Just starting out, have some questions!
Emily3907
Posts: 1,461 Member
So, I am doing the insulin resistance diet where you link and balance carbs/protein. I keep my carbs under 30 per meal, but in reality it is more like 20. My macros are set at 25% carbs / 35% fat / 40% protein. I am also cutting out the "whites" (for the most part) so my carbs are mainly coming from fruit, dairy and veggies. I have my calories set at 1725 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then 1400 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
So, I have a couple of questions. I started this yesterday and obviously had some moments of feeling like crap that slowly got worse during the day, which I expect for a period of time. However, last night I could not stop sweating. I am in Indiana so it is cool in the evenings, I had the window open all night and the ceiling fan going and I could not stop sweating! Is that normal? I checked my temp and it was normal, so it is not like I had a fever. I just found it odd.
Also, in the beginning is it okay to increase my calories to offset the hunger from lowering carbs? For example, last night I had a steak, roasted broccoli and an egg for dinner and within 30 mins I was having hunger pangs. I know I was not hungry because I had just eaten, but my body was telling me I was. Should I up my calories to handle this "period" or should I just stick with my normal calorie limits and deal with the hunger?
Also, any other suggestions for getting through this initial transition period?
Thanks!
So, I have a couple of questions. I started this yesterday and obviously had some moments of feeling like crap that slowly got worse during the day, which I expect for a period of time. However, last night I could not stop sweating. I am in Indiana so it is cool in the evenings, I had the window open all night and the ceiling fan going and I could not stop sweating! Is that normal? I checked my temp and it was normal, so it is not like I had a fever. I just found it odd.
Also, in the beginning is it okay to increase my calories to offset the hunger from lowering carbs? For example, last night I had a steak, roasted broccoli and an egg for dinner and within 30 mins I was having hunger pangs. I know I was not hungry because I had just eaten, but my body was telling me I was. Should I up my calories to handle this "period" or should I just stick with my normal calorie limits and deal with the hunger?
Also, any other suggestions for getting through this initial transition period?
Thanks!
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Hey Emily, welcome to the LCHF way of eating. I'm pretty new here myself so I can't offer as much insight as others will. There is a lot of good info in the launch pad of this group. I recommend reading as much as you can to educate yourself. In my own experience, from day one I have not had any of the side effects you describe. Definitely no hunger pangs - quite the opposite in fact. One of the benefits of a low carb high fat diet is a lack of hunger. I suggest cutting out all fruit and replacing those calories with protein and fat. You may find that this helps with the hunger. I keep my total carbs below 25 for the day. Not sure what the heat flash is all about. I haven't read that yet. Good luck!0
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So, I am doing the insulin resistance diet where you link and balance carbs/protein. I keep my carbs under 30 per meal, but in reality it is more like 20. My macros are set at 25% carbs / 35% fat / 40% protein. I am also cutting out the "whites" (for the most part) so my carbs are mainly coming from fruit, dairy and veggies. I have my calories set at 1725 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then 1400 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
So, I have a couple of questions. I started this yesterday and obviously had some moments of feeling like crap that slowly got worse during the day, which I expect for a period of time. However, last night I could not stop sweating. I am in Indiana so it is cool in the evenings, I had the window open all night and the ceiling fan going and I could not stop sweating! Is that normal? I checked my temp and it was normal, so it is not like I had a fever. I just found it odd.
Also, in the beginning is it okay to increase my calories to offset the hunger from lowering carbs? For example, last night I had a steak, roasted broccoli and an egg for dinner and within 30 mins I was having hunger pangs. I know I was not hungry because I had just eaten, but my body was telling me I was. Should I up my calories to handle this "period" or should I just stick with my normal calorie limits and deal with the hunger?
Also, any other suggestions for getting through this initial transition period?
Thanks!
Some of the best advice I received when first going LCHF was this:
For the first few weeks, eat as many low carb foods as you like until you are satisfied. Don't worry about counting calories until you get your feet wet. THEN, reduce.
Drink broth twice a day and salt your food.
Drink lots and lots and lots of water.
Try to limit artificial sweeteners to 2x day until you kick the sugar bug.
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There are a few things that will occur in the beginning that can make you feel off or even downright bad.
1. Not replacing lost SODIUM. This one is huge and insanely commonly the reason for newbies and sometimes even veterans feeling a bit ick. You will be losing tons of sodium and it must be replaced and in large enough quantities to compensate for the continued losses you will be having for weeks and possibly (most likely) even longer. Salting your food and eating salty snack is NOT ENOUGH. you must seek out high sodium options to replace it and help maintain your balance of electrolytes and hopefully prevent your body from also dumping potassium and magnesium too. Which are also often supplemented. Drinking broth and eating pickles even drinking pickle juice are super quick fixes for this. Aim for 4000-5000mg a day. I promise, I'm not crazy. You will be losing most of this with water every day, all day.
2. Lack of carbs will send you into a "carb seeking" mode. You may experience a kind of withdrawal from them that can feel...sucky. This will trick your body into thinking its hungry or even starving! Hold strong and it will pass.
3. Not eating enough fats and/or not eating the right fats. I know your doctor has your protein a bit higher, many people find fat at the low level yours is set to be difficult but if that's what you must follow, make sure you're getting all of that fat in because it will help with hormones (could possibly explain your hot flash) and helps tons with appetite control. You want fats like meat fats, real butter, full fat condiments/dressings, coconut oil and avocado. Fat is very important.
4. Not getting enough calories. Some people force themselves to strict low calorie limits and others just have a really hard time eating enough because of the satiety of the fats and the appetite suppression of ketones. There's no problem to disregard calories while adapting. Some find they don't ever need to count calories because they just naturally eat within a reasonable allotment without it, but you can start paying more attention to the calories once you get adjusted if that's easier for you. There's also nothing wrong with having some super low calorie days. Just eat what feels right of the right foods and be mindful that the "hunger" is real and not carb cravings or low sodium causing it. This is why getting enough fat is so important. The natural appetite control may be off without it.
I hope that helps.0 -
My one piece of advice is to read Living Low Carb, by Jonny Bowden. Understanding the science behind my food choices convinced me to stick with this way of eating. You will have many naysayers along the way, and it really helps to have facts when the going gets tough.
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Thanks everyone. Lots of good stuff to ponder here. While last night was a little tough with the hunger pangs and sweating, I actually feel really good this morning and the scale dropped 3 pounds from yesterday morning! I know this is water weight, but seeing such a huge drop really motivated me this morning!0
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The first couple of weeks I didn't pay much attention to my calories. I just made sure to have a lot of sodium and to eat more fat when I was hungry. Now I'm about 2 months into the diet and I am rarely hungry. A lot of days it's hard to hit my calorie goals. So even if you eat more the first few weeks it will even out once your body is adapted!0
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I always starve my first two-ish days on a low carb diet. I feel like I just can't get enough to eat. Happily it is very short term and I quickly transition to rarely being hungry. I've never experienced the sweats, but I do know that cutting out carbs can make your hormones do crazy things for a bit until they level out. I'd just wait it out. Good luck!0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »There are a few things that will occur in the beginning that can make you feel off or even downright bad.
1. Not replacing lost SODIUM. This one is huge and insanely commonly the reason for newbies and sometimes even veterans feeling a bit ick. You will be losing tons of sodium and it must be replaced and in large enough quantities to compensate for the continued losses you will be having for weeks and possibly (most likely) even longer. Salting your food and eating salty snack is NOT ENOUGH. you must seek out high sodium options to replace it and help maintain your balance of electrolytes and hopefully prevent your body from also dumping potassium and magnesium too. Which are also often supplemented. Drinking broth and eating pickles even drinking pickle juice are super quick fixes for this. Aim for 4000-5000mg a day. I promise, I'm not crazy. You will be losing most of this with water every day, all day.
I hope that helps.
So, I've been struggling with the sodium piece. My blood pressure is a bit high and my doctor has told me to watch my sodium intake. My husband, who was a chef when I married him, has been a HUGE help to me with LCHF, making me scratch meals that are delicious and on plan. I couldn't do it without him. BUT, he is trying to get me to stop with anything high sodium. I try to get it in at work so it won't stress him so much, but having a hard time getting him to understand why it's ok in this case. Any ideas or articles you can share that help explain why the need for increased sodium on LCHF?
TIA!0 -
The diet causes your body / kidneys to dump water, and consequently the sodium and magnesium and potassium along with it.
A high carb SAD diet causes you to hold on to the moisture and even bloat, so salt is not a big deal or needs to be restricted. Unless you have a medical contraindication you need LOTS of salt. I'm 5 months into this and still if I don't watch my sodium I get fatigued and feel crappy. Salt, and I'm fine.
Can't link to an article - but the science is clear. Google Phinney and Volek, read their books and watch their YouTube videos. They (and many others) are health professionals with impeccable credentials and the data to back their opinions.
With LCHF, fat phobia and salt phobia and meat phobia MUST be addressed for this to work.
Try upping your salt, and monitor your BP and see what happens. LCHF often brings your BP down as well.0 -
The diet causes your body / kidneys to dump water, and consequently the sodium and magnesium and potassium along with it.
A high carb SAD diet causes you to hold on to the moisture and even bloat, so salt is not a big deal or needs to be restricted. Unless you have a medical contraindication you need LOTS of salt. I'm 5 months into this and still if I don't watch my sodium I get fatigued and feel crappy. Salt, and I'm fine.
Can't link to an article - but the science is clear. Google Phinney and Volek, read their books and watch their YouTube videos. They (and many others) are health professionals with impeccable credentials and the data to back their opinions.
With LCHF, fat phobia and salt phobia and meat phobia MUST be addressed for this to work.
Try upping your salt, and monitor your BP and see what happens. LCHF often brings your BP down as well.
Thanks for your response!0 -
Very early in the adaptation phase I experienced bad sweats, anytime during the day. I was reluctant to increase sodium because of the brainwashing against it my whole life! Once I increased it, my blood pressure normalised, the ankle swelling disappeared, and my energy increased. I know this doesn't match up to everything we have been told, but with this woe it's very important.
Your three pound loss is awesome! Remember that, yes, it's water, but it's also sodium, potassium and magnesium. These need to be replaced during adaptation to this woe. I don't have articles to link to. I only have what I know to be true, and how it's affected me.
Calories don't really count for the first couple of weeks. Eating enough LCHF foods to keep hunger at bay is vital. Then, sort of magically, you will begin to eat less because the hunger diminishes! It's a wonderful feeling too!
Good luck!!
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »There are a few things that will occur in the beginning that can make you feel off or even downright bad.
1. Not replacing lost SODIUM. This one is huge and insanely commonly the reason for newbies and sometimes even veterans feeling a bit ick. You will be losing tons of sodium and it must be replaced and in large enough quantities to compensate for the continued losses you will be having for weeks and possibly (most likely) even longer. Salting your food and eating salty snack is NOT ENOUGH. you must seek out high sodium options to replace it and help maintain your balance of electrolytes and hopefully prevent your body from also dumping potassium and magnesium too. Which are also often supplemented. Drinking broth and eating pickles even drinking pickle juice are super quick fixes for this. Aim for 4000-5000mg a day. I promise, I'm not crazy. You will be losing most of this with water every day, all day.
I hope that helps.
So, I've been struggling with the sodium piece. My blood pressure is a bit high and my doctor has told me to watch my sodium intake. My husband, who was a chef when I married him, has been a HUGE help to me with LCHF, making me scratch meals that are delicious and on plan. I couldn't do it without him. BUT, he is trying to get me to stop with anything high sodium. I try to get it in at work so it won't stress him so much, but having a hard time getting him to understand why it's ok in this case. Any ideas or articles you can share that help explain why the need for increased sodium on LCHF?
TIA!
Check out this thread -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257118/sodium-blood-pressure-and-the-russian-nephrologist/p1
Wab has -- by nephrologist's orders, no less -- increased his sodium intake to rather insane amounts, and his blood pressure has improved because of it. It's a fascinating read.
I suspect part of it, at least, is due to the fact that blood pressure changes in response to the balance of electrolytes and fluids in the body. This means it can go up when blood volume is actually low, as the body dumps water to keep the sodium to water balance correct. Drink more water, eat more salt, and the balance works itself back out and blood pressure normalizes.0
