I used to feel so tired.
Seriously, I could often be foundnapping on the side of the road on my afternoon commute. Or dozing off on the couch hours before bedtime. Or hitting snooze through my planned morning work out.
I often joked at that time in my life that I was powered by caffeine, and it wasn’t unheard of for me to drink coffee all morning and then have another cup or two in the afternoon, just to get through.
Admittedly, my kids were younger at the time; they were past the diaper stage but still required a lot of my attention, as kids do. I was also teaching high school classes and sponsored extra-curricular activities that required a lot of my time.
I just assumed I was tired because I had small children and worked too many hours. And I thought that was just how people felt and it was how I’d feel forever - or until my kids graduated and moved out.
Fast forward five years, and my kids are still in school AND I have energy that lasts me all day. I wake up most mornings and work out. I don’t long for naps or doze off while driving.
So what’s changed? Well, a lot of things. But here’s a short list:
What I’m eating.
My sleep duration and quality.
My stress levels.
I could write pages and pages about each one of these, but today I want to focus on food.
Back when I was feeling sluggish, I was focused on reducing calories so that I could lose a few pounds and not have to buy a new wardrobe to hide my body in. I was buying low calorie, low fat foods and eating what I thought was good for me.
It turns out I was actually doing more harm than good.
What I’ve learned since then is that these low calorie foods gave me a short-term energy boost, and not long after, I crashed. I felt sleepy, I was grumpy and I couldn’t think straight - until I ate again.
I always had a snack on hand to ward off that hangry feeling. And when I didn’t pack a snack, I usually opted for whatever was in the nearest vending machine or at a fast food drive-thru.
So, I’d be up and down. Sticking to my calorie goal early in the week. Giving in to a tempting treat (or ten) mid-week and giving up on my calorie target before starting the process over again on Monday. It was exhausting.
And it was literally like riding a roller coaster. And what I’ve learned is that I really was riding the blood sugar roller coaster, which not only has short-term effects like moodiness, cravings, fatigue and brain fog, but long term effects as well, including hormonal imbalances, weight gain, inflammation and insulin resistance.
More importantly, I figured out how to get off the roller coaster and kick the cravings, even out my moods, lose the stubborn weight and maintain a healthy weight for my body.
Here’s what I did and what my clients do to get off the roller coaster:
Focus on eating REAL food more often.
Eat balanced meals, including fat, carbs, fiber and protein.
Take small actionable steps to implement meal planning and prep in a way that sets them up to be successful throughout the week.
If you’re interested in learning more about how food impacts your energy levels, cravings, willpower and weight, join me for my live webclass where I’ll share what you need to know so you can get off the roller coaster, escape the diet cycle and get yourself on the path to a healthy, happy you!