Day 15. Suddenly so tired.

[alvastarr]

It's been a couple of days like today: this afternoon, I felt great. I thought, is it the Tiger Blood, or am I just reeaaaly excited about my new haircut?

Then a sudden slump of exhaustion, 3-4 hours after lunch. I got out all kinds of craft supplies and am now headed to a nap without even picking them up. (I will before bed, but so tired right now.)

I eat pretty much on template. About 4.5 to 6 hours between meals. Really truly not hungry between. 

The only time I'm hungry when it's not time to eat is right before bed. I've given in to this a couple of times when I thought I'd be too hungry to sleep well. On plan, of course. 

I know I'm only halfway, but is it normal to still be having these slumps in energy? 

Today's food so far is attached from my "Ate" app. 

[Jihanna]

I've found that I have to be careful with the type of starchy veggies I eat during the middle part of my day, if I eat any at all. Potatoes and sweet potatoes both make me sleepy in 2-3 hours if eaten with lunch, as will carrots if they're steamed or roasted (but shaved raw onto a salad is fine). I will generally have a little starch with my breakfast (it helps me keep steady mood-wise), but only if I'm up early enough for breakfast to happen by 10a at the latest. I also include starchy veg with my dinner, and this seems to help me settle and sleep better than when I've gone light or excluded it entirely. But that lunchtime starch is an afternoon snooze-fest waiting to happen.

All that said to explain why I'd suggest cutting back on the starchy carbs at lunchtime and see if that helps  

[alvastarr]

That is great advice. Thank you. I will try that tomorrow. 

I ended up not actually napping, just lying down a bit, then got up and cleaned out a hugely disorganized closet. Totally pooped now. Also need ibuprofen but I'm dubious about taking it on an empty stomach. 

But my energy did bounce back. 

[Sherbrewer]

Do NOT take ibuprofen on an empty stomach!

[LucieLu]

Hi alvastarr,

My apologies for responding so long after your post, but I actually only just made an account a few minutes ago - specifically to offer some advice about ibuprofen (and any kind of NSAID) and how it relates to the gastrointestinal system if you’re curious.

The Whole30 book (30-day guide) mentions that NSAIDs have been shown to directly disrupt the lining of the gut. Based on my own experience years ago, a gastroenterologist described to me how this happens. I also have done my own research on this (I’m a science geek and a data junky!) since then.

My understanding is that NSAIDs like ibuprofen damage the lining of the small intestine, specifically the parts that enable you to digest food and absorb nutrients from your food into your bloodstream. This also contributes to permeability in the small intestine which then allows things in the small intestine to move into your bloodstream that should never go there. That can trigger a negative autoimmune response. There are a lot of robust, peer-reviewed articles out there if you are interested in more specific information.

It may be that this would not be a problem for you specifically, but at a time when you are on the Whole30 journey and your digestive system is working towards a healthy outcome, you might not want to stress your system with ibuprofen if it can be avoided.

Having said that, if you need pain relief then you need pain relief. A body in pain causes physical stress too, of course. And infrequent use is much less likely to cause digestive problems than if you use it routinely, especially if you take it with food and water.

I hope I haven’t bored you.  I happen to have time on my hands today because I’m on Day 6 and had to call in sick to work - it must be the “carb flu” because my energy is incredibly low!

Best wishes,

LucieLu