Always sleepy after eating

[ritarocks]

Okay.  I'm sooo tired everyday after lunch (like right now), no matter what I eat.  And if I have to play, forgetta bout' eating a meal because I'll be asleep in a few minutes.    As a result, I'm drinking way too much coffee too.

Do you folks have any suggestions as to foods that don't contribute to sleepiness and actually produce an energizing effect?  (I know starchy foods and turkey can make you sleepy.)

What do you think is the silver bullet of food that won't weight you down? :)  

[drumwild]

Well... I've been trying to lose weight (20 lbs so far), so I've taken an approach that a friend of mine uses to stay thin. That is, eat closer to 6 meals per day. Smaller portions, more frequency.

One of the positive side effects it that I no longer get that sleepy sensation that you're describing. So if I go to Johnny Rocket's and get a burger, I'll ask for it to be cut in half and save that for later.

Cutting back on bread carbs has helped; I think those were making me feel lethargic (and putting on the pounds). Eating more veggies has helped.

I love dead cow, too... yum!!  ;D

In short, I don't "tank up" anymore. Gotta stay hungry to keep that Eye of the Tiger (that ought to be a song.. haha).

Caffeine and sugar might wake you up now, but will bite ya in the rear later.

[Mightydog]

I used to look forward to siesta, too. Since being diagnosed as a Type II Diabetic, I've had to change around how I eat:

1) Eat less than served to you. Restaurants pride themselves on how large their servings are. All they do is fill up the plate with 'cheap' food like fries. Your parients told you to clean your plate because of the people starving somewhere else in the world. That's kind of tough to push off, but try. Someone else having enough food has nothing to do with you. Stop eating when you're full.

2) Try to have more meats and veggies. Have a little cheese for a snack rather than candy. Keep some roasted nuts somewhere. Jerkey is good for a snack and it keeps your mouth busy.

My daughter's birthday was this past weekend, so I had a piece of cake and some ice cream. Jeeze did I crash for the rest of the day! It's the kind of thing where you make changes by degree. Don't try to make all your changes in one day--just make a little different choice every day.

[Hunyak]

Digestion requires energy. Your body pumps extra blood to your stomach and intestines to digest a meal. Fruit & vegatables go through your system and require less effort to digest than say a Quarter Pounder with cheese and Biggie fries. Try to eat 2 or 3 small meals instead of one big meal.

[Stewart Manley]

Okay.  I'm sooo tired everyday after lunch (like right now), no matter what I eat

1. Eat less, more frequently.

2. Not being alarmist, but you might want to get your blood sugar checked.

[SteveR]

Try taking a multi-vitamin every morning, like Centrum in the silver container.  

Cutting back on carbs is a good idea....BUT....you shouldn't cut them out completely.  Replace all your bread and sugar with complex carbs like brown rice and whole grain bread.  Lots of fruits and veggies too.  Chicken instead of beef, oatmeal instead of a bagel, Subway instead of McDonalds etc.

Think about drinking 1 or 2 MRP's (Meal Replacement shakes) a day.  Go to GNC and get the GNC Mega brand.  It has all the protein and complex carbs you need in one serving.  Very healthy and they provide a lot of energy.  The chocolate tastes like a shake you would buy at Dairy Queen!  Very tasty!

Drink LOTS of water.  Drink it slowly all day long, don't chug it in one sitting.  Make sure it's ice cold water.

[BBJones]

Drink LOTS of water.  Drink it slowly all day long, don't chug it in one sitting.  Make sure it's ice cold water.

Can you elaborate on the "ice cold" part?  I've heard that water should be room temperature, not chilled.  Something to do with added shock to the body or something like that...

[ritarocks]

2. Not being alarmist, but you might want to get your blood sugar checked.

You're absolutely right....I've been meaning to do this for a while because all of a sudden out of the blue (no warning), hunger will suddenly hit, and I'm like totally shaky, light headed, grumpy, can't concentrate and need to eat RIGHT NOW or I feel like I'm going to die (not normal hunger either---my body and mind suddenly turn to jello within the span of a few moments).   It's like a race to get xena food when this happens because I literally feel myself fading fast.  Lately, I've been waking up in the middle of the night craving chocolate. :(

[drumwild]

Whatever you do, make sure you don't get yourself in a position where you  http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/1273.html]BONK   during a show or athletic activities.

[Woody]

As a drummer and an athlete, let me share with you my observations and findings pertaining to myself. For years, I have been a dedicated user of free weights, dating back to H.S. and college football and baseball.  Dieting was all about cutting fat and calories from the diet.  It was always a tough go and really not that much fun.  Not much thought was given to carbs and blood sugar levels and insulin.I would experience regularly the types of mood swings and cravings that you describe.  About a year ago, I was changing my workout scheme and decided to jump on the low-carb bandwagon.  If I would have only known 15 years ago what my body began to tell me now.  I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day.  Mind you, I am not a small man, 6'3" 265 lbs., but its fairly easy to keep the calories and protein intake up on this diet.  I still eat most of the food I love but have completely eliminated some key culprits.  "White foods"- flour based foods, all sugars, milk, potatoes, rice except brown and most fruit.  I was simply amazed at my overall sense of well being after a week on this diet.  Slept like a log every night,  no drowsiness during the day and no mood swings. Bodyfat % started to drop in a slow steady manner.  I also agree with the constant drinking of water, I try for 2 gallons a day but its tough sometimes.  The overall effect of this diet has been better performance in my drumming and workouts.  Do a search of South Beach Diet and Atkins.  Combine the knowledge of both and tailor a lifestyle suitable for your circumstance.  You'll be suprised at the outcome

[sjm1112]

I really don't want to start a war over low carb or "Atkins" type eating choices. However, I have been trying the Atkins eating style for almost a month now and all those symptoms you mentioned Rita are gone now for me. Part of it is that I completely stopped caffeine (I was VERY addicted, took 3 miserable days to get over it), stopped 99.5% of any sugar intake. I've also lost 15 lbs and I'm usually never hungery unless it's been 6 or 7 hours since I last ate. I realize that low carb is still controversial somewhat, but it's working like a champ for me. I don't miss all the stuff I truly thought I would miss eating, and I don't feel like food controls me like it used to do. I still enjoy eating, but it's not what I think about most of the time.
Everyone gave good advice too, this is just my experience with that particular diet.

[jamava]

I went to the doctor about 2 years ago with a full page of symptoms that included memory loss, mood swings, shakiness, sugar craving and that awful "give me food or I'll die" feeling that you described Rita.
Thank god this dr. was a woman and knew immediately what was happening.  For women in  perimenopause the surging estrogen causes  low blood sugar.  It only took a few days of no/low sugar and flour to feel like a brand new person.
It absolutely is amazing to me how food can affect a person.

[Mark Schlipper]

Can you elaborate on the "ice cold" part?  I've heard that water should be room temperature, not chilled.  Something to do with added shock to the body or something like that...

Its not "shock" as much as it is work.   Your body has to expend energy warming it.   Which can be pretty counterproductive.   Old school Kung Fu classes will have warm tea as your drink instead of water.   Its even closer to body temperature.   Goes straight into your system without any work.   Incredibly refreshing considering its warm :)

[drumsensae]

Peppers!

[William Leslie]

ditto Mightydog. Since I can't flackout after eating any more, I find talking a walk or getting busy in the office on my feet, instead of my "Butt" I don't get tired like I use to. Only time that happens any more is when I'm caughting a cold , then you almost have to kick back for a short time.I make sure my wife is around to kick me in gear again. Get that health check up.

[smoggrocks]

yogurt. probably not the lowest-sugar food, but it's relatively healthy and staves cravings.

you can buy the plain kind and add a little vanilla and brown or cane sugar to it, or just fresh fruit.

i've been sleepy a lot, too. been hitting the vending machine more than i should.

it's hard to escape chocolate.

[ritarocks]

yogurt. ...

it's hard to escape chocolate.

Great idea with the yogurt and fruit----thanks everyone for your responses. :)

Re: my chocolate addiction---this is wierd:
I bought a bag of oranges last week.  Everytime I've had a chocolate craving, I've eaten an orange.  Oddly, it seems to satisfy my chocolate craving.  We'll see if it lasts. ;D

[thealmightytaco]

Chocolate cravings are all about sugar, and fruits are full o' sugar so it's a good thing. If you can wean your body of sugar and force it to crunch proteins and fats for energy it's even better though. But yeah, don't rush anything, no point looking good if you feel foul.

Just for my personal little titbit, I get massive chip cravings because my body wants salt, especially a few hours after I've been at the gym because the foods I eat just don't have enough salt in them. Most times I'll just cave and get some chips (I'm losing weight these days no matter what I do so I'm not too worried), but just licking some sprinkled salt from my hand can stop it well enough, tastes like arse though.

[ritarocks]

Re: my chocolate addiction---this is wierd:
I bought a bag of oranges last week.  Everytime I've had a chocolate craving, I've eaten an orange.  Oddly, it seems to satisfy my chocolate craving.  We'll see if it lasts. ;D

it has lasted.   :)  i haven't bought any chocolate and i'm still eating oranges instead! :)

[bonejoy]

never realised it until now, but I always feel really tired after eating and generally fall asleep....

Think a trip to see the doc is in order...kepp us informed how you get on Xena.

[Chip Donaho]

Through many years of national motocross I learned that what you eat the day before is critical. Posta, salads, fish, are important to load up on 1 to 2 days before the event. Then eat light and nothing fatty or greasy the day of the event. It's the 48 hours leading up to a gig that you're burning the day of the gig. The fat stuff throws that all out the window and destroys what you were building up for. But I still like a little brandy to thin the blood at the gig. Done in moderation.     ;)

[DougB]

When I was younger, I used to go out and eat a huge lunch almost everyday at work.  Like clockwork, my head nearly hit my desk between 2:00 and 2:30 in the afternoon.

So now I eat a much smaller lunch, drink lots of liquid, and work out at the gym 3-4 times a week.  No more exhaustion at work any more!