Wow today sucked. I seriously could not function at work I was so tired. I came home and crashed on the couch for 4 hours, when I woke up I was completely disoriented. I drank over 100 oz of water today and was thristy every minute.

I take anti-anxiety medication. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but wow today was hell. I ate a cream cheese covered bagel and drank some Dr. Pepper and I feel "normal" again.

I guess the low carb approach isn't for me. I've seen success with people doing the 30/30/40 approach.

No carbs is not for me!

What you were experiencing was carb-withdrawal. It happens to 99% of the people who start low-carbing. Symptons can last for a few hours or a few days. Afterwards, your energy level soars.

The "I've Just Started Low-Carbing and I'm Feeling Lousy" Thread

The shame is that you didn't give yourself a fair chance by actually reading Dr. Atkins before embarking on his plan.

If you decide to go with the 30/30/40 approach, do yourself a huge favour and read the book that goes with the plan. However, there are no plans of this sort that include sugar and white flour which is what you were withdrawing from.

Karen

I just read your journal, to see if you're eating properly, and it seems you are Unfortunately, while your body more or less detoxifies from all the sugars and carbs you have in your system over the next few days, you feel like crap. But, after say 3 or 4 days, most people start to feel a whole lot better, with lots more energy, just like Karen said. Don't throw in the towel after 1 day! It's also very important to make sure you eat and drink enough. This WOL really does work if you have the dedication and willpower. Good luck to you.

Wow, you are just like me. I had to have some sugar like in a soda and white flour like in a bagel to feel "normal". But think about that, so does an alcoholic have to have a drink to feel "normal", so does a drug addict have to have their drug to feel "normal". Here is what happened to me (and is happening to you). When I was younger I ate a lot of sugar and white flour and really didn't relate it to how I felt. As an adult, I began to notice that I got a lift after eating certain foods and felt better. Especially an hour or two after lunch, I'd really feel down and disoriented, but I'd just pop some sugar and I'd feel "normal" again. This is what was happening in my body: The lunch contained carbs i.e. bread or pasta or even a soda. So my blood sugar levels rose quite a bit from this lunch within an hour or two and therefore my body would kick in the insulin to take my blood sugars to normal. But with that much carbohydrate in my system, I would get an insulin overload that would take too much glucose (sugar) out of my blood. This would make me feel almost dizzy, I was tired and I couldn't concentrate. So I'd eat something sweet to make myself feel better and guess what, it did! But what was happening inside my body was that I was causing the glucose levels to go back to normal, so that made me feel better almost instantly, but with the amount of sweets I was eating, I was also setting myself up for another insulin spike to bring me down again. Then of course I'd feel bad again until I had dinner.

The bad thing about all this is that it gets worse as you grow older. You will need more and more sugar to feel better and your body will put out more and more insulin. This scenario (not to make you anxious or anything) but this scenario is the pathway to hyperinsulinemia and diabetes. This is how it starts and the only way to stop it is to go cold turkey from carbohydrates. You don't have to do Atkin's but you need a diet that is less than 25% carbohydrates to control blood sugar levels according to the latest studies. The beauty of going with the Atkin's approach is that after the first week, you will be absolutely amazed that you don't need or want or crave sugary foods for the first time in your life. I'm only on my fourth week, but that fact alone keeps me going.

I appreciate your replies. I am horrible at addictions. I smoke about 2 packs a day. I also take medication that I can't seem to get off of. I guess I can add carbs and sugar to that list.

Not to take a morbid turn on you guys but I guess I will just live with that fact that most likely I will expired due to lung cancer, diabetes or some heart condition. All this dieting, withdrawls from everything, increased anxiety etc just isn't worth it to me. I applaud your strength in wanting to change something about yourself and to be able to do so. I lack this will power and will simply live with whatever the end result may be. Who knows, perhaps my DNA is strong enough to resist all these things.

Bottom line is we are all going to die someday. To me it doesn't seem worth to spend most of my life going through withdrawls, anxiety and carb counting.

Again sorry to drop the morbid bomb here.

Add to that alcoholism and recovering from Bulimia and I can say I walked in those shoes before.

11 years ago I recovered from Bulimia which started me on the way of recovery...unfortunately I gained 60 pounds in the process.
June 2000 I quit smoking.
Jan 2001 I quit drinking.
April 2001 I went on Atkin's to help straighten out the mess I made of my health.

I can honestly say one thing. It takes a lot of commitment, courage and being honest with yourself to make life changes. You have to want to make them. Going at something half assed isn't going to work. You have to be willing to forgive yourself a lot for being weak, but firm enough with yourself to force you to go on and stick with it.

What made me quit smoking and start on the way to recovering was I woke myself up every night several times a night hacking up my lungs from smoking so much. I figured if something didn't give I wasn't going to get lung cancer but something much worse. Emphysema. I was already experiencing shortness of breath if I walked to fast or too long.


I wish you all the best and good luck.

Cygnus...

Of course, it's your choice and your life, but I have to point out that carb withdrawals last but a few days, not the rest of your life. Yes, you will feel like crap for 2 or 3 days, but compared to being healthier and feeling better for the rest of your life (not to mention living longer), isn't it perhaps worth it? You're right...we're all going to die some day from something, but why hasten the process when there's something you can do about it? Nothing worth having comes without effort and sometimes sacrifice. It sounds like you've resigned yourself to an early death and that is a very sad thing to see, especially when it doesn't have to be that way...it's your choice. It doesn't take an iron will...it takes a will to live. You may not have the former, but I sincerely hope you have the latter.

Just a little something I've come to believe in here. I can't remember who I'm quoting, but it goes like this:

'Tis better to die on ones feet then to live on ones knees.

Karen

Karen, I know where that quote comes from. It's from a song by a country artist. Can't remember the song or the artist right now. The reason I remember the line so vividly is that the song is about a woman who decides to stand up to an abusive relationship. First time I heard the song it knocked me to the ground. Will have to go thru my tapes to find the exact source. I know this is way off topic from the thread. It just hit a strong cord with me because I'm a survivor from my first marriage. That's one of the reasons I started gaining weight.

The quote applies to so many things in life. It certainly applies to how CygnusX1 is feeling.

And yes, Cygnus, the withdrawals only last a few days. Not for the rest of your life. Not months like alcohol or drug addiction withdrawals, and not weeks like nicotine withdrawals. The LC withdrawals, relatively speaking, are the easiest lifestyle withdrawals a person can go thru. Throwing everything away a few days into the program is not giving yourself a fair chance.

Going totally OT now Angela, I searched for the quote and found that many sources say it was from Dolores Ibarurri. But it is also attributed to Albert Camus.

From searching, I remembered that I first read it in Catch-22, many moons ago. Yossarian was mulling it about.

Karen

I think we always fall for this mental trap: "When I reach goal weight, I'll be happy!"

Why not be happy now? Love yourself as you are. And eat a healthy low-carb lifestyle, without carb-counting or obsessing, don't deprive yourself. It's easy to eat wonderful low-carb meals, with no deprivation, and you'll be happy now, and the weigh will gradually come off, and you'll still be happy then. You never have to wait!

Wa'il

You are so right on Wa'il!

That is one of the keys to making any life changes do-able, ain't it?

Karen

I feel so sorry that you feel like giving up so easily. If anyone knows your plight it would be all the wonderful people that replied to your posts. Anything worth having is worth working hard for! And truly Atkins is a cake walk compared to other diets that you are starving on and believe me I have done them all. All the advice you have gotten is good sound words of wisdom. I had a headache for 3 days as I was withdrawing. But getting on the scale and seeing the reward......ahhhhhhhh such a good feeling. And to top it off if I was hungry I could eat! I think the important thing for you is truly baby steps. If you think of the big picture it can be over whelming take it in small increments. Like for me my first mini goal is 20 pounds, then the next and the next and before you no it I will have chipped away at it all. Remember this little quote sweetie, "Quitters never win, and Winners never quit"! Dont give up and how sad to just resolve yourself to dieing, isnt there anything worthwhile in your life to live for? Least of all yourself? Good luck and if you decide to keep trying there are people here that will help you. Chrissie