I was wondering, is it normal to feel a bit light-headed and weak at one point or another on the diet?
I had a hard time doing my 25 minutes yesterday, had to go a little slower, and I still feel kind of light-headed today.
Yesterday, as soon as I realized I was feeling a bit weak, I upped my calories, upped my salt, and upped my water.
What I suspect is going on, is that my body has let go of a ton of water weight over the past two weeks, and at this point is wanting to get a little of that water back in. My body is kind of acting a bit dehydrated, in other words.
I'm craving salt, so I'm going ahead and giving myself liberal helpings of salt on my eggs, etc.
I figure if my body is craving salt, it must need it.
Is there anything else I can do to make the light-headedness go away, and, is this a common side effect of this diet, when the body reaches the lowest water point, before the body starts storing the water again in the following weeks?
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Lori,
Welcome to "Atkins Flu". What you are describing is common on Atkins...particularly on Induction. It may last a few days but, once your body becomes accustomed to it, it will go as quickly as it came.
Ah, okay! i had a bit of a headache a couple of weeks ago for a couple of days and thought that was the Atkins flu but maybe for me it's kind of coming in two stages, especially since I didn't do the induction 100% right and had some no-no foods at first (I am now doing the induction right, though, decided to get serious about this.) Cool! Glad to know it's to be expected and is part of the process.
Of course, after giving my body lots of salt and water yesterday, I bounced up a pound, but then - again - that's to be expected and is part of the process, so I'm not discouraged. Actually I'm kind of glad - figure it's better for my body to get back a little of the water weight it lost, because that was some pretty rapid water weight loss there I had.
P.S. I forgot to say thanks! Thanks for answering my question and being there for us newbies!
Last edited by HealthierLori; 01-22-2010 at 11:26 AM.
Reason: ps
Thanks, I do take a multivitamin - it's a good idea! I feel much better today. I really do think that I just needed a little salt and a little more water in my system, that I had been getting rid of a little too much water weight.
Some people have a hard time getting their body to convert to using non-glucose fuel during exercise in particular. Listen to your body.
I found that keeping long slow cardio helped my body adjust to the demands of exercise while low carbing, then I started to increase intensity, but I did have to back off a bit early on.
On ANY diet sometimes your body signals that it needs more rest, more food, less movement. I try to listen to those small signals, hoping to avoid more serious ones!
Question for the experienced Atkins fans?
