It was early December. I was somewhere between a crunch and the Pilates Hundred on the long box when the room began to spin. Ah, the unmistakable signals of a body running on empty. I froze, so as to not tumble off the box. Sitting up, I caught sight of my ghostly face in the studio mirror, and the terrible truth hit: my body was filing a formal complaint and it was one I could no longer ignore.
That mid-workout collapse of energy was the nudge I needed to get my bloods done and thank goodness I did, because the results were less than ideal.
My ferritin (how much iron your body has in reserve) was sitting at an all-time low of 6. To make matters worse, when I dug through past test results, I discovered my levels had been in the gutter ever since my second pregnancy, if not longer. How a number that shockingly low was never flagged during prenatal care, let alone for surviving normal, everyday life, I’ll never understand.
Fast forward 6 months. I’ve worked relentlessly to pull my ferritin out of the gutter and with a small mountain of supplements and mainlining red meat and lentils I’ve managed to drag that number up from 6 to 18. I’m starting to feel human again. The low ferritin battle isn’t over yet though as 18 is still low. I can’t help but think that if this is how good I feel at 18 then I can’t wait to see what kind of superhuman energy I unlock when I hit 30 or even 50.
Let’s get into the details. I’ve been taking Ferrous Fumarate tablets every other day with a kiwi or orange chaser. It turns out that alternate-day dosing is now considered best practice, an absolute relief compared to the nightmare protocol of taking them three times each day a few years back. I also avoid caffeine and any other food for two hours after taking the supplement.
Alongside the pills, I’ve aggressively overhauled my diet. Iron-rich foods are now non-negotiable staples on the daily. Red meat, tuna, salmon, spinach, turkey, chickpeas, chia seeds, lentils, and chicken thighs have become regular features on my plate. My mission over the next few months is to lock in consistency with combining these iron-rich foods with vitamin C to help with absorption. This will include foods like kiwi, broccoli, peppers and lemon.
The plan from here is simple: double down on the iron-rich food, keep up the morning routine and head back for another round of blood tests in September. Fingers crossed for some improvement on the numbers.
What Higher Ferritin Unlocked For Me
The dizziness vanished: The mid-reformer spins and that bizarre morning lightheaded feeling disappeared.
My hair is growing back: My hairdresser said she could see lots of new hair growth and it’s finally getting long again.
My motivation is back: That heavy mental fog has lifted. The drive to tackle projects, across all areas of my life has finally returned and this is absolute joy for me because I was so worried I’d lost that part of me.
I no longer look like a ghost: I didn’t realise quite how pale I looked until the colour finally started creeping back into my skin over the last couple of months. Looking back at photos of myself this time last year is honestly a little upsetting but I know that version of me would be so proud of who I am today.
The crippling fatigue is gone: Being painfully, bone-deep exhausted was my baseline for years, since 2022 to be exact. Now? I no longer feel like I’m constantly running on absolute fumes.
Restless legs & morning foot pain stopped: No more twitching keeping me up at night and no more hobbling out of bed with aching feet in the morning.
My nails stopped peeling: They went from being brittle and flimsy to fairly strong.
The scale is finally moving: Weight loss is finally happening. I don’t know if this is a direct link to my ferritin levels raising but I’m very happy about it especially with all the hard work I have been putting in. I now have even more energy to move my body and eat even better than I was previously. I’m also starting to see the results from almost one year dedicated to reformer Pilates.
Looking back, I honestly have no idea how I was functioning. But as women, we’re so conditioned to just push through the noise and get on with it, because if we don’t, who will? We normalise the exhaustion until our bodies literally force us to stop.
Dragging my ferritin up to 18 is just the start. Now, I’m ready for the real upgrade. I’m genuinely excited to see how much more vibrant, energised, and capable I feel as those reserves keep climbing over the coming months.
I’ll be back with another update after my next blood test in September. Until then: listen to your body, demand the blood tests, and don’t let anyone tell you that living on empty is just “part of life.”