I'm So Effing Tired

"Why the eff am I so tired?!" This book answers how to restore your energy by understanding and balancing your body’s essential systems.

1. Your energy depends on three interconnected systems.

Feeling constantly drained could point to an imbalance in the energy trifecta: your hormones, immune system, and gut. These systems don't operate independently; they work together, and issues in one can ripple into the others. When out of sync, low energy and frequent exhaustion are often the result.

Women, in particular, are more vulnerable due to hormonal shifts during their cycles. For example, hormonal changes like rising estrogen or falling cortisol can create mood swings and fatigue. Chronic stress intensifies this, further draining the body’s resources and affecting immunity.

Another key component is the gut, home to trillions of microbes that regulate energy levels. A well-balanced microbiome maintains healthy immunity and hormonal signals, while an off-balance gut can wreak havoc on energy levels. Rebalancing these systems can restore energy and even ward off chronic illnesses.

Examples

• Stress depletes cortisol reserves, linking exhaustion with an increased risk of disease.
• Hormonal dips during menstruation leave many women feeling sluggish and irritable.
• A healthy microbiome can improve mental clarity and reduce inflammation-related fatigue.

2. Altering what you eat can fix hormonal balance and gut health.

What you eat greatly impacts your hormones and gut. A poor diet disrupts these systems, leading to impaired focus, weight gain, and inflammation. Women like Sylvia, who struggle with what feels like perpetual tiredness, often unknowingly fuel the problem by consuming sugar and eating late at night.

Late-night meals can cause cortisol spikes that wake people up during the night. Add sugar into the mix, and it pushes hormonal balance further off course. Adjusting your diet, however, can reverse these challenges.

Instead of relying on quick fixes like pastries for energy, swapping those for high-fiber foods like legumes and vegetables helps stabilize hormonal rhythms. Beyond providing energy, they reduce inflammation, encourage better sleep, and support gut health.

Examples

• Some foods, like sugary snacks, disrupt progesterone and estrogen balance.
• Fiber-rich vegetables like kale and leeks protect the gut’s microbiome.
• Eliminating processed sugars helps prevent hormonal crashes during PMS.

3. A plant-heavy, high-fiber diet boosts energy.

Adopting a diet rich in vegetables, natural sugars, and fiber can be transformative. Research demonstrates that plant-based eating improves not only gut health but also energy and overall well-being. The PREDIMED trial proved this when participants following such a diet saw major improvements in heart health and reduced disease risks.

Vegetables are powerful because they pack phytonutrients, which stabilize hormones. Foods like sweet potatoes or legumes provide necessary fiber, while natural sugars from options like fruit offer sustained energy, unlike processed alternatives. Fatty, sugary, or overly processed foods, by contrast, disrupt gut function and contribute to fatigue.

A steady plant-focused approach keeps the energy trifecta – gut, immune system, and hormones – working harmoniously. The positive effects extend beyond just energy, lowering risks of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart conditions.

Examples

• The PREDIMED study linked a plant-based diet with 30% fewer heart attacks and strokes.
• Fiber aids gut health while reducing bad cholesterol levels.
• Natural sugars from fruits sustain energy without spiking insulin.

4. Timing your meals resets your body’s rhythm.

Circadian fasting – limiting eating to specific windows – restores the body’s natural cycles. It is influenced by intermittent fasting but focuses on aligning eating habits with the body’s internal clock. Eating inconsistently or too late in the day throws off hormones and digestion.

By fasting for 12 to 18 hours between dinner and breakfast a few days a week, you let your gut “rest and repair.” This helps stabilize hormones that regulate energy and aligns the body’s natural rhythms. Over time, fasting resets hormonal patterns and curbs energy crashes.

The author suggests starting modestly with shorter fasting windows and gradually extending them for effectiveness. What matters most is finding the schedule that fits your life while promoting balance.

Examples

• Extended fasting promotes gut recovery and strengthens immunity against diseases.
• Limiting meals to an 8-hour window often improves mental clarity by balancing cortisol.
• A 16-hour fast can reset glucose levels, leading to fewer sugar cravings.

5. Resting is just as important as exercising.

While exercise benefits your body, rest is equally vital. Overtraining or skipping recovery tires muscles and drains energy reserves. Recovery is when muscles heal and grow stronger, while overexertion only adds to hormonal imbalance.

Instead of intense daily workouts, the author advocates gentler routines. Sara, a working mom who overtrained herself into exhaustion, recovered energy by cutting down high-intensity sessions and incorporating slower-paced activities like walking.

Low-impact exercises like yoga or daily walks, combined with mindful rest periods, keep the body active without stressing it. This balance prevents burnout and sustains healthier long-term energy.

Examples

• Sara reduced CrossFit to twice weekly and added nature walks, improving her energy.
• Walking 8,000–12,000 steps per day promotes physical activity without overexertion.
• Resting four days a week allowed Sara’s hormones to stabilize.

6. Sleep and reduced stress restore the trifecta.

Sleep is the ultimate reset button for your body. Chronic sleep deprivation leads to higher cortisol levels, affecting mood, immunity, and even weight gain. Prioritizing a solid sleep schedule can dramatically rebalance the energy trifecta.

Stress also plays a huge role. Overwhelming responsibilities release excess cortisol, leaving you too wired to sleep but too tired to function. Solutions such as meditation, nature walks, and creative hobbies can lower these levels, improving energy and mental clarity.

Taking time to relax or cutting unnecessary stressors – like long gym commutes – also brings back balance to everyday life. Restful nights and reduced stress create a profound difference in energy levels.

Examples

• A 2010 study found high inflammation levels in people sleeping less than 6 hours.
• Voluntary activities like teaching restore “feel-good” brain chemicals.
• Lowering screen time before bed improves sleep cycles.

7. See the diet as a lifestyle, not a short-term fix.

Two weeks is just the start. While short-term boosts to energy and gut health are encouraging, long-term commitment makes these benefits sustainable. Reaching three months, and eventually practicing the routine long-term, amplifies improvements like lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and sustained energy.

Flexibility is key to sustainability. If special occasions interfere with fasting or certain foods, plan around them without added stress. By focusing on consistency over perfection, the plant-based diet and fasting plan can evolve with you.

Making the WTF plan an adaptable and enjoyable lifestyle lets you reap heightened energy and health, not for a season, but a lifetime.

Examples

• Long-term intermittent fasting reduces risks of chronic illnesses.
• Adapting fasting times ensures the plan fits around work or social events.
• A six-month sustained plan lowers cholesterol and promotes weight loss.

8. Balance food, exercise, and rest for success.

The secret isn’t in one method but in combining them all. Each element – mindful eating, exercise, sleep, and relaxation – works together to create profound effects. This synergy leads to improved gut function, hormone levels, and immunity.

Focusing too much on exercise without changing diet, or improving sleep but ignoring stress, won’t yield the same results. A well-rounded routine sustains both physical resilience and mental clarity over time.

Examples

• People who balanced plant-based diets with regular walking reported steady weight loss.
• Short yoga sessions calmed stress while keeping participants active.
• A combined schedule yielded results like lowered blood sugar and fewer mood swings.

9. Nature offers simple energy boosts.

Walking outdoors or spending time in greenery goes beyond exercise – it influences mood and stress levels. Fresh air reduces cortisol and sharpens mental focus. A break from busy, overstimulating environments lets your body reset naturally.

Outdoor stimuli like sunlight also regulate circadian rhythms and energy production, helping sustain better rest cycles over time. Combining nature exposure with walking strengthens both body and mind.

Examples

• Research reveals nature walks reduce stress chemicals after just 20 minutes.
• Natural light exposure improves sleep-linked hormone cycles like melatonin.
• Regular parks visits helped participants report balanced moods.

Takeaways

1. Start with a short meditation practice, building a calm-focused state in just a few minutes daily.
2. Commit to circadian fasting weekly, adjusting times to your body without skipping preparation.
3. Slowly shift your daily meals toward majority plant-based components for sustained energy.