I'm on my 5th week of Paleo and I am absolutely exhausted in the afternoons. Any common reasons why this could be? Could I be missing something from my diet? The obvious thing would be that I'm not getting enough sleep at night, but I'm getting about 7 hours (about the most I can get with two little kids). I've been doing high-intensity workouts several days a week. Any insight would be appreciated!
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If you are doing crossfit or a crossfit style workout 6x a week, you are most likely wearing out your body. In order to recover from that, you probably need more food and a little more rest. I would say either slow down the workout slightly, eat more, and/or try to get some additional rest. I don't do crossfit, but I do powerlift and the biggest culprit of being tired and achy is not eating enough. |
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You may need to eat more food. |
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A few things: If you were eating SAD before, you may be detoxing. That takes energy. You may just flat-out need a nap. You may not be eating enough food. OR all 3. |
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I've just gone full paleo (about a week and a half in) and feel not quite at my peak as far as energy goes. The last thing I kicked were grains (rye bread in particular), and from what I've read you can go through a bit of a withdrawal. I'm guessing that's what I'm experiencing and maybe you as well, I'm hoping it doesn't last too much longer cos I do get the occasional craving for a nice piece of toast with a slab of peanut butter on it, lol. |
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Try dispersing each of your breakfast items across each meal, and then make your breakfast fat (grassfed butter, coconut oil, olive oil, bacon grease, etc.) & protein. |
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I just returned home from a 12 mile hike and I feel great. In fact, I could go out for a run right now and have plenty of energy. I know what you're thinking: no big deal, I do Crossfit, I could walk 12 miles on my hands, in fact I’ve done it and it’s a WOD called “Knuckles”. Here is the part that will blow your mind though. I did not eat a banana, or an apple, or a Lara Bar before my hike. I didn't eat anything before my hike, or during the hike. I had been fasting since dinner last night and then hiked today beginning at Noon and ending at about 4 o'clock. Then I broke my fast. Doing this sort of thing takes some getting used to. I know that I'm teasing you a bit and I don't mean to be mean, but honestly, if I ate a carby/sugary breakfast like you did, I would be really tired in the afternoons as well. I'm not suggesting that you don't eat carbs. I'm not afraid of carbs. I eat a moderate carb diet, but I do keep the carbs limited to my post workout meals. If I eat them early in the day they seem to make me hungry and then crash. Good luck with things. Stick with it and start trying some changes. See what works best for you. I would start with added protein. By the way, based on your diet I just bought some shares of Tyson Chicken (TSN closed today at $16.12 per share – I think a one year price target of $100 is reasonable). Again, kidding, but perhaps add some protein sources other than chicken and eggs. |
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Great links for paleo crossfitters. http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/start-diet.html http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Diet-Athletes-Nutritional-Performance/dp/1594860890 |
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You could probably benefit from more protein in your breakfast. You could have what you listed and just make a smoothie out of it with a raw egg or two mixed in. A rule of thumb I've heard is 30g of protein within 30 mins of waking. Also your cortisol could be pushed too high with all the workouts - try some slow light weights in parasympathetic exercises with deep, slow breathing as an alternative to a couple of workouts a week. I also tend to get too paranoid about burning calories daily with hectic workouts but sometimes it can be counterproductive and I need to remind myself that it's not just a matter of calories in/calories out. |
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More fat? It seems like most of your foods were lower in saturated fats, with coconut milk and your eggs being the largest contributors. When I first started I ate a lot of bacon for breakfast to help me get through the day. I would sometimes not even be hungry for lunch. I seem to have gotten better at burning fat, though, because now I can do 4 slices and 3 eggs and have room for more. Cheese/butter are good dairy fats to add if you allow it (I don't). I do use Lindt 85% dark chocolate as a good high-fat snack (55% RDI in one serving). If you are crazy like me you could also try sleeping on the floor (or any hard surface). I find that my sleep cycles are more natural than when in a bed once you get used to the newness. It also gives you natural alignment and costs nothing. |
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