Question about Carb Reduction and EXTREME Fatigue

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NCchar130
NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I played around with the food log to get a rough estimate of what I was eating & drinking on a typical day before MFP. I came up with about 2300-2400 cals and roughly 400 carbs a day. Over half of those calories and carbs came from sugary drinks which I drank from the time I got up til I went to bed at night. :blushing:

Since joining MFP I've been eating about 1800 cals a day and have worked hard to cut a lot of the sugary stuff out of my diet. The first week or so, I was getting around 300 carbs and the past couple weeks, more like 250.

I've been feeling SO super tired, cranky, weepy, and like I could sleep for days and days. I have this brain fog, I can't focus, it SUCKS!! This has been going on for over 2 weeks now.

I've read some stuff about carb reduction and moodiness/tiredness for people who cut carbs severely, like in the Atkins induction phase. I feel I am still getting plenty of carbs at ~250 but now I'm wondering if going from 400 to 250 could cause the same thing? Even though I still eat a lot of them, it's a lot less than before, plus they're coming from whole foods instead of fluids which it seems would cause less of sugar rush (I could be wrong, just thinking about the digestive process it makes sense this would be the case). What do you guys think?

Replies

  • happythermia
    happythermia Posts: 374
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    I think you totally hit the nail on the head. Your body is used to a lot of carbs, and now it's not getting them.

    Hang in there, after a week or so, you'll be fine! :D
  • lynnprice
    lynnprice Posts: 101 Member
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    Could it possibly be you're getting less caffeine?
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    250 is still a lot of carbs. Usually people go through their 'induction' phase at around 50-80 carbs. Many feel great once it passes, but some just can't cope.

    Mine lasted a couple days and I felt good after.

    I used to eat primarily carbs. Never noticed a problem when I went down to ~200-300. Got my flu around 150.
  • Jenspark
    Jenspark Posts: 12 Member
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    It's definitely possible! I agree with happy...hang in there you'll feel better soon!
  • mrykyldy2
    mrykyldy2 Posts: 96 Member
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    I had the same issue with fatigue and such when I did medifast last year. It only lasted about 3 weeks for me. Everyone on that program had the same issues, for some it lasted 2 weeks, for others up to 6 weeks. After that initial time frame, they snapped out of it and had tons of energy. There are people that can not do lower carbs for weight loss as everyone is different. I would give it another 3 or 4 weeks to see what happens, if you still are fatigued, eat high carb fruits and veggies.
  • LizL217
    LizL217 Posts: 217 Member
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    You're probably also suffering from caffeine withdrawal, depending on what kinds of sugary drinks you used to have. I always feel sleepy and foggy when I go off of coffee for a few days, so that might be contributing to your fatigue. Maybe try having green tea or plain coffee (no sugar) and see if that helps at all.
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 626 Member
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    250 is still a lot of carbs. Usually people go through their 'induction' phase at around 50-80 carbs. Many feel great once it passes, but some just can't cope.

    Mine lasted a couple days and I felt good after.

    I used to eat primarily carbs. Never noticed a problem when I went down to ~200-300. Got my flu around 150.

    I dont think the OP is going atkins or low carb diet, I think they are just trying to reduce carb intake to a normal level. 50-80 is too low in a balanced diet. Around 150 you should be ok, just give it time.
  • marijasmin
    marijasmin Posts: 160 Member
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    The change could the mix of carbs!
    Atkins prefers slow release carbs to simple sugars. You may need to rethink the type of carbs you are eating and when you are eating them.
    Are you adding synthetic sweeteners like aspartamine? They can cause tiredness.
    Enough liquid?

    Jasmin
  • MKLee8
    MKLee8 Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm not sure if the carbs have a lot to do with it, like you say, you're still getting them and a good substantial amount, too. It's probably your body reacting to the shock of the decrease in sugar and caffeine. You're body is used to relying on those substances for energy and support. Now, you have to get your body used to complex carbs and vegetables/fruits/protein for energy. I think it will pass with a few more weeks (hang in there; I know it's tough), but if it doesn't, I'd probably see a doctor. Whenever you make a major change to your body, expect some kind of reaction. I like LizLane217's idea about green tea or coffee. Perhaps let yourself have a glass of juice a day and wean yourself off the sugar-y drinks. Good luck!

    ~MK
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    Did the sugary drinks you were drinking from morning to night have caffeine?? Could be caffeine withdrawal!
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
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    I'd agree with everyone that caffeine withdrawal may be contributing to your problem.

    Do you exercise? If not, you might try a nice, brisk walk to boost your energy and your mood!
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
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    Could it possibly be you're getting less caffeine?

    I didn't even think of that, but yes, I've probably cut my caffeine in half too. Good point, thanks.

    And thanks for all the replies. I'm just weepy enough that seeing replies made me tear up a little :sad: LOL I will just hang in there and hope it gets better soon!
  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
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    Sounds more like caffeine withdrawal to me, if the sugary drinks you mention are things like Coke and Mountain Dew. If you can stand to drink black coffee, you'll perk right back up again. Your other option is to stop drinking caffeinated beverages entirely, and within a few weeks you should be over your caffeine addiction...but caffeine is a drug with basically no negative effects at normal doses (i.e., to experience anything worse than feeling a little jittery or needing to use the bathroom, you would have to start eating or snorting No-Doz by the handful).
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    Fun thing about caffeine.

    Once you're dependent on it, it doesn't give you an energy boost. It just brings you up to normal-ish.
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
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    Sounds more like caffeine withdrawal to me, if the sugary drinks you mention are things like Coke and Mountain Dew. If you can stand to drink black coffee, you'll perk right back up again. Your other option is to stop drinking caffeinated beverages entirely, and within a few weeks you should be over your caffeine addiction...but caffeine is a drug with basically no negative effects at normal doses (i.e., to experience anything worse than feeling a little jittery or needing to use the bathroom, you would have to start eating or snorting No-Doz by the handful).

    Yeah the caffeine thing is making more and more sense when I think about it. What I would drink are the starbucks frappucinos (the kind that come in the bottle and available at the grocery store), usually 4 of those a day. Plus, 3-4 , (sometimes more) cups of coffee heavily laced with flavored sweetened creamer (roughly 4 tablespoons of it per cup).

    The big change was to have just 1 frap plus the 3-4 cups of coffee throughout the day, only I now measure my creamer and limit it to 2 tablespoons. Because I do prefer it sweet, I've made up the difference in the amount of creamer by making my cups of coffee smaller and drinking it more slowly. So....yeah, I can see it's definitely a big change in the caffeine.

    I hope to eventually reduce this even more to maybe a total of 2 cups of coffee a day total. I can't drink it black, unfortunately.

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