Nausea and Insufficient Calories

My first post here, so forgive me if I have a misstep in terms of etiquette.

Backstory: I was always a husky kid, so I decided to drop it all. Got down to a size 7 in high school, which was actually about half of me at that point. College came, and a computer degree gave me an excuse to sit on my butt all day and play video games. I'm back up to a size 12 now, and looking to get back down. I'm a pretty good dieter - too stubborn to go over/under my limit (1,200).

Now: Eh...

I started this new diet in December (using this site to more easily keep records), and for the first couple entries, I was always getting 12XX calories a day and eating pretty healthy stuff. Because I'm anal-retentive about it. Then something odd started to happen. I just fell... nauseous. Not 24/7, but enough to where you'd call it a chronic annoyance.

Entries promptly dropped from 1200 a day to 900 or less, simply because my tummy developed teenager-like attitude problems. "No, I don't want that salmon! Leave me alone! I hate you!"

Now, miso soup has become my best friend, as my stomach can tolerate it. Soup for lunch, followed by a light dinner, is pretty much it for the day. Anything remotely greasy, spicy or high-density tends to trigger the nausea more than other foods. At least from what I've noticed.

Exercise: Admittedly light. A quick jog every now and then. Had been Wii Boxing (oddly enough, a fun workout - thank you Nintendo), and in warmer months I walked 2-3 miles a day. Don't really want to do that in 35 degree rain, so I've actually been doing a lot of sitting this winter. Slight lightheadedness from the 900 calorie intake has made me a little lethargic to boot.

Family history: My mother had issues with her thyroid a while back, so I might be prone to some sort of problem there. As far as I know, it can effect your weight and appetite. Despite my lack of appetite, it doesn't really feel like I'm losing anything. Of course, it could be too early to tell for that. I don't know if age is a factor or not - I'm only 20, and she dealt with the problem in her 40's.

Another factor that might effect weight and appetite is depression. Strong family history of that. I've never been to a shrink, but there's a pretty good chance that I have it as well, given how... uh... not-so-jolly I am.

 

So I don't know if it's something brought on from sedentary behavior, depression, something like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or a thyroid problem. Or all of the above. Perhaps someone who suffers from any of the aforementioned issues could give me some insight on them?

Also, a friend mention that improper water intake might make the stomach a little upset. Any validity to this? I only ever drink water, but go most of the day without it. I only really drink anything in the evening, so I might not be getting enough. Maybe a liter a day?

 

Thanks for any help.

I see that your  calories dropped to 900 or less. When I was eating very little I had the same problem of being nauseous  all the time.  I woke up sick, I ate I felt sick it was a viscous  cycle because at the time I did not see that not eating enough was causing this. I went through a good 2 years feeling this way and never made the connection that not eating enough was causing this problem. It was not until June of 07 that I upped my calories big time (1500) that I finally did not feel sick anymore. Even still I did not make that connection. That was until I was keeping tabs on a deadly fad diet and reading people's stories (note I never did this diet I was waiting on the woman to get busted) that a light bulb went off. Someone was talking about being slightly nauseous all the time because they were eating about 500 cals a day. Someone told her it was because she was not eating. And finally it clicked that this is why I stayed so sick all the time I was not eating enough. And that I eat correctly I no longer have this issue.

So my advice is 3 fold. One talk to a doctor there could be a medical reason behind this given your family history. Two if nothing is medically wrong eat. I know it will be hard at first because your tummy may rebel but eat. Get to a healthy normal level of calories everyday. You should notice a difference in how sick you feel. and 3 drink more water. Water is all I drink with some milk during the day. Recommend amount is 8 8oz glasses I believe. Because water is all I drink I get way more than that. But your body really does need water just to function.

Good luck. 

 

Hey Lena, I have Crohn's Disease, which is a form of IBS.  I can tell you that if your nausea and lightheadedness was caused by this, you would certainly know it.  I hardly ate because it made me nauseated, but I lost a significant amount of weight as well (60lbs over 2 months).  With IBS, not only do you feel sick and lightheaded, but there is a tremendous amount of pain associated with eating and drinking.

 I can't say for sure it is not IBS or Crohn's, you should check with your doctor. You could have high blood pressure or something else that is causing this.  One thing I know for sure is that taking in less than the recommended amount of calories WILL cause your body to display certain symptoms that are associated with undereating.

 Good Luck!

It's possible that even 1200 was too little for you and that made you nauseous.  Definitely go see a dotor and perhaps reevaluate your intake.  You need to be eating more!  

Crohn's is a form of IBD, not IBS. This is a common mistake since the acronyms are so similar. Here's the distinction:

IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, functional disease of the intestines only, no tissue damage or inflammation. Also called "spastic colon". Symptoms can be triggered by stress and certain foods. Sometimes it's called "mucous colitis", but this is a misnomer because "itis" means inflammation and IBS does not cause inflammation of the colon.

IBD: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn's or ulcerative colitis, damage to the tissues of part of or the entire digestive tract. Can be life-threatening if not treated. Attacks or flare-ups cannot be caused by specific foods or stress, but some foods/stress make things worse if an attack is already in progress. IBD is believed to be an auto-immune disease.

*edit* I don't think you have gut disease, just wanted to clarify that IBS and IBD are different. I agree that you probably need to eat more. Maybe gentler foods like soup and toast would be easy things to start with to get your caloric intake up. I hope you feel better soon.

I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid at the age of 14 so in my opinion age really isn't a factor.  It doesn't hurt to have it checked and while you're there talk to your Dr. about depression.