What to do about low energy?

<[email hidden]>
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this.

The main source of energy for carnivores (you are like the dog not like the
cow) are animal fats. You can substitute them by carbs or alcohol but it is
not healthy.

So a few things about me:

Quoted message said:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Your new eating habits should folow the principle that nutrition should be
complete. The most complete for people are eggs and cream.
S*

Quoted message said:

Thanks

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this. So a few things about me:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Thanks

1) Cut out all the refined grains and sugars that you can manage.

2) Eat more real food and less processed and refined [censored].

3) Educate yourself as to what real food is as opposed to
manufactured, processed and refined [censored]. Start here:
http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm

4) Get some exercise, even if you just go for a walk whenever you can.
Move.

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this. So a few things about me:

Quoted message said:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

Eat breakfast every day with skim milk and some meat. Cut out the
sugar soft drinks.

Quoted message said:

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Don't eat out, pack a sandwich or have a low calorie TV dinner.

Start exercising.

--
Ron

Szczepan Bialek said:

<[email hidden]>news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this.

The main source of energy for carnivores (you are like the dog not like the
cow) are animal fats. You can substitute them by carbs or alcohol but it is
not healthy.

So a few things about me:

Quoted message said:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

Quoted message said:

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Your new eating habits should folow the principle that nutrition should be
complete. The most complete for people are eggs and cream.
S*

Quoted message said:

Thanks

Check out westonaprice.org
Click on "site map" and read, read, read! This has changed my life.
Read the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
Also, for the proper supplements to take go to: drlwilson.com and read
the articles about Nutritional Balancing, etc. you will find an
article there about energy and what to do about it!!

Ron Peterson said:

On May 27, 11:19 pm, [email hidden] wrote:
Eat breakfast every day with skim milk and some meat. Cut out the
sugar soft drinks.

Is it the sugar, or the soft drink part that's the worst? I mean if I
just replace them with other drinks that have equal amounts of sugar,
is that going to be just as bad? Honestly though, I know you're
probably right on the money there, but I also know myself. These
types of drinks can become something of an addiction, especially after
you've been drinking them for 15+ years. Unfortunately I don't see me
cutting them out anytime soon, although I can certainly try. As for
the breakfast, I've grown accustomed to whole milk. I always
justified it to myself by saying that since I'm unusually thin,
there's no compelling reason for me to use anything other than whole
milk. Is there a specific reason why I should choose skim?

Quoted message said:

Don't eat out, pack a sandwich or have a low calorie TV dinner.

Start exercising.

It may be possible to cut down on eating out, and can possibly bring a
sandwich or other type of TV dinner for lunch. I think exercise may
be out of the question however, at least at this early of a stage of
me trying to do something about my nutrition.

In terms of vitamins and dietary supplements, what kind of things
should I look for and why? Let's assume that my diet consists of
about 85% meats and starches, and low on fruits and vegetables. The
easiest remedy is to simply eat more fruits and vegetables, but I'm
more looking for what I'm missing out on by not eating them, and what
are the typical symptoms of a diet that lacks these types of foods?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Eat breakfast every day with skim milk and some meat. Cut out the
sugar soft drinks.

Is it the sugar, or the soft drink part that's the worst? I mean if I
just replace them with other drinks that have equal amounts of sugar,
is that going to be just as bad? Honestly though, I know you're

My father in law drinks Sunny Dee and thinks it is a better choice,
it's orange, and contains traces of vit C and says 1/2 the sugar as
regular, but it's is still way too much friggin' sugar.

You are right. Cut out all sugary beverages. Even regular orange juice
will have as much as nearly 40 grams of carbs in one glass.

Quoted message said:

probably right on the money there, but I also know myself. These
types of drinks can become something of an addiction, especially after
you've been drinking them for 15+ years. Unfortunately I don't see me
cutting them out anytime soon, although I can certainly try. As for
the breakfast, I've grown accustomed to whole milk. I always
justified it to myself by saying that since I'm unusually thin,
there's no compelling reason for me to use anything other than whole
milk. Is there a specific reason why I should choose skim?

My take on milk is that todays milk is not your grandfathers milk. We
used to drink fresh whole milk and were healthier because of it. now
our milk is low fat, highly processed, high temp pasteurized,
homogenized and generally badly beat up. It is no longer a whole food
and has lost in inherent "wholesomeness".

If you can get real milk, great, but the white [censored] that sits on the
grocers shelf for a month is [censored] food.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Don't eat out, pack a sandwich or have a low calorie TV dinner.

Quoted message said:

Start exercising.

It may be possible to cut down on eating out, and can possibly bring a
sandwich or other type of TV dinner for lunch. I think exercise may
be out of the question however, at least at this early of a stage of
me trying to do something about my nutrition.

Best bet. Learn how to cook. Even simple foods made from scratch is
better than fancy foods out of a box. Unfortunately, being healthy and
eating real foods requires effort.

Quoted message said:

In terms of vitamins and dietary supplements, what kind of things
should I look for and why? Let's assume that my diet consists of
about 85% meats and starches, and low on fruits and vegetables. The
easiest remedy is to simply eat more fruits and vegetables, but I'm
more looking for what I'm missing out on by not eating them, and what
are the typical symptoms of a diet that lacks these types of foods?

I supplement with 3 to 4 thousand mgs of vit C spread out thruout the
day. I also take 2 stress formula vitamin B complexes in the morning
with food. I also take L-Lysine once in a while.

I also eat real food prepped from scratch as much as possible, and I
avoid sugar and grains. Sounds harsh, but I don't miss the sugar at
all and BBQ season rocks in my house. Real fresh meats and fish with
real whole-food fresh produce, amazing. I eat like a king. The result
is easy weight control, more energy and not a single prescription for
anything in over 6 years. But it does take a bit of an effort and ot
does cost more than cheap manufactured [censored] food.

<[email hidden]> wrote
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ron Peterson said:

On May 27, 11:19 pm, [email hidden] wrote:
Eat breakfast every day with skim milk and some meat. Cut out the
sugar soft drinks.

Is it the sugar, or the soft drink part that's the worst? I mean if I
just replace them with other drinks that have equal amounts of sugar,
is that going to be just as bad? Honestly though, I know you're
probably right on the money there, but I also know myself. These
types of drinks can become something of an addiction, especially after
you've been drinking them for 15+ years. Unfortunately I don't see me
cutting them out anytime soon, although I can certainly try. As for
the breakfast, I've grown accustomed to whole milk. I always
justified it to myself by saying that since I'm unusually thin,
there's no compelling reason for me to use anything other than whole
milk. Is there a specific reason why I should choose skim?

The whole milk is the best for kids. Such milk contain about the same
percent of proteins and fats. But kids take the energy (heat) from the
mother's body. Adult needs much more fats. So the cream is better (above 9%
of fats).
The best breakfast is the English one: eggs, bacon and tee with cream. The
next dishes according to French cooking.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Don't eat out, pack a sandwich or have a low calorie TV dinner.

Start exercising.

It may be possible to cut down on eating out, and can possibly bring a
sandwich or other type of TV dinner for lunch. I think exercise may
be out of the question however, at least at this early of a stage of
me trying to do something about my nutrition.

At this stage you need about 2500 kcal. All should be from the animals
products and semi-animals. I am thinking about mushrooms, alga and yeast -
they contain the glycogen (animal starch). The addidtional calories (for
exercise or dance) may be from carbs and/or alcohol.

Quoted message said:

In terms of vitamins and dietary supplements, what kind of things
should I look for and why? Let's assume that my diet consists of
about 85% meats and starches, and low on fruits and vegetables. The
easiest remedy is to simply eat more fruits and vegetables, but I'm
more looking for what I'm missing out on by not eating them, and what
are the typical symptoms of a diet that lacks these types of foods?

See: http://homodiet.netfirms.com/
S*

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this. So a few things about me:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Thanks

I would strongly consider adding some adaptogenic herbs to your mix of
vitamins and supplements.

The two products that have worked best for me, as far as energy goes
are Arctic Root, or Rhodiola rosea, and NADH, a co-enzyme.

There are also energy related herbs such as Eleutherococcus and
Schizandra, and you can find these in combination with Rhodiola in a
product such as Adapt 232. You'll have to Google these things, and
read more about the topic of Adaptogens in general.

There is a huge difference between adaptogenic energy, and the phoney
energy from cans of Red Bull or other stimulants.

D.

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this. So a few things about me:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Thanks

A lot of spam and stupid people around here as usual I see. Soda
drinks are good for your energy short term, but maybe you're drinking
a little too much. Definitely do not listen to the rubbish that "you
should cut out those foods altogether".... if you did gain energy by
doing that then nobody would ever use them to begin with. Foods like
that may be bad for you in a number of ways, but the foods that give
you energy are those foods. If you like eating it and it makes you
feel good afterwards, then it's safe to say it gives you energy,
especially in the short-term. Multivitamins and nutritious foods are
good as well of course.

If you don't cut out the soft drinks you will be tired forever.
That's the price you have to pay for drinking any carbonated drink
fueled by corn syrup. You could drink herb tea or just bottled
water. "Oh no, I couldnt possibly do that. That's yucky"
Processed food of any sort with its attendent high fructose corn syrup
will also nail you to the cross of exhaustion. "But I love fast
food. Its so American" Unless you change your eating habits youre
dead in the water. There are no supplements, pills or powders that
will help you. So sad to be 28 years old aND living in America
today. You are hopeless. There is no hope for you. You are
powerless to change your eating habits. Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma"
for a clue. Maybe Andrew Chung will pray for you. That's your only
hope.

Quoted message said:

I'm 28, male, and in general have very low energy and would like to
know what I can do to help correct this. So a few things about me:

I sleep 7-8 hours a day, I work 8-9 hours a day behind a desk in a non-
physical, but very mentally draining environment. I eat breakfast
about twice a week, usually fast food drive through on the way to
work. For lunch I typically eat out, can range anywhere from sushi to
a hamburger to seafood to fried chicken. For dinner I typically eat
rice with some form of meat or shrimp. Every day I drink maybe 4-5
soft drinks.

I'm not looking to do a 180 lifestyle change over night with respect
to what I eat. I've grown accustomed to my eating habits, and while
I'm open to suggestions about dietary changes that I can introduce
into my lifestyle more gradually, I'm particularly interested in what
I can do to get the biggest bang from my buck, including
multivitamins, dietary supplements, and other types of similar
products.

Thanks

""

honeybunch said:

If you don't cut out the soft drinks you will be tired forever.
That's the price you have to pay for drinking any carbonated drink
fueled by corn syrup. You could drink herb tea or just bottled
water. "Oh no, I couldnt possibly do that. That's yucky"

I didn't say it was yucky, I said I've been drinking them for 15 years
and it's hard to cut an addiction overnight.

Quoted message said:

Processed food of any sort with its attendent high fructose corn syrup
will also nail you to the cross of exhaustion. "But I love fast
food. Its so American" Unless you change your eating habits youre
dead in the water. There are no supplements, pills or powders that
will help you. So sad to be 28 years old aND living in America
today. You are hopeless. There is no hope for you. You are
powerless to change your eating habits. Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma"
for a clue. Maybe Andrew Chung will pray for you. That's your only
hope.

With all due respect, you sound like one of those people who claim
that the end of the world is coming tomorrow and we need to repent or
burn in hell for eternity. There are no supplements, pills, or
powders that will help? So you mean to tell me that I'm getting every
possible vitamin and mineral I need? Well in that case, why bother
even attempting to change my diet in the first place? I'm clearly
doing everything right yo. I do realize that that isn't your point,
but there's lots of extremist people in the world, and guess what?
People don't respond well to extremism.

If you expect everyone in the world who wants to do something about
their diet to do it overnight then I don't think I'm the one with the
most serious problem here. At least I'm not delusional about how
humans work. Now, if you have anything productive to say, then I'm
all ears.

Thanks for understanding

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Eat breakfast every day with skim milk and some meat. Cut out the
sugar soft drinks.

Quoted message said:

Is it the sugar, or the soft drink part that's the worst? I mean if I
just replace them with other drinks that have equal amounts of sugar,
is that going to be just as bad? Honestly though, I know you're
probably right on the money there, but I also know myself. These
types of drinks can become something of an addiction, especially after
you've been drinking them for 15+ years. Unfortunately I don't see me
cutting them out anytime soon, although I can certainly try. As for
the breakfast, I've grown accustomed to whole milk. I always
justified it to myself by saying that since I'm unusually thin,
there's no compelling reason for me to use anything other than whole
milk. Is there a specific reason why I should choose skim?

It's the sugar (HFCS) that is the main culprit in softdrinks. The
carbonation only causes gas. And the caffeine is only one fifth that
of coffee.

The purpose of choosing skim milk is to reduce the calories consumed
and to reduce the amount of saturated fat. I went from whole milk to
skim in stages, but others can make the switch immediately.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Don't eat out, pack a sandwich or have a low calorie TV dinner.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Start exercising.

Quoted message said:

It may be possible to cut down on eating out, and can possibly bring a
sandwich or other type of TV dinner for lunch. I think exercise may
be out of the question however, at least at this early of a stage of
me trying to do something about my nutrition.

Just do a little exercise such as walking to work, use the stairs
instead of the elevator, and a few situps or pushups in the morning
don't take long.

Quoted message said:

In terms of vitamins and dietary supplements, what kind of things
should I look for and why? Let's assume that my diet consists of
about 85% meats and starches, and low on fruits and vegetables. The
easiest remedy is to simply eat more fruits and vegetables, but I'm
more looking for what I'm missing out on by not eating them, and what
are the typical symptoms of a diet that lacks these types of foods?

Fruits, dry beans, and vegetables have a range of nutrients along with
fiber.

Omega 3, vitamin D, vitamin C, and a B complex supplements would be a
good starting point for you.

--
Ron

"TC"

Quoted message said:

I supplement with 3 to 4 thousand mgs of vit C spread out thruout the
day.

3 to 4 grams per day all year long? I have read about "megadoses". Did you
try a smaller doses?

Quoted message said:

I also take 2 stress formula vitamin B complexes in the morning
with food. I also take L-Lysine once in a while.

I also eat real food prepped from scratch as much as possible, and I
avoid sugar and grains. Sounds harsh, but I don't miss the sugar at
all and BBQ season rocks in my house. Real fresh meats and fish with
real whole-food fresh produce, amazing. I eat like a king.

Are that meats and fish fat? How % of calories from fats is in your dishes?
You did not mention about eggs or yolks. What is your opinion about them?

Quoted message said:

The result is easy weight control, more energy and not a single
prescription for
anything in over 6 years. But it does take a bit of an effort and ot
does cost more than cheap manufactured [censored] food.

The high suplement with vit C may be essential here. Everywhere is
reccomended one glass of orange juice per day. Could you throw some light on
it?
S*

Quoted message said:

I understand perfectly well. I expect you to continue eating and
drinking the same stuff you have been eating and drinking for 28
years. I meant it when I said there is no hope for you. I expect you
to find some vitamin pills and energy bars to consume, believing they
will energize you. When your exhaustion becomes too great you will
find drugs or alcohol to pep you up and then will become addicted to
them as well as to Pepsi or is it Coke?

Quoted message said:

On May 28, 9:20 pm, honeybunch <[email hidden]> wrote:> If you don't cut out the soft drinks you will be tired forever.

Quoted message said:

That's the price you have to pay for drinking any carbonated drink
fueled by corn syrup. You could drink herb tea or just bottled
water. "Oh no, I couldnt possibly do that. That's yucky"

I didn't say it was yucky, I said I've been drinking them for 15 years
and it's hard to cut an addiction overnight.

Quoted message said:

Processed food of any sort with its attendent high fructose corn syrup
will also nail you to the cross of exhaustion. "But I love fast
food. Its so American" Unless you change your eating habits youre
dead in the water. There are no supplements, pills or powders that
will help you. So sad to be 28 years old aND living in America
today. You are hopeless. There is no hope for you. You are
powerless to change your eating habits. Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma"
for a clue. Maybe Andrew Chung will pray for you. That's your only
hope.

With all due respect, you sound like one of those people who claim
that the end of the world is coming tomorrow and we need to repent or
burn in hell for eternity. There are no supplements, pills, or
powders that will help? So you mean to tell me that I'm getting every
possible vitamin and mineral I need? Well in that case, why bother
even attempting to change my diet in the first place? I'm clearly
doing everything right yo. I do realize that that isn't your point,
but there's lots of extremist people in the world, and guess what?
People don't respond well to extremism.

If you expect everyone in the world who wants to do something about
their diet to do it overnight then I don't think I'm the one with the
most serious problem here. At least I'm not delusional about how
humans work. Now, if you have anything productive to say, then I'm
all ears.

Thanks for understanding

honeybunch said:

I understand perfectly well. I expect you to continue eating and
drinking the same stuff you have been eating and drinking for 28
years. I meant it when I said there is no hope for you. I expect you
to find some vitamin pills and energy bars to consume, believing they
will energize you. When your exhaustion becomes too great you will
find drugs or alcohol to pep you up and then will become addicted to
them as well as to Pepsi or is it Coke?

Apparently you don't understand very well, since for starters I'm
staunchly opposed to drugs AND alcohol, and over the course of my
entire life have had alcohol maybe 5 times, and drugs 0. If I planned
to continue eating and drinking the same stuff I've been eating for 28
years (although lets be honest, who here can honestly say they were
eating Filet Mignons fresh out of their mothers' wombs), would I even
be posting here?

You're the type of person that only sees two types of people: Purists
and losers. Not too different than the members of the Westboro
Baptist Church, now that I think about it. It's a shame you are blind
to the fact that you've unintentionally fallen into the latter
category.

honeybunch said:

I understand perfectly well. I expect you to continue eating and
drinking the same stuff you have been eating and drinking for 28
years. I meant it when I said there is no hope for you. I expect you
to find some vitamin pills and energy bars to consume, believing they
will energize you. When your exhaustion becomes too great you will
find drugs or alcohol to pep you up and then will become addicted to
them as well as to Pepsi or is it Coke?

Apparently you don't understand very well, since for starters I'm
staunchly opposed to both drugs and alcohol, and have had alcohol
maybe 5 times in my entire life. And if you think I intended to
continue eating and drinking the same stuff I've been eating and
drinking for 28 years (although let's be honest, who here can honestly
say they were eating filet mignons fresh out of their mothers' wombs)
then do you think I would even be posting here?

You're the type of person that only sees two types of people: purists
and scum. I can think of a few other people that only see this type
of black and white as well - the Westboro Baptist Church. It's a
shame that you, like them, dont' realize that you've fallen into the
second category yourself.

First off I don't have the original msg in front of me so I can't quote it.
You were saying you don't have a lot of energy and need to figure out a
way to get more. Understandable.

First off, there are a few things that you can do that are small changes
that you can do to help yourself feel better. One would be to eat
breakfast at the beginning of the day. Now before you say you don't have
time, trust me, this'll take about ten minutes in the morning before
going to work. A few suggestions: Oatmeal (keeps your blood sugar on an
even keel for a long time), Kashi cereal (any of them, they are very
good for you and have a lot of protein and fiber as well as good,
complex carbs), a cup of yogurt (delicious, especially with granola),
etc. You get the idea.

Lunch, I would suggest a sandwich either from home (turkey, chicken,
roast beef) or from a deli in your local area. It would probably be
cheaper to take your own lunch a couple days a week and then eat out at
your fave deli the rest of the time, seeing as how this is sort of a
routine for you. Also recommend perhaps getting some sort of veggie or
fruit in at this time of the day (anything goes on this one, you can't
go wrong on this one), seeing as how it'll give you vitamins in their
best format, thru food. Possible exception would be french fries, seeing
as how there is a lot of fat in them, and tends to make one feel sluggish.

Dinner, again make sure that your choices are reasonable and healthy.
Pick your favorite fruit as your dessert and eat it a la carte. Peaches,
strawberries, even blueberries (frozen or fresh) are excellent choices.
(Okay, if you're a total ice-creamaholic, try frozen yogurt or custard,
and you can put the fruit on top of it too. =)

Drinks: If you hate the taste of plain water, you can go with water w/
lemon in it, or you can get FruitWater at your local health food place.
Has no fake sweeteners, has a slight taste of fruit in the water and
still pretty decent. Also try teas (favorites of mine are Tazo's Passion
tea, and the green and mint tea, both of which you can get at your local
starbucks; can be purchased in boxes too.)

Later on, you can try exercising through your day by just walking
farther to your car (that's an easy one), walking to your lunch spot
instead of driving, using stairs when you can, and so forth.) You don't
have to be Mr. Obsessive-About-Exercise to get what you need.

These will probably have a positive impact on your health and help you
feel much better. If after all that, you still don't feel energized, you
should probably see a doctor to see if there is any underlying medical
condition causing this to happen in your body.

Change is possible, and if done in small increments, can become lifelong
habits. So be encouraged, all is not lost, you can do it. 🙂

Best,
WaCoder