. I was falling asleep at work. Not good. I did the sleep tests and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I now have a CPAP machine and sleep like a baby.
A daily dose of B12 might help.
If you’re still running 4 miles 5 days a week, chronic fatigue is unlikely. CFS you generally dont feel better during/after activity, you feel worse. If you’re feeling better after activity, dysthymia or depression could be part of the picture. These can be caused by sleep disturbance though, so its a bit chicken and egg.
You’re trying to break an 11 year habit, your brain is going to take time to adjust and this is definitely a worthwhile thing to try and correct, its impact on general functioning can be very large. Eight hours is probably too short if you’re used to 3 hour naps in the middle of the day, give yourself more sleep time at night and go to bed earlier.
A general checkup by your doctor wouldnt hurt, as stated there are various medical issues that could be involved.
Otara
Do you eat eggs and white toast? Hummus and pita? Sweetened low-cal yogurt?
If so, you are getting protein but also a lot of carbs. Possibly enough carbs to make you sleepy (I am not saying this is the answer - you’ve had a lot of good suggestions so far).
If you have bread with breakfast, make it a high-fiber muffin or whole grain bread. Look for options that are high in protein.
If you have pita with your hummus, try veggies instead.
For yogurt, get yourself some low-fat plain Greek yogurt. It’s got massive amounts of protein. Mix it with an artificial sweetener and a bit of fruit.
Making these subtle changes will give you more protein, more fiber and fewer simple sugars.
I popped in to suggest that you might be having trouble with sleep quality. However, I don’t think I’d assume that must be the problem now; you’re still getting readjusted after years of wonky schedule / sleep hygiene issues. But don’t rule it out either.
Now, it’s only been a week since you’ve forced yourself to the more reasonable schedule, right? So certainly there’s some adjusting you need to do. Although it can be tough, really stick with it and see if you’re not feeling any better after a month. The exercise is great - just don’t do too-strenuous stuff right before bed.
Naps aren’t necessarily a bad thing. If you can fit them into your daily schedule, and (this is important) still sleep OK at night, then that’s OK. Ideally you wouldn’t need the really long naps during the day, of course, but heck, this is why many societies have siesta time, right?
Personally I would try to do without caffeine as much as possible. It’s an artificial perk-up if anything. I personally have pretty significant sleep issues and have learned that caffeine really doesn’t touch the sleepiness - just makes it harder to actually go to sleep at night.
The first thing that jumped out at me from your OP was lack of protein. Cottage cheese sounds good.
I drink cranberry juice (cut with sparkling water) in the morning and find it to be a good wake-up drink.
When I’m sleepy at the wrong time I find that getting up and doing something helps most. But as above, I think you’ll find it takes a while to adjust to your new sleep schedule.
If you can, go to the doctor and have them check for vitamin deficiencies – a number of them cause fatigue.
I used to be absolutely exhausted all day and also suffer from aches and pains that made me feel like I had the flu all the time – turns out I had a vitamin D deficiency. I took prescription-strength vitamin D for 12 weeks and my problems went away.
I wouldn’t jump right into extreme changes or cutting out your normal foods. Just try being conscious of what your meals are based around, start slow. Try to incorporate more eggs. Don’t be afraid of full-fat dairy - if weight gain is a concern for you, use portion control. Fruit doesn’t have much nutritional value, but it’s better for you than many sweet alternatives, so I’d continue eating what you normally do. Bread, grains and starches are the thing to watch, but you don’t have to give them up. They just shouldn’t be the main component in three meals per day.
Do you eat seafood? You can get a lot of protein and essential fats from just eggs and dairy, but seafood is chock-full of nutrition. All meat is, too, of course, but I understand the issues you have with it. It’s good to eat some even once a week.
FWIW, I was a vegetarian off-and-on for a few years. Being a vegetarian is very, very hard on my body for some reason (although I know many vegetarians and even vegans who are thriving), even though I was one of the health-conscious veggies and did a lot ‘right’. I think anyone who is eating a vegetarian diet and having issues like yours or mine should be aware that the two can be related.
Sample diet that I suspect you’d feel better on (and will probably lose weight on if you have any to lose):
Breakfast: small serving of full-fat yogurt with fruit, 2 eggs, a piece of toast
Lunch: green salad with a decent amount of dressing, and a side of protein like cottage cheese or tuna
Snack: seeds, nuts, a few crackers with peanut butter, a hardboiled egg, etc
Dinner: more of a challenge since you don’t prepare meat. 2 veg, 1 smallish serving of starch with butter, and a couple servings of protein is my mainstay… there are probably vegetarian ways to accomplish this.
I also would do less cardio and more strength training (yoga counts), and drink a whey protein shake after working out.
How have you been feeling lately, Gestalt?
A lot better, actually, rhubarbarin. Thanks so much to you and others who pointed out that I was not getting enough protein — that really seemed to do the trick.
I’ve been backsliding a bit lately and thus feel a bit more tired than usual, but as of today I’m going to try to get back on the “whole foods” and “high protein” bandwagon.
I don’t think I can be quite as stringent as you about the no carb thing, simply by merit of being a vegetarian. However, I just finished the “You: A Guide to Waist Management” book, and I think they have a very good rule of thumb: If sugar or white flour is in the first five ingredients in a food, don’t eat it.
Thanks again for the suggestions, guys! They really helped a lot 
Oh also, I’ve kind of come to the conclusion that maybe I just do need more sleep than the average bear . . . I can do between 8 and 10 hours/day and feel okay. I figure as long as it’s not messing with the rest of my life and I’m getting shit done, there’s no need to worry about it.
I also let myself nap on the weekends, so there’s that. Meh. I know it’s not, “ideal sleep,” but it works for me. I’d say most weekdays I get 8 hours; weekends it’s 8 hours + 2 hour nap.
God, I know that makes me sound so lazy . . . but it also makes me happy . . .
FWIW, I have struggled with fatigue (and also depression)for years too. When I finally spoke to a doctor about it, he told me (among other things) that a ‘normal’ nights sleep could range from 6-10 hours. There’s nothing magical about 8 hours, it just happens to be the average. Now I allow myself to get 8-10 hours a night rather than 6-8, and I do feel better, although it is not a complete solution. It can be hard to fit that much in though some days, but of course weekends are easier.
I dearly wish I was one of those people who felt great on 6 hours of sleep, but accepting that I need more and it’s not just a matter of lazyness was helpful to me.
Yeah my roommate is super perky in the morning on 6 hours and it makes me a little stabby at times, but hey . . . those traits are just kind of parceled out and we get what we get.
I definitely think I inherited this tendency from my dad, who sort of gravitates towards the same weird sleeping issues as I do. I think he sleeps from like 2 AM-6 AM and then from 7PM-10PM, or something like that.
Gestalt, did you get into or try any protein shakes? Muscle Milk Light or the Optimum Nutrition stuff?
Have you tried any B-complex supplements? B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia) tends to be a problem mainly with older people who have lost the ability to absorb the vitamin from food. I’ve also heard of it being a problem for strict vegans but shouldn’t be a problem for a vegetarian who consumes animal derived protein like eggs and dairy - although I would have to research that to be sure.
There is a condition called pyroluria that isn’t a recognized medical disorder at present. It describes the tendency for some people to excrete large amounts of B6 metabolites. You can try either straight B6 supplements (50mg is probably the lowest dose you can find without a lot of searching) or a B6 metabolite called P-5-P. Both of these help me to some extent but also tend to precipitate panic attacks so I have to use them cautiously.
I would start with a general B-complex supplement though. I think that would be the best choice to see if getting more B-vitamins would make a difference. Try to avoid the supplements that put 50mg of every B-vitamin in their pills regardless of the DV (RDA for those of us that remember what it is). Solgar has one called “B-complex with vitamin C stress formula”. There are a few others. Stick with good brands like Solgar and Twin Labs.
I’m glad you’re feeling better.
I just wanted to throw this out as another idea. Sleeptracker. It’s like a watch that you wear on your wrist when you sleep, and it’s supposed to find your optimal waking time within a window of time that you set. I’ve never tried it. I just saw it on the internet, read a couple good reviews and thought it looked neat. Maybe someone here can tell you more about it. It’s also really expensive, so you might be able to rule it out right away.
The depression and sleep quality thing made me think of something else: SAD. I find that this about the time starts up for me. I’ve had to get a cheap lightbox (Zadro, $25 on Amazon), which does seem to help. (Of course, my sleeping hours are irregular.)
The idea is that you need to see light during the morning to fight off any depression caused by excess melatonin. The light signals to your body to stop producing it. Then you need to have it darker 3 hours or so before bed, the which signals your body to produce the melatonin so you can get to sleep.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with needing 10 hours of sleep. There really are people that need that.
If you are interested in light therapy, here’s a link that will tell you if you what time it is best to do it, and here’s a page explaining it.