Are carbs supposed to make you tired?

Scamd83

Happens quite often I eat carbs and then feel tired, lethargic, low energy, etc. Is this natural? I've heard of stuff like carb resistance but no nothing about it.

yarwell

Some people experience a blood sugar "high" after eating rapidly digesting carbs, then the insulin kicks in and the sugar level drops leading to a slump and (typically) more carb intake. Is it like that, or you don't get the high part.

FitGirl0123

What type of carbs are you eating? Simple carbs like from sugars will absolutely make you feel that way. Complex carbs like from oats and sweet potato should not make you feel that way.

Scamd83

@yarwell @FitGirl0123 Oats, fruit, rice, potato. I don't think I've ever experienced the 'high' part.

MelaniaTrump

Could something else be making you tired? Not enough daily calories? Vitamin/nutrient deficiency?
The high part is obvious for me for about an hour. Energy boost especially after white rice, white pasta.
You are not doing a 1,200 calorie diet are you?

earlnabby

I find that I sleep better if I have some kind of carb with my bedtime snack but otherwise they give me energy.

Scamd83

@JanetYellen Goodness no, 2200. Not sure what else could cause any problems, have this weird thing where sometimes whilst cooking dinner I'll feel very dizzy suddenly and other times if I'm feeling a bit light headed eating a banana sometimes helps.

cwolfman13

Carbs generally provide energy...but if you're eating a lot of simple sugary carbs then it would be normal to get a quick high and then crash...things like oats, beans, lentils, brown rice, fruits and vegetables tend to provide good long lasting energy.

MelaniaTrump

There is so much more to this. Are you a runner? A lifter? What is your daily protein intake? I read another question you asked about carb-loading to work out.
Open your diary?

Scamd83

@JanetYellen Lifter x 4-5 times a week, bit of cycling. I eat some carbs pre-workout, usually a banana. But even when I've tried a higher amount of carbs pre, it has resulted in low energy. Less carbs, same thing. Protein intake about 140g a day, had been closer to 170g but lowered it in favour of some more carbs and fat to see if that helped. It hasn't.

chelsea7162

Are you getting the right vitamins daily? I only get a crash from what I eat if I'm doing intense exercise and/or my blood glucose drops too low (I'm a type one diabetic though). If I don't eat the right vitamins daily i tend to feel sluggish all day long.

angelexperiment

I know when I changed my carbs and then ate potatoes (which you should not eat by itself for this reason) or bread or sweets I crash immediately. If I stick w sweet potatoes natural fruit ( but not too much) and bread once in a great while I'm ok.

CollieFit

White pasta, white rice, bread and potatoes to some extend... I eat them, and I promise you within 20-30 minutes I'll fall asleep!! When I was in a triathlon team the culture was all about "carb-loading", but instead of certain foods giving me energy they just made me feel utterly lethargic very quickly, so that for me whatever energy boost I was supposed to get what way outweighed by the complete lack of energy afterwards. I just do better on other foods and generally feel better eating more proteins.

Scamd83

@chelsea7162 I've trained taking multi-vitamin tablets and iron tablets before but they didn't make any difference.

nvmomketo

That could be a sign of insulin resistance - reactive hypoglycaemia where it takes a while to get enough insulin to lower blood glucose but then the excessive insulin lowers BG too far and you get fatigued, shaky or light headed. Used to happen to me after most meals.

If you eat lower GI carbs, eat protein with your carbs, or simply go low carb it may help you if reactive hypoglycaemia is your issue.

zcb94

Have you had your A1c tested lately? I've heard that overindulgence in carbs can and will make diabetics very sick and tired, and (possible scare coming) ultimately dead due to circulation loss, reduced chance of wound healing and other horrible issues. Not to mention the blindness, neuropathy and AMPUTATIONS that you will experience/need. I beg of you, OP, run, don't walk, to your doctor and ask about that!

Meganthedogmom

If I eat things like pancakes, waffles, or a biscuit for breakfast, I can be sure to need a nap within a couple hours. That's why I rarely do that to myself.

Scamd83

Blindness, neuropathy, amputation and death would really hinder my performance in the gym, I hope none of that happens.

@nvmomketo I hope I don't have to go low carb but I'm guessing by your username you do? I've stupidly tried to do the 10 day ultra low carb phase for CBL before and a couple of days in of lifting weights and eating few carbs I'm usually a wreck. But I'm sure there are better ways to do such things, I'm keeping carbs low for today and upping fat by quite a bit. But without doing any weights today I doubt that will tell me much.

@meganridenour How do you feel after lower gi carbs?

Yi5hedr3

If you are carb sensitive - yes! Cut carbs below 100 grams/day. Make it so!

nvmomketo

Scamd83 wrote: »

Blindness, neuropathy, amputation and death would really hinder my performance in the gym, I hope none of that happens.

@nvmomketo I hope I don't have to go low carb but I'm guessing by your username you do? I've stupidly tried to do the 10 day ultra low carb phase for CBL before and a couple of days in of lifting weights and eating few carbs I'm usually a wreck. But I'm sure there are better ways to do such things, I'm keeping carbs low for today and upping fat by quite a bit. But without doing any weights today I doubt that will tell me much.

Yeah. I am very low carb. I have insulin resistance and I can't seem to control it to my level of satisfaction without eating very low carb. It wasn't something i wanted to do but it was the only way for me to get healthy through diet. To be honest, I dreaded the change - I did not want to give up soda, baked goods or ice cream - but once I did I felt so much better within a couple of weeks that I was kicking myself for not doing it decades earlier. Maybe I could have saved myself from deteriorated health...

Lowering carbs will result in fatigue in the first few weeks until your body gets used to it. Fatigue usually hits a few days in, especially if you go very low carb (ketogenic). Increasing sodium, up to 3000-5000mg, will help you avoid headaches and muscle cramps if you stay low carb.

If you are interested in the ketogenic diet, Peter Attia's blog has a lot of science and pertains to athletes. Phinny and Volek's books, like The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living or The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance may be of help.

Good luck.

kshama2001

Scamd83 wrote: »

Happens quite often I eat carbs and then feel tired, lethargic, low energy, etc. Is this natural? I've heard of stuff like carb resistance but no nothing about it.

I feel like this after eating breads made with flour or if I eat pasta with just butter or with very little meat. I also want to eat and eat and eat.

I use bread made from sprouted grains now and make sure I get plenty of protein and non-starchy veggies with pasta. Ezekial/Food for Life is widely available, usually in the frozen bread section. I prefer Alvarado St Bakery Flax both for taste and it's mere 50 calories per slice.

Regular blood work doesn't show a reason for this. More extensive testing might, but since I've already found a solution I haven't bothered.

I've also cut way back on baked goods - I eat them rarely and save them for after dinner when I have nothing planned but Netflix. I eat more fruit, and have it with protein and or fat, like peanut butter or cheese.

_Terrapin_

Scamd83 wrote: »

Happens quite often I eat carbs and then feel tired, lethargic, low energy, etc. Is this natural? I've heard of stuff like carb resistance but no nothing about it.

OP--after a workout what do you typically eat? Do you have a shake by any chance? If so, what are the ingredients in a shake you'd consume?

Scamd83

Just realised I said 'no nothing about it' rather than 'know nothing about it'. I feel so ashamed right now.

@nvmomketo Where do you get your increase in sodium from? Adding salt to meals? I dare say I'll need to find an idiots guide to how to make a low carb diet work for weight lifting if I ever do this. I'd be loathe to give up my porridge and peanut butter, I'd need to find something that totally compensates for that. I'm a man of small comforts.

@kshama2001 Frozen bread section? Is that a US thing? I'm the same for baked stuff, I don't have such things often but when I do I'd rather have them at night. I wouldn't want to rely on a brownie to get me through the day, I'm sure it would get me through sleep though.

@_Terrapin_ I used to have whey with something like skittles, haribos or even those Kallo dark chocolate rice cake thins. More recently, I've been having a big meal after such as a stir fry, mince/rice/chilli/tacos and sometimes with a glass of chocolate milk macros allowing. Even had a full subway as a one off last week, which was nice. So I've done the whole sugary carbs/low fat thing and done the eating normal thing.

Meganthedogmom

Scamd83 wrote: »

@meganridenour How do you feel after lower gi carbs?

I haven't noticed any negative effects. It's only when I consume a meal that's mainly simple carbs.

nvmomketo

Scamd83 wrote: »

@nvmomketo Where do you get your increase in sodium from? Adding salt to meals? I dare say I'll need to find an idiots guide to how to make a low carb diet work for weight lifting if I ever do this. I'd be loathe to give up my porridge and peanut butter, I'd need to find something that totally compensates for that. I'm a man of small comforts.

I used to have a low sodium diet (after years of reading that salt was bad for us - sigh) so I had to really up my salt. I salt most foods and even add a bit of salt to my coffee. I also drink a teaspoon of salt in water everyday or have a cup or two of bullion soup. Some people buy salt tablets too.

...and don't give up that peanut butter! Just switch to putting it on celery or on a cream cheese "pancake", or better yet just use a spoon.

PearBlossom9

I eat low carb/Keto (less than 20-30 carbs a day) and personally I have so much more energy than I did when I didn't mind my carbs. Once your body burns through the small amount of carbs you do have, it starts burning fat. I have a ton of energy now!

Scamd83

@nvmomketo I would never give up peanut butter, not ever. I just like to have something solid to spread it on so it looks like more than it is. Just googled some recipes for cream cheese pancakes and reminded myself coconut flour exists. I could have that stuff on its own weirdly.

@PearBlossom9 How long did it take you to get through the initial phase of giving up carbs?