For those who struggled going Primal page

[judoka]

I need your advice. My wife has recently decided to give it a red hot go. I've been primal for a long time now, but I was already fairly healthy and low carb to begin with, so I didn't get any "carb flu" or other adverse effects. My wife on the other hand is coming to primal after a long period of a very high carb diet with a crap tonne of sugar in the form of chocolate/ice cream/baked goods. I want to support her the best way I can, and the best way to start is knowing what to expect. She's been primal for about a week now and already gotten a couple of headaches (although I'm not sure if that is due to a really bad toothache she has right now or the diet) and she is crabby here and there too.

What else can I expect from her? Believe it or not she gave me her debit card and all her cash so I'm the one doing the shopping and she doesn't have access to any of the bad stuff. Is there a certain time when it suddenly gets easier, or on the flipside is there a time when she will just want sugar so bad that world war 3 will happen? Any advice would be great guys.

[Diana Renata]

She doesn't have to go low carb right off the bat. Lots of GOOD carby foods will help her transition. Bananas, sweet potatoes, various root veggies and fruits. It's the harvest season after all. Perfect time for enjoying these seasonal carbs.

[judoka]

Ah, I should have clarified a bit further. She's still eating potato, sweet potato, a bit of rice and that sort of thing, but ditching all the flour based stuff is still a very large drop in carbs. Also, it's spring here in Oz

[badgergirl]

I need your advice. My wife has recently decided to give it a red hot go.

Ha! I knew you were an Aussie

[NZ primal Gwamma]

good luck to your wife. As much as I have tried to get my DH on board, its just not happening.
Your wife could go through a few more fun and games before things settle down. These could include more headaches, really bad cellulite on arms, acne, very moody, bad breath, fatigue, cramps ..... however she may not experience anything other than a few headaches etc....
If you have a wee bit of dark chocolate, nuts and dried fruit on hand for the times when she really needs a sugar fix - these worked well for me. I also found that having a tin of tuna in my handbag, or a boiled egg, or a carrot - helped me get over those really bad craving times, especially when I was out and about.
You will get into your own rhythm and work out what works and what doesn't. All the very very best
G

[magicmerl]

She doesn't have to go low carb right off the bat. Lots of GOOD carby foods will help her transition. Bananas, sweet potatoes, various root veggies and fruits. It's the harvest season after all. Perfect time for enjoying these seasonal carbs.

Exactly. Look to have a 'high carb' primal diet as she transitions. And hammer the fruit and nuts. There's time enough later to make further adjustments, they dont' all have to happen at once.

One of our favourites is refried potatoes (previously boiled, sliced up and fried in Ghee).