Getting started... page

[Chicagorunner]

Hi everyone!

I've been dabbling in research about Paleo for about a month or two now, browsing forums, and getting informed about things. I'm getting married this summer and am interested in Paleo because of many friends that have successfully transformed the way they eat, look, and feel! It's been tough for me to go full-force...I think I have a pretty bad sugar addiction that I'm going to have to try to beat. Any words of motivation or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for welcoming a newbie on board!

[smalot]

Hi I am the worst sugar addict you could ever come across. I used to eat a whole packets of allen lollies, normally in less than 5 minutes. I decided to write a daily blog - good or bad. I just went cold turkey, didn't really expect much from paleo but wow the results are amazing.

In 24 day I have lost 3.6kg, energy every day and my asthma is pretty much gone. All done with no exercise and just eating well.

Hope this help, just do it

[notlupus]

Sugar is definitely the hardest part to give up (and cheese) for me. I've slowly reduced my sugar intake, and my doctor was amazing and gave me a rx for nystatin (antifungal) which has helped a lot with the sugar cravings for me. You probably don't need anything that extreme, but some good probiotics and an anti-yeast supplement (there are lots of options, a couple are olive leaf extract and neem I think) certainly can't hurt if you think it might have something to do with yeast.

[Hedonist2]

So, ditching sugar cold turkey works best for some people, gradual reduction for others. Remember that one size does not fit all here. Experiment.

[Annieh]

Welcome.
You've seen your role models, done your research, now dive in and give it a go. I don't think you'll regret it.

[Chicagorunner]

Thanks everyone. I think one problem I may have is that I have grown accustomed to fake sugars, thinking they were "better" for me than the real thing. Splenda, crystal light, etc. Now I'm worried that my sense of what real sweetness is is skewed because of years of being used to the taste of fake sugars! Any advice on this? Should I expect a period of time where my body goes through withdrawal and I have to just fight it?

[magicmerl]

I personally don't ever eat any fake sugars.

And now that I've established a new baseline of healthy for myself, if I *really* want something sweet that's not a piece of fruit or very dark chocolate, then using a small amount of sugar is fine.

Yes, there is typically a thing called the 'carb flu' when your body has to adjust to having less carbs. 2-3 weeks seems to be the norm, although some people don't seem to have it at all.

[Cryptocode]

Thanks everyone. I think one problem I may have is that I have grown accustomed to fake sugars, thinking they were "better" for me than the real thing. Splenda, crystal light, etc. Now I'm worried that my sense of what real sweetness is is skewed because of years of being used to the taste of fake sugars! Any advice on this? Should I expect a period of time where my body goes through withdrawal and I have to just fight it?

I agree that your sense of really sweetness is probably skewed, mine was and may still be. It takes time to change these things. Welcome to our community, I hope you have great success.

If you go cold turkey, expect a 1-2 week 'carb flu'. That may or may not be followed by various symptoms and problems we'll all discuss as you present them. Best of Luck.

[Annlee]

The "carb flu" is helped for many people by taking care of their electrolytes - a cup (or maybe two) of broth per day is a big help. High carb tends to store water in the tissue with the glycogen. When you draw that down, and the water flushes, you no longer need so much sodium (to retain the water, since quite a bit is normally bound in the tissue with the glycogen) ... and to maintain sodium-potassium balance, the body then sheds potassium.

Since you're a runner, if you want to be seriously low carb, I can't recommend Phinney & Volek's 2 books, especially the performance one, highly enough. If all you want is to ditch the "sweets" - limit fruit, eat plenty of veg, and avoid starches until you manage the transition.

Above all - you are not exactly like any of us. Our experiences will inform you, but your experiences will define you. The latter are much more important.

[Hedonist2]

Some of us use Stevia for sweetness. Per Mark, it is fine to use. I only use a bit to take the edge off really sour or bitter things.

For endurance running, you can use some clean sugar (e.g. gels and blocks), although the longer you are on primal, the less you will need those.