Obesity can feel like a tax on your energy reserves. As many as 60 percent of people with obesity experience fatigue for a wide variety of reasons, some more obvious than others.
Then there’s the fact that living with obesity can be emotionally exhausting, with a constant need to navigate social judgments or self-criticism. “Everywhere a larger person turns, they see ads promoting a simple fix to being smaller, media depictions of fat people as negative, comments about diets or medications or diabetes — all suggesting that there is something implicitly wrong with them,” says Lisa Erlanger, MD, a clinical professor of lifestyle medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.
Thankfully, a few common-sense lifestyle changes can help put you in a better position, both mentally and physically, to face your day with the energy you need.
1. Eat Early and Often
You might not be used to being told that you should eat more, but the science suggests that the right meal and snack timing can help give you steady energy throughout a day.
“When a person isn’t eating enough, the body makes adaptations to conserve energy,” Dr. Erlanger says. “This can feel like brain fog and fatigue, and even an aversion to exercise.” Here are a few tips:
- Start with breakfast within two hours of when you wake up. This can help your body handle blood sugar more efficiently across the entire day.
- Work in small midmorning and midafternoon snacks. Some experts recommend eating every three to four hours to improve energy, focus, and mood.
2. Move Your Body, At Least a Little Bit
Being more active can give you more vigor than remaining sedentary, and moving your body doesn’t take a gym membership. As little as two weeks of regular, moderate exercise such as brisk walking or gardening can help curb fatigue.
Make an effort to move often outside of your daily workout, too. Ten-minute activity microbreaks sprinkled throughout a day can give you more energy later.
“You can do this by dancing in your chair, walking up and down some stairs, or anything else you enjoy,” Erlanger says. “I like to take breaks and play tug-of-war with my dog.”
If you have mobility issues or questions about the activities you can handle, talk to your doctor about working up an exercise plan that fits your situation.
3. Drink Less Caffeine
Caffeine may perk you up in the moment, but its lingering effect can mess with your evening sleep, especially if you’re consuming caffeine later in the day. You might end up overcompensating the next day by craving even more caffeine.
“If you’ve ever wondered or been told that you use too much caffeine, or you’ve never tried to use less, it’s worth experimenting to see how you feel with less,” Erlanger says. “Be mindful to make changes slowly and give your body several weeks to adjust.”
4. Get Engaged in Your Community
Obesity can make it feel especially difficult to get out of the house, see friends, or engage with other people.
“Weight stigma is exhausting,” Erlanger says. “Constantly trying to change or hide your body while also living your life is exhausting.”
But staying hidden actually just makes your tiredness worse: Social isolation leads directly to lower energy levels.
Erlanger encourages people with obesity to do their best to engage with their communities. Don’t feel obligated to do something you’re not comfortable doing. Instead, find activities that bring you joy, as these might offer a big energy boost. Carve out time to see friends, take up that hobby you’ve been wanting to try, or commit to getting more involved in your community.
“It’s okay to start now, in whatever body you have,” Erlanger says.
5. Stay Hydrated
Sometimes just getting enough water can lift sagging energy levels. Fatigue, along with headaches and brain fog, are common symptoms of dehydration.
6. Get Your Sleep Checked
Obstructive sleep apnea causes you to experience repeated breathing pauses when you sleep, causing you to wake up repeatedly throughout the night, though you might not realize it’s happening. This perpetually interrupted sleep can lead to symptoms such as daytime fatigue, trouble focusing, morning headaches, and dry mouth, and is associated with bad long-term outcomes, including an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
You’ll need a professional to evaluate your sleep to receive a diagnosis, and the right treatment can deliver rapid improvements to your sleep and energy levels. “Once a diagnosis occurs and treatment starts, patients often find improvements in their fatigue,” Dr. Syed says.
7. Talk to Your Doctor
If you are experiencing fatigue, your doctor may want to run tests to rule out or help diagnose certain conditions beyond obesity.
“Blaming fatigue on weight alone could lead to missing important non-weight-related diagnoses, like hypothyroidism, anemia, heart conditions, or vitamin deficiencies,” Syed says.
Your doctor may also encourage you to give weight loss a shot as a method of treating your fatigue. Sometimes losing weight through lifestyle shifts, medications, or surgery can help.
“Weight loss can improve energy by reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, improving sleep quality, and reducing severity of sleep apnea, diabetes, and metabolic disease,” Dr. Vukasinov says.
How to Get Started
Boosting your energy doesn’t need to mean a massive overhaul overnight. Instead, you’ll want to experiment with the factors mentioned above — hydration, snacks and mealtimes, caffeine, and physical activity — to see what works for you. Start by choosing just one or two tactics that seem most relevant to your daily struggles.
But if you suspect that you need the help of a medical professional, seek it out soon. Your fatigue may be the nagging exhaustion that naturally accompanies obesity, or it may be a sign of a more serious treatable issue, such as sleep apnea or a separate condition unrelated to obesity. You may need the help of a doctor to find out.
The Takeaway
- Obesity can cause tiredness in many ways, from direct physical effects and emotional exhaustion to hormonal changes that sap your energy.
- Simple lifestyle changes such as eating breakfast, reducing caffeine, and going for regular walks are proven methods for boosting energy levels.
- Some causes of fatigue, like obstructive sleep apnea, require professional attention. If you’re struggling with tiredness, it may be wise to talk to your doctor first.
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