Nausea

Flmommy1

I have been feeling nauseas the past few days. No, I am not pregnant! I have been doing primal since June 5. I was not nauseas at th beginning. I stopped logging my calories on MFP about a week after starting because I wasn't eating enough calories and thought it would be better to just concentrate on eating the right foods. Thankfully, I have lost a few lbs which has been impossible for me in the past. I am not restricting my vegetables. Yesterday I had asparagus with breakfast, avocado and tomato and a whole red pepper with lunch and brussel spouts with my dinner in addition to my proteins and fat. I did not have any fruit yesterday though I am not opposed to berries etc. I googled nausea and primal and read that nausea can be from ketones. I am not trying to be in ketosis or at least I don't think I want to be especially if it means feeling so blah. I read what Sisson had to say about ketosis but I need more info? Does anyone have good further reading on this or any suggestions? I think I will plan to eat some fruit today and see if that helps. Right now I just feel like hiding under the covers but 3 kids need me.

asoeung

I have been struggling a bit with nausea as well lately. I've started doing the Bulletproof intermittent fasting, where I have the bulletproof coffee (with nothing but butter and pure MCT oil) around 7 AM and then I've just been experimenting with how long that will hold me over until. I have found that even though I am not all that hungry by around 10 AM, if I have not had any carbs to eat, I start getting very sick to my stomach right around that time of day. I have tried staving it off by having a low-carb, high(ish) protein and fat snack (such as some nuts or scrambled eggs), but that does not seem to help. It really does seem that carbs are the only thing that will nip it. As soon as I have an apple or something, I immediately feel better.
I, too, was wondering if it was something to do w/ possibly being in ketosis?

homesweeths

I have been feeling nauseas the past few days. No, I am not pregnant! I have been doing primal since June 5. I was not nauseas at th beginning. I stopped logging my calories on MFP about a week after starting because I wasn't eating enough calories and thought it would be better to just concentrate on eating the right foods. Thankfully, I have lost a few lbs which has been impossible for me in the past. I am not restricting my vegetables. Yesterday I had asparagus with breakfast, avocado and tomato and a whole red pepper with lunch and brussel spouts with my dinner in addition to my proteins and fat. I did not have any fruit yesterday though I am not opposed to berries etc. I googled nausea and primal and read that nausea can be from ketones. I am not trying to be in ketosis or at least I don't think I want to be especially if it means feeling so blah. I read what Sisson had to say about ketosis but I need more info? Does anyone have good further reading on this or any suggestions? I think I will plan to eat some fruit today and see if that helps. Right now I just feel like hiding under the covers but 3 kids need me.

It's funny, I got serious about logging on MFP for the same reason you stopped logging! I set my carbs/protein/fat at 20/25/55 after some trial-and-error. As a basis, I was using Mark Sisson's recommendation of keeping carbs between 50-100 grams for the "primal sweet spot for weight loss" (see http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/#axzz2XRAgzwlM). 20% carbs for me is right around 75g. When I first started I set the numbers at 30/40/30 (I think, something like that) but I found I kept going over on the fat.

The example you gave of yesterday sounds super-low-carb to me, even without looking up those foods. Like under 50 grams for the whole day? (more like 10 or 20 grams, just off the top of my head) Avocado counts more as a fat than a vegetable.

I know you said you were going on what Mark Sisson said and you were looking for another resource, but I'm not much help as I've only read Rob Wolff's Paleo Solution and Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint in books, and the rest of the info I've gotten from websites like Whole9 and Whole30, people on MFP who are doing paleo/primal, and (surprisingly) people at the whole foods grocery store--it's like I've joined a secret club--I mention to the butcher that I'm eating paleo style and three other people come up to say they're eating that way too and feeling fantastic!

I can only tell you what's working for me. Hope it helps.

Someone here at MFP recommended that I set the fat to a minimum of 50%, and preferably more (she has hers set at 75% and is losing steadily and feeling great). I found that 55 works well for me. Once in awhile I'll go over, but not very often.

I have trouble getting enough carbs and calories, so after dinner I look at my totals and make up for what's missing (usually carbs, and a little fat) with a "dessert" of baked yam/sweet potato -- if I bake a large one and put it in the fridge, I can warm up a cup or two at a time, slather it with butter or coconut oil, and enjoy it as a creamy, luxurious dessert. That way I don't go too low on carbs and go into ketosis.

I find if I eat a lot of carbs in my early meal, I don't stay full for as long -- I get hungry after four or five hours. If I eat the bulk of my carbs in my evening meal (including fruit or sweet potato for "dessert" if I'm below 50 g for the day), I sleep through the night just fine and don't wake up hungry. Don't know if it's the difference between being awake and active versus sleeping, or some other factor.

I think I remember Mark Sisson saying that ketosis is good for short bursts (like a day at a time), but not long stretches. I could be wrong, but I've been careful not to go into ketosis so I haven't experienced the nausea/breath/(is body odor part of it, too?)/other effects.

Good news for being in the "sweet zone": My joint pain is significantly reduced. I can function, although it still hurts. The joints don't hurt so much now, but I'm noticing pain in my tendons now that was probably there all the time but the joint pain covered it up. A friend with the same problem recommended Chondritin (specifically, the Costco brand of Glucosamine/Chondritin), and I'm really hoping it works (she said it takes a minimum of a month, maybe six weeks, to get relief, and NO CAFFEINE -- knowing how much I like chocolate... haha I was able to tell her I haven't had a bite of chocolate in a month...)

Other good news: I have way more energy than I remember having in years. I sleep better and wake up refreshed. I'm never hungry. I'll go twelve hours after eating early in the day and not be hungry or woozy. I used to have to eat some protein every two or three hours or I'd get woozy and fuzz-brained! I usually eat a second meal, not because I'm hungry, but because my first meal is only about 700-900 calories and I don't want to be below 1,000 calories at the end of the day. MFP warns me when my calories are too low, and I've read on the boards here about going into starvation mode and actually stalling your weight loss progress by not eating enough calories.

(And I just found out I lost 8 pounds over the last 4 weeks! Woohoo! I don't own a scale so I weigh myself at the dentist when one of the kids has an appointment.)

All that to say, maybe you should go back to logging your calories and make sure you're getting *enough* -- sounds like you've put your body into starvation mode, maybe? It's conserving as much as possible, sounds like, which would explain the lack of energy.