"Atkins Flu" SUCKS

sorg2112

It is important to take a multivitamin because low potassium also causes headaches. I watched a good video by Dr. Eric Westman on the new adkins diet. He is the co-author of the New Adkins Diet and he explains his research. It's very informative. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSLf4bzAyOM&list=LLY65HW1sUTZueB9CPtVt9cg

kspitalsky

My boyfriend did the Atkins diet and lost a lot of weight, but he couldn't maintain eating almost no carbs his entire life and did gain the weight back which is something to think about. Robert Atkins actually had a heart attack (he claimed it was unrelated to the diet), but it may be something to think about. Have you tried eating SOME carbs and raising the amount of proteins and fats? Not passing judgement, I just don't want you to have awful side effects, lose weight, then gain it right back and be discouraged My gyno suggested this book since I'm struggling to lose weight "the schwarzbein principle"

Unknown

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366to266

OP listen to me -- you said the A word. Never, never use that word!

Say you are doing Paleo or Keto, but never breathe that A word on here!

The answer to your question is -- POTASSIUM. That will do the trick.

I bought some Lo-Salt, which is 66% potassium and 33% sodium, and use it liberally on meat. You could even put it in water and just drink it.

The reason you feel crappy is that your body is becoming keto-adapted. This means you are switching from carb-burning to fat-burning, and it takes a few days for the body to change over. It has to run down its supply of carbs (i.e. glycogen) before it will start to draw from stored fat. And just like a car running out of gas, you feel run down and tired.

But once the change-over is made -- whoosh - a HUGE rush of energy like you have never felt before.

Fatandfifty3

Could it be a coffee withdrawal headache? I know when I did Atkins after 3 days I felt like I was going to die! Advice? Paracetamol and tough it out. It will go. Or if you are a lightweight (like I was) have a half caf coffee.

Matt_Wild

My boyfriend did the Atkins diet and lost a lot of weight, but he couldn't maintain eating almost no carbs his entire life and did gain the weight back which is something to think about. Robert Atkins actually had a heart attack (he claimed it was unrelated to the diet), but it may be something to think about. Have you tried eating SOME carbs and raising the amount of proteins and fats? Not passing judgement, I just don't want you to have awful side effects, lose weight, then gain it right back and be discouraged My gyno suggested this book since I'm struggling to lose weight "the schwarzbein principle"

He died when he slipped and fell. It was unrelated.

On April 8, 2003, at age 72, a day after a major snowstorm in New York, Atkins slipped on an icy pavement, suffering severe head trauma. He spent nine days in intensive care before dying on April 17, 2003, from complications from his head injury.

He had suffered a heart attack however. Atkins suffered a cardiac arrest in April 2002, leading many of his critics to point to this episode as proof of the inherent dangers in the consumption of high levels of saturated fat associated with the Atkins diet. In numerous interviews, however, Atkins stated that his heart attack was not the result of poor diet, but was rather caused by a chronic infection. Atkins' personal physician and cardiologist, Dr. Patrick Fratellone, confirmed this assertion, saying "We have been treating this condition, cardiomyopathy, for almost two years. Clearly, [Atkins'] own nutritional protocols have left him, at the age of 71, with an extraordinarily healthy cardiovascular system".

Lupercalia

My boyfriend did the Atkins diet and lost a lot of weight, but he couldn't maintain eating almost no carbs his entire life and did gain the weight back which is something to think about. Robert Atkins actually had a heart attack (he claimed it was unrelated to the diet), but it may be something to think about. Have you tried eating SOME carbs and raising the amount of proteins and fats? Not passing judgement, I just don't want you to have awful side effects, lose weight, then gain it right back and be discouraged My gyno suggested this book since I'm struggling to lose weight "the schwarzbein principle"

He died when he slipped and fell. It was unrelated.

On April 8, 2003, at age 72, a day after a major snowstorm in New York, Atkins slipped on an icy pavement, suffering severe head trauma. He spent nine days in intensive care before dying on April 17, 2003, from complications from his head injury.

He had suffered a heart attack however. Atkins suffered a cardiac arrest in April 2002, leading many of his critics to point to this episode as proof of the inherent dangers in the consumption of high levels of saturated fat associated with the Atkins diet. In numerous interviews, however, Atkins stated that his heart attack was not the result of poor diet, but was rather caused by a chronic infection. Atkins' personal physician and cardiologist, Dr. Patrick Fratellone, confirmed this assertion, saying "We have been treating this condition, cardiomyopathy, for almost two years. Clearly, [Atkins'] own nutritional protocols have left him, at the age of 71, with an extraordinarily healthy cardiovascular system".

^^THANK YOU. :flowerforyou:

Also, OP...I had a couple days of headaches and feeling low during the first week of low carb paleo. When it got unbearable, I ate a little sweet potato with butter and cinnamon and was perfectly fine from there on out. Doing great now--been low carb paleo/primal since July 2012 and feel fantastic. I've got tons of energy and have resolved a bunch of nagging health issues.

NutellaAddict

Contact Dr. OZ he has the remedy.

tabinmaine

Atkins is a GREAT way to get skinny fat.......... have fun !

Fatandfifty3

Just to add fat to the Atkins fire... wasn't he horribly overweight when he died?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-207828/Dr-Atkins-18st-died.html (ok ok I know its a Daily Mail article!)

funhouse77

I don't know much about Atkins as I'm not into those kinds of diets and haven't read all the replies so sorry if it's been suggested already, but I do remember once a friend becoming quite dehydrated at the start of the diet, and apparently this is one of the common side effects. So, that could be causing your headaches, I know if I'm in anyway dehydrated the first warning sign is a headache. Usually shifts with plenty of water drank at hourly intervals however if it's bad you might need a re-hydration solution. . Just a thought.

Matt_Wild

Atkins is a GREAT way to get skinny fat.......... have fun !

I wouldn't describe my conditioning here as skinny fat:



High fat, moderate protein, low carb diets are fine, as long as you balance the fats and proteins correctly. People often lower fats to much leaving no energy. Low energy? Increase your fats a little.

Matt_Wild

Just to add fat to the Atkins fire... wasn't he horribly overweight when he died?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-207828/Dr-Atkins-18st-died.html (ok ok I know its a Daily Mail article!)

Read your own article, Meds can rapidly pile on lots of water weight, pain killers are horrendous and well known for this:-


In April 2002 - a year before his death - Dr Atkins issued a statement saying he was recovering from cardiac arrest related to a heart infection he had suffered from 'for a few years'. It was 'in no way related to diet,' he said.

In yesterday's statement, Mr Trager astonished medical observers by saying that Dr Atkins's weight had ballooned only after he fell, when he lay in a coma for two weeks before he died. He claimed the doctor had put on 4st 4lbs because of water-retention.
Before that, said Mr Trager, Dr Atkins was a robust, active man who frequently played competitive tennis. The statement attacked the Journal, saying it had 'grossly distorted and inaccurately reported' the facts.
It added: "The newspaper article was based on incomplete personal medical records that were illegally delivered to the newspaper in violation of the law."
An outraged Mrs Atkins also condemned the newspaper. She said she was speaking out because otherwise "unscrupulous individuals will continue to twist and pervert the truth in an attempt to destroy the reputation and great work of my late husband".
Last month, Mrs Atkins demanded an apology from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg after he criticised her late husband for being fat. The Mayor has not yet apologised.

dovetail22uk

Isn't that kind of proof it's not good for you?

Doing that "diet" put me in hospital for 5 days. It's just doesn't work for some and I don't think it's sustainable or healthy for life - so why do it at all?

Fatandfifty3

Just to add fat to the Atkins fire... wasn't he horribly overweight when he died?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-207828/Dr-Atkins-18st-died.html (ok ok I know its a Daily Mail article!)

Read your own article, Meds can rapidly pile on lots of water weight, pain killers are horrendous and well known for this:-


In April 2002 - a year before his death - Dr Atkins issued a statement saying he was recovering from cardiac arrest related to a heart infection he had suffered from 'for a few years'. It was 'in no way related to diet,' he said.

In yesterday's statement, Mr Trager astonished medical observers by saying that Dr Atkins's weight had ballooned only after he fell, when he lay in a coma for two weeks before he died. He claimed the doctor had put on 4st 4lbs because of water-retention.
Before that, said Mr Trager, Dr Atkins was a robust, active man who frequently played competitive tennis. The statement attacked the Journal, saying it had 'grossly distorted and inaccurately reported' the facts.
It added: "The newspaper article was based on incomplete personal medical records that were illegally delivered to the newspaper in violation of the law."
An outraged Mrs Atkins also condemned the newspaper. She said she was speaking out because otherwise "unscrupulous individuals will continue to twist and pervert the truth in an attempt to destroy the reputation and great work of my late husband".
Last month, Mrs Atkins demanded an apology from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg after he criticised her late husband for being fat. The Mayor has not yet apologised.

Oops. Duly slapped. Taken on chin.:blushing:

Matt_Wild

Not need, just would rather type out what happened rather than myths

beets_yum

"Listen to your body" is not good advice. If you were quitting smoking would you "listen to your body?" Your body right now is addicted to sugar and junk. It needs to readjust to using fat for energy.

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ketones-and-ketosis/tips-tricks-for-starting-or-restarting-low-carb-pt-i/

Eat more fat--the kind that comes from avocados and coconut, and non-feedlot meat. My husband laughed his head off when I told him about my "carb flu." (I have been off sugar and grains for 3.5 weeks--not Atkins but also lowish carbs.) but it sucked! Now I feel good and you will too. Just avoid the processed chemical crap passed off as "food" and you'll be fine.

Matt_Wild

"Listen to your body" is not good advice. If you were quitting smoking would you "listen to your body?"

Eat more fat--the kind that comes from avocados and coconut, and non-feedlot meat. My husband laughed his head off when I told him about my "carb flu." (I have been off sugar and grains for 3.5 weeks--not Atkins but also lowish carbs.) but it sucked! Now I feel good and you will too. Just avoid the processed chemical crap passed off as "food" and you'll be fine.

Exactly this as I posted before. This and nuts and other foods containing good EFA's - you'll get good tasty food and hunger issues will drop away.

Lalasharni

I for one wouldnt flame the lady who says the Atkins Diet is wrong. We are not meant to run on fats and proteins. Carbs are the first nutrient that is metabolised by your body (after the poisons such as drugs and alcohol which the liver tries to ditch first) and if there is none, then your body will eat up not only fat but muscle tissue too.
If you feel like crap then something should tell you what you are doing wrong. Teach yourself a proper, controlled and effective nutritional way lof eating which includes ALL food groups and you will do yourself, your body and your life a favour. Could you really keep this Atkins way up for life and feel crap?
Sure, go for Atkins if you love it and it suits you but this obviously doesnt suit you.
Go ahead, flame me you Atkins lovers!! I dont give a rat's a** but I do know about nutrition and my plan is working - slowly sure, but its working and I feel GREAT!!

beets_yum

Exactly this as I posted before. This and nuts and other foods containing good EFA's - you'll get good tasty food and hunger issues will drop away.

Yes. This week I was struggling to eat enough calories. I'm just not hungry. "They" say low-carb works because your choices are limited so you eat less out of boredom. Not true in my case. But I'm also eating plenty of veggies and consuming lots of nutrients--no "diet" bars or pre-fab shakes or gluten-free junkfood.

beets_yum

Let me rephrase: listening to your body is terrible advice in *this* scenario. Obviously it's critical when it comes to physical pain, exhaustion, illness or foods that, over time, make you feel bad because of an allergy or sensitivity.

Sugar-fattened rats taken off sugar experience withdrawal symptoms similar to opiate-withdrawal--because sugar acts similarly on the brain. It is most definitely addictive for some/many/most people. And simple carbs are converted to sugar. These are facts that no politicking about diets can change.

Fat makes it better. And fat is not bad for you. (This notion originated with the grain industry.) Your body needs fat. It does not need grains.

amandacs81

Ral263, why are you discouraging anyone who is on the diet and it is working for them from not doing it? I'm not flaming you, not any response of the opposite opinion in a reply is flaming you; I'm just trying to debate your point in a mature manner. If the diet is the only thing that works for someone and they can go into a maintenance regimen that is balanced and maintain their goal weight afterwards, why would you discourage them from doing it? Would you suggest they get dangerous surgery instead? Are you a doctor? I'm just saying, if you don't have a PHD, it is a matter of either opinion or experience with one's OWN body. What doesn't work for you may work for me, and if I'm on a roll, your opinion isn't really going to stop me.

amandacs81

Fatandfifty3, no, Dr. Atkins died of renal failure. It had nothing to do with weight or diet. Completely false!

"The falsehoods concerning his death are mainly propagated by the vegan group the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and related groups and individuals."

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/atkinsdiet/a/dratkinsdeath.htm

Morn66

Fatandfifty3, no, Dr. Atkins died of renal failure. It had nothing to do with weight or diet. Completely false!

HOWEVER, renal failure is sometimes caused by a faulty liver that cannot process protein properly, allowing partially-processed and sometimes completely unprocessed protein to be floating around in the bloodstream. That, in turn, destroys kidney tissue. I should know, because it is what is happening to me because my liver is failing. I'm on protein restriction, mostly to try to protect my kidneys. So, if Dr. Atkins had an underlying problem that caused liver dysfunction, a high-protein diet like he advocated could well have hastened, perhaps even caused, the renal failure.

Which isn't to say that the Atkins diet is "bad," but I would HOPE that anyone embarking on it would have some blood work done to make sure that their liver is working properly and to repeat the tests often to make sure it stays that way. Liver impairment often causes no symptoms except funky enzyme levels in the blood until irreversible tissue damage has already been done. Eating high amounts of protein will hasten damage in vulnerable/compromised people. Just sayin'.

fastfoodv

I don’t recommend the Atkins diet. It sounds like your body doesn’t either.

Get an exclusive look at Lisa's new book STOP THE DIET, I WANT TO GET OFF! at www.stopthediet.com and visit Lisa Tillinger Johansen at www.consultthedietician.com on Facebook at Lisa Tillinger Johansen and on Twitter @LisaTJohansen

Dagreth

I for one wouldnt flame the lady who says the Atkins Diet is wrong. We are not meant to run on fats and proteins. Carbs are the first nutrient that is metabolised by your body (after the poisons such as drugs and alcohol which the liver tries to ditch first) and if there is none, then your body will eat up not only fat but muscle tissue too.

Dagreth

Doesn't the body treat alcohol like a carb?

jenna07985

Where did renal failure come from? He died from a head injury.

ndj1979

hmmm so you cut out carbs and now you have a pounding headache and flu…sounds like path to longer term sustainable health…

why not just eat in a calorie deficit, have some carbs, and save yourself the torture…?

ndj1979

Headaches are a normal part of withdrawal. It only proves that I was addicted to sugar and carbs and my body wants what it wants. I'm choosing instead to give it what it needs. Trust me I have plenty of carbs stored on my tummy right now to survive 2 weeks.

No, it just proves you are depriving your body of energy aka carbs….