Fainting After Exercise?

Throughout the year, I used to run sporadically for intervals of 30-40 minutes around the block as my main form of exercise 2-3 times a week.

Once I came home from university in March/April, I stopped running entirely. My main form of exercise now comes from waitressing anywhere from 3 to 9 hours a day. I've lost 5-6 pounds from the transition, and have maintained a similar, mildly slimmer physique. There's a lot of speedwalking and heavy lifting involved, but I never break a sweat.

As for eating, I am confident in my intake as a healthy one. I average around 1,400 - 1,700 cals, with averaging 25/25/50 ratios of fat/protein/carbs. I truthfully don't touch anything unhealthy, knowing I get more satisfaction out of beneficial options (I eat a lot of salad, oatmeal and soup).

The other night at the dinner table, I felt heavy and disoriented, which is common following a pre-dinner nap. My mother had gotten on my nerves the second I sat down, as she often does, and instead of biting her head off as I generally do (I don't remember when I got so insanely pissy), I sucked it up, told myself to stop being such a baby, and took a bite of the salad she had so decadently ruined with copious amounts of candied pecans. Immediately after, literally one bite in, I started feeling absolutely stuffed. I felt as though I could not have a single morsel of what was in front of me, which is something that has only occurred one other time in my life. I just sat there, staring at the salad, trying to sip on my water, as a huge rush of unexplained emotions came over me. I started feeling dizzy and weak, yet heavy, and tears welled up in my eyes, and I had to lie to my mom that I thought I was going to puke so she would hold my head. I have no IDEA what the episode was about, but it lasted a minute, and then I felt better, acted like I thought I was going to pass out (which I sort of thought I was going to) and finished up the salad.

This leads me to today, about a week later. I've been sleeping a lot, yet I always feel like I could use more sleep. I work 6 days a week, I love my job, and I usually hang with my friends after work, leaving me no time for exercise which I guiltily avoid. Now, last night I went to bed at 2 am, woke up at 11:30, went downstairs and ate 550 cals of breakfast (oatmeal w/ berries, special k and milk) and went right back to bed until 2. When I woke up, I decided it was high time to just go on a bloody run already. So I did. It's about 27 degrees out (celcius) and I ran whole-heartedly for the first 9 minutes or so, then slowed down to a jog for another 9, pushing myself in spurts until I arrived home. When I did, I was sweating mildly, but completely out of breath. Everything got dark in my vision and I had to keep myself moving as a general nausea was passing over me. I drank a cup of water, still sweating and trying to breath as I paced around the hallway, and retired to my shower after 30 minutes or so of panting and trying to keep my head up.

Once I was in the shower, it really hit me hard. I was on the verge of fainting. I couldn't lift my arms up to shave (sorry for the details), I couldn't bend or move any way but gingerly.  I eventually could barely see and I had to sit myself down on the shower floor before I would up knocking my head on something. I sat there for a minute or so, and somehow figured out I needed to get some sort of juice in me right away, so I tried my best to make my way downstairs, hair shampoo-adorned and sporting a towel, and just made it to the fridge in time to messily pour a glass of orange juice all over the kitchen counters and my glass. The smell in the fridge made me gag (even though I don't think it would smell to me now in recovery), the smell of the garbage was worse, and even when I walked into my bedroom earlier I had difficulty breathing in the air. After fighting my way to the bathroom near the kitchen, I sat down and tried my best to drink the juice with much difficulty, having to hold my own head up between my knees and trying to fight through the nausea. Minutes later I was feeling better, finished up my shower and have now hit the computer to confer with the community.

What's the deal with me?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

It sounds like you experienced a hypoglycemic episode. You need more sugar, more frequently.

I think you could be on to something... but I usually average 60-80g of sugar daily?

Is it mainly glucose based? Because most of my snacks involve aspartame (no-sugar added pudding, unsweetened applesauce, diet coke, no fat astro vanilla yogurt)

Thanks for your input!

I would have thought any combination of heat, over-exertion, low blood-sugars and quite a few other things besides could result in what you describe.  For that reason, if you carry on feeling lethargic or if you have any more dizzy episodes you should go to see your GP.