So this is like my umpteenth time trying a healthy lifestyle, but things are somehow different this time... I'm not craving sweets or junk food, and I've also been doing awesome with taking my vitamins every day and drinking tons... TONS of water.

Anywho, I drink all this water, take my vitamins, and I drink an ensure for breakfast, lean cuisine or healthy choice for lunch (usually with a side of fresh carrots or celery or you pick a veggies, lol) and I fairly well rounded dinner. I'm up at 7:15 and I'm home from work and have usually eaten dinner by 6-7 p.m... but since I started this ( almost two weeks ago) my energy levels have been in the ground. Six feet under. Dead. I'm yawning and feeling exhausted by 9:30 every night, and I'm usually fast asleep in dreamland by 12.

I can't understand why, if I'm eating the right things, and drinking over 100 oz of water through the course of the day, that I'm seeing my energy levels consistently low throughout the day.... anyone have any ideas?

Have you counted your calories to see how much you're taking in? Depending on your dinner being around 400-500 calories, you could be taking in 1100-1200 total (assuming your ensure is 250, carrots are 60ish, and your frozen meal is 300-350ish).

It may be too low for you. Try one of the calorie counting websites to get a better idea of a healthy range for you. It may recommend another 300-500 calories which may help your energy levels.

Another question I have is have you tried eating something other than ensure for breakfast? A breakfast sandwich with lean meat, vegetables, eggs whites, and cheese on a high fiber/low calorie bread could be 200-300 calories and may give you more of a boost. Just a quick thought

I don't have the option to atm I either drink an Ensure or nada. I rely on my aunt and uncle to get to work, and they don't eat anything until they get to the office and then they go out to breakfast while I watch the front desk. So.... it's kinda sucky in that respect. I may be able to pick up some frozen sandwiches at the store next time we go, but I was always under the impression that those breakfast sandwiches aren't all that good for you. :\

Either way, it's something for me to look into, so thank you for the reply!

Is there any way you can cook in the morning to bring it with you? I give my daughter an egg every morning before school and we are LATE people - it takes about 10 minutes to assemble a quick breakfast sandwich.

If you don't have the 10 minutes, can you cook on the weekend and freeze one week of breakfasts like mini crustless quiches, breakfast burritos (on high fiber/low carb tortillas like la tortilla factory, ole wellness), or breakfast sandwiches on high fiber bread (bagel thins, english muffins, or bread rounds)?

The store bought freezer sandwiches/bowls can be an option if you check the ingredients and nutritional information. The bulk of the calories would come from the bread and the meat. Choose something like an English muffin over a croissant or bagel, and choose a lean meat like Canadian bacon over pork sausage. I would assume that you could find one pretty easily that is in the 300 calorie range.

I think a lot of these options are do-able for me! Anything that I can prep over the weekend or pre-buy is a must, simply because my aunt is up by 4:30 every morning (she doesn't sleep, I swear she's undead) so when I get up at 7 I'm already being rushed to go go go. So I'd have to start getting up before her to prep anything in the morning x.x so ya, THAT won't happen. But the other ideas? Definitely possible!

I'll warn you that it can get addictive! I usually make around 5-10 different dishes to freeze every week/two weeks. I always have so many varieties of soup in little 1-cup containers (lunch) and stews/chilis in 1.5 cup containers (dinner). I make freezer burritos, chicken/veggie nuggets, zucchini meatballs, cubes of cauliflower/cheese sauce and marinara, and even frozen baggies of rice or cooked chicken in portions.

I've also been doing this every week for about six years Start with one dish and see what happens!

We're in the same boat. I get up at 5:30 every morning and gotta be at work by 7. I'm always on the go and quite simply, I'm too lazy to pre-prep much. It sounds like you and I have about the same meal cycles as well. I usually drink Butter Pecan Ensure for breakfast, eat a frozen meal for lunch, and eat a homemade dinner. Don't know about fixing energy levels, other than making sure you're eating enough calories, but here are some other food options for you...

Breakfast
Belvita Bars - 250 calories and fairly filling. I like the chocolate ones the most.
Aldi's Fit & Active Breakfast Sandwiches - Two types: Turkey Sausage w/ Egg White, Cheese, and Whole Grain Muffin (260 calories) or Canadian Bacon w/ Egg White, Cheese and a Whole Grain Muffin (210). They take less than 2 minutes in the microwave.

Lunches
Homemade, Pre-Frozen Soups - Just watch out for noodles. They can break-down and turn to mush. Brown rice is a better option.
Light Lunch Meat (Chicken, Turkey, etc) & Laughing Cow Spreads on a Multigrain Wrap - Tasty and easy to prep the night before. You can add veggies in it too.

Snacks
Hard-Boiled Eggs - Boil a few on the weekend. They last for a week with the shell on, about 3 days pre-shelled.
Pre-Pack Snacks into Sandwich Baggies - Pretzels, Multigrain Crackers, Pistachios, etc. can be put into sandwich baggies that are quick and easy to grab

Agreed! I stick with mainly pureed/thick broken down soups for freezing and microwaving from frozen (like I do for work). I love things like any bean soups, split pea, lentil, carrot, tomato, butternut squash, broccoli cheese, potato, etc. If I have a soup that mixes rice into it for the serving (like stuffed pepper soup), I freeze individual baggies of cooked rice to microwave at work and mix into the heated soup.

This'll be great, my aunt just bought one of the Ninja kitchen system blenders so I can make all kinds of stuff now.. might even try making protein smoothies