I gave up coffee about 6 months ago and last week I was given a 12oz cup of Dunkin Donuts Vanilla coffee. In one hour I ended up fainting due to caffeine over dose.
I used to be one of those people who would get a 32oz every morning and a refill every afternoon. How could one 12oz cup take me down?!

Also I used to be able to eat carbs at every meal and even a pint of ice cream without any problem. But if I eat a serving of pie or a serving of ice cream (not I didn't say both) I feel nausia and I get a headache. Also If I don't egnor those symptoms and eat carbs for a week, I can gain up to 15lbs! And not all of this is water!
I stopped low carbing after my first time for three months and gaine 45lbs. This is scary!

Why is my body now so sensitive? Will I ever be able to have carbs when I maintain? And will I always be fighting to keep the weight from coming back on after a small cheat? This is so intimidating! What other surprises will I have after low carbing so long? Thanks. I'm a worrier and this has really disturbed me.
Thanks.
Doe

You're pretty normal, I'd say. I did Atkins for 10 months and then switched to CALP and for the first week I had a headache that seemed to get worse by the day just from putting carbs back in my system. But after that, I was fine and have even started losing on the CALP and I'm able to eat carbs... It's all in the timing on the CAD/CALP programs, and it seems to be working for me where Atkins wasn't.

Why this shift in our bodies? I mean, does this prove that we aren't meant to eat carbs or does low carbing make it so we can't eat carbs if we wanted to?

I think I understand the coffee thing. Our body gladly gives up it job to do our synaps thing that caffeine takes over and after a while of no caffeine my body can stay up and alert without added caffeine and when I drank the coffee I had too much and my body didn't need the caffeine so it felt like an over dose.

Am I close?

Wow, the coffee thing is really strange. Are you taking cold pills or anything else that could have reacted with the caffeine?

Lessara

Two things

First, maybe it's the type of carbs, not the quantity? If you're snacking or binging on high glycemic carbs, those are going to be absorbed faster, so maybe that's the problem?

Second: on the caffeine....did you pass out completely? as in loose consiousness? if so this must be reported to your doc! It could be related to your heart. If you had a high, regular intake of caffeine you may have become desensistized to it....I know I was. Now, however, since you've stopped using caffeine you're much more sensitive to it's effects. In the past I took a cup of coffee or tea to bed with me every night...and took sips of it during the night if I woke up thirsty....now if I have caffeine past 6pm or so it will keep me awake! even if it's only a few ounces.

However, if the reason for you fainted is because of a heart problem, this is very dangerous and you may not be able to ever drink the same amount of caffeine.

Even if you feel well now, please report this to your doc if you did pass out! Any time somone looses consciousness, regardless of the cause, it is considered a medical emergency . And if it is heart related it can be very dangerous and must be diagnosed! Do you ever have episodes of rapid heart beating or pounding? feel like your heart is racing? Have trouble catching your breath? Do these symptoms ever occur when you're doing little or nothing? like watching TV? reading, etc? Now, if this happened several days ago and you feel fine now, the doc will likely just have you checked when you come in for a regular appointment....but depending on your personal medical history, and your doc, s/he may want you to be seen right away! Especially if you have any of the other symptoms I mentioned.

There are several mechanisms that can all lead to rapid heart rate, tachycardia. Most are fairly benign, and easily treatable....but a few are or can be dangerous if left untreated. This also may (and often) have nothing to do with coronary artery disease (CAD). Regardless of the mechanism, the rate may be irregular or not. The heart rate can at times go over 300 bpm! If your resting heart rate goes over 100 it should also be checked...it could be a sign of things to come. A simple EKG may or may not show a problem....if you have an EKG and all is fine, ask your doc about a wearable monitor. There are 2 types....one the "Holter Monitor" is worn for 24 hrs and records everything your heart does (you have to keep a log of all your activity). The second, an "event monitor" can be worn continuously (my preference) or used as needed for up to a month (longer if symptoms aren't caught). BOTH should be covered by your insurance! (If yu need any more info on this, please feel free to PM or email me)

Also....you might want to ask your doc to check your electrolytes....even if, or especially if, you take supplements! If these are out of wack you could be more sensitive to caffeine....well not really more sensitive, but the reaction could be stronger. Example....potassium (K) can effect heart rate. If your K is too high or too low it certainly could change a mildly racing heart into an uncontrolably racing one! It can also change the regularity of your heart. Please check with your doc, don't just increase or cut out the supplements (at least potassium) on your own.

RN for over 25 years, with over 7 of them as a cardiac nurse (including 2 1/2 years with a company that does the holter and event monitoring).

Good luck!

Cindy

Yesterday I had a physical and I mentioned that I fainted and he asked me a few questions and it wasn't that I fainted, I lossed conscious for a few seconds. He did an EIG (eep, I can't remember the letters!) It was the test where they stick all these electrode things to you and it prints out wiggly lines for the doctor to see. According to that I'm fine, however I am going through a battery of tests, an ultrasound one and a 24 hour one. He wants to verify my heart is good to rule out anything else. He thinks that I had two things happen: One the caffeine did make my heart race which can make you light headed. Also I had a hyper(or is that hypo?)glacemic reaction. Because the lunch was late 1ish) my sugar was way too low.

I think this is true because on Monday I got alittle light heady and weak and at the same time, I had a late lunch. I definitly need to eat a mid morning and maybe afternoon snack. Especially if my metabalism has increased due to my morning gym routines.

What I'm worried about it that I changed my body to not being able to eat carbs or have caffeine. I mean both these things are in so many things! I actually found a salad dressing with caffeine in it... why?!

I am glad that you are okay....I also question the reason why the rebound effect is so great even after a few days off the plan..I understand the water weight thing and all but I lost 8.5 lbs the first week and leveled off for the next two weeks then after ONE cheat day where I ate a small piece of cake and fried shrimp and fries for dinner..I gained 4 lbs..so I went back to eating the right way and lost about a lb then the following weekend it took me FOUR days to gain the same amount of weight back and only two to lose it all....but anyway my thing is then the whole initial loss of 8.5 lbs was all water?????

That is what I was wondering. I could low carb correctly and watch out for hidden carbs for a week. I might lose a pound. If I do the same thing but on the last day have a piece of pie, I will gain almost 10lbs.

My weight to start with was gained very slowly. Now if I go off low carbing I can gain weight very fast. I mean it took 2 years to go from 280 to 325. I did the same gain when I went off low carbing the first time in three months! Did my body forget how to metabulize carbs? Thus the gain? My question exactly!

Samething with me I could basically eat normally and keep my weight at 150 but since this I've ballooned up to 155 a couple of months ago when I tried this WOE. So now I am determined to stick with it but the plan I follow suggests that when you hit your goal weight you should return to eating normally until you gain 3 lbs then go back to low carbs till you lose it and everntually with that cycle "supposedly" you are raising your metabolism and your body will adapt to your way of eating???? I hope someone can answer our puzzling question....

to confirm what you all are saying.

I never had problems until after I low carbed. Not only am I at a weight now I had never seen before, but I also have all kinds of stomach problems. I used to pride myself on having a "cast iron" stomach and now I fight a daily battle of one kind or another. I am convinced that low carb did this, and I am also convinced that every time you go off/on, off/on...it makes it worse.

Before I went on LC, I ate what I wanted without consequence (other than weight gain), but even then I maintained at about 25 pounds above my ideal. Now, not only do I have several intolerances to different foods, but my weight doesn't budge unless I low carb. Now, I know you can develop intolerances and digestive problems at any time, but I am not talking years here. One December, I wanted to lose 25 pounds, but felt good otherwise. The next December, I not only felt like crap all the time, I couldn't eat normal anymore, and I gained 12 pounds in two weeks. And we won't even get into the carb cravings that I never had until I did the first low carb.

Anyway, this time, even though I am doing low carb, it is not the drastic low carb of last time. It is very moderate while I am hoping that something will get back to normal. I would not care one whit about being 25 pounds over my ideal now if I could just get my system back to normal! (And I do care about being 40 pounds overweight.)

Good luck!