Training & Nutrition - can your body become "addicted" to vitamins/greens+?

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heflix455
12-05-06, 11:13 AM
so i have been feeling tired/completely drained for the past 4-6 days and ive been trying to figure out why. I get over 8 hours of sleep a day, eat well, etc... I took a break from taking my vitamins and greens+ a while ago because it was making me hungry all the time. When i stopped taking them my hunger died down but then i was tired all the time. This morning i decided to start taking my vitamins and greens+ again and all of a sudden i have all this energy. Could it be that my body is "addicted" to the stuff? Could it be that my diet has been lacking in something instead? I eat really well so i cant see that being the problem. Any ideas?


slowandsteady
12-05-06, 11:42 AM
What the heck is greens+?

And,

List a typical weekly diet for you.

heflix455
12-05-06, 12:16 PM
What the heck is greens+?

And,

List a typical weekly diet for you.
not sure exactly what "category" this stuff fits into since every manufacterer names it differently
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2291283&cp&origkw=greens&kw=greens&parentPage=search

basically a substitute for veggies. Its pretty hard to describe my diet since i don't really count what i eat - i just try to eat as healthy as possible. I also try to eat around 2500+ calories a day since i am always either running, mountain biking, working out, hiking, or doing some other form of activity. This changes all the time but for breakfast i usually have a bowl of steel cut oats/toasted pb and honey sandwich/eggs, yogurt, and fruit. for 10am snack its fruit or a granola bar, lunch anything goes since i usually go out for lunch so i eat a pretty hearty meal. 3pm snack is fruit or a granola bar. Supper is usually veggies, meat, and rice/potatoes. Not a strict diet but it works for me. I just realized that i might have over trained a bit a couple of days ago. I ran longer than i usually do and i didn't really eat well after. Could be that my body has been craving for food/sleep while trying to recover.


slowandsteady
12-05-06, 12:38 PM
Well, not sure if that stuff has any medical benefit. It is supposed to be based on the idea that free radicals cause oxidative stress and that certain compounds such as those found in red skinned fruit is helpful. It most certainly is NOT a substitute for veggies.

Your diet seems high in carbohydrates, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you train enough you really need more protein for recovery. Also in all that greens+ mess, they list green tea. I have a sneaking suspicion that it really means there is a ton of caffeine in that stuff. Coming down off of a caffeine addiction is no fun and feels just like what you described.

Also, if you are a woman and are normally anemic as most women are, and your vitamin contains iron which you suddenly stopped you will become anemic once again. I don't know what the washout period is for iron or remember how long the life cycle is for RBCs and reticulocytes, so I am not sure how long it would take for you to notice.

edit*

Also, if your vitamin has B complexes, it will increase your appetite. You could try a vitamin that has no more than 100% of the B vitamins.