Is this a typical reaction on a low-carb plan ?
 

I've been low-carbing for almost 2 months. In the bad old days of high carbs I used to get raveneously hungry around 4-5 pm. Apart from the hunger pangs, I was fine though.

However lately, instead of getting hungry I get this huge HUGE energy down. I feel like a car that has just run out of gaz. The other day I was about a mile from home and literally felt so worn out, I didn't think I could walk back home before re-fueling. Looking for something quick to eat I found a store that carried atkins bar (well it was an emergency). Ate that and washed it down with a bottle of water and felt ok.

Everyone says Low-carbing gives you more energy. It seems the reverse to me. Am I doing something wrong ? Are there supplements I should be taking ? Any opinions out here ?

Just wondering....are your muscles feeling tired and achy too? If you're not taking any supplements at all, the couple that I would recommend to everyone are a good all-purpose multivitamin, potassium and a calcium/magnesium supplement. If I remember correctly, those Atkins bars have a good bit of potassium in them and if you felt better after eating one, that could be what you're low on.

no, not achy at all, it's hard to describe, just feel totally out of juice. Every step becomes an effort. But it's not a muscular thing, it's an overall energy thing.

Felt the same way today and had a bit of cheese and a small glass of V8. Sat down for a space and felt better.

I read about the potassium earlier when I searched for this. I have already switched to half salt a few weeks ago, but I am not taking a supplement for that.

Calories?
 

It could be you aren't eating enough. I had the same problem, I ran out of gas while shopping one time. I was advices to add more calories to my diet and it worked. Are you eating 8-10 times your weight in calories? It helped me.

I'm eating lots. More than ever. I'm thinking maybe that I should eat more frequently. Of course that brings up the problem of what to snack on. My usual snacks are known stall triggers so I don't want to up up that quantity too much. And meaty snack......ick.... I eat so much meat now, I don't want more .... hmmmm. Funny the thought of eating more is totally not appealing. Maybe I'll just keep some lowcarb bars in my purse for "emergencies".

How did it feel running out of gaz for you. Just like I described ?

I get that feeling alot too. I never really got the "full of energy" boost like some people do. It's like all of a sudden you're really fatigued and wanna pass out. Did you try upping your carb intake? Because usually if I eat something like a low carb bar or a lowcarb/protein shake (which is a better choice since it can't stall you) I get a slight energy boost...and the same if I just eat more carbs that day. Might work for you too since the atkins bar seemed to help. Eating every couple of hours seems to help too. And like instead of looking for "snacks" did you try just eating a little at a time? Like if you have bacon for breakfast, eat half and then maybe eat the rest a few hours later? :spin:

Yes Slim that's exactly it --- that feeling. And for lack of something better, I've been having a lowcarb bar. Snaps me right out of it. They are expensive and controversial however. You're right though. Maybe a little carb snack in the afternoon would help. Assuming I can find something decent. Maybe an apple... or a low carb shake... hmmmm.

Yes I was thinking to split my meals into several smaller ones, but that might be a bit difficult since I almost always eat out for lunch. As for breakfast I usually have a carb breakfast (whole-wheat toast) and I want to get that part done early in the morning so my insulin level isn't elevated later when I start eating protein/fat.

elusive energy boost
 

I did not get that for ages. Kept reading how everyone else did, but i was just TATT (tired all the time).
But I did get it in the end, when I simultaneously gave up dairy and started taking alpha-lipoic acid. I have since eaten cream and cheese and should probably cut down (it's just that cheese is such a handy convenience food) so I think it's the ALA that was significant.
Read all about it

http://www.supplementwatch.com/supa...supplementId=15

and see what you think. The article says it's harmless so you could try taking it and seeing if it makes a difference.
Zan

Ah that's a good tip Ezandreth, I'll try to hunt down that supplement. That's a challenge in itself. Unsual supplements are rare and soooooooooooo expensive here. Yesterday, I found some Q10 supplements for 30$ ! and that's like a one month supply. If I bought all the supplements I wanted it would probably cost me like 70$ a month.

I need to find a good Canadian online supplier.