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The long road back after illness

gunforhiregunforhire Posts: 457
in General Chat
Can anyone recommend a diet to get me back on my feet?

I've been laid low on-and-off for the last 10 weeks.

First I had a wee bit of surgery (3 week recovery), then a recurring chest infection left me open to every flu and cold going, cue more time off my feet.

I've been trying to get back into training 'properly' but am held back by tiredness.

The tri season has started and I'm back at square one. Swimming has taken a nose dive and my 5K is 45secs off pace.

I've been taking it easy and trying to rest up when possible to avoid the spectre of over-training.

Case in point: got in the pool on Saturday and did a few lengths and had nothing in me! Tried to string some laps together but couldn't manage it. Gave up after and slunk home confused and frustrated.



I've had a thought that maybe my carbo-stores have been depleted whilst being laid up, so contributing to lack of stamina.

Does that sound right?

Short of overdosing on pasta, baked potatoes and aerobic/recovery training is there any other tricks?

I've already had to skip my first tri of the year and a duathlon![:@]

Comments

  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    I think that nutrition is the answer most definitely. I don't know what your current diet is but overloading with carbs will be counter productive as all they will do is raise your blood sugar level which will effect the release of insulin which will grab ALL the sugar from your blood stream and cause a sugar low, leaving you feeling tired and listless.



    You need to do an overhaul of your diet, include only light animal proteins such as fish and chicken, turkey etc and stay off red meat for the moment. Change white bread for wholemeal and try always to have salad with a sandwich, either inside it or as a side salad. Rice should be basmati, and limit potato unless you are having it with lots of veg.



    Try to ensure that every meal (and snack) has vegetables in it or with it and eat something, no matter how small, every two hours.



    Look at the GL (glyceamic load) index to understand how to stablise your blood sugar - no peaks mean no slumps and a lovely steady flow of energy throughout the day. Drink water steadily (but not madly) through the day, limit alcohol and only ever drink it after a meal.



    Porridge for breakfast is good, especially if you are doing cardio, but 2 hours before so that it doesnt sit heavy on you, and/or a bowl after too. I personally prefer my light cardio (ie less than 1 hour) on an empty stomach but I know thats not the ideal.



    I absolutely guarantee that if you include much more veggies and some fruit into your diet and limit the amount of bread you have you will notice a massive difference in the way you feel.



    It works for me!
  • BlurredgirlBlurredgirl Posts: 292
    I can't recommend Cheryl's advice heartily enough. I eat low GI myself, and am particularly scrupulous when recovering - as I am at the moment - from surgery. A low GI diet will not only provide you with loads of good nutrients, but as Cheryl says, keeps your blood sugar stable and delivers a steady flow of excellent energy.



    I eat almost no bread, potatoes, overcooked root veg etc etc and instead keep stoked up on lots of fresh (organic) vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds and dried fruit, with a little fresh fruit, every day.



    I can pretty much guarantee that if there's nothing else going on, you will bounce on this diet.



    blurredgirl

  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    Cheryl6162 wrote:


    I think that nutrition is the answer most definitely. I don't know what your current diet is but overloading with carbs will be counter productive as all they will do is raise your blood sugar level which will effect the release of insulin which will grab ALL the sugar from your blood stream and cause a sugar low, leaving you feeling tired and listless.



    You need to do an overhaul of your diet, include only light animal proteins such as fish and chicken, turkey etc and stay off red meat for the moment. Change white bread for wholemeal and try always to have salad with a sandwich, either inside it or as a side salad. Rice should be basmati, and limit potato unless you are having it with lots of veg.



    Try to ensure that every meal (and snack) has vegetables in it or with it and eat something, no matter how small, every two hours.



    Look at the GL (glyceamic load) index to understand how to stablise your blood sugar - no peaks mean no slumps and a lovely steady flow of energy throughout the day. Drink water steadily (but not madly) through the day, limit alcohol and only ever drink it after a meal.



    Porridge for breakfast is good, especially if you are doing cardio, but 2 hours before so that it doesnt sit heavy on you, and/or a bowl after too. I personally prefer my light cardio (ie less than 1 hour) on an empty stomach but I know thats not the ideal.



    I absolutely guarantee that if you include much more veggies and some fruit into your diet and limit the amount of bread you have you will notice a massive difference in the way you feel.



    It works for me!



    I've no idea what half of this means... I'm an intelligent guy but this way beyond the realms for me.... I just try and eat healthy. Still I do realise there is some good info in here so I'm going to investigate.



    thanks
  • gunforhiregunforhire Posts: 457
    Cheryl6162 wrote:
    You need to do an overhaul of your diet, include only light animal proteins such as fish and chicken, turkey etc and stay off red meat for the moment. Change white bread for wholemeal and try always to have salad with a sandwich, either inside it or as a side salad. Rice should be basmati, and limit potato unless you are having it with lots of veg.



    Try to ensure that every meal (and snack) has vegetables in it or with it and eat something, no matter how small, every two hours....



    Porridge for breakfast is good, especially if you are doing cardio, but 2 hours before so that it doesnt sit heavy on you, and/or a bowl after too.



    That's pretty much my exact diet!

  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    That's pretty much my exact diet!


    ahhh.. Thats me spent then!
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    Don't rule out getting a blood test,any PVI could create a more serious underlying threat to your health.Diet definately helps,but trying to find that elusive element missing could be trying to find the needle in a haystack,I eventually discovered that glutamine helped me get over my excessive tiredness,blood tests showed a couple of serious trends,and you can't beat good solid rest.
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Maybe you are just not giving yourself enough time. Frustrating as it may be. Try doing nothing until you are so bored you could kill. Rather than getting out when you think you should.



    Second the PVI idea though!

  • godluvsatriergodluvsatrier Posts: 199
    I had thi in the pool the other night - i was actually exhausted from work and had a headache but thought a swim might sort me out. I felt really diorientated and even dizzy when I was turning to breathe. I went home had a good night's sleep and am fine now.



    Obviously I havent had your set backs but have to say if your diet is good then I guess your body is still tired from fighting infection like Jack says - it takes a lot out of you!! Just keep building up gradually and don't get disheartened. I bet you just need rest. x



    p.s. hope you're feling good again soon
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