For months, my energy was a complete mystery.
I had already started to fix my sleep and was on HRT, but I was still being hit by a wave of debilitating fatigue every single day around 2 PM. My brain would turn to mud. All I wanted to do was crawl under my desk.
I assumed it was just an unavoidable symptom of perimenopause—another frustrating new reality I had to "push through." I was eating "healthy"—salads, sandwiches, the usual corporate fare—so I didn't think food was the problem.
In the depths of my research, trying to understand the "why" behind my fatigue, I kept stumbling across the work of a biochemist named Jessie Inchauspé, known as the "Glucose Goddess." She talked relentlessly about something I hadn't seriously considered: blood sugar.
I was skeptical. I wasn't diabetic. I didn't think "blood sugar" was my issue. But I was desperate, so I decided to try a few of her simple, science-backed "hacks" as an experiment.
The results were so fast and so dramatic that it completely changed my understanding of my own body. I realized my energy problem wasn't some vague hormonal curse; it was a direct, mechanical result of a blood sugar rollercoaster I didn't even know I was on.
Here are the two principles I implemented that made the biggest, most immediate difference.
Principle 1: I Changed My Breakfast from "Healthy" to "Savory"
My first experiment was to change my breakfast. I stopped my "healthy" routine of a quick yogurt or just coffee and committed to trying her savory, protein-focused breakfast idea.
The Experiment: I forced myself to eat a substantial meal within 30-60 minutes of waking, making sure it had at least 30 grams of protein. My go-to became a big scramble of eggs and egg whites with spinach.
The Result: Within three days, my mid-morning cravings for sugar vanished. I felt... stable. The desperate need for a snack before lunch was just gone. This was the first clue that I was onto something huge.
Principle 2: I Started Eating My Lunch in a "Weird" Order
The next hack I tried felt strange, but it was easy, so I gave it a shot. The Glucose Goddess recommends eating the components of your meal in a specific sequence to blunt the impact of carbohydrates on your blood sugar.
The correct order is:
Fiber First: Start with your vegetables.
Protein and Fats Second: Eat your protein and fat sources after the vegetables.
Starches and Sugars Last: Eat your carbohydrates at the end of the meal.
The Experiment: At lunch, instead of mixing everything together, I consciously ate the side salad on my plate first. Then I ate the piece of salmon. Only after that did I eat the small portion of quinoa.
The Result: This was the knockout blow. The 2 PM wall didn't just get smaller; it completely disappeared. The first day I tried this and worked straight through until 5 PM with clear focus, it felt like a miracle. It was the final piece of evidence I needed. My fatigue wasn't a mystery; it was a direct response to a post-meal blood sugar crash.
My Realization
I didn't have to live with fatigue. I just had to manage my fuel supply more intelligently. These two simple, science-backed principles gave me back my afternoons and my focus.
Anchor your morning with a savory, protein-rich breakfast.
At lunch and dinner, eat your food in the right order: veggies first, protein/fats second, and carbs last.
It's a powerful reminder that sometimes the solutions to our most frustrating problems are simpler than we think—we just need the right data and the willingness to experiment.
All the best,
Sonja Rincón
Founder & CEO, Menotracker