Just need to say it somewhere

I had surgery 3 months ago (almost), I have lots 70 (almost) I eat about 600 calories a day (tried to up it a bit but then when I do I feel stomach sick) and training 4 times a week with an active job (I own a daycare), plus I have 3 kids (4-7 and 9).  My husband is always away for work.  So I do it all!  Bills, cleaning, kids, kid's activities, meals, bills, and etc......

In december 2010, I have been really sick.  First they thought I had a depression, but turned out it was not that.  I was just over tired, stressed.  I was then diagnosed with a personnality disorder - anxiety.  The problem is that I do not "see it" coming.  I can feel the anxiety, but not the stress, and it seems like I am a stressed person.  I am a master at hiding "it".  Hiding when I am not feeling right.  To others, but to myself also.  I burry it deep inside, and I push myself more and more until the elastic just rips appart.

I stopped working for 6 months, was in therapy, and was feeling better quickly.  So I moved (I have been wanting to do that for a long time so I finally did it) and opened a daycare, to help pay those bills, you know!

A year later, I am starting to be exactly where I was in december 2010  :(  But it is coming soooooo much faster, it is scary. 

I feel exhausted, I feel no energy.  I guess eating so little doesn't help, but how can I eat more?  I will go for some testing in 2 weeks, but I feel inside me that it is all due to my stress and anxiety problem.  I so don't want to go on pills again, I was doing so fine.  I am even thinking of closing the daycare to avoid going on pills.......

Anyone could tell me if my eating 600 cal with my active life can cause my energy to go so low?  I feel like I'm trying to get the easy way out here!  But couldn't it be THAT simple?  You see I have a serious problem with taking pills, it is in my head, I did it but I so would love to avoid it?

Any tricks for relaxing, releasing stress and anxiety, eating more, natural stuff to regain energy?????????????????????????????

Are you taking your vitamins? I found my energy seriously lags if I don't take my vitamins. Also you might up your calories a little if you think it might help by adding an extra protein shake.

Thank you for your answer!

Yeah lately I have been having a hard time takingmy vitamins.  Mostly my calcium.  The multi vitamins are chewable so easy to take, so I have been good with these, but calcium, hummmm not so much!

 I would suggest having your iron levels and b12 checked! I was a nurse for a Baristric surgeon and sometimes these would be the culprits! I have heard of people's anxiety increasing post surgery. The only suggestion that I can make is to start taking care if that issue now before it gets worse. Keep your head up and stay strong! Know that there are people out here like me that believe in YOU!

As an ex nurse, do you know if wls can mess the thyroid up???

And I will have my iron and B12 checked for sure in 2 weeks

Thanks for the nice words of beleiving in me!

You've gotten good advice, just wanted to step in and offer a big HUG... hang in there!

thank you

 Karine,

Please get your blood work up as soon as you can. I would also up my protein immediately. 600 cals sounds very low. 800 cals will not cause you to stop losing weight, it may even cause you to lose more. Can you add a shake? If I am very active I need more protein or I feel like a wet noodle. I actually feel ill and have thought I was coming down with something, before realizing what what occuring.

When I am stressed and do not sleep soundly due to that stress, over time, I slowly start moving towards an anxious state. It is gradual and I do not recognize it until I am having the heart racing and the night sweats. By the time this occurs, my body is sleep deprived and my anxiety kicks in. The bottom line was I needed to learn how to deal with stress. Meds will fix the immediate situation and are necessary when you get to the point of no return. Meds for me were an anti-depressant called pristiq for 3 months and about a months worth of ambien. Within a few days i am moving towards my old self. Sleep and food are mandatory for a healthy body and mind. 

I am thinking about you. Stay strong.

Sharon

My protein is at about 60g

I will add a shake on busy days for sure to up my calories and proteins.  I cannot up my food cause I have tried that and it gets me sick to my stomach, but on days I train, I will up with a shake

My meds were Celaxa (If I recall ) and yeah it helped

Thanks for Sharon

I have problems with fatigue...ive felt "off" for months - I cant really describe it and my doc thinks im crazy.

Stress is actually one of the main causes of a lot of problems - health wise, psychologically. Cortisol is a hormone produced and it's bad for the body when it's consistently at a high level all the time. I saw a "natural homeo-pathic" kind of doctor a while back who said that my stress levels are probably causing my fatigue, constipation and acid reflux since there are no medical answers that ive gotten (and ive had lots of blood work, tests, etc).  I finally went on an anti-depressant bc i was convinced that i was depressed after a horrible 6 week period...but they havent done anything except send my anxiety through the roof. Now i just need more pills for anxiety...i hate pills and I think i was better off without them, so I totally get where you are coming from. Id try to work with your doc and see if there are any medical explanations, but if labs are fine, increasing your calories doesnt help - dont rule out meds as a possibility. You have a lot on your plate and if there is something that can help...

Eating 600 cal is really unnatural for most people and considering how much energy the body and brain needs to function....I personally tthink it can cause a lot of these kinds of problems. I personally have chosen to eat a lot more and take longer to reach my goal rather than 600 cal. I have my personal views - i dont think it's healthy, especially if you actually need to function, but that's just me. I would tell you to increase to at least 800-900 (i can function at those levels -not optimally, but function) but that's a choice you have to make. I know for me - when I let weight loss be the center of my universe for way to long - i crashed and burned (and that was when I finally had to try and take the pills because I was a hot mess). WL is sooo much stress as it is - and added to everything you are going through - no wonder you are having a tough time!!

Be gentle with yourself. Try and find a way to relieve stress. Take some time for you whenever you can get it.