Very new, very frustrated page

[gofigerr]

Hi, new here. I'm here not because I've been told I can't have dairy, sugar, alcohol and I'm hypoglycemic. I also am finding that I bloat very quickly after eating any grains. So now I'm at the point after years of wine, beer, bread, cheese, mochas and spaghetti, wondering how I'm going to do this! The biggest problem that I have is that when I try to limit grains I get very very weak, tired, brain fog. Like a person who's just had a stroke! I need to learn the right way to do it. I also don't have any one to do it with. I'm 42, female, 5'3" 117lbs. So this is not about weight loss for me.

[afsjesse]

Welcome!!! The transition from the Standard American Diet (SAD) is really hard for people like us who have been eating grains for years. You are going to experience what is called "carb flu", this will entail headaches, drowsiness, irritation, etc.... lenth of duration depends from person to person. Mine was about 2 weeks long, now I feel great. I think you should go slow in your transition. First, cut out all of the processed, sugary stuff that you eat. Replace grains with quinoa, a seed that acts like a grain, into your main meals. Going full throtle on day 1 is not always the best way to go about this. Take it day by day and eventually you will get there.

If you need support, we're all here for rooting for you!

Good luck,

Jesse

[Griff]

It's because you are currently addicted to carbohydrates. That may sound strong, but I promise you that it's going to pass. You just have to wait it out while your body detoxes and breaks the addiction. Look up "carb flu" on this site - it's normal and almost everyone here has gone through it.

The right way to do it is to wait it out, and eat lots of fat to train your body into making the switch.

[Grizz]

GoGigger,

You are never alone with this message board at your fingertips. You are doing it with all of us. So cheer up, sweetness!



Here is what Mark says about the "Low Carb Flu."

Nonetheless, for some folks, there’s a common, temporary but still bothersome bump in the road on the way to that Primal prize. Though it varies, it often means a couple weeks of mental fuzziness, fog and fatigue. Although your body might be off to the races, your brain can lag behind like a little brother in a stuffed snowsuit. It’s a game of “hey, wait up!” while the body’s mechanisms and metabolism align themselves. They call it “low carb flu,” and rest assured it’s just as temporary. There is a PRIZE at the end of this flu... a whole constellation of rewards, not the least of which is a steady, brisk energy unlike most people have known before (well, maybe since the whirling age of 10 or so…). People tell me constantly that they can finally make it through the day without being down for the count every midafternoon. They enjoy enough vigor and vitality to weather a whole day’s worth of activity.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/low-carb-flu/

Best of luck to you,
Grizz

[Shrinking_Violet]

Gofigger, you just have to give it time. For most of my life I ate a lot of grain based foods. Each time I tried any kind of "low-carb" approach, I would feel very crappy at first, but you do feel much better after you adjust. Do you find that you soon become sleepy, lethargic after a meal? Something you might try is an approach known as "Intermitent Fasting". Simply put, don't eat anything all day....wait till late in the evening when you are ready to relax. I eat once a day, late in the evening. I have found that I feel much better than I did in the typical "3 squares a day" mode. Also, you never feel hungry until its just about time to eat. I have done this for years and I will never go back.

I'm still lurking here, and I would just like to counsel the OP that it is a VERY bad - no make that EXTREMELY bad - idea to begin practising IF when you've only just quit the carbs - your body is already going through enough stress just attempting to deal with the fact you're not eating carbs anymore - DON'T give it any more to cope with by not eating!

Please, Codeguy, STOP!!! This isn't the first time you've recommended this to a newbie - and I would venture to suggest it's the number one thing NOT to do when you're just starting out.

To the OP, search for NaiadKnight's 'Primal Eating for Newbies' thread. She goes into it in very great detail and is very thorough - JUST DON'T FAST!!!

I cannot type any more as typing this has exhausted me.

[Grizz]

Codeguy,

Sorry but I have to agree with Violet. Gofigerr is having enough of a problem adjusting to the "Low Carb Flu" without intermittent fasting, too.

The fasting thing comes later IF indeed she wants to lose weight. In fact, she does not want to lose weight. Remember she said THIS:

I'm 42, female, 5'3" 117lbs. So this is not about weight loss for me.

Best of health to all,
Grizz

[Griff]

Yes, I'm sure your usual nasty rebuttal has strained your limited intellect to its limits.......

Codeguy, that was absolutely uncalled for.

[queen_sheba]

+1 S_V

don't attempt IF until you are sorted with the diet, the carb flu has gone and you are in the swing of eating well and burning fat as a fuel.

you have to be keto-adapted to IF. This means your body has to be ready to make the switch from burning fat to burning ketones.

Look it up on the forum before you even think about doing it! it is not the be all and end all answer...although there are non-weight loss benefits to IF. It kinda comes down to eating when you are hungry......

i'd say at least 2 months in before thinking of IF'ing and you have to be sure you are burning fat as your primary source....

otherwise, just stick at it - it may take 6-8 weeks for your body to heal and then start adapting. Whatever happens between now and then...just keep an eye on - but don't panic!

just enjoy eating real, healthy foods!

[Webby]

Actually for once S_V is right. Don't get tied up in those sort of things yet. IFing is not to be recommended at this stage.

I've had the whole hypoglycemic thing as well as part of my fibromyalgia. I know exactly how you feel and how hard it is to make the shift. Its really hard taking away those props that get you through the day- even though you know how horrible the crash is when it happens.

Its taken me a year to get to this point- had I found Primal earlier might have got there quicker- but better late than never! I never thought I was going to manage it, and have fallen off the wagon quite a few times.

Focus on creating yourself a decent menu plan and have lots of primal food in the house- get a decent protein and fat rich breakfast in you for starters. Don't go for the fruit option or the smoothie option in the morning. Go easy on the fruit for the time being, but load up on the veggies for your vitamins.

I tend to have my starchy carbs at the end of the day now-at least if I over-indulge and I 'crash' its near bedtime! I am very sensitive to the carbs.

Can you pare down the rest of your life so that you can deal with the effects of the adjustments? Take time out and pretend you are on a 'retreat'-don't take on any social engagements, or do extra exercise. If you need a nap in the afternoon, have you got time to take it? Can you avoid big projects at work? Just make life as simple as possible and treat this as time out for you.

A book I have for fibromyalgia recommends something called the hypoglycemia diet- very similar to primal. In that it says it will take about two months for your hormones to stabilise. That's not to say you will have carb flu for two months, but you need to just be kind to yourself during this period of adjustment.

I also found that giving up things like caffiene helped- so you aren't replacing one energy fix for another.

Twelve months ago I was in the HOLE. And didn't think I had the energy to make the changes, but I did!

You can do this!

[afsjesse]

I like codeguy, but I must conquer with the others in that IF'ing is not something you want to do when just starting on PB. When you begin your body needs FAT (see Griff) and nutrients from lots of vegetables and lots of protein. Depriving your body of any of these things for prolonged periods of time would be like abstaining from water when already dehydrated.

Eat and be merry!