dizzy in the mornings

[Mellis]

Hi ya!
I am feeling very weak and dizzy in the mornings, especially if I don't wake up early (and start eating early), say if I wake up around 9 or 10. I stuff myself with banana and avocado, or orange juice with the oil, and after ten minutes or so, all is well. This can also happen in the day if I'm not eating frequently enough.
I used to be fine even if I didn't eat until 2-3pm, or eating every 6-8 hours, that was never a problem.
If anyone has a comment, experience or a suggestion, please spill it here. Cheers!

[Oscar]

It means you lack energy and that your glycogen depots/energy reserves are (almost) empty. Eat/drink more frequently.
You were probably used to eating bigger meals, which means your glycogen depots will fill up and can last you for hours.
Ideally speaking you want to eat as much as you need, to fill up the depots, replenish your blood sugar, and give the muscles/organs the energy they need.

[RRM]

Exactly as Oscar says.
Did you try adding sugar to your juice?

[Mellis]

Hello dear posters,
thanks for your input.

I was indeed eating bigger meals prior to snacking and juicing. I bought a small juicer this week, so I have started with citrus juice (mandarin or orange), and I now add honey and oil, honey tastes better than sugar to me (now).

I can feel when I want more energy during the day and evening. Then I act on it, on average perhaps seven times a day. I grab a fruit, peel it, chop it or grate it, add honey and oil and that's that. In between snacks I drink honey-and-oil water (sometimes with saline), about 266 kcal. Once or twice a day I have a sallad: some raw olives, half a grated cucumber, some chives and dill, a grated avocado, a grated apple, a bit of mustard, a bit of horseradish, raw olive oil. In the evening I have citrus juice, added honey and yolks.

I would estimate I average 2000+ kcal per day, and I feel fine during the day. I have not lost any weight so that's good. I was a bit thirsty yesterday. It is also very warm here, hot temperature, hot building. I don't think I am anemic or lack iron.

I am a curious type.

[RRM]

I can feel when I want more energy during the day and evening. Then I act on it, on average perhaps seven times a day.

Thats not often enough.
In the beginning you have not learned good enough yet to listen to your energy needs constantly.
It takes time to develop that skill.

I would estimate I average 2000+ kcal per day, and I feel fine during the day.

You need to feel fine 24/7, for every minute.
You simply dont build up any glycogen, so that you will lack energy when you wake up.
In a while you will loose weight.
Please consume more meals more frequently.
Why is harder to build up glycogen on this diet?
Because the simple sugars in fruits readily sufficiently increase the blood sugar level,
which activates the satiety hormones.
On a normal diet, you usually keep on ingesting energy while you already ingested more than enough
to up your blood energy,
so that all that extra energy is automatically invested in glycogen (and bodyfat).
With this diet you really must must invest in glycogen much more actively.

[Mellis]

Did you get that I eat around seven fruit snacks (pear or apple or grapes for example), with honey and oil, plus perhaps five or six honey and oil drinks in between snacks, plus one or two salads? In total around 13-15 snacks a day. One snack every hour or so. Perhaps I can top that tomorrow.

Now, if I eat frequently during wake hours, it still will not help me in the mornings, I guess. I'll have some grapes or something handy that I can eat before I get up, I'll try and see. I understand that the body needs constantly to be fed the glycogen.

This takes more planning, or perhaps only in the beginning. Always have fruit and oil (or drinks) handy at all times.

I'm adjusting and learning the basics and I really appreciate the advice from you early waiers.

[Mellis]

I am going to get some sleep now, I have a banana and some honey-and-oil water prepared for the morning. How hard can it be to provide oneself with enough glycogen, anyway? It's not rocket science.

[Oscar]

Make sure you're not (even slightly) hungry before going to bed and you should be fine in the morning. At all times you should feel like you could run 10km if need be, that's when your glycogen depots are full.

[Mellis]

Hi ya!

I woke up, had a banana and the honey-and-oil water and I feel good. I tried sitting up (actually, I had to sit up to reach the banana) and that made me feel dizzy, so I went back to horizontal position and had the banana. After 5 minutes, I sat up (now) and all is well!

I feel like I am the sick toddler I was taking care of earlier this year, my old work. But hey, that's ok. It's not rocket science, it's sugar and fats

Today I'll even do like I used to do when I took care of the sick toddler (keeping a log of the hours for food, medicine and sleep et c): I have made a log on every awake hour from 06.00 until 24.00 and I'll feed myself something every hour. I'll post it here tonight!

Tomorrow (and all other mornings forever ) I'll keep the banana closer to my hands so I don't have to sit up to reach it. I could also set an alarm to get up in the middle of my sleep and have a banana, if have be.

[panacea]

perhaps it's not the lack of sugar intake in and of itself but also the bed/bedding could be constricting your blood flow all night, resulting in a slow response time when waking up.. a hammock or proper waterbed could solve this, or tempurpedic style thing, idk.
also are you on the diet %100? it's my understanding that things that deplete your adrenaline or repeatedly deplete it can hurt your adrenal glands over the long run and result in problems like this, as a tiny bit of adrenaline is used to shoot your blood up to your brain when sitting up after being laid down for a while to counteract the force of gravity bla bla bla. so no coffee, etc, and if you were a heavy user of that before this diet and you just stopped it may be part of the problem just throwing idea out there

[Mellis]

Thanks panacea, I appreciate your post. I would looooooove to have a hammock, or perhaps some air conditioning. Next time I get my salary perhaps (aircon) or next place I move to (hammock). I have made a bunk bed of a few banana boxes (again) to get off the floor, there were little insects on the floor so I didn't want to share bed with them. I feel good blood-flow wise, not stiff in the mornings. I'm about 90-99% wai. I like some mustard and a splash of tamari (no wheat) on my salad. It's been a couple of weeks now. I don't drink coffee, I didn't before either. If I have tea it's the roibos tea. Perhaps once a week. I did have an ice lolly yesterday, just sugar and water, some green colour and pear flavour.
You mentioned the adrenaline, that's an interesting issue. It makes sense: fear, anger and stress is not so healthy.

I notice so far today that water with honey and oil is easier for me to have, than fruit with honey and oil. It's the honey, it's to concentrated (or too much perhaps). Perhaps I'll not add honey to the fruit, if I drink honey water anyway.

I feel the need to discover a handy way of taking in the energy. Perhaps honey-water-oil will do that for me. Fruit every hour just feels like too high maintenance. Any suggestion is highly appreciated.

[Mellis]

I feel like all I do all day is eat. It is boring! Please suggestions please please

[Oscar]

coughOJcough

[Mellis]

aha
#1 get the oranges
#2 browse the forum for OJ entries
Thanks for the tip Oscar!

I may have overdosed on honey. I feel like I've had enough for a week.

[Mellis]

and thank you RRM:

If you dont want to lose weight, you need to make sure that you keep your blood sugar level up all the time. With this diet that takes some effort, as you are no longer consuming big meals that always fill up your glycogen (= spare glucose) and fat depots. Instead, now you have to keep that sugar level up yourself, by consuming many, many meals a day. You need to learn to constantly listen to your body. Is there a moment that you feel less energetic? Take in some extra energy. You need to be constantly aware ('in the background') of your energy level.
The better you listen, the more clearly your body will let you know. Never ignore the signals (tiredness, sleepy, fatigue, moody).