Marks Daily Apple

1. 

   hi
   Member

   If the low-carb/Grok diet is the way to eat (which it is), why do so many people so it was absolutely awful because of the lethargy they felt, the mood swings they went through, and the lack of energy they had for exercise?

   Posted 9 months ago #
2. 

   Dollface
   Member

   The lethargy only lasts a short time, your body is switching from glucose burning to fat burning. Some people can take 3-4 weeks to feel optimal energy.

   Here's a good explanation from one of Mark's post:

   After three weeks, the acclimation (we call it “keto-adaptation”) is usually complete and brain cells start to thrive on a mix of ketones and the small amount of glucose produced in the liver via gluconeogenesis in the complete absence of carbohydrates. In fact, much of the brain prefers ketones to glucose when you are in ketosis. It’s a beautiful thing. Energy overall increases, mood stabilizes, you think more clearly, that regular three-hour hunger for carbs disappears, you burn of fat stores, you can skip meals with no noticeable effects, etc

   Posted 9 months ago #
3. 

   prairiegirl
   Member

   This is a timely thread for me. I have been primal 6 weeks now and the last couple I have been highly irritable - quick to temper. Perhaps I'll start a new thread so as not to hijack this one. Great question, though!

   Posted 9 months ago #
4. 

   Tarlach
   Member

   Some people I know, that have started eating paleo get a massive surge of energy after about two weeks. After that energy levels remain higher than pre-paleo.

   Posted 9 months ago #
5. 

   Diana Renata
   Member

   I didn't get cranky so much as I got sort of foggy-brained, but it only lasted a couple days. I have very consistant energy now.

   Posted 9 months ago #
6. 

   musajen
   Member

   I think a lot of the problem might be that people aren't eating enough when they start low carb. This was a problem for me when I first tried low-carb back in my college days. Having the cafeteria to depend on for my feedings made it very difficult to eat enough low-carb food. I wasn't able to eat enough to walk away satisfied at the end of a meal. When I jumped into it this time, I didn't experience any lethargy or crankiness or fogginess. I ate fat and protein with gusto and haven't looked back.

   Posted 9 months ago #
7. 

   deepthought
   Member

   I reacted like DR, after a few weeks of low carb, I got foggy and my wife complained about me beeing "in thoughts", that passed away, and now my general level of energy is quite a bit higer than before, and engery dips are very rare.

   Posted 9 months ago #
8. 

   madMUHHH
   Member

   For most people that dizzyness fill fade away after a few weeks, but I'm not sure whether this is true for everyone:

   However, not everyone functions well in ketosis. They get brain fuzzed, lethargic and just generally feel awful. Even with weeks of being on a ketogenic diet, they never seem to adapt completely. That’s not a good recipe for long-term adherence to a diet or healthy functioning or training.

   Tangentially, I’d note that this seems to be related to inherent levels of insulin sensitivity. Individuals with good insulin sensitivity, who typically run well on carbohydrates, tend to not do well on low-carbohydrate diets. In contrast, individuals with insulin resistance often do far better reducing carbohydrates and that often means going to ketogenic levels.

   Source: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohdyrates-do-you-need.html

   I've been primal for a while now and still suffer some phases of low energy/bad concentration. I've been trying to figure out what exactly the cause for that might be and already expected either my fat or carb intake to be the cause for it. Then I stumbled upon the quoted article and I think it might actually be the cause, since I've also become much more insulin sensitive since I've gone primal.

   But I'm gonna post a own thread for this soon and still am looking for some help at that topic.
   All I wanted to say that super low-carb might not be for everyone if they don't work well while in ketosis, but you have to try at least a few weeks or so to really find out whether that is true.

   Posted 9 months ago #
9. 

   Riceball
   Member

   I've never heard one single case where the person is cranky after they've been on low-carb for over 3 weeks. (some ppl get withdraw symptoms when they first give up sugar/carbs in the first two weeks.)

   however, ppl on high carb OFTEN are. mood swing, low energy level, lower concentration level, etc...

   Posted 9 months ago #
10. 

    prairiegirl
    Member

    Riceball - I would be "one single case" ;) . . . I have been primal 6 weeks and cranky the last couple - totally out of character. I'm currently troubleshooting to see what the issue is. I'm hoping it just resolves itself :P

    Posted 9 months ago #
11. 

    RogerDeRok
    Member

    When I first went primal back in November I didn't experience any of the weird feelings you're describing, but just recently within the last month or so I've noticed some light-headed and dizzy/faint feelings every now and then. Especially if I get up too fast.

    I have a good friend who was a vegetarian and recently started eating meat. She has been complaining about becoming cranky and moody and blames it on the new meat intake.

    Posted 9 months ago #

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