Tired after meals

[dlgallian]

Hi all, I am on day 10 and so far it's actually going quite well, I haven't really been tempted by much and even survived a birthday party that included a distillery tasting, beer tasting, AND a winery tasting.  I started Whole 30 because I sprained my ankle several weeks ago and let my diet get a little lax afterwards (gluten free baked goods, flavored yogurts and such), though in general I always eat gluten free and eat minimal dairy and grains (mostly cultured dairy and quinoa or wild rice).  

 

What I'm struggling with is fatigue in the afternoon after lunch.  It feels like a carb letdown, though I know I shouldn't be feeling that since my carbs are minimal.  For reference, for lunch I ate ground beef with onion, cauliflower, tomatoes and curry powder and had an unsweetened iced tea. For breakfast I had 2 eggs, salsa, a handful of cherries, a handful of cashews, and tea with coconut milk.  

 

I've been having trouble getting to sleep too, so it may be related to lack of sleep, but I would like to troubleshoot my eating, too.  Maybe I'm eating too FEW carbs?  It's also possible that I'm overdoing the caffeine, which is messing with my body, though I'm used to having two cups of black tea daily.

 

Any thoughts would be great.  I was really hoping to get my energy back by day 10 to my pre-sprained ankle days!

[Tom Denham]

You are probably not eating enough carbs. Most people have more energy when they eat starchy veggies (carbs) regularly - potatoes, parsnips, beets, plantains, rutabagas, etc. Try adding a serving to at least one meal per day and see if your energy levels don't improve.

 

I recently figured out that I have sleep problems when I fail to eat starchy veggies regularly. My energy is always good, but I wake up in the middle of the night more when I am low carb. 

[GFChris]

I would also increase your breakfast protein and vegetable portions.  When eggs are your protein, the serving size is the number of eggs you can hold in one hand. For most folks, that's at least 3-4.  For vegetables, aim for 1-3 cups per meal.