I'm always so tired after lunch!

Options
I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here.
By lunch time, I'm usually pretty hungry. I tend to eat a yogurt or some porridge at about 10.30am (not a fan of too early eating!), then I have lunch at 12.30pm.
Lunches are usually something like soup and a sandwich, or a baked potato and some salad.
This week, I've been having a small bowl of homemade soup with a WW bagel with light philly & ham - total cals for all this is 349. I don't think this is excessive.
I find though, as soon as I get back to my desk I start yawning away, I feel very lethargic and sleepy!
But if I only had the soup, I'd be back at my desk and be starving!

Any advice? I'm also struggling for bread-free ideas :(

Replies

  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    Options
    Try having more protein and fewer carbs at lunch. Also, try to take a walk or if the weather is nice enough, take your lunch outdoors. Natural light in the middle of the day can be very energizing.
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member
    Options
    I was going to say the same, I tend to crash after a carb rich meal like that and get very sleepy so I tend to eat a much higher quotient of protein for my daily meals now where as before it was highly carb focussed.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    Options
    I used to have the same issue, plus I'd be hungry after a couple of hours.

    I now have either a salmon fillet or a chicken breast with a hard boiled egg and salad - it's about the same cals as you are eating, it's high in protein, virtually no carbs and it fills me up till dinner.

    Basically, increase your protein, don't eat so many carbs, and you should notice a vast improvement.

    Note; I am not an advocate of 'low-carb', I eat plenty of carbs, just not at lunchtime. :smile:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    Add more protein and/or more fiber to your lunch. Too many carbs without fiber or protien will cause a sharp spike your blood glucose. Then it is fall just as sharply and you get that "crash" that makes your feel tired. Fiber and protein slow digestion so you don't get the glucose spike, the sugars are released in to your blood stream at a more steady rate. No spike, no crash.
  • CalJur
    CalJur Posts: 627 Member
    Options
    More protein at lunch,
  • heypurdy
    heypurdy Posts: 196 Member
    Options
    I find that when I eat too much on lunch and actually feel full, then I get really tired after lunch. So I usually just have a salad with a protein on it.
  • lh12xx
    lh12xx Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    protein proten protein - got it!

    any protein-rich lunch suggestions are welcome! :)
  • FitPhysique
    FitPhysique Posts: 284 Member
    Options
    I used to have the same issue, plus I'd be hungry after a couple of hours.

    I now have either a salmon fillet or a chicken breast with a hard boiled egg and salad - it's about the same cals as you are eating, it's high in protein, virtually no carbs and it fills me up till dinner.

    Basically, increase your protein, don't eat so many carbs, and you should notice a vast improvement.

    Note; I am not an advocate of 'low-carb', I eat plenty of carbs, just not at lunchtime. :smile:

    ^^^^What she said. Also, less strachy veggies with Tuna fish salad or tuna steak. Other protein options include burgers w/o buns i.e chicken, turkey, salmon or reg beef.