Every day prior to making a meal plan, I found myself holding my eyes open to stay awake as 3 p.m. approached. I tried sleeping more, drinking more coffee and even planning my workouts right at that time to avoid this midday slump, but nothing could conquer this drowsiness.
Finally, I had to confront the area of my life I tried the hardest to avoid: my diet.
I had always eaten relatively healthy, but I knew I needed to take it more seriously to see if it was the reason for my midday exhaustion.
I took advice from a local nutritionist and devised a detailed meal plan that consisted of the perfect balance of macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins and fats—for every meal and set aside time to eat each meal.
A key lesson I learned from the nutritionist was that you should keep your meals at a ratio of 30 grams carbs, 20 grams protein and 10 grams fat and eat around six small meals per day instead of three large meals. The logic is that instead of going through bursts of energy after your meals and then plummeting back down, you can sustain your energy all day long when eating less each meal but more frequently.
If you want to go above and beyond (of course, I had to), you should consume more carbs/less fat in the morning, more fat/fewer carbs in the evening, and keep your protein intake about the same for every meal. This tactic ensures your body has the right nutrients at the right times and is able to carry out important metabolic processes.
After a few weeks of following this plan religiously, I was not only able to stay awake from dawn until dusk, but I also saw improvements in my mood, my workouts and my skin. I even ended up needing less sleep at night because I was able to get more quality sleep.
Pictured above is the detailed meal plan I spent endless hours creating. It contains the specific meals, a grocery list breakdown of items needed and alternatives if you ever want to mix things up.
