Brain Fog page

[40valves]

Hey all, good morning...

I wanted to reach out to the crowd about something I'm experiencing. I've been Primal/Paleo for 18 days now. It's been successful. As of the 14th day I had lost 6 pounds. So with that, no complaints…

However my energy is for CRAP when I work out. Workouts that I used to be able to do before and experiencing being tired afterwards...have me spent now.

Here's what has me concerned...I get this feeling in the lower back part of my head that feels like a brain fog. It's not all the time and it's not every day, but I'm feeling tired a lot. It comes on intermittently. It's like a slight, dull headache. And I NEVER get headaches...until now.

My carbs have been less than 100 grams each day. I've been eating a lot of vegetables, and fruits...heck I have been enjoying dark chocolate every day so far. I've had chicken, beef, pork, eggs, bacon, nuts...you name it. The variety has been good.

So, will this fade? Is my body still adapting? I will say that the results I am seeing are wonderful. I am already seeing a difference, no bs. However I'd rather have a gut and a lot of energy…like before…as opposed to the opposite.

Let me know what you all think, thanks.

[Danielle5690]

Your body will tell you things if you listen. My opinion is (and always has been, even before primal), if you don't feel good, you need to change something. Try tweaking what, when, how often you eat until you feel better. It could fade, it could be low-carb flu, but it could also be something you need to fix. It's hard to give you any specific advice without knowing more details, but I think self-experimentation is probably the best route here.

For me it was that my breakfast and lunch didn't have enough protein and fat in them. I added just a little of each (like 1 serving of full-fat greek yogurt at breakfast) and now I feel better and have no need to snack. You might need some more starch to fuel your workouts if you're working out pretty hard (like a sweet potato).

It could also be your adjustment to how your body feels. Eating primally fixed my hypoglycemia, which is awesome, but it also means that my hunger cues have changed so drastically that I have a hard time feeling them. I will frequently get that same kind of headache you are describing before I notice that I'm hungry. That's something I have to learn - how to feel my hunger before I get a headache. Maybe it's something like that for you too.

[Erik C.]

How hard do you train? In other words, what is your regiment when you workout?

[terrax]

Eat more startchy carbs- i.e. potatoes/white rice... I always feel like crap and my energy levels are low if I eat under 50grams of carbs a day or if I don't cycle them every so often

[Erik C.]

I cycle once a week, but I crossfit four days a week and train very hard. Its not for everyone, but terrax has a good point! That is why I asked what your training regiment was like.

[40valves]

My workouts are not too tough. One to two times a week I'll have a difficult Kettle Bell routine. Once every other week I'll play hoops for almost two hours. Everything else is easy to moderate. I work out every day, however sometimes it's a short work out - like 15 to 20 minutes. I do yoga for 45 minutes once a week. I walk a few times a week. So my regimine is not bad at all.

I may have pinpointed it though. I had already thought that I need to make some tweaks. Today for example, I was feeling fantastic. No bad feelings at all. Then I took two of the pills out of the packet of 6 pills in Mark's Damage Control...and now I feel kinda crappy. Nearly the same feeling in the head.

I try to break out those 6 pills into 3 servings. Breakfast, Lunch and then at Dinner.

So, I think I will stop taking so many of those pills each day or cut them out entirely. Another thing is I think for my days of tougher workouts I will eat a banana before the workout.

I've been trying, successfully, to stay under 100 grams of carbs a day. Perhaps I should have more, like 100 to 125.

Tweaking I will do.

[Danielle5690]

Sounds like you're probably right. You may have a sensitivity or allergy to something in the supplements. If I were you I would cut them out entirely for several days and see how you feel.

[Grizz]

Hey all, good morning...

I wanted to reach out to the crowd about something I'm experiencing. I've been Primal/Paleo for 18 days now. It's been successful. As of the 14th day I had lost 6 pounds. So with that, no complaints…

However my energy is for CRAP when I work out. Workouts that I used to be able to do before and experiencing being tired afterwards...have me spent now.

Here's what has me concerned...I get this feeling in the lower back part of my head that feels like a brain fog. It's not all the time and it's not every day, but I'm feeling tired a lot. It comes on intermittently. It's like a slight, dull headache. And I NEVER get headaches...until now.

My carbs have been less than 100 grams each day. I've been eating a lot of vegetables, and fruits...heck I have been enjoying dark chocolate every day so far. I've had chicken, beef, pork, eggs, bacon, nuts...you name it. The variety has been good.

So, will this fade? Is my body still adapting? I will say that the results I am seeing are wonderful. I am already seeing a difference, no bs. However I'd rather have a gut and a lot of energy…like before…as opposed to the opposite.

Let me know what you all think, thanks.

There is no question about it. You are suffering from Iodine Deficiency. You need to supplement with 1 mg daily using iodine drops or seaweed supplements, per Dr. Davis. The government RDA of 150 mg/day is a joke. Do a google search of Iodine Deficiency for more.

Grizz

[thaijinx]

I usually wake up with brain fog if I've eaten a restaurant cooked meal the night before. I know that I've made paleo choices with my food selection, and it doesn't contain grains or sugar... so I'm thinking that it must be the oil used in cooking. (I never get it if I cook at home).

Not sure if this relates to you, but if you're eating out a lot it might be worth considering.

Headaches, I got a lot when beginning primal. Completely gone now. I attributed that to carb flu / undereating (I was still grazing, and not eating good, substantial meals at the beginning). I began upping my fat and salt, (both of which I'd read are good fro transitioning) and making more 'meat and potatoes' type meals (instead of grazing and picking at little salads, and snacks) to combat it, and they soon went away.

Haven't had a headache since. So stick with it.

[thaijinx]

You need to supplement with 1 mg daily using iodine drops or seaweed supplements, per Dr. Davis. The government RDA of 150 mg/day is a joke.

Grizz, based on this, do you think we should all supplement, or is upping the daily intake of iodine rich foods a better idea?