[Michelle125]

So I've been doing Atkins for about a day and a half and am very dizzy today, and this morning at my workout my legs felt like lead. I guess it's just my body adjusting. I really want to lay down right now and just sleep!

Any comments?

[offthecouch]

Many years ago I did Atkins for a short period. I had dizziness and also my face was sore--like my jaw locking. Very odd. Just adding a small serving of grains eliminated the symptoms. Perhaps that would help?

Good luck!
Mary

[nasus40]

some times going cold turkey will cause the feelings like you described, the blaa not want to get oob feelings are from the change of the body to the easy burn carbohydrated to the hard to burn fat, it is protesting that it now has to work for the energy, give it up to (usually less) 2 weeks then you will feel a sudden burst of energy. just watch the need for potassium and magnesium supplements, usually noted by the feeling like your legs want to run, but no energy. going up a flight of stairs your legs feel like they want to fall off.

[petra65]

people also often get a significant diuretic effect from this diet in the beginning. Make sure you are drinking enough water and taking potassium supplements at least for a few days.

[sylvia78]

You may not be eating enough food or getting enough protein, veggies or fats. Remember, you are not calorie counting other than to make sure you are getting at least a minimum number of calories as determined by a BMR calculator.

If you are working out you really need more protein and fat to keep your bodily functions from drawing on your muscles for their protein source. The calculation for dialy grams of protein is: your ideal body weight [125?] as the maximum number of grams of protein you eat in a day. For fats, you should use oil/butter for sauteeing and not cook skinless. You may want to consider using butter for some of the vitamins and mineral that are not found in vegetable oils.

For veggies, you should make sure you are getting 20 NET grams of carbs, not just 20 grams. And at least 15 of these grams come from veggies, not bars, shakes, or other sugar-free items. This is a lot more than the 3 cups talked about in the book. Also, the book assumes that with the 3 cups of greens veggies, you will be eating some of the other "special category" foods, i.e. avocados, cheese, heavy cream, lemon juices, olives. All of these foods add carbs. So, if you are not eating these other foods, you should up your veggies.

Spinach has more potassium and magnesium per serving than bananas. So by just adding a couple of cups of spinach, you can get plenty of potassium and magnesium for you body. I have not experienced any leg cramps or weakness while eating spinach everyday.

Like Petra said, drink lots of water. Try to get about 10 - 12 cups in a day.

Good luck, eat more and you will feel better in a couple of days.

[bambifox]

Hey there Michelle! Sorry to hear your feeling in the dumps! Not alot to add here as you've already received lots of good advice. Just one thing though...you are working out "boot camp" style! Which means you are probably burning lots of calories...unfortunately, protein & fats do not burn as well as carbs! Ergo...the lack of energy! The dizziness sounds like a lack of nutrients and/or water in your diet. Remember, if your on induction, you've cut out "whole food groups"...when you do this, you WILL lack certain vital nutrients. That combined with an aggressive workout program = exhaustion. Try upping your water intake and upping your carbs (only on workout days). It might be good to have a piece of fruit 30 min before workout and see how you feel. Carbs burn the cleanest and quickest and it is our body's preferred source of fuel during cardio. Feel better, and stay in the game...I'm sure if you tweek your diet a bit, you'll feel much better, your energy will increase, and you'll be back in full force feeling great! Hope this helps. Joyce

[slvrlining8]

Michelle, the same thing happened to me when I first started. A few days and it will go away. You may want to invest in the atkins bars for the times when you get dizzy. I noticed it started happen at certain times and I just added a little snack right before the normal time and it went away. After a few days, I could go without the snack, but it made me feel so much better.

[ShannanA]

I get dizzy when I don't eat for a significant amount of time. I wasn't hungry the other morning so I didn't eat. I woke up at 7 AM, went to donate plasma, after plasma I was going to eat but then my boss called me in and wanted me to take a client to the DR. I didn't get to eat until like 6 PM, i felt like I was going to pass out. I'm going to leave some almonds in my car for the days I don't get a chance to eat a meal.