Viewing 37 posts - 1 through 37 (of 37 total)
  • Is being fat / unfit a reason for all this fatigue?
  • andybrad
    Full Member

    Over the last year ive cut back on my biking (and the mrs on her running) for a number of reasons. This has meant that both me and the mrs have put on a fair amount of weight (approx 1.5 stone each). Were both starting to feel a bit better about things and are very slowly starting to eat a bit better and get moving a little more.
    However we both are really really fatigued. To the point of at the end of the day we feel dizzy, all our joints hurt and its a struggle to make tea never mind get any exercise. I have to have an afternoon nap on a weekend or i feel unable to get through till 8pm. On a daily basis we both seem to be in some pain or other. Ive also noticed that my RHR has gone from 50 to nearly 70! this has been on going since the start of the year if im honest.

    Could this just be down to the weight issue? how do we get through this bit of a dip? or is it that were just getting older (42)? Should we just suck it up and try harder? basically anything we can try before going to the docs?

    ads678
    Full Member

    42 is NOT old!

    I find it hrd to get motivated but once I do and start to do things more regularly everything seems to get easier. It hurts at first but it does go away as I get more active.

    46 years old and 16 stone…..I also like a afternoon nap. Just sat outside and had lunch in the garden and fell asleep!!

    rone
    Full Member

    How do you react to sugar?

    I’ve had loads of problems with fatigue and joint issues when eating sugar. Got worse as I got older.

    Easy to test.

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    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Increase in RHR can follow weight gain and reduced exercise, so moving more and eating less is never a bad idea.

    Probably worth getting blood pressure checked by the doc, particularly with regard to persistent fatigue.

    Lots of people who have had bouts of covid have reported changes in RHR which have persisted long after symptoms have disappeared. This may also be accompanied by unusual fatigue.

    Or your gas boiler may be on the blink. 🙂

    fazzini
    Full Member

    42 is NOT old!

    I find it hrd to get motivated but once I do and start to do things more regularly everything seems to get easier. It hurts at first but it does go away as I get more active.

    46 years old

    What he said^^^

    48 years old and not publishing my mass 😉 but if I could just cut out the red wine, crisps and chocolate…

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Is the fatigue and dizziness following exercise that you weren’t doing before?

    If not, it seems a bit sus and I’d want to rule out other stuff like carbon monoxide poisoning (bit random I know but it does happen).

    You’d gained a fair bit of weight, but how far overweight are you? The NHS BMI calculator is useful as a starting point.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Were both starting to feel a bit better about things and are very slowly starting to eat a bit better and get moving a little more.

    What changes have you made?

    However we both are really really fatigued. To the point of at the end of the day we feel dizzy, all our joints hurt

    These may or may not be related to food and/or exercise. have you spoken to your GP?

    muddylegs
    Free Member

    Myself, comming from the gas boiler industry my first thought was gas boiler. Might be worth getting a safety check on that too if you have one.
    Oh yea and 42 old?!🙄

    v7fmp
    Full Member

    it defo sounds like something else is afoot. to be that young and suffering with such symptoms doesnt seem right. Plus you are both suffering from the same thing.

    Also, as mentioned, 1.5 extra stone might not sound like much, that assuming you arent already 25 stone or similar.

    i would defo get a health check done with your GP then do your best to get moving.

    Oh and afternoon naps… thats a thing for pensioners! 😛

    benos
    Full Member

    Sound like my symptoms post covid. Fatigue, high RHR, and in my case heart palpitations and chest pains. Too 3 months to clear, then I got covid again a month last (fortunately it didn’t last as long the second time).

    The fatigue really drags on though. Even the second time it was over a month before I could keep my eyes open after 9pm.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Myself, comming from the gas boiler industry my first thought was gas boiler. Might be worth getting a safety check on that too if you have one.

    Yeah, but like covid, it’s just a flue, nothing to panic over. 🙂

    pk13
    Full Member

    42 is the new 25 get a check up then hit the cardio

    andybrad
    Full Member

    Yea i thought carbon monoxide tbh 🙂 especially as we both feel the same.

    The fatigue isnt after exercise. its just in general. BMI about 34!! just getting to the end of the day feel like a struggle.

    weve never been super healthy but recently we both feel like were knackered old pensioners. Weve had a fairly stressful last 12 months as well which wont have helped but this is daft. Guess we’d better get to the docs? Mrs has regular blood tests for a number of things so ive kind of ruled something like anemia out as they would have picked that up.

    irc
    Full Member

    I’m 2 stone over my fighting weight, 20 years past 42, and relatively unfit, but do not suffer fatigue or dizzyness etc. There is something else going on.

    RHR of 70 isn’t anything to worry about in my non medically qualified opinion. If you lose fitness and put weight on it will go up.

    Unexplained dizzyness and fatigue is worrying though.

    Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

    headache.
    dizziness.
    feeling sick or being sick.
    feeling weak.
    confusion.
    chest and muscle pain.
    shortness of breath.

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/

    Have you got a CO2 alarm near your boiler?

    andybrad
    Full Member

    Oh should add weve both had covid (although not recently, we were convinced it was that but consistently negative tests) Mrs has had it rough after her first bout of covid and never properly recovered imo.

    andybrad
    Full Member

    got 2 alarms in the house (nest alarm thingies)

    Robz
    Free Member

    A couple of questions I would ask:

    Are you eating enough? If you’ve dropped you calories drastically this could explain the fatigue and lack of recovery.

    Is your diet balanced? Don’t fixate on eliminating particular things but are you generally eating a good balance of healthy carbs, proteins, fats?

    Are you drinking enough water?

    Are you sleeping enough? I like an afternoon nap too – nothing wrong with that.

    Are you sitting for most of the day at work? This is the number one reason that affects how I feel – since lockdown and constant TEAMS meetings I really feel it in my hips and back etc. Need to consciously get up and move.

    How is the mood/mental wellbeing? – this can really affect motivation and perceived energy levels.

    As a 40 year old who has had a pretty active life and fallen off lots of bikes and spent a lot of time lifting weights I would say I am always slight sore for one reason or another – either chronic or acute. I am sure the sitting all day doesn’t help.

    The increase/change in day-to-day resting heart rate is strange – mine definitely goes up when I am busy/stressed at work and some of the other issues above are out of whack. But it usually normalises pretty quickly too.

    Have you spoken to your GP?

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I ride and run, and I try to restrict calories to lose weight. This is a bad idea because I end up fatigued a lot. But it’s nothing like what you describe.

    An RHR increase of 50 to 70 would be huge for me, I would have to be pretty ill to see that. Coupled with all the other symptoms you describe, I’d say you’ve got some illness and you should firstly stop exercising and rest up, to see if that helps.

    IANAD but the elevated RHR in someone who knows what their numbers normally are is a key indicator of something not right, I reckon.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    On the RHR, it’s not unusual to see a jump like that the day after drinking alcohol.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Yeah, but like covid, it’s just a flue, nothing to panic over. 🙂

    That deserved more love.

    andybrad
    Full Member

    yea after a few beers i dont sleep and next day sees an increase in rhr like that. Although i only know about it because ive got a fancy watch

    singletrackmind
    Full Member

    Did you use gels or energy powder alot for biking and running?
    Wondering if this hasn’t had an affect on your insulin production. This is then leading to the tiredness.
    Doubt its co2 as no sane person is using alot of gas right now

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    I’m fat and unfit but don’t feel generally fatigued or dizzy (maybe if I jog up the stairs instead of walking but that soon passes :p ) does sound like you need to get yourselves checked out

    pictonroad
    Full Member

    I’m 44 and basically had exactly the same symptoms post covid. Had to have an hours sleep every day. Took about 4 months to clear.

    Also, it gets in your head, you feel tired, don’t go out, feel bad, rinse repeat etc.

    intheborders
    Free Member

    However we both are really really fatigued. To the point of at the end of the day we feel dizzy, all our joints hurt and its a struggle to make tea never mind get any exercise. I have to have an afternoon nap on a weekend or i feel unable to get through till 8pm. On a daily basis we both seem to be in some pain or other. Ive also noticed that my RHR has gone from 50 to nearly 70! this has been on going since the start of the year if im honest.

    I’m your age plus another half, and have never felt the need for an afternoon nap – sounds like you need ‘focus’ in your life. No kids can I assume?

    And RHR in the 40’s – 70 would have me off to the GP’s.

    DT78
    Free Member

    To add another thing to worry about(!)

    Keep a food diary. Try to correlate feeling poorly with when you eat.

    I’ve been trying to work out what is going on with me for years.

    99% I have various food intolerances (they have different effects). Eating a reasonable amount of gluten absolutely smashes me for days. A small amount it tolerable. I am just starting to feel slightly ok after eating 3 rolls and a pizza on the Saturday as we at a friends. It gives me massive headaches and severe fatigue, I have to sleep during the day, probably over 12hrs in total maybe more. And can barely function no chance of any exercise. I’m not touching the stuff intentionally again!

    scud
    Free Member

    Go and get checked for Type 2 diabetes, it sounds alarmist but a large chunk of the population is in the pre-diabetic stage.

    I am a big guy, spent 20 years as a rugby prop-forward, so when i rode bike i always had excuse i was a big lad, despite cycling and weight training 3-4 times a week.

    Following COVID for a second time (and family have a history of Type 2 following illness, usually cancer) i started feeling wiped out the whole time, dizzy when i stood up to quick, got very short-tempered and starting peeing even more than the average 47 year old does.

    Went for Blood glucose tests (and had done in past due to family history) and BG had gone from non-diabetic 38 up to 60. I decided to tackle it without any medication, lost 2 and a bit stone promptly, bought a fancy turbo trainer and exercised 6 days a week with a strict lower carb, higher protein diet (not completely low-carb or those daft keto diets) and went from 106kg to 92kg.

    Fatigue etc has gone, i feel fitter than i have done since leaving army in my 20’s. You have to remember that any excess weight around the middle especially can make you insulin resilient especially when coupled with higher simple carbs diet and inactivity. so something worth investigating?

    Longarmedmonkey
    Full Member

    And that’s why I come here! I wish everyone all the best in improving lifestyle or seeking medical/GasSafe support to feel better. Special thanks to SCUD for your comment on reflection I have some work to do.

    HoratioHufnagel
    Free Member

    In my experience, stress can cause a lot of these physical symptoms and it sort of creeps up on you without you realising.

    Otherwise all the usual stuff!
    – less alcohol
    – less processed sugar
    – more sleep

    crymble
    Full Member

    Sounds very familiar. I’m 44, and carrying a few stone extra and have for the last few years suffered from fatigue.

    It’s a lot better now after finding I am gluten intolerant and also have low folate. I find that if I have a lot of gluten then the next day I feel exhausted (as well as being in the bathroom a lot!) or if I miss my folic acid tablets for a few days I just want to sleep.

    I think the weight gain is more a symptom of the fatigue (when I’m tired I don’t want to do anything other than eat and sleep,) rather than the fatigue being a symptom of the weight gain.

    Good luck.

    K

    crymble
    Full Member

    To add another thing to worry about(!)

    Keep a food diary. Try to correlate feeling poorly with when you eat.

    I’ve been trying to work out what is going on with me for years.

    99% I have various food intolerances (they have different effects). Eating a reasonable amount of gluten absolutely smashes me for days. A small amount it tolerable. I am just starting to feel slightly ok after eating 3 rolls and a pizza on the Saturday as we at a friends. It gives me massive headaches and severe fatigue, I have to sleep during the day, probably over 12hrs in total maybe more. And can barely function no chance of any exercise. I’m not touching the stuff intentionally again!

    Posted my answer before reading this. Good to hear I’m not the only one – and I may look into the headaches thing as I’ve been finding I’ve been having some of them recently and wondering if that tallies into gluten too.

    K

    andybrad
    Full Member

    Thanks for some food for thought folks.

    Id never considered that gluten could be an issue but thinking about it a lot of this is diet based. How do you find out if your gluten intolerant?

    You have made me think about stress. Ive been massively stressed since this whole covid thing kicked off and ive not been sleeping well for a good couple of years. Medicating with beer made it worse and i have got into a bit of a cycle of not sleeping and then relying on food to keep me awake through the day. Maybe i just need to take time out?

    Ive bought another CO monitor 🙂 its not gone off yet!

    scud
    Free Member

    nd ive not been sleeping well for a good couple of years. Medicating with beer

    I had one of the Whoop devices for a month for a friend’s sons sports science project, and now use an app on Apple Watch that does similar, they give you a “recovered” score like a lot of devices, it is quite amazing just how poor your sleep can be after just a few drinks the night before in terms of quality, not duration and recovery the next day.

    may be worth it for a month, clean diet, no booze, 8 hours sleep etc, just see how you feel after a month? Before you go looking at tangents like CO and gluten?

    bjhedley
    Full Member

    Some of this sounds familiar – I’m a month post covid – RHR higher, no top end when exercising, heart rate through the roof on the slightest push, always tired etc. I’m in my 30’s and only 5 or 6kg or so over ‘race weight’

    I had a whoop for a bit last year on a free trial. On the whole, everything it told me was entirely predictable – hard exercise or poor sleep = fatigue. What it did highlight however was how much one beer (Yes, one) made to my RHR and impacted my sleep. Likewise one late night or poor sleep made an impact too – these were evident on days where I felt ‘fine’ but then struggled when trying to do anything active.

    In general, to echo the above. Have a dry month, or try only having a drink on a fri/sat night, eat well, prioritise sleep and drink plenty of water. make sure you keep active, even if it’s only a walk around the block or to the shop and back. On the sleep front, I’ve found avoiding the news if you’re stressed and a no phones in the bedroom or after 9:30pm rule has made a big difference.

    Best of luck, hope you feel better soon.

    andybrad
    Full Member

    interestingly i went out on the bike last night with the aim of putting in some hard work. It felt that i was hitting a limit (of about 150 ish bpm) and i couldnt push through this. No hard sprints or anything. It was kind of like hitting a rev limiter in your car. really strange.

    That coupled with, not a tight, but uncomfortable chest (i find myself holding it for some reason like i dont like my shirt touching it.)

    ive filed in a form for one of those council health checks so hopefully that will come through sooner rather than later.

    I have noticed that if i drink i get sub 3 hr nights sleep so im going to cut down on this a bit as well.

    Cletus
    Free Member

    Quality sleep is probably the best thing for feeling better.

    I find doing an exercise class (spin or kettlebell) after work then a sensible meal and no food, caffeine or alcohol after 8pm works for me. I do not feel tired but am ready for sleep by 11pm, drop off quickly and sleep until 7am.

    I have only been doing this for six months or so and do occasionally have later nights and some alcohol but limit to one or two nights a week rather than every night as was previously the case.

    There could be some other causes but trying a healthier lifestyle is pretty simple and improvements happen quickly.

    Edukator
    Free Member

    Sounds like my first year after Covid in March 2020

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