So tired and heart pounds like crazy...is this normal?
 

Hi everybody,

I have become increasingly tired over the past week, and I've been doing what I always do sleepwise. Sometimes I walk down the street, and my leg muscles are not cramping but feel extremely tired (not weak). My heart pounds like crazy after going up the same set of stairs I've been climbing for almost 3 years now on my way to work. I have to stop and take a breather!!

I feel heavy in my chest, and have been feeling short of breath sometimes. Is this a ketosis effect? I have lost some pounds and inches, but lately, I'm not feeling "normal". I'm still on induction, started on 4/18/04.

My plan is to go check it out with the doctor but I am wondering if anyone here has clues about the physical "effects" of being on induction for longer than 2 weeks. I hate to say this, but I "feel" as if my chest has got a lead weight on it, even when I'm resting.

I'd appreciate any feedback on this - I'm a little worried.

Miss: Sometimes induction can make us feel uncomfortable as our bodies make the changes and we adjust to eating a completely different way. But I have never heard of chest pain or heart pounding associated with induction in anyway. I would definitely call my doctor and get this checked out. It just doesn't fit into the normal effects of induction.

Good luck and feel better

Orchid

Thanks Orchidday. Honestly, it started about a week or so into induction, and when I started taking supplements, it got a little better.... until now, its way more pronounced and uncomfortable.

I've never had a heart condition or problem suggesting one, so I feel about 90% sure that this has something to do with my diet. I'm pretty strict about this induction phase too.

You know, hearing all the crap that people talk about Atkins and lack of carbs being bad for you is total BS to me. But it doesn't help me to discuss it with anyone when I say, "I'm doing Atkins", and right away they jump to conclusions. Aaaand it does make me wonder.

I just thought I'd put my fears out there and see if there was any commonality amongst my low-carbing peers.

I'm going to the doc after this holiday weekend is over. I so pray that its just tiredness for some minor reasons. The last thing I need is a heart problem, I'm a single parent with one income! Jeez.

I'm staying on induction too until I know for sure.

Miss B

As a matter of fact, staying at Induction levels is the LAST thing you need to do.

Some of these feelings may be a sign that you need more carbs so eat extra veggies from the Induction List.

Be sure you are getting enough calories too.

I sometimes get things that feel like this as well. The muscle "tiredness" can happen because there isn't a lot of glycogen in there. Glycogen is manufactured from carbs. Now that the body has changed its fuel source to fat, it takes a while to adjust.

If you should notice any real weakness, swelling of ankles, then you SHOULD seek IMMEDIATE medical help. But I bet that increasing the carbs will help them and NOT make you lose more slowly. After all, you won't stick with something that makes you feel sick, weak and tired.

Your liver will make as much glucose as your body needs from protein, as long as you're consuming adequate amounts and not going for long stretches between protein-containing meals. So technically, carbs aren't an issue.

The symptoms you describe could have any number of causes, most of them benign, but there's a possibility might be something more serious going on ... so yes, definitely see your doctor to have things checked out.

First thing I thought of when I read your post was dehydration .. which could aggravate low blood pressure. I sneaked a peek at your journal, and it's not really clear if you're drinking adequate amounts of water on a regular basis? Ketosis has a strong diuretic effect, so you need to drink lots of water to replace the added losses. If you drink tea and/or coffee (including decaf) those only increase the diuretic effect, so you need to drink extra water to compensate. Otherwise your menus look ok, for Induction level. BTW, have you checked your blood pressure lately?? Perhaps if you're near a pharmacy that has a free blood pressure machine, you could check it a couple of times .. say half an hour apart, and especially when you're having the symptoms you described. This would also be helpful information for your doctor when you see her (him).

Besides fluid loss, the diuresis can also cause increased excretion of important minerals ... notably potassium and magnesium. Low levels of both can lead to the fatigue, muscle weakness and palpitations that you describe. You can read more about the important roles of potassium and magnesium in this post, and suggested dosage. Hopefully your doctor will check your blood levels of these minerals (called electrolytes) as part of your check-up.

Keep us posted how you're doing!! :rose:


note - :exclm: Persons who take heart medications, diuretics or other meds for blood pressure should not take supplemental potassium or magnesium without first consulting their doctor or pharmacist.


Doreen

Hi and thank you wholeheartedly for your replies.

I think now that I read your last couple of replies, DoreenT and tofi, that it may be a combination of things.

I realized that I actually had slowed down on the water consumption.
I also wasn't feeling very hungry, so I went for longer stretches between mostly protein meals (and allowed limited carbs) and on those days I looked back and realized was when I felt the worst.
I had very little carb intake in the form of veggies, only b/c I was tired of eating the same things and a few times replace a meal or two with a protein bar.
I recently changed my morning routines which also ate up the time where I pack my supplements for the day. I missed my supplements for a number of days, off and on. When I first started induction, until I started taking my supplements, I felt AWFUL.

I guess I got lazy... and I totally went off my whole WOE this Sat. and today. BD parties and barbecues, so I had 1 slice of blueberry pie and 1 piece of chocolate cake. ARG. But I feel pretty OK. :D

Thanks so much again, it helped me put these pieces together. I'll still get checked out, you can never be too safe. I'm at a stall anyway on induction.. I haven't lost in over a week. I guess this is going to take a lot longer to adjust to doing.

Miss B

I think you really really need to increase your vegetable intake. Try to eat some green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, and other vegetables from the approved list. Atkins is not a "no carb" diet. You just need to choose the good carbs and avoid all the bad carbs (and take it easy on the carbs that are in between).

You will probably have a much better chance of sticking with the plan if you have a balanced approach. It really takes quite a bit of the good carb vegetables to go over the total carb limits. Staying on induction too long isn't generally recommended since it increases the chance that you will drop out of the program. Gradually add back in the carbs.

Also, do go see the doctor to rule out some other cause.

Thanks rip, but I am pretty read up on what the guidelines are , what good and bad carbs are and what a meal should consist of on Atkins, during induction. Induction, according to DANDR can be done as long as 6 months. I think if I've stuck with it this long its because its working and I have an ambitious goal.

I don't snack on mostly carb or refined-carb meals.. I do have the allowed foods on Atkins. I'd be a fool to be defeating myself on here. My concern was with the way I'm feeling, not the way I'm following the diet.

Thanks for the advice, but I see you're doing South Beach, so you might have a different outlook on the Atkins WOE. It is very specific.

- MissB

locarb/ketosis
 

I didn't feel real great during induction phase either.
Maybe one of my problems was refusing to glug down
8 glasses of water a day.I only stayed in induction for 4 weeks.
I consume an average of 70 grams a day of healthy
carbs(anything that has no sugar,white flour and has fiber)
and still lose a couple of pounds a week

I felt crappy the first few days in induction, then I felt fine. But I had a real struggle with the fat thing. It wasn't until I started SLATHERING everything in the stuff that I really felt well, and started losing weight.

Fats and water have to be high for this to work well and for you to feel good.

Good luck!

- Built

MOst Definitely!! Thanks for the feedback Built.

MissB

MissBehave, I don't know, dunno too much about you and what else might be going on for you, but those symptoms could be from a lot of things, maybe diet, maybe not. didja make that doctor's appointment? I would, if it were me, and I'd try to get in sooner rather than later, too.

(I, personally, have experienced extreme exhaustion from anemia, and rapid heartbeat from a too-high dose of thyroid hormone - just two non-diet possibilities)

good luck, hope you feel better!

Hey Vicki... thanks for the reply. Actually I think these folks were right on... as soon as I increased my water intake to the level it needed to be, and went back to my supplements (thanks for the nudge DoreenT), things improved drastically.

One more thing.. I added more fats by Built's suggestion, since I realized I was having this battle in my head unwittingly about "diet" and what that means, and lO and BeHold... I have gone down at least one more size... that makes 2.5 sizes since April 18th altogether. I was a 18W-20W and/or a 2x/3x.. XXL Now I am fitting into L, XL, regular 16's and 18's depending on the cut. It really worked!!!

I really appreciate all your responses though, I feel like this is the onLY place people understand!!! Thanks :)

Isn't the fats thing NUTS? But it just works so well! I'm glad you've enjoyed the same success with increasing your fats as, well, most people on Atkins have come to think of it. It was just such a weird idea to wrap my head around after years of "fat is bad" propaganda.

Good work!

Hi MissB, I have been having similar problems. I started a new exercise program almost 3 weeks ago. In the past week I am feeling really tired, and cardio which used to feel easy (30 min on the elliptical machine) is now causing heart palpitations. Also I have an irregular heartbeat which used to bother me a lot, but it stopped when I gave up sugar and caffeine two years ago. But it has come back in the past week.

I am eating about 50-60 net carbs a day (mainly from fruit, vegetables, and a small bowl of oatmeal each day), lots of protein, and lots of water. Making an effort to get enough sleep but still feel really tired. I am lifting weights three times a week and doing cardio 5 times a week. I would hate to cut back on the cardio, it makes me feel really good to do it, but I'm concerned about my heart beating so fast.

I'm not taking supplements, but I read Doreen's post about potassium & magnesium and according to Fitday I'm getting more than enough potassium & almost enough magnesium.

I would really appreciate some advice on whether I need to be worried about this, do I need to cut back on exercise or change my diet in some way. Here's a link to my public Fitday, (though I sometimes forget to fill out the whole day):
http://fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJour...l?Owner=ovenall