Is my honeymoon over? page

[primalswan]

I started PB in early March. I was sailing along feeling great, the fat was melting off. Then the loss slowed and I started having heart palpitations and I played with my macros and realized that staying under 50carbs a day was the cause. I upped them to closer to the 100g a day range depending on activity and the palpitations stopped and I was sleeping better. Since doing that I go weeks without dropping an ounce, even fluctuate up a bit then back down. Last month I suddenly dropped a few lbs after not losing for about 3 weeks, and was satisfied with this new pattern since I felt like I was content with my eating. Well the last 2 weeks or so I am suddenly hungry all day long. I had not been tracking consistently so I decided to eat normally for a few days and track. I was eating almost 2000cals a day, one day I was at 2200! Back in the beginning I was consistently falling around 1500-1600 and not hungry in between meals at all. I cannot go VLC again because the heart palpitations were making me insane. It must be a symptom of ketosis for me. I stayed under 50g the last 2 days and they are starting again. Obviously I am eating my maintenance calories, which isn't the end of the world but I would like to see some more fat loss in the lower abdomen and thighs. If I just stick with eating PB and continue to exercise (currently I am doing boot camp 2X week, walking or hiking 2-3hours a week, lift once a week and I take a challenging yoga/pilates class once/week) should I dial calories back or will the results happen eventually? I am MUCH more active than I was in the beginning so I am guessing the activity level + higher carbs is what is driving my hunger.

[RitaRose]

As long as the qaulity of food is there, I don't think 2000 calories is a ridiculous amount for an active person. I was eating 2200-2300 or somewhere around there back when I first started because my job has me very active, and I was losing weight.

I'm not saying you absolutely should be eating that much, just that I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Ernie]

As long as the qaulity of food is there, I don't think 2000 calories is a ridiculous amount for an active person. I was eating 2200-2300 or somewhere around there back when I first started because my job has me very active, and I was losing weight.

I'm not saying you absolutely should be eating that much, just that I wouldn't worry about it too much.

When I started going paleo I also got heart palpitations and it turned out they were caused by eating a ton of bell peppers. It seems that bell peppers are in the night shade family (from which digitali, a heart medication is made). So if you are chowing on members of the night shade family, you may want to cut them out for a while and see if that helps with the palpitations.

[sbhikes]

I will get a heart palpitation-like feeling if I overdo it on meat protein, even if my carbs are in the 100g range.

[JBailey]

Interesting!
So that's what happened to me. I was in ketosis for a long stretch, very low carbs, lots of protein, and lots of heart palpitations. I think I have a better balance of macros now, and between 70-100g carbs. No real issues anymore.

[primalswan]

that is interesting. I generally consume very close to 1g/lb of lean body weight (around 100g) of protein a day without trying. It is the carbs/fat that I have to work to balance out. As long as I keep my carbs higher the palpitations stay at bay. It is kind of a bummer because I feel more energetic and more in control of my sugar cravings at lower carbs. I am just not willing to put my body through it. Obviously something is not working correctly when you are having palpitations all day long.

[codered5]

Yeah it might be a blood sugar thing at that low of a carb level that is causing the heart palps. Do you also drink caffeine? That could cause them as well, especially with VLC, which is already stressful on most peoples' bodies and then adding in the jolt of caffeine can sometimes trigger something.

[emmie]

I regularly eat no more than 20g carbs a day and have never, ever sufferered from heart palpitations. I'm very aware to watch out for them because they are a sign that my thryoid Rx are too high.

However, for someone new to low carb, a lot of watch is flushed from the system, and the heart palps could be from low potassium OR low BP. In either case, I'd advise trying a sports drink every morning (I've used Powerade Zero, although my primary doctor advises Pedialyte). It helps with electrolyte balance which helps the body stay hydrated.

[RitaRose]

I was thinking about a mineral imbalance too.

Coconut water is a really great Primal source of electrolytes.

[primalswan]

I did try supplementing with magnesium and potassium and salting my food with no luck. I get VERY thirsty in ketosis and drink a ton but I wonder if it works against me in some ways by throwing things out of whack. I might just try going VLC again and do the sports drink though and see if that helps. I do drink coconut water and it never helped, though it is all my husband uses for rehydration after endurance training. I just want to feel in control again, the craving are mentally exhausting.