I fell off the wagon for an extended weekend and am back on induction for the third day now. These are my symptoms:

Wake up w/ a head ache
Tension headaches all day
craving sweets
gums hurt
tired as hell
can't concentrate
want to sleep


I'm asking this because I was talking w/ another LCer and she said she never gets these symptoms. She said she's pretty level all the time. I'm up and way down most of the time on Atkins.

For Bfast I eat a sausage and egg biscuit- minus the biscuit. I also drink an Atkins shake. For lunch I will eat at Ruby Tuesday's or a similar place that I can LC. For dinner, the same as lunch. I also snack on beef jerky during the day. I drink tons of water and limit one or two diet cokes a day. I also run for 30 minutes.

I am a 28 yr male and weigh right under 200lbs and am 5'11". that's all for now!

Thanks.

I forgot to mention that I am in the car most of the day as I am in sales and it requires me to... tons of stress.

shakes on induction?
no no
first time I tried atkins I had those symptoms
I went off the diet because I thought it was crap
I am back on the diet and do not have any of these symptoms
no idea what it is
stay away from the atkins products for the first two weeks of induction as stated in the book

Sounds like you may just be tired and your body needs some rest. Keep on track with eating, and go to bed early.

Those are classic symptoms of carb withdrawl! AKA low carb flu. Most people experience them to some degree the first few days of induction. Stay lc and they will fade away soon!

thanks for the response. I forgot to mention that i've been on this diet since Jan. Last weekend was the first weekend that I splurged (bachelor party weekend...)

So is Atkins products still off limits for 2 weeks?

Sounds like normal carb detox symptoms experienced during regular induction to me. I have the similar crud to deal with after treat weekends too. Best of luck!

in the NDR book it says not to use any of the atkins products during the first two weeks of induction
many of the products state right on the package not to be used during induction phase

I still get these symptoms weeks on end. Is there a problem? Should I always crash each afternoon? It's during the work days that this happens- Saturdays and Sundays I feel fine.

The main reason I ask this is because this WOE is affecting my job. I have a high stress job and I zone out on conference calls and presentations. It's like I'm a zombie

Could this be hypoglycemia?

As for the shakes, they are up to you as to whether you want to keep them added. You have been on induction since January, thus the 2 weeks are over, and OWL options can be added in at that time. Are you trying to do a strict induction again after your splurge? Then I would say no shakes. Are you continuing where you left off prior to this past weekend? Then I would say go ahead and include them. They can cause stalls and cravings too though, it is a YMMV kind of thing.

As for the crashing in the afternoon.. have you considering opening a free FitDay account? You may not be taking in enough calories for the day and are experiencing blood sugar crashes. The account is useful in spotting problem areas like not getting enough fat etc as well.

Sounds like Carb withdraw.

If you had sugar recently and then cut it completely that would explain the headaches

I know that if I don't eat enough I crash in the middle of the night at work (I work 7pm-7am). Combination of the stress and not eating does it. I get all those symptoms. I'm a nurse, so I know stress.

When I get back on that all happens, except my gums never hurt and I don't wake up with a headache. Around 1pm the headaches start and I want carbs horribly. I'm also VERY sleepy and irritable. When I feel that yucky it is hard to concentrate.

What supplements are you taking? And how much of each? This is classic carb withdrawal. What is your water intake? I bet it's not enough. Stop now the jerky, sodas, shakes and other frankenfood items. Start walking daily even if it's just a 20 minutes walk. Start water drinking at 8-8oz glasses minimum a day - slowly increase up to 10 -12 8oz glasses. Eat 4-6 little meals a day. Bet you're skipping meals or going too long between. Bet your jerky has sugar in it. You have to detox your body out.