How do you cope with the side effects of dieting.

[kalanamak]

Update: I did a careful dietary analysis, now that I know most dieters don't feel so ill. So -- what is easily hidden in snack and dairy food and that I was not counting, that I don't add to my food, that I halve when I see it in a recipe, and which can make you feel weak if you are not consuming?

Salt.

I added TJ's green salsa to my intake, and I certainly feel better!

Thanks, ladies.

 

 

My ankle is hurting. It is time to lose weight.

I get constipation, heart burn, tummy-aches, and wooziness when I diet. Being just hungry is the least of the problems. I bet I'm not the only person who is overweight to avoid these symptoms.

 

What are your tricks to dealing with the side effects of dieting?

Edited December 2, 2011 by kalanamak
eureka

[dirty ethel rackham]

I only have had to deal with constipation if I completely eliminate a category of food (and no, chocolate doesn't count. ) If I am eating enough fruits and vegetables, I don't have a problem with it. Can't say I've experienced heart burn or stomach aches. I do have problems with wooziness if I cut back on calories too quickly or do not do a good job of balancing carbs with proteins. I notice that when I first start on an eating program to lose weight, I do get crabby and light headed as my body adjusts. It's a little like going through detox. After about 10 days of making people miserable, I seem to adjust and do better.

[Carol in Cal.]

Substitute filling veggies and fruits for your major snacks, and make one meal a day be a big huge salad with maybe just an ounce of cheese on it for protein, and you will lose weight without having constipation, for sure. The filling veggies can be raw carrots, fennel, bell peppers, green beans, pea pods, celery, jicama, bok choy, cabbage, radiccio, endive, or even spicy greens like arugula. The key is to eat a lot of them, raw, and drink a lot of water with them.

[MariannNOVA]

I cope with the side effects (mood, water retention no matter how much I drink, fatigue, mood, mood, mood, and did i mention mood?) by working out strenuously -- in the morning. And if I cannot do a strenuous workout, I do a leslie sansone walking DVD - I particularly like the 3 mile walk.

 

I have cut out all carbonated drinks the past few weeks and have slowly worked my way to water.

 

This week, I am going to do (again) Dr. Siegal's cookie diet. I did it about four years ago with great success - then I tripped over dh's shoes, broke my ankle and leg and was in a cast for 8 weeks. BUT, for the weeks I did it, I was not hungry, I worked out and I lost weight. the cookies are loaded with fiber and make me thirsty -- I like it better than MediFast, and if there is one thing I KNOW I can do, it is eat a bag of cookies every TWO hours.

 

But, that's just me.

 

Good luck!:001_smile:

[Swimtaxi234]

I have lost 15 pounds recently by cutting back on how much I eat and adding more protein at each meal. I don't understand the heartburn either.

[JFSinIL]

Don't diet so hard. I am being more successful now by not aiming for more than a pound a week, and gobbling a lot more veggies/fruit than I normally do. I am rarely hungry. I exercise now, avoid sweets (thank heavens I got used to Splenda, so can make a skim milk latte and have it sweet and feel like it is a real treat) and just do not expect to loose a lot fast. I am eating a balanced diet. I have gone down 24 lbs in three months (ok, some weeks I loose more than a lb, but it is not on purpose) but still have a good 40 to go. I figure it may take a year...but a year is going to pass anyway. And by not over-dieting, but just adding exercise (before was a couch tater) and veggies/fruit in place of "bad" carbs (I still get four servings of brown rice or whole wheat bread a day) I am teaching myself good eating habits that will stay with me and help me keep the weight off (I hope). Since I will be 53 next b'day I figure I really do need to drop the weight NOW before old lady aliments kick in! ;-)

 

But - I would also get a doctor to give me a once over if I was feeling as crummy as you describe, just to make sure nothing else was going on, or to see if I needed a supplement of some kind.

Edited November 27, 2011 by JFSinIL

[Cheryl in NM]

To help with constipation take a fiber supplement. Psyllium husks are easy on your system and fairly inexpensive; you can find it at Walmart; it comes in a pill form. Just make sure to drink a big glass of water every time you take them.

 

Miralax is a very gentle laxative. For me it just helps everything move, but isn't explosive, IYKWIM.

 

ETA: for the heart burn you can take probiotics, also sleep inclined or on your left side. Sleeping on your left side aides in digestion.

 

for a tummy-ache and wooziness peppermint tea will help, but only if you don't have heart burn because it makes heart burn worse.

 

Vitamin B-12 will help fatigue.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Cheryl in NM

[Mandamom]

I guess my question is...when you are dieting, what are you changing from your typical diet?

 

I've lost weight by changing what I eat and increasing exercise but I feel better when I eat this way.

 

I tend to have problems with foods that cause my body problems (dairy being one). So, if I were to try and lose weight by increasing dairy I would have a lot of tummy/intestinal issues that aren't pleasant. By eliminating the problem foods the better I feel. Maybe for you it is a certain fruit or vegetable or meat or something that makes your body react.

 

I wish you well as you find a way to lose weight that makes you feel better.

[Caribbean Queen]

You need to change the diet if it makes you feel that bad.

 

A whole food diet works for me. I have been on it for 5 months and lost 30 pounds! I have more energy, can stay up later and my skin looks better. No bad side effects caused by this diet.

 

I eat fruit, veggies, nuts, meat and dairy products. I cut way back on white flour and sugar. I eat as much healthy food as I want, since I don't overeat healthy food. After a while it was more important for me to lose weight than for me to eat junk. Sometimes I have thought I would rather stay fat than deprive myself of sweets. I just got to the point where I wanted to lose weight enough to stop eatting junk. I ate super light and healthy for 10 days and even fasted a day. I felt so good that I really could stop overeating. I was so surprised to not have cravings for junk when I eliminated it from my diet. Now I can eat some junk, occasioanlly, when out of the house. For instance, if I was at a picnic I could eat a sugary muffin someone brought to share and not go crazy.

[snickelfritz]

How do you diet?

 

I have certain "healthy" foods that bother my stomach (ex. Onions, garlic, and tomatoes) so if my dieting included large quantities of those, I'd be in trouble.

[LaxMom]

I don't. That's a sign that the diet is not for you. If part of losing weight is respecting your body's signs that something needs to change, it doesn't sound like that's being achieved with those side effects.

 

My husband and I each dropped about 40 lbs a number of years back just by planning meals with Cooking Light recipes, and sticking to their portions. They were low fat, high flavor, rounded recipes. Some of them remain favorites.

[JFSinIL]

My husband and I each dropped about 40 lbs a number of years back just by planning meals with Cooking Light recipes, and sticking to their portions. They were low fat, high flavor, rounded recipes. Some of them remain favorites.

 

I have given up on Cooking Light - they think I can afford the proteins they use in most dishes? I think not!

[LaxMom]

Chicken? (I am confused)

[kalanamak]

You need to change the diet if it makes you feel that bad.

 

My whole life I've felt lousy if I didn't eat a lot. Trouble is, when you get older and creaky, I can no longer go go go go, burning calories like I used to.

My "diet" is my NORMAL intake minus all sweets and snacks (tortilla chips), and I cut down on the richness. That is, if I stir fry for kiddo, I make mine after, using only the residual fat from the pan. If I make baked mac and cheese, I'll peel the fat layer of cheese off the top before I eat.

 

This means: --no extra piece of toast half an hour after breakfast

 

--an apple and a cup of skim milk before bed if I'm too hungry to sleep, instead of a bowl of ice cream

 

--ONE bite of the frequent and wonderful treats that appear at potlucks at work.

 

(I got caught in weight gain while I was studying those 350 hours earlier in the year, instead of being go go go as much as I could.)

 

I have lost weight this way before, but it creeps back on over a couple of years. I am always miserable when I diet with dyspepsia and gut problems, and a feeling of weakness in my upper body and head. I rarely feel hunger, just these unpleasant sensations ... which are easily cured by eating something fairly rich.

 

Maybe I'm a complete oddball.

[Caitilin]

Kalanamak, I think one reason that you may be feeling this way when you diet is that you are giving up the wrong things to lighten your meals. I recommend this book, which is not a diet book, but rather a life book, as it has some really sensible things to say which are supported by actual evidence. The author is a doctor--an endocrinologist.

[jplain]

That is, if I stir fry for kiddo, I make mine after, using only the residual fat from the pan. If I make baked mac and cheese, I'll peel the fat layer of cheese off the top before I eat.

I wouldn't do this, because I don't think dietary fat is the root cause of overweight/obese.

 

I tried the lowfat approach for years. Didn't work for me, even combined with crazy activity levels.

 

My dad (physicist, but worked in medical research at the time) finally convinced me to read Taubes.

DH (chemist) and I (biologist) were pretty shocked by his thesis, but after hearing the evidence, it started to make sense.

Both of us were ultimately convinced that he's getting it right.

 

What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

NYT article (2002)

 

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

most recent, quick read, written for the non-scientist (2010)

 

Good Calories, Bad Calories

more dense, a few years older (2007)

Edited November 27, 2011 by jplain

[QueenCat]

My ankle is hurting. It is time to lose weight.

I get constipation, heart burn, tummy-aches, and wooziness when I diet. Being just hungry is the least of the problems. I bet I'm not the only person who is overweight to avoid these symptoms.

 

What are your tricks to dealing with the side effects of dieting?

 

Make sure your diet is well-balanced. If you get woozy, you are probably not eating enough food. A diet should be about restructuring the way you eat, not about starving yourself. Starving oneself generally is ineffective in the long haul anyways.

[QueenCat]

I don't. That's a sign that the diet is not for you. If part of losing weight is respecting your body's signs that something needs to change, it doesn't sound like that's being achieved with those side effects.

 

My husband and I each dropped about 40 lbs a number of years back just by planning meals with Cooking Light recipes, and sticking to their portions. They were low fat, high flavor, rounded recipes. Some of them remain favorites.

 

I LOVE Cooking Light for their variety and flavor. I usually find a new favorite in every issue.

[kalanamak]

I wouldn't do this, because I don't think dietary fat is the root cause of overweight/obese.

 

 

My guy is very active and very, very skinny (runs in the family -- for boys, on both sides). I basically deep fry everything for him. There is plenty of oil to fry in, and plenty of cheese and butter in the rest of the mac and cheese. Believe me!

[Caribbean Queen]

It is time to lose weight.

I get constipation, heart burn, tummy-aches, and wooziness when I diet.

 

If it has to be like that, it seems better to stay plump.

 

Seriously, this diet doesn't work for you. Consider whole foods plus lots of water. Unprocessed foods have a lot of fiber, so as long as you drink water you shouldn't be consipated. The nutrients in whole foods may help you get stronger, not weak and woozy.

My only guess for why you have heartburn while dieting is that before you used ice cream to sooth it. Figure out what foods upset you and what foods agree with you.

You need a way of eating that will make you healthier - something you can continue indefinately. You wont stay on the diet you are doing now.

[Munchkins_mama]

If these symptoms happen in the first few days of your 'diet', I think they are caused by your body going through junk withdrawls/detox. Our bodies get used to using the instant energy from white flours and sugars and when it is taken away suddenly, it reacts badly. Have you tried dealing with the discomfort for over a week? It usually takes about that long for it all to get out of your body and to start feeling normal again.

 

You might also require a higher caloric intake. I can't eat less than 1800 a day and still function as a human. But I can make that number a little bit of food, or more food than I could possibly eat in a day. It's all about WHAT you eat.

[DawnM]

I have determined I cannot do low carb. I just can't. I get foggy headed, I get very cranky and I feel overall lethargic and horrible. Never mind the constipation and heaviness from that.

 

Dawn

[kalanamak]

If these symptoms happen in the first few days of your 'diet', I think they are caused by your body going through junk withdrawls/detox. Our bodies get used to using the instant energy from white flours and sugars and when it is taken away suddenly, it reacts badly. Have you tried dealing with the discomfort for over a week?

 

The last time I drpped 20 lbs. it was 3 months. :tongue_smilie:

Think of this as a prolonged vaso-vagal feeling. My blood sugar is not low (or high), I'm doing about 1800-2000 kcals a day. My stomach churns away all the time, making me feel queasy and weak.

 

I can force myself through work, I am snappier at home, and I generally feel "sorry" for myself. I don't eat much white flour, and what makes me feel good is dairy: cream cheese, pudding, ice cream, cheese sauce over cauliflower. I can absolutely cram my belly with steamed veggies, raw apples, etc. and just feel unfilled yet sick unless there is a dairy in with it.

 

I have thought all along that everyone feels this way. I've never discussed it! I mean, if dieting is just being hungry, why would anyone be overweight? Hunger-schmunger, it is feeling ill and dysfunctional that bothers me.

[justamouse]

I wouldn't do this, because I don't think dietary fat is the root cause of overweight/obese.

 

I tried the lowfat approach for years. Didn't work for me, even combined with crazy activity levels.

 

My dad (physicist, but worked in medical research at the time) finally convinced me to read Taubes.

DH (chemist) and I (biologist) were pretty shocked by his thesis, but after hearing the evidence, it started to make sense.

Both of us were ultimately convinced that he's getting it right.

 

What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?

NYT article (2002)

 

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It

most recent, quick read, written for the non-scientist (2010)

 

Good Calories, Bad Calories

more dense, a few years older (2007)

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

I have to be very careful when I diet, because I'm hypoglycemic and if I don't eat every few hours-if I don't catch myself BEFORE I get hungry, then I get shaky. And when that starts I'm done for the day.

 

b12 helps stabilize my blood sugar so that I can go a bit longer in between meals. But I need to take it regularly for it to prevent the shakes.

 

I also cannot cut out all carbs-but I make them dense. Atkins, for me, was a looonggg hypoglycemic crash until I figured out what was going on.

Edited November 29, 2011 by justamouse

[dirty ethel rackham]

:iagree::iagree:

 

I have to be very careful when I diet, because I'm hypoglycemic and if I don't eat every few hours-if I don't catch myself BEFORE I get hungry, then I get shaky. And when that starts I'm done for the day.

 

b12 helps stabilize my blood sugar so that I can go a bit longer in between meals. But I need to take it regularly for it to prevent the shakes.

 

I also cannot cut out all carbs-but I make them dense. Atkins, for me, was a looonggg hypoglycemic crash until I figured out what was going on.

 

Ditto! Only it was South Beach that I tried. Even on WW, I struggled to figure out how to eat without crashing.

[elfgivas]

To help with constipation take a fiber supplement. Psyllium husks are easy on your system and fairly inexpensive; you can find it at Walmart; it comes in a pill form. Just make sure to drink a big glass of water every time you take them.

 

 

.

 

:grouphug:

 

we use psyllium husks here to great and good effect. i take two with a large glass of ice water at 4pm every day. (and in the early stages of dieting, at 11am, too). they bulk out, so i don't feel as hungry.

 

our current successful dieting tactic for all of the women here is 1200 calories a day + all the fresh/frozen fruit and veggies you want without counting their calories.

 

i eat bananas to combat the wooziness (and because they are filling). one before coffee in the morning and one before bed so my tummy doesn't hurt the first few nights.....

 

hth,

ann

[joannqn]

If I remember right, you eat vegetarian right? I can't imagine cutting fats from an already restricted diet. Perhaps you need to increase your protein to counter the decrease in fat?

[PiCO]

My ankle is hurting. It is time to lose weight.

I get constipation, heart burn, tummy-aches, and wooziness when I diet. Being just hungry is the least of the problems. I bet I'm not the only person who is overweight to avoid these symptoms.

 

What are your tricks to dealing with the side effects of dieting?

 

I used to feel horrible while dieting. Now I'm eating high fat, low carb. I feel fantastic, I'm losing weight, and controlling my blood sugar. I agree with Taubes on a lot of things, mainly that the government has misled the public on what a healthy diet looks like.

[kolamum]

My whole life I've felt lousy if I didn't eat a lot. Trouble is, when you get older and creaky, I can no longer go go go go, burning calories like I used to.

My "diet" is my NORMAL intake minus all sweets and snacks (tortilla chips), and I cut down on the richness. That is, if I stir fry for kiddo, I make mine after, using only the residual fat from the pan. If I make baked mac and cheese, I'll peel the fat layer of cheese off the top before I eat.

 

This means: --no extra piece of toast half an hour after breakfast

 

--an apple and a cup of skim milk before bed if I'm too hungry to sleep, instead of a bowl of ice cream

 

--ONE bite of the frequent and wonderful treats that appear at potlucks at work.

 

(I got caught in weight gain while I was studying those 350 hours earlier in the year, instead of being go go go as much as I could.)

 

I have lost weight this way before, but it creeps back on over a couple of years. I am always miserable when I diet with dyspepsia and gut problems, and a feeling of weakness in my upper body and head. I rarely feel hunger, just these unpleasant sensations ... which are easily cured by eating something fairly rich.

 

Maybe I'm a complete oddball.

 

Have you ever tried a liver cleanse? It might help put things right. Talking with your Dr about the issues might be wise too.

 

Is dairy where you get your protein and fats from or do you get them in any other way? If not, then that might be why you "need" it to keep from feeling poor. There's nothing wrong with dairy, and why bother with skim milk? You can easy peasy use 2% milk in a normal healthy diet or even whole milk.

[Liza Lee]

Don't diet so hard. I am being more successful now by not aiming for more than a pound a week.....

 

 

But - I would also get a doctor to give me a once over if I was feeling as crummy as you describe, just to make sure nothing else was going on, or to see if I needed a supplement of some kind.

 

:iagree:

 

I've lost nearly 30 pounds over the last 10 months. I know that sounds very slow, but some of my friends in my dieting group lost 20-30 pounds quickly and then gained it all back (plus a little more). Then they have to start dieting heavily again to lose those same pounds.

 

You'll have a lot more success in the long run if you make little changes that you can sustain for a lifetime.

[Liza Lee]

The last time I drpped 20 lbs. it was 3 months. :tongue_smilie:

Think of this as a prolonged vaso-vagal feeling. My blood sugar is not low (or high), I'm doing about 1800-2000 kcals a day. My stomach churns away all the time, making me feel queasy and weak.

 

I can force myself through work, I am snappier at home, and I generally feel "sorry" for myself. I don't eat much white flour, and what makes me feel good is dairy: cream cheese, pudding, ice cream, cheese sauce over cauliflower. I can absolutely cram my belly with steamed veggies, raw apples, etc. and just feel unfilled yet sick unless there is a dairy in with it.

 

I have thought all along that everyone feels this way. I've never discussed it! I mean, if dieting is just being hungry, why would anyone be overweight? Hunger-schmunger, it is feeling ill and dysfunctional that bothers me.

 

No, everyone does NOT feel that way. I suspect that you are having some kind of food sensitivity problem.

 

Several years ago I tried going on some kind of low-carb diet. It made me feel the way you're describing. It was horrible and I gave it up after about three days.

 

I eventually learned that I am gluten intolerant. Once my body started healing from the gluten problem, dieting got a lot easier.

[Rhonda in TX]

I would check with a doctor. You may have something else going on. I've been on WW for a year now and have never felt the way you're describing.

[kalanamak]

UPDATE in first post.

[Guest submarines]

UPDATE in first post.

 

Not sure I'm fallowing. :confused: So you think you feel weak while dieting because you aren't consuming enough salt?

[Xuzi]

Not sure I'm fallowing. :confused: So you think you feel weak while dieting because you aren't consuming enough salt?

I'm not surprised. The same thing happened to me when I started Atkins. I got the "Atkins flu" (headaches, grouchiness, tired, etc.) and the book recommended I up my salt intake to relieve the symptoms, and it worked. I started drinking a cup of chicken broth first thing every morning, and my headaches went away right away. I've since adjusted to the diet and no longer have to watch my salt intake as much.

[Guest submarines]

I'm not surprised. The same thing happened to me when I started Atkins. I got the "Atkins flu" (headaches, grouchiness, tired, etc.) and the book recommended I up my salt intake to relieve the symptoms, and it worked. I started drinking a cup of chicken broth first thing every morning, and my headaches went away right away. I've since adjusted to the diet and no longer have to watch my salt intake as much.

 

Thanks! That's interesting. I am fairly low on salt, and I haven't noticed any side effects. I guess everyone is different.