diet or metabolism?

Question
I am a 30yr old mother of 4 weighing 160lb and am 5'7" tall. I have been attending a gym for the past 2 years which has done wonders for my muscle tone, body shape and general fitness but despite this, there are still problems which I don't know how to tackle. I am able to exercise on cv machines for an hour + but after about 20 mins the balls of my feet start to burn and become very uncomfortable and eventually go numb if I continue, despite experimenting with various training shoes. Although I can eerie like this in the gym, if I try running outside, I have to stop after about a minute because I am so out of breath and it feels like I am breathing in icy cold air. I am constantly tired, in fact it's a common thing for me to be yawning whilst working out at the gym and my feet are often cold no matter what the temperature. My diet consists of 3 meals a day with little to no snacking, including lots of fruit, salad, chicken, fish and too much bread but little veg (as I don't like it). I have been finding it hard for my body to digest red meat lately so have been avoiding it. I drink lots of water and green tea and wine on occasions. 10 months ago I successfully gave up smoking. A recent problem is bloatedness. Are these symptoms more likely to be connected with my diet than metabolism?  

Answer
Ruth,

First and foremost, you should go see your physician about your foot numbness and coldness as this can sometimes be signs of diabetes.

Second, diet and metabolism are so intertwined that it's difficult to separate one from the other. Are you taking a high quality multi-vitamin? Your decreased energy make it seem like you are deficient in something. Also, since you are not digesting red meat well you may not be getting enough iron - which can lead to anemia and low energy. You should talk with your physician about this as well.

You have already admitted that you need to cut down on the bread. At least try and omit white breads and switch completely to whole grain, high fiber varieties.

Snacking is not a bad thing. In fact, it's encouraged. You should be eating 3 small meals a day with mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. This will help your metabolism get into a steady flow and help drive more energy to muscle storage and less to fat storage.

Running outside is very different from the gym. You engage your muscles differently and it will take a little training to adjust.

Congratulations on giving up smoking!

Please book an appt. with your doctor to discuss your energy and foot problems.

Hope this helps.

1. Prev:Diet Accompanied by exercise
2. Next:hot weather and weight gain