Low Carb people-a question

[Joyofsixreboot]

So, in an effort to show solidarity with a friend who needs a " diet partner" I am low carbing for 14 days. For me,so far, that has translated to lots of greens, meat, eggs and nuts and a few berries. I felt fine day 1 and 2 but today I am beat. Tired. Wimpy. I do run and have an active life. I really don't need to lose weight so have been using olive oil and some feta and olives on the salad. Is this normal day 3 stuff or am I in for 11 more days of being tired. (Eating plan is to have 50 or fewer carbs for 2 weeks then between 75-100. I'm just in for the 2 weeks.)

[zoobie]

Carb flu. Make sure you're getting enough sodium and potassium.

[wapiti]

Another vote for electrolytes.  Try a supplement or the sugar-free gatorade.  Broth is always good.

[Guest]

It's extremely normal. Yes to more salt, magnesium, and potassium. It is almost completely avoidable with some salty nuts, a buttered steak, and a salted avocado :)

[Guest]

I'm honestly surprised you'd feel the effects on that plan - that's borderline high carb compared to plans like mine where 20-25 net is the name of the game. I don't get any carb flu until I'm lower than about 30 grams per day. At 75 I have great energy but am trying to not *gain* weight.

 

It just reaffirms how different every body is :)

[Joyofsixreboot]

I'm honestly surprised you'd feel the effects on that plan - that's boxer line high carb compared to plans like mine where 20-25 net is the name of the game. I don't get any carb flu until I'm lower than about 30 grams per day. At 75 I have great energy but am trying to not *gain* weight.

 

It just reaffirms how different every body is :)

Um, my normal is probably about 250 g/day. I don't have a weight issue and run so it's not a thing. This 50 g thing is very different than my norm.

[Greta]

You will most likely feel profoundly better either tomorrow or the next day. Your body has run out of glycogen stores, and it's making the switch to burning ketones instead of glucose. Right now, you're running on empty. But you will feel better soon. And increased electrolytes (especially sodium) are very important on low-carb.

 

For me, if memory serves, it's days 3 and 4 that stink, and day 5 and beyond that makes it so worthwhile! So hang in there. :grouphug:

[Snickerdoodle]

Since you are super active I would be very mindful of your body's signals.   Not everyone is going to maintain a high level of activity and feel good on a ketogenic diet.  Since you are going only two weeks, it should be fine but if you don't start feeling better in a couple of days, I would bump up the carbs some.

[Mama Geek]

Particularly before exercising you might consider having a few extra carbs.  Before my knee started bothering me I would do something like eat a spoonfull of peanut butter before biking and do take at least a multivitamin.

[Ellie]

Be sure to get enough protein and fat--more protein and fat than veggies.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Should go away in a couple of days.  And just make sure you are eating enough in general.  I find sometimes it curbs my appetite so much I forget to eat or eat very little. 

 

 

 

 

[need2read]

Ditto on eating enough. If you are an active person you probably need more calories than you think and removing carbs takes away a lot of those calories. You may need to start counting just to make sure you get enough.

 

 

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[Guest]

Um, my normal is probably about 250 g/day. I don't have a weight issue and run so it's not a thing. This 50 g thing is very different than my norm.

I realize it's a change for you. That wasn't what I was talking about. Physiologically, you're not going to see a switch in your metabolism until fairly low carb amounts and 50 is too high for most people to notice that. Ketotic levels of low carb are the ones that generally cause the symptoms, and for most folks 50 net is on the border or a little too high. Anything above that and you're dealing with the same energy cycle, just less overall fuel. Below that amount is where the biochemical feedback gets interesting and advantageous. Absolute energy amount also makes a difference - tracking your calories and being sure to eat enough (likely 16-1700 minimum) will help very much.

 

Exercise could be what caused a difference, especially if your insulin sensitivity is high. It takes several weeks to several months to adapt to low carb performance in sports. It can actually cause major endurance improvements but the first few weeks you're going to feel like you fatigue faster.

 

Phinney and Volek are well worth a read on the subject if you're doing this longer term. You're a sweet friend for being w diet buddy, regardless!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BYG7RW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just head back to my sad pile of 20 veggie carbs :D

[Joyofsixreboot]

I realize it's a change for you. That wasn't what I was talking about. Physiologically, you're not going to see a switch in your metabolism until fairly low carb amounts and 50 is too high for most people to notice that. Ketotic levels of low carb are the ones that generally cause the symptoms, and for most folks 50 net is on the border or a little too high. Anything above that and you're dealing with the same energy cycle, just less overall fuel. Below that amount is where the biochemical feedback gets interesting and advantageous. Absolute energy amount also makes a difference - tracking your calories and being sure to eat enough (likely 16-1700 minimum) will help very much.

 

Exercise could be what caused a difference, especially if your insulin sensitivity is high. It takes several weeks to several months to adapt to low carb performance in sports. It can actually cause major endurance improvements but the first few weeks you're going to feel like you fatigue faster.

 

Phinney and Volek are well worth a read on the subject if you're doing this longer term. You're a sweet friend for being w diet buddy, regardless!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BYG7RW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just head back to my sad pile of 20 veggie carbs :D

Thank you. I'm just doing total carbs. If net is carbs minus fiber I'm more in the 25-30 range. It's an interesting experiment anyway. Eating enough is surprisingly hard. There's only so much oil and avocado you want. Kudos to you for doing what you need to for your health.

[Guest]

Ah! Total carbs is a different animal - definitely up your salt and trace mineral intake. Like I said, a salted avocado or some salted Brazil nuts can help SO much!