Mid day fatigue and per/post wo food

[Greek to me]

The two topics aren't related but I'll ask on the same thread

I've noticed the last few days that I'm hitting a slump at around 2p. Energy plummets. I'm not hungry, although I typically would have snacked. I'm getting enough hours of sleep. Is it something in doing or eating? I'm day 18 if it matters.

Next ? I've finally returned to my workouts. Yesterday I diligently ate per the schedule. But I wasn't hungry for ALL that food. Why are the per/post wo foods necessary on top of the meals? Especially the post w/o food. Can't I just eat a regular meal and call it good. The extra food makes me feel like the workout was a waste, calorically, and I'm eating because someone said to.

[Bargey]

Hi Greek,

 

You are on day 18 now...  how were you feeling before then?

 

Regarding the food pre and post w/o, it is important to help you recover. I would not think about it in terms of calories and think about it more like maintenance of your body. 

 

What are your workouts like?

[missmary]

I've found that I sometimes can't be trusted to recognize the need for food as "hunger." Sometimes it seems like low energy or difficulty concentrating, but then I think back and realize lunch was small or my workout was particularly tough and I eat a bit more at a meal (or add a mini-meal) and suddenly I can concentrate again and my energy is better. For me, thinking of food as nourishment (not calories that should be minimized) has been huge in allowing myself to recognize and respond to these cues. It took a while for hormones to settle down (that's still a work in progress) but I eat a shocking amount now...and weigh less than I can recall...and have awesome energy for workouts. It's pretty cool when things start to click together, but you might have to try it for a bit (30 days seems good  ) before it does.

[Greek to me]

@bargey-I'm just returning to working out consistently after a hiatus. (Overtrained) In order to get back into it and stick with it Im three-four days a week, some HIIT, 40 min followed by a strength circuit. The rest of the week it's walking, yard work etc. Re. Before whole 30 I was feeling blah from all the diet soda and yuck carbs. But I can't attribute that improvement to anything other than removing those, which I've done and had a similar response before. I'm looking for more than that.

@miss mary well, I'm definitely not hungry for all that food. But I ate it. Maybe the fact that I never got hungry was a good thing. How do you know when your hormones are balanced. What's the magic you experience. So far I have no magic.

[melbournegirl]

For me the magic is when I wake up in the morning and feel like getting up, rather than wanting to roll over and go back to sleep. Its also when I find myself humming while doing housework, or when i don't feel bad about the day ahead or what the next day will bring but feel at peace or optimistic.