Low-carb flu...second round? page

[tanyayogi]

I started goin Primal in early April and had the low-carb flu and intense sugar/bready cravings for a week or so. Then they kind of went away and I was doing really well. Two weeks ago I really fell off the wagon b/c of stress/exams/my own lack of willpower/energy. I've been eating like 50% Primal maybe and have had usually at least one REALLY non-primal high-carb thing per day (e.g. popcorn, French toast, key lime pie, cake, etc.)

Today was my first sort of 80% Primal day, under 100g carbs in a while. All of a sudden, it's 6:30 pm and although I'm perfectly full from a decent day (2 almond pancakes w/ some honey, chicken curry, lemonade with a bit of sweetener, 2 oz blueberries, 3 sq 85% dark chocolate, 4 scrambled eggs, some strawberries, cream, a tiny bit of honey) and did 1 hour of speed-walking (that's my normal walking-and-doing-errands pace), right now all I want is another almond pancake or an almond-coconut flour muffin with Lindt chocolate chunks...

Is because I had too much sugar today even though it was more Primal than usual? Or does the low-carb flu revisit you if you go back to crappy carbs for a week or two? Mind you I wasn't eating like pasta every day or McDonalds, but definitely not Primal either.

[Stabby]

It appears the be like that. Low carb (below 100g a day) seems to be either a yes/no thing for most people. They go off it and feel a little weird until they adapt but when they try to go back to it they get the same thing as they did when they started All extreme macronutrient restriction seems to be like that.

If you plan on eating sugary stuff frequently maybe it is best to make use of the upper limit of primal carb intake, like 150g a day and get in a good rhythm with that so that you have more metabolic flexibility. Just a simple observation leads me to believe that low carb + you + stressors = An inability to cope well. Well...? Isn't that a problem? Would it be better with more primal carbs?

[tanyayogi]

It appears the be like that. Low carb (below 100g a day) seems to be either a yes/no thing for most people. They go off it and feel a little weird until they adapt but when they try to go back to it they get the same thing as they did when they started All extreme macronutrient restriction seems to be like that.

If you plan on eating sugary stuff frequently maybe it is best to make use of the upper limit of primal carb intake, like 150g a day and get in a good rhythm with that so that you have more metabolic flexibility. Just a simple observation leads me to believe that low carb + you + stressors = An inability to cope well. Well...? Isn't that a problem? Would it be better with more primal carbs?

I don't plan on eating sugary stuff frequently...I just have a crazy month ahead...prom, graduation, Uruguay, Peru, New York.
Yes I do have an inability to cope well for sure and I do need to eat more Primal carbs rather than key lime pie/cheesecake, etc.

[Pitter]

oh yes, carb flu recurs every time I have to readapt. It's never been as bad as the first time around. Also seems to be in proportion to how badly I've fallen off the wagon, which makes sense.

[RitaRose]

Good to know. After all of the prepping to sneak primal food into the movies today, I caved and had a burger with the bun at Fuddrucker's afterward. Honestly? Even though the iced tea pot at the movies said Unsweetened, I think it had some sweetener in it. BF said he couldn't tell, and I thought maybe I was just overly sensitive to sweet after not having any for a while. But I'm thinking it was mislabeled now. Then the bun after...

sigh

I had been SO very good for 2 whole weeks, and now my pants are tighter than they were even this morning. Definitely got some bloating going on. But that was my only slip, so I'm actually glad something not-so-great happened after.

[croí]

I would like to piggy back on this question please. I'm going through the carb flu again as well. I fell off the wagon, and am now doing the Whole30 for the month of June. I understand the carb flu fogs your brain, makes you weak, and actually yesterday it felt like my head wanted to vomit eventhough my stomach was ok (if that makes sense)? So, my piggy back question with a reoccuring carb flu... Do you also go through a "cleansing" cycle as well? Not to go TMI on you, but the bathroom is starting to be my new BFF.

[croí]

bump

[Edje Noh]

That sounds like a lot of sugar in one day. Eat more fat. How do you make almond pancakes btw?