Protein Up, Energy UP

Jan 07, 2012

Okay, so I've never been one to have energy to burn.  I'm a person that if I'm up and doing something, it's because I'm making myself be up and doing it.  I'm not a person who just can't sit still.  I had hoped that losing wt (about 110 lbs so far) would help my energy level.  Now, it Definitely has!!!  But, I'm still fully capable, and have, spent the vast vast majority of a day sitting on my butt doing a lot of nothing.  I had begun to think that that was just the way it was going to be for me, I was never going to be a person with a healthy boost of energy that had me up and active without having to make myself be up and doing.

Enter protein -- I'm pretty sure my protein has been a bit low all along since my wls.  But, it has slowly continued to drop so that now it is even a little deficient.  After my 9 mo labs, I was asked to increase my protein intake.  I did make it a bigger focus but I'm not sure that I was really good about tracking it and making sure I was consistently getting in a certain amount of protein every day.  I think I upped it to at least 100 grams of protein at 9 months... an amount I'm pretty sure I was getting anyway.  And, at my 12 month labs, my protein dropped another two points.  So, the nutritionist called, made sure my protein sources were good protein sources (animal based versus soy), and asked me to up it to 150 grams of protein a day.  I'm pretty sure I was getting above 100 grams of protein on many days before.. sometimes much, much more!  So, I am making 160 grams of protein my goal.  I have made this a consistent focus for about a week now... and my energy is increasing!!!  YES!!!!!  :D

So... if you are feeling lethargic, even if you think you're getting in the amount of protein you think you're suppose to, consider increasing it to see if your energy also increases.

Now, I'd also like to say that I made changes to my vitamins by moving over to the vitalady vitamin plan for DSer's.  However, I'm not up and running fulling on the plan yet and while I feel that what I am now taking is better than what i was before, the differences are not extreme.  The biggest increase to the vitamins I'm taking is Vitamin D - I'm taking double what I was and for a few days was taking triple what I was.  But, my vitamin D levels are coming along with a 6 pt climb between my 9 and 12 month labs.  I am ALMOST in the normal range.  Basically - I do feel that this recent boost of energy is directly releated to my increase in protein. But, if you up your protein (up it to 200 grams a day if that's what it takes) but you still feel draggy, look to your vitamins, especially your B-12.  My B-12 is high at the moment... I actually need to back off of it a little bit.  

Well... I'm rambling at this point.  Happy energy hunting to you!!! 

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