How to avoid energy crash after lunch?

kristinL16

I am often very tired after lunch. Right now I feel like I can hardly stay awake. I about 1 1/2 hours ago. A bit about me...I am 36 (37 next month), have four kids (youngest is 6 months and wakes up quite a bit at night still), weigh 148 and am 5'0" tall. I had gestational diabetes and my fasting BG has been high for the last month (usually high 90's or low 100's). I go in for a fasting glucose tolerance test next week. That being said, what are some general food rules for avoiding a crash after lunch? Here is what I have eaten so far today:

Breakfast--Quaker weight control oatmeal and an egg muffin cup (about 3/4 of an egg, a bit of sausage and onions and peppers).

Lunch--I was very hungry (still am)--homemade pasta fagioli soup (1 cup);yoplait greek yogurt;carrots, snap peas and grape tomatoes; Zone simple perfect energy bar; and I just ate a piece of string cheese.

Any suggestions?

kristinL16

I also drink diet soda. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but could this be a "crash" from not having caffeine for a few hours? I usually have three cans of soda per day--two in the morning and one in the afternoon (just having it now). I do stay tired throughout the afternoon, though.

abcwhite10

How much water are you drinking? Tiredness can result from dehydration too.

*just saw the diet soda thing - that will dehydrate you too if you aren't drinking enough water with it.
I will be the last person to tell someone to stop with the diet soda's and you will probably hear that from many others, but I figure everyone has things they don't wnat to give up and need to make them fit in their new lifestyles........mine is coffee creamer.....and the occasional slice of cheesecake

PercivalHackworth

Insulin which regulates the glucose in the blood makes that. When you run low on it is the time the regulation is over. (Takes roughly 3 hours. You can avoid that by :

- Eating food with low GI (cook your pastas al dente)
- Mixing some vegies with your plates

kristinL16

I do drink water as well. I am always drinking something. I keep telling myself I should stop drinking soda but then don't know how much it will actually help me, KWIM? I hear some people say it made a big difference in how they feel, others didn't notice anything. I didn't notice any change when I stopped drinking it during my pregnancies, but then again, I was tired all the time from being pregnant. However, if the soda is what is causing me to feel this way then I would stop.

Is there anything that I should do differently with my eating, based on what I have eaten so far today? The soup had a small amount of pasta (8 ounces for the whole soup which comes to over 8 servings) but is mostly tomatoes, beans and a small amount of ground beef.

If I am pre-diabetic could that be causing tiredness?

UponThisRock

go to bed earlier

kristinL16

I am also breastfeeding, forgot to mention that.

I can't get much more sleep since the baby wakes up frequently.

ladyace2078

I eat snacks between breakfast and lunch so that I don't over indulge at lunch which then leads to a crash for me after lunch. I also try to eat a lot of veggies and protein at lunch and stay away from pasta. When I start to feel tired, I go outside in the sunshine for a 10 minute walk.

ETA: That first sentence is confusing - if I over-indulge at lunch I crash after lunch. If I eat snacks mid morning, then I'm not starving my lunch and I don't over-indulge.

Kristy_Elizabeth

I would have a mid morning snack and a smaller lunch. In fact, I do. =D

stanvoodoo

Avoid the simple carbs and sugar at lunch. Eat a protein based meal and follow up about 30 min later with water!!!!

Crashing is either carb or sugar issue. Eat protein which gives you real engery, no crash!!!

Oh and get rid off or really cut back on the diet soda.......

Best of luck!!!

sophieshaped

I would say go low-GI on the carbs, and to be honest you might as well cut the diet drinks to see if it helps. Many say that fake sugars will give you a bigger crash so it's probably not helping.

Il_DaniD_lI

Maybe go for a run on your lunch break? or some other type of activity. I used to have the same problem before I started running on my break. It's a great energy/mood boost for the day.

UponThisRock

I am also breastfeeding, forgot to mention that.

I can't get much more sleep since the baby wakes up frequently.

I think having a newborn is the reason you're sleepy after lunch, rather than insulin.

Aperture_Science

Reduce simple carbs and up protein at lunchtime.

JPod279

I hear meth works pretty well. May help you lose some weight too. Bonus!

MyTime1985

As a recovering Mt. Dew addict, put down the pop! Seriously, I quit drinking it by downing a glass of water first thing in the morning. That way when I had my Dew on the way to work I wasn't actually thirsty. Sure enough, by about day 4 I wasn't even finishing my can of Dew. I don't know if you drink pop in the morning but I always did and it turns out (DUH!) my body was just thirsty from not drinking all night. That trick resolved the morning Dew issue. Next, I quit buying it at home and I carry my water bottle with me AT ALL TIMES! I keep one in my freezer as well about half full. It freezes, I add water and constantly have ice cold water at home. After a couple weeks I didn't even miss it. I still have a soda here and there but even when I have one I usually don't finish it and I'm getting a water instead. It has made a huge difference for me and I no longer have the caffeine crash that comes with pop! My head used to start drooping at my desk around 3 everyday. This has stopped since I quit drinking pop. Coincidence?? Maybe but I like to think it was the soda. Good luck!

Il_DaniD_lI

I hear meth works pretty well. May help you lose some weight too. Bonus!

Nice.. that was ALMOST funny. :yawn:

myfitnessnmhoy

I am often very tired after lunch. Right now I feel like I can hardly stay awake. I about 1 1/2 hours ago. A bit about me...I am 36 (37 next month), have four kids (youngest is 6 months and wakes up quite a bit at night still), weigh 148 and am 5'0" tall. I had gestational diabetes and my fasting BG has been high for the last month (usually high 90's or low 100's). I go in for a fasting glucose tolerance test next week. That being said, what are some general food rules for avoiding a crash after lunch? Here is what I have eaten so far today:

Breakfast--Quaker weight control oatmeal and an egg muffin cup (about 3/4 of an egg, a bit of sausage and onions and peppers).

Lunch--I was very hungry (still am)--homemade pasta fagioli soup (1 cup);yoplait greek yogurt;carrots, snap peas and grape tomatoes; Zone simple perfect energy bar; and I just ate a piece of string cheese.

Any suggestions?

Are you eating all your calories, or running a higher deficit in the hopes of losing weight faster? If you are, STOP IT. Tiredness sometimes is a sign of lack of sleep, and sometimes a sign that you aren't feeding the machine properly and you need more fuel.

But far more importantly...

You said you are breastfeeding. Are you counting the calories you are giving your baby? You are making your baby's food right now and your body needs extra fuel to make that happen. The quality of that milk is more important to your baby's health than losing weight is to yours, so DO NOT go by this site's basic recommendation for your daily calorie intake - talk to your doctor or pediatrician about how many calories you should be eating and what they should consist of.

amielizabeth1

I admire you so much for having four kids and trying to get in shape! I was exhausted for years with just one child! Try to stay away from sweets, eat small protein-filled snacks throughout the day. Good luck and more power to you!

ladybg81

It always helps me to eat a good snack around 2 or 3ish. I like to have some protien along with a fruit. A big glass of chocolate milk sounds good right now though. Since you are breastfeeding make certain you are eating plenty of calories.

MissMandroid

I save my b vitamin and my daily multi vitamin for after lunch to give me an extra pick me up in the afternoon.

myfitnessnmhoy

I also drink diet soda. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but could this be a "crash" from not having caffeine for a few hours? I usually have three cans of soda per day--two in the morning and one in the afternoon (just having it now). I do stay tired throughout the afternoon, though.

It could. Save half the diet soda from lunch and drink it an hour later. (with plenty of water to buffer the caffeine's diuretic effects, especially if you're tired and breastfeeding). If the "crash" moves out an hour or goes away, then it's caffeine letdown.

Marll

If this happens consistantly after eating you may want to check into several things:

Lower the amount of carbs you are eating. Sugar and the resultant insulin response could be causing the issue.

Talk to a doctor about an insulin resistance test. After having a baby my wife became insulin resistant and does not deal well with carby foods

Have your thyroid checked. Changes to the thyroid can occur after pregnancy, and one of the symptoms of hypothyroid can be an afternoon crash. Again, taking in less carbs is your best defense here as well.

TinaCleg_cancel

I noticed a huge difference when I was drinking diet soda. I gave it up. I have an occasional one. If you can, I would just stop drinking it. I feel a little tired after lunch too but it is more because I am bored or work is extremely quiet.

MinnieInMaine

I'm pretty sure you're supposed to get some extra calories in your daily allowance for breastfeeding...here are a couple articles on it. As far as I know, there's even a listing for breastfeeding under the exercise diary so you can add it on.

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-calories-fluids/

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/nutrition-exercise-and-weight-loss
(see about halfway down the page for this one)

These extra calories might help you add in a few extra snacks that'll help keep you going. Some good options: hard boiled eggs, nuts, carrots/apple with peanut butter. And definitely look into adding more protein to your diet. Since you like oatmeal, check out Kashi Go Lean's honey cinnamon oatmeal - it's sooo good and there's a ton of protein to help keep you full.

slsmoot123

Avoid the simple carbs and sugar at lunch. Eat a protein based meal and follow up about 30 min later with water!!!!

Crashing is either carb or sugar issue. Eat protein which gives you real engery, no crash!!!

Oh and get rid off or really cut back on the diet soda.......

Best of luck!!!

Sounds like to me your lunch contains too much sugar and hidden sugars. You didnt say if you were using whole grain pasta but the regular pasta is a simple carb. How much sugar is in the yoplait greek yogurt? Usually yoplait is really sweet, switch to plain greek yogurt and add real fruit that is low in glycemic index like strawberries or blueberries. How much sugar and hidden sugar is in your protein bar? Carrots-is a sweet vegetable. Snap Peas-is a sweet vegetable. Even the grape tomatos are know for their sweetness. Diet soda is fake sugar and when you have pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, or anything along those lines the body really reacts the same as if it were real sugar. I really think your culprit is sugar. It will be tough weaning off but once you can and stick with it, youll really see a difference in your after lunch energy even with your frequent night feedings. Good luck!

spngebobmyhero

i'm not seeing a whole lot of healthy fats. For example, I had a salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, radishes, and a can of tuna in olive oil with some red wine vinegar for breakfast around 8 (yeah, I eat weird) and I wasn't hungry for a snack until about noon. I wasn't tired either.

My lunch (around 2:15 after a snack of beef jerky around noon) was leftovers from the night before: ground beef, peas, kale, carrots, mushrooms, and onions cooked with some beef broth, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and sriracha. Its now 4:50 and I haven't gotten tired and I'm not hungry. This was about 350 calories and the beef wasn't drained of fat (it was grassfed, organic beef).

The lack of carbs and the high healthy fat and protein content prevent me from getting sleepy in the afternoon or starving before lunch.

kristinL16

I would have a mid morning snack and a smaller lunch. In fact, I do. =D

I do this if I can. This morning I had clients back to back and they all came early, so no break.

abcwhite10

My mom has just progressed into diabetes in the last couple of years and she has to be so careful with her simple carbs. She needs to avoid any of the flavored yogurts and has switched to greek yogurt and adds her own fruit in (but she can't eat pineapple anymore - spikes her sugars too high)
****also for her, tiredness was a huge symptom because her sugars were unstable - along with peeing all night which you may not notice if you're up with a baby. I always made it a habit of sorts to get a drink and pee while I was up feeding at night.

kristinL16

I'm pretty sure you're supposed to get some extra calories in your daily allowance for breastfeeding...here are a couple articles on it. As far as I know, there's even a listing for breastfeeding under the exercise diary so you can add it on.

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-calories-fluids/

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/nutrition-exercise-and-weight-loss
(see about halfway down the page for this one)

These extra calories might help you add in a few extra snacks that'll help keep you going. Some good options: hard boiled eggs, nuts, carrots/apple with peanut butter. And definitely look into adding more protein to your diet. Since you like oatmeal, check out Kashi Go Lean's honey cinnamon oatmeal - it's sooo good and there's a ton of protein to help keep you full.

I do account for breastfeeding when calculating my calorie goal. My BMR is either 1214 or 1416 depending on the method used. I have my goal set at 1700 but will eat more if I am really hungry. The last week or two I have been going over slightly quite often, though (lack of planning and not as good of food choices as I would like, along with the holiday and travel). I truly don't think I need more than 1700 or possibly 1800 on a regular basis. If I exercise I eat back some of those calories but otherwise am very sedentary in my job.

I didn't think I had eaten that many carbs today but when I checked, both my yogurt and the Zone bar had quite a bit of sugar. Will have to re-evaluate those food choices.

em9371

Try cutting down on the soda, could be caused by caffiene. Add some protein to your lunch, that will fill you up for longer.
Also try and have a protein based snack in the afternoon like some nuts or your string cheese :-)
Check you are adding enough cals for your breast feeding, I'm sure it's at least 500 a day, that would put your base cals at 1200 which is pretty low. If your bmr is 1214, times that by activity level (1.3 for lightly active, you may be higher with running round after the kids!) = 1578
Plus your breast feeding cals so really you should be eating 2078.
That doesn't include exercise either, so you would need to eat back exercise or choose a higher activity level x