History Main / HungerCausesLethargy

Contrast FoodComa, where eating ''too much'' makes you lethargic. If seen in food ads, the food will often not only get rid of the fatigue but give CerealInducedSuperpowers. Can lead to WorfHadTheFlu if they were defeated by someone who wouldn't have been able to otherwise. If portrayed as a moral, it might lead to CantGetAwayWithNuthin and, if played unrealistically, it's a SpaceWhaleAesop. Sometimes, if played as an Aesop, never eating breakfast (it's always breakfast, due to the piece of "conventional wisdom" that cites it as most important) could be the [[JustifiedTrope reason]] behind a {{Sleepyhead}} or a weakling. Can involve TemptingFate if they previously think they didn't need to eat right then. Note that this does '''not''' include {{Fainting}}, as [[SquarePegRoundTrope that's different]] from normal falling asleep. In video games, it could cause sleepy-looking {{Idle Animation}}s, which could be part of an ExpressiveHealthBar. Due to the tropes AppetiteEqualsHealth and DangerousDrowsiness, if this trope is subverted, it's often a very bad sign.

* ''WesternAnimation/NatureCat'': In "Nature Plant", Nature Cat and his friends become hungry after playing a game, so the others eat green beans as a snack. However, Nature Cat decides to keep playing instead. He becomes tired as a result and has a dream where he becomes the titular plant. After learning a lesson on why plants need food, Nature Cat starts eating green beans and becomes active again.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'', Alex slowly starts to lose his energy after he hasn't eaten steak for a couple days. As a result, his wild instincts kick in and it starts bringing out his predatory nature.

* In a licensed game of ''Series/BoogieBeebies'', the energy meter is replenished with food. [[EdutainmentGame The more conventionally-healthy the food]], the more energy it gives you.

** In one Super Grover skit, skipping breakfast makes Grover too weak to lift a briefcase. This is also an example of BroughtDownToNormal, since SuperStrength is one of his powers.

* In the kids' song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0he9bGhhRM "To Be Strong,"]] an [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic duckling]] doesn't eat his lunch, which leaves him weak and a slow runner.

* In ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', Monokuma traps everyone in a building without any food given until one of them commits murder. Soon, some of them starts [[MeatOVision hallucinating]], and Hajime losing his energy causes him to move very slowly while walking around.

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in an episode of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue''; when [[AerithAndBob Grif and Church]] are locked together in a prison cell, Grif wishes that he had some bedsheets. When Church says that there's no point in making a BedsheetLadder in a subterranean cell, Grif says the sheets aren't for escape; if he's going to starve to death, he wants to [[PassedInTheirSleep die in his sleep]].

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In a licensed game of ''Series/BoogieBeebies'', the energy meter is replenished with food. [[EdutainmentGame The more conventionally-healthy the food]], the more energy it gives you.

* In ''Website/{{Neopets}}'', this is downplayed-- Neopets don't seem particularly lethargic when hungry, but they aren't up to fighting in the Battledome (a play arena).

* Discussed in a ''WesternAnimation/LittleBear'' episode, titled "Mitzi's Little Monster", where Little Bear knocks over his teddy bear Fisherman Bear during a pretend tea party. Emily asks him why, and Little Bear responds, "He's weak because he didn't have any cake".
* In the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/MillyMolly'', the episode "[[NeverTrustATitle Magic]] Muffins" has [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Humphrey]] falling AsleepInClass every morning due to skipping breakfast. They feed him muffins, and he stops falling asleep. Skipping breakfast also gave him WritersBlock, and Miss Blythe cites breakfast as a cure for writers' block, but that's another story.

->''Little Susie ate no breakfast before she went to school. She didn't think she needed it, she thought that it was cruel. But when she hit the playground, she was much too tired to play, without the most important meal of the day.''

* In the kids' song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0he9bGhhRM To Be Strong]]", an [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic duckling]] doesn't eat his lunch, which leaves him weak and a slow runner.

* ''VideoGame/IceAge 2: The Meltdown'': Discussed when Cholly says that sometimes, he gets so hungry that he can hardly move. It later happens for real when Cholly is found sitting under an apple tree, too famished to climb it. Scrat ends up having to get him a few apples.

* ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'': Setsuko becomes increasingly lethargic as she slowly starves to death.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'', the hunger seed has the [[StatusEffect effect]] of giving a Pokémon the "Hungry Pal" status, preventing them from moving. It has a different effect on the current leader, though.

* In an episode of ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' Miranda assumes that she's overweight while shooting a music video after Gordo makes a remark about her eating habits and decides to get in shape, so she purposely refusing to eat other than french fries and yogurt, as a result Miranda passes out while rehearsing dance moves. Miranda reveals that the reason she's been missing meals is she's has been preoccupied with school and grades, among other things and realizes that she has taking her habit too far.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'', the hunger seed has the [[StatusEffect effect]] of giving a poke`mon the "Hungry Pal" status, preventing them from moving. It has a different effect on the current leader, though.