Damn, sugar/carb withdrawal is for real

[Bernadine]

I'm assuming it's that, and that I'm not just sick.  I have a pounding headache, right between my eyes.  I'm a little dizzy when I stand up.  Holy shit.

The only thing keeping me committed is that I've lost over 4 pounds in two days.  I guess it's worth it.

[wowhead]

How much did you lower your carbs?  If it's dramatic it could be Keto flu which freaking sucks!!  I recommend magnesium, potassium and electrolytes.  They should ease your symptoms.

[Deleted]

I feel your pain.

[wambam]

Are you getting enough fat and protein?

Can you estimate how many carbs you're getting from non-sweet sources? Can you add some in from sources like butternut squash, sweet potato, etc.?

"Low carb flu" is one thing, feeling dizzy is another.

[Captain Serious]

The headache sounds like carb withdrawal, but you shouldn't be lightheaded or dizzy. That makes me think you just aren't eating enough or that something else is going in.

[Bernadine]

Mar 12, 2014 10:58:06 GMT -5 wowhead said:

How much did you lower your carbs?

Completely cut them out.  I'm on the 21 day sugar detox.

I'm going to go to the store this afternoon and get some green apples.  Hopefully that will help.

[Bernadine]

I'll try entering what I'm eating into my fitnesspal and see where I am with fats/proteins.

[wambam]

Mar 12, 2014 11:00:35 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Mar 12, 2014 10:58:06 GMT -5 wowhead said:

How much did you lower your carbs?

Completely cut them out.  I'm on the 21 day sugar detox.

I'm going to go to the store this afternoon and get some green apples.  Hopefully that will help.

21DSD is NOT meant to be a zero-carb diet. You should be getting some carbs from vegetables. What are you eating?

[wowhead]

Mar 12, 2014 11:00:35 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Mar 12, 2014 10:58:06 GMT -5 wowhead said:

How much did you lower your carbs?

Completely cut them out.  I'm on the 21 day sugar detox.

I'm going to go to the store this afternoon and get some green apples.  Hopefully that will help.

Also make sure your are drinking more than you usually would.  The transition is hard on your liver.  I assume you are replacing carb calories with fat and protein, right?

I went ultra low carb almost 2 years ago and the "flu" lasted for about 2 weeks.

[Bernadine]

Mar 12, 2014 11:02:03 GMT -5 wambam said:

Mar 12, 2014 11:00:35 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Completely cut them out.  I'm on the 21 day sugar detox.

I'm going to go to the store this afternoon and get some green apples.  Hopefully that will help.

21DSD is NOT meant to be a zero-carb diet. You should be getting some carbs from vegetables. What are you eating?

I was at roughly 60 grams of carbs yesterday.  Veggies included salad with tomatoes and avocados and mashed cauliflower.  I also had lots of pistachios, which it also seems has a decent amount of carbs.

[wambam]

Mar 12, 2014 11:15:58 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Mar 12, 2014 11:02:03 GMT -5 wambam said:

21DSD is NOT meant to be a zero-carb diet. You should be getting some carbs from vegetables. What are you eating?

I was at roughly 60 grams of carbs yesterday.  Veggies included salad with tomatoes and avocados and mashed cauliflower.  I also had lots of pistachios, which it also seems has a decent amount of carbs.

I strongly recommend you eat some starchier veggies moving forward: carrots, yams, butternut squash, zucchini, parsnips, etc. 

[Bernadine]

Mar 12, 2014 11:17:54 GMT -5 wambam said:

Mar 12, 2014 11:15:58 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I was at roughly 60 grams of carbs yesterday.  Veggies included salad with tomatoes and avocados and mashed cauliflower.  I also had lots of pistachios, which it also seems has a decent amount of carbs.

I strongly recommend you eat some starchier veggies moving forward: carrots, yams, butternut squash, zucchini, parsnips, etc. 

I definitely will, thank you.  I have some carrots in the fridge, I'll roast them and add to dinner tonight.  And I'm picking up the apples.

[wowhead]

Mar 12, 2014 11:15:58 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Mar 12, 2014 11:02:03 GMT -5 wambam said:

21DSD is NOT meant to be a zero-carb diet. You should be getting some carbs from vegetables. What are you eating?

I was at roughly 60 grams of carbs yesterday.  Veggies included salad with tomatoes and avocados and mashed cauliflower.  I also had lots of pistachios, which it also seems has a decent amount of carbs.

This is about the number of carbs I eat in a day.  If it's not a long term plan then I agree with wambam  Adding in more carbs will make you feel better really quickly.

[wambam]

Mar 12, 2014 11:21:28 GMT -5 wowhead said:

Mar 12, 2014 11:15:58 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I was at roughly 60 grams of carbs yesterday.  Veggies included salad with tomatoes and avocados and mashed cauliflower.  I also had lots of pistachios, which it also seems has a decent amount of carbs.

This is about the number of carbs I eat in a day.  If it's not a long term plan then I agree with wambam  Adding in more carbs will make you feel better really quickly.

And that's fine if you're specifically trying to eat a low-carb diet. But the 21DSD is not supposed to be inherently low-carb, it's supposed to be low-sugar and low in foods that taste sweet. 

And I don't know what Bernadine was eating before this, but if she was eating a pretty high-carb diet, this could've been a very drastic shift very quickly.

[Bernadine]

I was definitely eating high carb/high sugar before.     I wanted to jump into the detox to curb cravings.

[wambam]

Mar 12, 2014 11:26:20 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I was definitely eating high carb/high sugar before.     I wanted to jump into the detox to curb cravings.

Yeah, then this was just too low carb, too fast, IMO. I think you'll feel a lot better eating some starchier veggies and getting more like 100-125g per day.

[daisybuchannan]

Doing the sugar/carb detox is great for long term benefits and to shift the way you eat, but I'd adjust things like WamBam said so you're not feeling totally shitty.

GL!

[wambam]

Mar 12, 2014 11:35:29 GMT -5 @letshike said:

This makes me nervous! I'm going to start Whole 30 after my vacation and I am scared!

Don't be scared. Especially because W30 allows fruit. You should have no problem being in the 100-125g per day range. You still might feel shitty for a few days, but it shouldn't be too extreme.

[Bernadine]

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to start adding in starchier veggies and the allowed fruit ASAP.