Q1: Are you eating enough food?

At 15 you're still growing. You need a lot more calories than someone who's 38 and sedentary and trying to lose weight. Paleo food can be very satiating...perhaps too satiating. Try putting everything you eat into something like fitday and figuring out how many calories you're actually consuming...you may be surprised at how low the number is.

Q2: Are you eating enough carbohydrate?

Since you "do weights and sprints regularly (high intensity)", you'll want to eat more carbs than the aforementioned 38-year-old couch potato. Again, look at your macros in fitday (or whatever), and keep in mind that it takes about 40 calories to digest a pound of plant matter...so if you're eating nothing but meat, veggies, eggs, coconut oil, and an occasional fruit, you're probably in perpetual almost-ketosis, which is a bad place to be.

tl;dr try eating more food, including starch

You're 15 years old. You eat barely any carbohydrate at all. You are going to fuck up your development and be a freak your entire life because of low carb.

Or

Hopefully you won't end up like this kid about your age and die http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12356106

One thing that struck me about your question is that you keep saying how your friends are different and how it's not fair, etc. And you know an awful lot about all the little things that could be wrong with you. It seems odd to me that a 15 year old would be so focused on these things which makes me wonder if maybe you could be dealing with some mild depression. Depression and fatigue go hand in hand. When I was dealing with depression, I was always worried about what could be "wrong" with my health. It was a strange sort of dread. Please, talk to your parents or any adult you trust about how you are feeling.

Foodwise, I think what you should do is eat all the starchy, sugary (as in fruit, not actual sugared foods/candy!) carbs as you please. You are a growing, athletic young man. You need lots of good food, lots of protein, fat and carbs. Eat it all to taste. Don't measure your macros, there's no need for you.

I honestly don't know why CW low-fat nonsense "studies" are (rightly) torn apart for the bad science, but things like Sisson's Carbohydrate Curve get a free pass when, as far as I can tell, Sisson basically made it up.

Have you had your thyroid checked? Sounds like hypothyroid to me.

While I think it's really important to be healthy, you're 15, you shouldn't be this concerned about your diet. I can understand wanting to eat healthy, but it sounds like you're trying to be perfect. Not only is that impossible, it's unhealthy. Eat some carbs, sweet potatoes or something you enjoy.

Your body is telling you something. It might be time to go to a doctor.

I am really not great in giving advice to 15 year old growing young man because I never raised children of my own (I'm a 50+ female) and also I hesitate to give you advice that might be absolutely wrong and might make your situation worse.

But I was a teenager once myself. You suddenly grow several inches in height overnight, then you grow in all other directions overnight and not necessarily well proportioned (until you're 24 as a male, 21 as a female, that's when your bones stop growing). Your hormones are going crazy and causing all sorts of symptoms both physically and mentally/emotionally. Your brain isn't even fully developed yet and causing you to think and feel things that are confusing right now. You need more sleep than an adult but you keep waking up in the night and can't go back to sleep, you get up but you're not fully awake. Your energy levels seem low one day, then shoot up after you ate sugar (I'm sure that's what your energetic friends are experiencing). YOu might be overconcerned about your looks because they change dramatically overnight and some ignorant adults might be even commenting on them, including your own family. You look for role models because you want to find your right path in life.

If you like what Mark Sisson has to say then maybe ask him on his website what he is feeding his son, I think he has a teenage son himself. You might be surprised that his son's diet is completely different from his own, or not, I don't know.

If you feel that the symptoms you are experiencing are waaaaaay more extreme than what your friends are feeling than consult a teacher or doctor or parent or any adult you really trust well and talk to them and maybe do have bloodwork done.

But from my very personal experience and that of many other old folks I met in life, both male and female, the growing pain, the hormones going bananas, the brain playing tricks, the low energy, then high energy, the body feeling and appearance, and everything looking and feeling so extreme, and most of all that we are THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD who is experiencing this...well we've all been there, done that.

Please don't worry so much about chemicals in your food or environment. YOu live in the cleanest spot there is on Earth, except Antarctica.

Please eat as much meat, veggies, potatoes, eggs, etc. as you can and just skip the grains and sugar (and maybe legumes, depending on how you handle them). Limit drugs like caffeine and chocolate, they are for old folks like me.

Don't focus on disecting the paleo or any other diet and analyzing it to the detail. It's all in the making and you can worry about the details later in life. For now just skip the obvious junk and eat real food. Carbs are not necessary for the human body because they don't deliver nutrients we can't get somewhere else, but keep in mind that scientists "discover" new nutrients that are essential for us every year, the discovery of carbs and proteins and fats happened in my grandmother's lifetime, then vitamin C. Then B vitamins and A and D when my parents were growing up. I myself was already an adult when we first heard about selenium and other minerals and nutrients and that we all lack them and need to supplement them. Vitamin K, F, and what have you were all "discovered" during my lifetime, and there is more to come in the future. But we all survived for thousands of years without knowing what a vitamin or mineral or protein is. And we are the species that produces the largest amount of the enzyme necessary to digest carbohydrates already in their mouth. There must be a reason for that. Mother Nature is not stupid. Mother Nature is the smartest of all and will always win in the end.

Starving yourself through the day because of the lack of healthy food sounds like it's an issue for you. I agree that school food can often be unhealthy...if you are really concerned, what if you kept some jerky or nuts/seeds in your locker in case you forget again? That way, you'll have an emergency stash to take care of yourself instead of just not eating.

I urge you not to try to be "perfect" all the time, especially because you are still growing. Most people posting on here are adults, many who are much older than you. You may be reading about people going low-carb, very low-carb, exercising more, etc etc but they do not have the same physiological needs as you.

Please don't try to compare yourself to any "standards" because you are in a very different place than most people. You are a teenager, and this is a period where there is a great deal of variation in sleep needs and growth. Some teens need more sleep than others. Some teens go through puberty at earlier ages. Comparing yourself to others at this stage of your life will likely just make you more anxious.

I'd suggest you see a doctor, but keep in mind that just because you're feeling worn down doesn't mean that you are ill or doing something wrong.

Samuel - I think it is remarkable that you are this interested in your health at your age. While I mostly agree with all the other posters about you not eating enough and not getting enough carbs, I want to share with you some things I stumbled upon that improved a life long battle with brain fog and inexplicable exhaustion.

Brain fog:

Do you really struggle with waking up by find it very hard to fall asleep at night? Like, you are tired all day but suddenly become more mentally alert around the time you should be falling asleep? Do you feel disconnected from your body and sort of like you are "watching" yourself? Do you have trouble concentrating on things you aren't interested in, but become completely absorbed by things you find rewarding? I know the answer to that last question is that everyone feels that way, but I mean is it very pronounced in you? Like, is it torture to do homework for a subject you hate, but you can lose HOURS on the internet researching a subject you like?

I ask the above questions because I went through this stuff for most of my young adult life until I was diagnosed ADHD. I never thought I was ADHD because I could always sit down and read for hours and I thought people with ADHD couldn't do that. But, I would start reading a book at night and stay awake all night without sleeping to finish the book - I remember starting to do that when I was nine. It is a common misconception that ADHD is the lack of focus. Really, it is just that you have SO MUCH focus on certain things and you can't apportion your focus appropriately. So, you'll get absorbed in a ticking noise but miss that math lecture completely. Or, get absorbed in a book, but miss that sleep thing entirely.

I don't medicate my ADHD. I did at one point and it dramatically improved my symptoms and calmed me down overall, but I am reluctant to advise anyone to take those drugs - especially a teenaged guy whose brain is still developing. They're a low level methamphetamine and no matter what big pharma tells us, we can't know the very long term effect of those drugs on brain development and personality. I will say that learning more about it and how to naturally address it will definitely help. My first recommendation would be to eliminate grains and dairy, but it sounds like you're on top of that! If any of this sounds like you, write back and I will write more about my coping tactics.

If you have gotten this far in this long winded post, maybe you don't have ADHD....

Exhaustion -

EDIT: Sorry Samuel! I misread your original post. You said it is WORSE in the winter. Ignore this part, then. I'll keep it in just in case it helps someone else, but I don't think it applies to you.

Just a stab in the dark, but maybe the sun is taking it out of you? You said that it was worse in the summer time. I think the majority of people benefit from the sun. But, not everybody. I have a really rare autoimmune disorder called Tumid Lupus. It means I am pretty much "allergic" to the sun. Even very low levels of sun give me a rash and wipes me out. IT SUCKS. But, not the end of the world. I was exhausted all through high school, when I should have been feeling my healthiest. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't healthy. All during that time I was eating a ton of grains, my sleep schedule was screwed up because of the ADHD thing, and I was worshipping the sun. Wish someone had told me then...

Going primal solved a lot of my energy problems, but the best steps for me involved avoiding the sun, eliminating grains (especially beer) and dairy, forcing myself awake earlier so I would go to sleep, not letting myself read at night, exercising when I don't feel like it, and using different coping tactics for ADHD.

All that being said .... you know your body. If something feels really wrong, ask your parents about seeing a doctor and getting some blood work done.

You may have inherited a less than ideal genetic profile - you eat so well yet don't feel well, while others around you eat badly and feel fine (well at least on the surface and at this moment anyway). One reason for brain fog is high ammonia levels which are due to eating protein - if our genetics are optimal, it is possible for the ammonia levels to be broken down. If not, the ammonia is backed up. There is a relatively common genetic issue called MTHFR A1298C which produces BH4 to neutralise ammonia....read more here:

http://www.heartfixer.com/AMRI-Outcomes-Non-CV-Autism-Methyl%20Cycle.htm#MTHFR:%C2%A0%205,10-MethyleneTetraHydroFolate%20Reductase%20%28BH4%20formation%29

That site is an Ohio doctor that treats methylation disorders that are genetic in origin. As I said, these problems are not rare.

You may be able to do some testing to get this assessed - organic acids testing via Metametrix looks at metabolic markers to assess ammonia levels in the body and you can also get the genetic testing done - both are not cheap but worthwhile if you have significant issues you can't resolve with diet.

As others have said, maybe you could try increasing carbs and limiting protein. The protein may be the issue.

I have suffered from fatigue and "brain fog" since I was a teen, although it's so much better now I might be able to say "I'm cured." For me, it was a combination of things.

Leaky Gut: Let's in a lot of nasty stuff that can cause fatigue, confusion and brain fog

Reactive Hypoglycemia: this is mostly cured with my Paleo diet (moderate carb)

*Fibromyalgia:* also cured after mostly healing my leaky gut and being on a low oxalate diet

Oxalte "Issues": one of those toxins my leaky gut let in that really caused severe problems in me, including severe brain fog (some of this is detailed on my blog http://lowoxalateinfo.com )

Vitamin Deficiencies: yes, I ate more than enough good foods to get enough vitamins but my body just didn't absorb or use vitamins well (more leaky gut/ ineffective gut/oxalate problems)

Biotin Deficiency: again, ate plenty but my body was destroying it and it's so important for energy production!! Can't say how much adding a high dose B-complex and a high dose biotin has helped me!

Stress: I worry too much and get worked up and a little compulsive over small details -- I'm also a little bit of a perfectionist and frankly, I have way too many responsibilities . . . Counseling and stress reduction techniques like walking, meditation, yoga, journaling, and positive affirmations/self-talk have really helped me with this one.

First, I would suggest you go to a doctor and get some of the obvious things ruled out like anemia and thyroid problems. Your doctor can run a comprehensive panel of blood work to test these things. Also, try to get more sleep (at least an hour more each night than you are getting now) and anything you can do for stress reduction or to pamper/be gentle with yourself.

After that, you might consider adding some really nutrient dense foods and vitamin supplementation. Then start doing some research on leaky gut or some of the other things I mentioned that cause fatigue and brain fog and see if any of those seem like they fit you. If so, a GAPS or SCD diet can help to heal the damage of a leaky gut, which seems to help all the other issues, too. Paleo can help heal leaky guts or other gut problems, so maybe that's one of the reason going Paleo has helped you.

Hope you find out what is wrong soon.

It might help if you posted everything you eat on an average day. Other than too much chocolate it's hard to say what you're actually eating.

Black coffee/unsweetened tea have caffeine without all the sugar.

From your other post it sounded like you were eating a good amount of carbs 3 days a week on workout days. Did you ever have an uninterrupted two to three week low carb period to give your self time to become keto adapted?

My crude and simplistic understanding of energy levels is that you can be in ketosis and happily burn fat for energy, or you can be a SAD carb burner and have plenty of energy from the high carbs. But if you eat just enough carbs to prevent ketosis, yet not enough carbs to get energy from carbs alone you'll be in a low energy zone.

Try some root veggies like sweet potato/kumara, beets, yams, potatoes, carrots, etc. Those are what most would consider "safe" starches. I feel good on sweet potatoes, which I think are called kumara in NZ. A little fruit is good too, but I think for performance it's glucose that you need. do you currently eat any starch at all? If you're coming from nothing then just eat a small sweet potato at lunch or something and see how you feel. If you feel better, eat more at dinner. If you feel better, eat some at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, etc. Keep eating what makes you feel better until it makes you feel worse.

I just had some lab work done that tested my Kreb cycle - I too have extreme fatigue. Lots of info showed up there regarding deficiencies and am now using appropriate supplements which I am hoping will help.

I would say do myfitnesspal for calorie count- you can customize it to fit the paleo standard- Mark Sisson suggests eating 100-150g of carbs a day- look up the info on his site! Most helpful you probably need at least 150g and like what some other people said- sweet potatoes- beets-etc

You could also make some paleo friendly protein bars or get a paleo friendly protein shake mix ( which Mark has via his primal blueprint site!! amazing!) to help with the energy levels- often I have found that I need more protein and more fat especially before working out..

Well, I only wish I had the knowledge he has at 15 years old. Kudos to you kid!!It can change your life in the long run..

Just a thought but have you ever thought about intolerances to certain foods? I know that can be a big issue with tiredness. It may be worth checking it out.

Another thing that i think has already been mentioned is nutritional deficiencies. Checking out both of these things can be a bit expensive so it may be worth getting a GOOD multivitamin and monitoring how you feel after different foods you suspect you may be intolerant too, like dairy, eggs, wheat etc. If after awhile you are seeing no improvement then move into thorough testing.

Another option is heavy metal toxicity, like mercury or lead. Again, it's not cheap to test (especially here in NZ you have to get it sent away if you want the proper test done).

A few other tips would be to cut down on that chocolate. 70% chocolate still has quite a bit of sugar in it. When articles say that chocolate is good for I think they mean the REALLY dark stuff like 85% -99% and I don't think they are encouraging you to eat a block or 200gm a day. That sugar isn't going to make you feel that great. If you want the caffeine try green tea, much better for you but yes it does not taste as great!

Another thing - have some fun! It is great that you are so concerned about your health at a young age and that will serve you well in years to come but being this analytical can sometimes do more harm then good and can really take over your life. Just a tip from someone who has been there. I've come to realise noone is ever running at 100% and life is a real balancing act, and you WILL be tired sometimes.

200 g of 70% cocoa chocolate is 60 grams of sugar! Over a thousand calories a day. How are you eating "less sugar than most people"?

If I got half of my daily calorie intake from chocolate I'd feel lousy too.

15 y/o? You should be drinking OJ and Milk kid.

Samuel,

I have to say that I think these are some of the weakest answers I've seen on Paleo hacks. These are the same sort of answers that doctors, friends, family, etc. gave me that prevented me from recognizing I had a real biological problem. If you are suffering in a serious way (which it certainly sounds like you are), you need to ignore a lot of these "oh just change this or that little thing" and get some real answers. With something as serious as mental confusion, it's not okay to ignore it and think "oh I must not be exercising/sleeping/drinking enough water." The worst answer is "oh you're just growing and your body is going through changes" -- in other words, brain fog is normal; hello!? Yeah, right! These are the types of answers you'll probably get from most people, including doctors unfortunately.

I suffered from brain fog for years. I'm finally now just getting over it. I've instituted a lot of changes and it's hard for me to say exactly what did it in the end, but here are my main hunches, and for good reason:

1) the SCD diet - as one commenter said, brain fog can be caused by gut dysbosis. Please do some of your own research on this. I went on this diet for over three months and during that time the instances of extreme brain fog became increasingly more sparse. How is your digestion ?

2) B12 deficiency - look up "Freddd b12 protocol" - this is an online thread on b12 deficiency and the issues with treatment (the question would be why you are b12 deficient, which is not immediately obvious - but this is certainly a possibility

Comment if you have any questions. (Note I second the other answers that say you should add safe starches - I think this is a good experiment, but I don't think it will be the answer.) I've cured myself - you can as well.

I actually solved something very similar last year. I had to do an end run around my primary doctor and see an ENT to get some sort of relief. He saw that I had Allergic Rhinitis and aside from saying I should take over the counter loratidine (allergy medication), he also prescribed a nasal spray called fluticasone which I took for two months, and I've been vastly improved this year.

Normally, each year I'd get a brutal amount of pressure in the sinusoidal cavities, which would usually become a full scale sinus infection, and cause migraines.

As far as diet, you have to eat a lot of fat. I eat a lot of cheese, and that keeps fogginess away, as that saturated fat does give your brain an extra source of energy.

If that isn't appetizing, consider pure unrefined coconut oil, which has high quality saturated fats (MCTs) which directly improve "fogginess".