[NinaV]

I’ve been giving the low-carb thing another try this last week. I did loose a few pounds and I’m really not that hungry all the time, but I still have some side effects. This had happen when I tried it before: I get frequent headaches, I have a very hard time falling asleep at night, I feel sort of drained.
I don’t want to just give up completely, I want to try modifying it to make it work. I had done just sort of a restricted eat-everything-but-in-moderation diet before, but I’m finding it hard to stick to.
I would love some suggestions from the wonderful folks here at 3FC. What do you think I should do?

[Rakkoon]

I went on the Dr. Phil diet and I started getting headaches and I was very moody. From what my husband told me is that I was going through withdrawls. The headaches should go away soon. Just keep it up You can do this.

[seldomlyme]

I also think that you should give it some more time, maybe another week. And if you still feel this way, modify it by adding a little more carbs. How many carbs are you eating now? Maybe it's too few.

[Jenaya]

Hi...hope it is alright to jump in. I just watched a detox program and it talked about the headaches that can happen when you start eating healthier. They say the heaaches are a byproduct of of the process of detoxing. There was a naturopath who said to help the headaches, place ice cold clothes on your forehead. They also suggest soaking your feet in warm water with 1 tsp. dry mustard in it at the same time as you soak your feet (conjures up a pretty picture, doesn't it !?!?!). I am not sure what this is about but it has something to do with circulation. I thought it sounded rather insane when I listened to them but I tried it and it worked ...You soak for approximately 20 minutes. Hope that helps. It is also suggested to drink hot water with the juice of half a fresh lemon which will help your liver in the process of detoxifying. Just a thought.

Jenaya

[NinaV]

I appreciate all of the replies. I think I will try adding some carbs, because I was having none except for some fruits.
Rakkoon, I'm glad you mentioned moodyness, I had that too, but I thought it was just me.
Jenaya, that soaking thing really does sound quite strange, but it makes sence if you think about it in terms of circulation.

Thanks everyone, I will try and hang in there.

[Mel]

You might try slower acting, lower GI carbs rather than fruit. Fruit tastes good, is full of vitamins and antioxidants and...it's summer so all those great fruits are in season! But the sugars in fruit hit your system quickly, raise your blood sugar quickly, then drop quickly. If you substitue carbs that have a lower glycemic index such as whole grains, oatmeal or sweet potatoes, the effect on your blood sugar is less dramatic. This should lessen the mood swings and hopefully the headaches.

Just how low carb are you trying to achieve?

Mel

[sweet_yellow]

I get headaches too when I go back to healthy eating or start low carbing. But consider this about your moodiness.

There's this guy I've known since high school(his brother was my best friend)-He'd always been heavy, but he was tall, so he kind of carried it all over, yah know? Well, one day I stopped by to say hello at his folks house, and OH MY GOSH! He was a different person; he'd lost 80 lbs in 6 months. His face wasn't the same at all! He talked to me about his path down-

he found out he was type II diabetic when we were in our 30's.

He was sent to classes by his doctor for diabetics, and he saw many other long term type II's and got scared silly.

He began a healthy diet and he told me sometimes he'd actually cry. He said it had been a part of his life so long to eat all the time, that he was lost without it.

He told me that he couldn't recognize himself in the mirror, he was adjusting. My amazement at his looks was something he got everytime from people he hadn't seen in a while. He said it was an awesome feeling.

He felt proud of the fact that he can now run an 8 minute mile. He said his wife had lost 40 pounds too. She had subscribed him to a muscle magazine and he was considering developing a six pack! Can you imagine?

His diabetes is in complete control. His HbA1c was in the 4's. But he also said that every day he thinks about his sweet fix; how he's gonna get it.

I know I have a hard time giving up the hand to mouth where I'm used to it- the movies, the computer, reading...

[NinaV]

Mel, I'm not trying to shoot for a particular number of carbs, I just excluded all carbs with exception of 1-2 fruits (like banana, apple or peach) per day and I did that for about 9 days. So it was probably just too much of a change too quickly. I tried adding some brown rice and whole wheat bread yesterday and today and feel much better. I haven't lost anything these two days, but I haven't gained it all back either.

I know that many low-carbers go through withdrawal and then they are fine, but I felt really drained, and I still have to go out and make a living, so to continue in this zombie-like condition wasn't really an option for me.

I'll try sticking with some grains and 1-2 fruits and see how that goes. It's not that I'm not motivated, I'm just trying to make a sort of a custom-fit diet for me. It's really helpful to have all of the advise and suggestions I got from this post, so thanks again.

[shortiemetoo]

Sometimes it is important to eat some protein with your fruit if you are having it alone between meals...ie: apple with 1 tbls of peanut butter, or a wedge of laughing cow light cheese. It helps balance out the sugar and helps keep your blood sugar from dropping after a short time!!
Happy you felt better adding some grains!!!