Expert: Joanne - 8/26/2008

Question
Hi..I really need help. I'm so frustrated right now that I might burst into angry tears at any moment. Basically since January 2008 I've been dieting and took up exercising as a way of  losing weight. I'm now 5'2, 102lbs, so i've lost 38lbs since Jan. Lately however, my performance in exercise has seriously dipped. E.g. I used to find a 35 minute jog/run easy. now after about half that time, I get stomach aches/sometimes stitches  (even if I've eaten before exercising) and I feel like I can't push myself through it. It's as though the pitifully little amount of time exercising now saps me of soooo much energy. The idea of exercising makes me feel grim rather than happy, and the fact that i can't do my usual hour and a half in one go is causing me to restrict my calorie intake even further. I'm so scared that all the hours that i did spend exercising will go to waste, and i'll just put the weight back on.
Please help me.

Answer
Sabiha

Your weight is on the very border of healthy, you are heading into the underweight category, so would recommend that you do not restrict your calorie intake any further.

I think that you should go and have a physical examination to make sure that there is no medical reason that you are lacking in energy and also to make sure that you are not deficient in any nutrients.

I would hazard a guess and say that I think that your energy levels have most likely dropped due to a restricted diet and over-exercise. Eating right before you exercise is not a good idea and can cause pains as you do not digest food as there is a greater blood supply to your intestines after eating, but if you are exercising, that blood has to be redirected as your muscles need a greater oxygen supply.

I think that you need to think seriously about whether or not this lifestyle is healthy!  You have not told me how many calories you take in, however, I would imagine that it would be quite low, and combining that with over-exercising is setting yourself up for health problems.

You may need to adjust your regime slightly, trying to exercise slightly less, maybe taking a break for a few days, and increasing your calories to see if that makes a difference.

Joanne