3 weeks in and loving it...mostly... page

[Oceanside]

Hi to all....

I'm Monica from the "middle of nowhere" Texas...100 miles from any major city. I am 3 weeks in and I am down 7 lbs. I have really noticed the change in how my body feels and the energy I have. I decided to go Paleo just to feel better...but I could stand to loose a bit too. Living where I do does make it hard when it come to shopping for food. I have an abundance of fresh veggies...which I love, and weekly trips into Houston or San Antonio for grocery shopping are really looked forward to!

I have been having slight headaches in the morning...this is the only drawback so far. Can't decide if they are pale related or not....

I have completely deleted dairy, with the exception of butter, all bread, pasta, rice, beans, sugar and caffeine from my diet. Since I have been easing in, I have been going a little heavier on fruits than maybe I should...but have them mostly in the morning and have the veggies for lunch, dinner and snacks.

I love all of the recipes that are available online and so far my kiddos are liking them too!

I am excited about changing my families way of eating!

[JudyCr]

Welcome Monica!! This is a great place to learn and share ideas.
Headaches could come from no caffeine, which I can't give up..
I got a few headaches giving up sugar and grains, that will pass.
Mark's book is so great, explains everything so well..
Also, IT STARTS WITH FOOD is wonderful and easy, I love them both.

[palebluedots]

Caffeine headaches can be the worst. It usually takes about 3 days for caffeine headaches to go away for me. I can never give it up for long though, as I'm a green tea snob. :-)

[Oceanside]

Thanks! I'm afraid to read his book...it sounds really technical and I'm afraid I may just loose interest. If it's not laid out in plain black and white it becomes tedious to read...thus, I am not a reader. I do find these forums a great source for information and input on being paleo.

[katiepotato]

Mark's book is not tedious to read at all. Yes, there are some "here comes the science" moments, but even during those his style is very readable. It helped me get my head around the principles that other posters talk about and feel more confident that I'm making the right "primal" decisions. I would recommend giving it a go.

[Lewis]

Hi to all....

I'm Monica from the "middle of nowhere" Texas...100 miles from any major city. I am 3 weeks in and I am down 7 lbs. I have really noticed the change in how my body feels and the energy I have.

Great!

I have been having slight headaches in the morning...this is the only drawback so far. Can't decide if they are pale related or not....

It could be a result of cutting out caffeine, as has been said.

I guess the other possibility is that it's electrolyte-imbalance:

... the most common symptoms experienced by those getting started on low-carb diets are fatigue, headaches, light-headedness or dizziness, and cramping. I would say these four symptoms probably comprise 98 percent of the complaints we get from our patients we put on low-carb diets ...

The most common cause of virtually all the symptoms listed above is an imbalance in electrolytes. Following a low-carb diet results in a rapid lowering of insulin levels, which – though a good thing – can create problems in the early days. We’ll address the electrolytes in the order of importance. ...

If you ever get a touch of postural hypotension -- sudden dizziness on standing -- then that's the cause. I've actually fallen -- headlong flat on my face myself, before I knew what the cause was.

It would be best to make sure you use a little salt -- a broad-spectrum unrefined seasalt or rocksalt preferably -- and stay hydrated, specially as you live where there's a hot climate. Obviously too much salt -- and too much water for the matter of that -- isn't a good thing. But you need sufficient. A cup of homemade broth is a good way to get electrolytes, too.

You might think about taking a magnesium supplement, as most of us don't get enough, since it's depleted in soil, owing to modern farming methods. More on electrolytes where I got the quote above:

The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. » Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt II

[Oceanside]

Thank you Lewis. I'm thinking the electrolyte imbalance might be it. I haven't had caffeine for 3 weeks, and in the past, I have stopped caffeine and the headaches only remained for 2-3 days. It is extremely hot here in Texas. I have cut back on my salt intake...I bet that's it!

And thanks katiepotato...your "mini-review" was great....think I'll order Mark's book!

[Sandra in BC]

Thanks! I'm afraid to read his book...it sounds really technical and I'm afraid I may just loose interest. If it's not laid out in plain black and white it becomes tedious to read...thus, I am not a reader. I do find these forums a great source for information and input on being paleo.

It's the most readable paleo/primal book I've read so far.