Adolescence
When I was 16, I started having fainting spells. For a period of three months, I was fainting up to eight times a day. I fainted walking upstairs after waking up, fainted in the shower nearly every morning, fainted a few more times at school (which my teachers chalked up to sleeping in class), and then promptly came home to sleep, be woken for dinner (trying not to faint), and then go back to sleep again. I was working a part-time job at Zellers, and even had the unfortunate incident of dropping to the concrete floor in front of a customer. I was tested by doctors for a variety of things: drugs (no matter how much I insisted I had never even had a sip of alcohol), STIs (no matter how much I claimed I wasn't sexually active), lyme disease, thyroid deficiency and epilepsy. Out of everything, the only factor that proved to contribute to my fainting was a case of anemia "that shouldn't cause you to feel that weak". Over time, the fainting spells became less frequent, but were still happening once or a twice a week. That was just my life: I knew what to watch for and would go find a nice place to sit down with my head between my knees until I at least wouldn't lose consciousness.
When I was 18, I got a prescription for birth control, and miraculously, the fainting was limited to once or twice a year. I could handle that, and chalked up my previous incidences to lady problems and hormone inconsistencies.
Being an Adult...sort of
I live most of my 20s just getting by on my naturally low energy. I was chronically low on iron, but was "functional". I went to work, came home, napped, and spent my evenings on the couch. I was very unhappy, but I was functioning.
When I was accepted into University in 2013, I slowly became happier. I worked less, and thus avoided the draining days at my job. University allowed for mental breaks, but also more naps, so I was a little perkier when I needed to be.
Cutting the Meat
In 2015, I was suddenly cut hours at my horrible job (shout outs are given in previous posts). I was a full-time University, and found myself suddenly needing to switch my schedule around so I could take on a day job, as opposed to the weekend shifts I had been working. The day job I found was part-time, and involved sitting at a desk. My University classes were 3 evenings a week, and the rest of the time was mine to own. I found myself with more free time, and a ton of energy I needed to spend.
That's when I decided to take care of my body. I dedicated myself to working out, and putting in the effort to meal plan. Vegetarianism was something that had crossed my mind previously, but I just never put the effort in. I decided to first cut out red meat from my diet, followed by chicken (which I never liked eating), and that was where I stayed for the next 19 months.
I felt less bloated than ever, and lighter in my physical activity. Cutting the meat also helped me really pay attention to what I was eating, because I had to watch my protein intake. Prior to this, I just was stuffing my face with whatever suited my mood.
I was still napping nearly every day (albeit shorter naps), but I chalked this up to simply just having a 12 year habit that was hard to shake.
The Decline of Iron
This past January, I accepted a full time position at my work. Again,schedule changes demanded lifestyle changes. I wasn't fitting in naps anymore, and I was completely exhausted by the time I came home. My iron levels plummeted again (a ferretin level of 2mg, when the minimum requirement is 12mg). I stopped being able to meal plan appropriately, and the fainting spells returned.
I realized that while my pescetarianism was relatively healthy prior to the recent iron plummet, I was still substituting the fat I was missing from meat with junk food. I was still carb-loading more than I was loading myself with protein on my long days, and one of the reasons I still had energy in the prior 19 months was because I had the luxury of recharging with a nap. It dawned on me that I wasn't being a "good" pescetarian who was really paying attention to what her body needs.
At first, I tried introducing beef broth to my diet for the added protein. However, two weeks ago, I was experiencing such a strong dizzy spell, I caved and went to get a Big Mac. Now, I know a Big Mac is likely the worst source of meat protein on the planet, but I was surprised to find I wasn't sick, and the texture of meat didn't throw me off. For the last two weeks, I have re-introduced red meat into my diet (I still hate chicken).
Right now, I'm choosing the diet that works for me. I can't keep up with changes in my lifestyle and expect to maintain similar results. I commend those who choose a meatless diet and find ways to maintain it, and perhaps one day, I will return to it myself. However, for now, I've had to part ways with some of my meatless dishes (I still intend to have a few vegetarian meals in my day).
