Help!! Clean eating making me feel ill.

temple_girl
temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys.
Just looking for a bit of advice. I've been calorie counting for a while now but have always eaten what I consider normal foods inc processed foods although not a high quantity.
I've decided to step it up a gear and I've now completely cleaned my diet up. I'm eating five small meals a day. Porridge for breakfast. And then four even spaced out meals of chicken with veg and sweet potatoes or instead of sweet potato I'm having pasta.
And I feel so ill. Flu like symptoms. A banging headache and I'm drinking water till its coming out my ears. I started the clean eating on Thursday and felt like this by Friday. I'm eating too many carbs to have gone into ketosis but my carbs are down and my protein is way up.
I had my usual cheat meal on Saturday (pizza) and feel worse than ever today.
Is this normal, and will it get better??
Thanks.

Replies

  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    Yes I've cut caffeine and sugar out too. Although I don't drink coffee I drink tea. But I know there is caffeine in tea too and I've not always been a big sugar eater but it is hidden in processed foods.
  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    The large water consumption could be draining, quite literally, your electrolytes. This is the thing that usually causes keto flu.

    Reduce water intake so your pee is more straw coloured and add salt to your food. I believe lo salt has potassium, someone can confirm, using that will be even better as your potassium is also likely low too.

    This is of course assuming that when you say you're drinking a lot of water you really are drinking it to excess.

    Thanks, I've read too it could be my body ridding itself of electrolytes. I've literally just eaten and I put salt in my food.....I've not cooked with salt for years.

    But agree all the symptoms sound just like keto flu.

    I'll try to restrict the water. And see how I go. I am drinking in excess in the hope its helps withy the headaches as I normally associate this with dehydration.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    temple_girl wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    Yes I've cut caffeine and sugar out too. Although I don't drink coffee I drink tea. But I know there is caffeine in tea too and I've not always been a big sugar eater but it is hidden in processed foods.

    Going cold turkey on caffeine is a good way to give yourself killer headaches. Maybe taper off for a while.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2017
    Sounds like it's the cold turkey on caffeine or, perhaps, you just coincidentally got sick when you changed your diet.
  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    markrgeary1 wrote: »
    temple_girl wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    Yes I've cut caffeine and sugar out too. Although I don't drink coffee I drink tea. But I know there is caffeine in tea too and I've not always been a big sugar eater but it is hidden in processed foods.

    Going cold turkey on caffeine is a good way to give yourself killer headaches. Maybe taper off for a while.

    I'll have a coffee and see how I feel. Thanks.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited April 2017
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    This. Also
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    The large water consumption could be draining, quite literally, your electrolytes. This is the thing that usually causes keto flu.

    Reduce water intake so your pee is more straw coloured and add salt to your food. I believe lo salt has potassium, someone can confirm, using that will be even better as your potassium is also likely low too.

    This is of course assuming that when you say you're drinking a lot of water you really are drinking it to excess.
    This.

    Also, when some go the "clean eating" route, they drastically cut down on sodium. Bad idea.

    How many calories are you eating now?
  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    This. Also
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    The large water consumption could be draining, quite literally, your electrolytes. This is the thing that usually causes keto flu.

    Reduce water intake so your pee is more straw coloured and add salt to your food. I believe lo salt has potassium, someone can confirm, using that will be even better as your potassium is also likely low too.

    This is of course assuming that when you say you're drinking a lot of water you really are drinking it to excess.
    This.

    Also, when some go the "clean eating" route, they drastically cut down on sodium. Bad idea.

    How many calories are you eating now?

    Im on 1300 a day.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    That may be too low, depending on your starting weight. Did MFP calculate that for you? Maybe tell MFP your a bit more active or revise your target rate to a lower one so you have more calories each day.

    You should not feel ill, at most just tired from changing your diet. It's possible that you caught a virus just by coincidence at the time you decided to start this regime--you might actually be sick and its nothing to do with the diet.

    I suggest taking a multi-vitamin, maybe with probiotics. Most of vitamins just get peed out because your body already has enough, but it's sort of insurance in case your intake is low on something important--your body can take up the slack out of the vitamin pill. Also, changing your carbs etc. will cause the relative populations of helpful and harmful bacteria in your gut to change, and that transition might go through some unpleasant temporary phases where you get gassy or whatever. Which is why I suggested probiotics.
  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    LAT1963 wrote: »
    That may be too low, depending on your starting weight. Did MFP calculate that for you? Maybe tell MFP your a bit more active or revise your target rate to a lower one so you have more calories each day.

    You should not feel ill, at most just tired from changing your diet. It's possible that you caught a virus just by coincidence at the time you decided to start this regime--you might actually be sick and its nothing to do with the diet.

    I suggest taking a multi-vitamin, maybe with probiotics. Most of vitamins just get peed out because your body already has enough, but it's sort of insurance in case your intake is low on something important--your body can take up the slack out of the vitamin pill. Also, changing your carbs etc. will cause the relative populations of helpful and harmful bacteria in your gut to change, and that transition might go through some unpleasant temporary phases where you get gassy or whatever. Which is why I suggested probiotics.

    Thanks for that.
    MFP worked out 1200 cals but I upped it to 1300 after feeling hungry all the time.

    I don't think I am actually sick. This happened before a few years ago when I tried to do the same. And it got the better of me back then. I was hoping to power through it on this occasion.

    I'll try the vitamins too and I might just up my carbs slightly and try to get the right balance.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    This. Also
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    The large water consumption could be draining, quite literally, your electrolytes. This is the thing that usually causes keto flu.

    Reduce water intake so your pee is more straw coloured and add salt to your food. I believe lo salt has potassium, someone can confirm, using that will be even better as your potassium is also likely low too.

    This is of course assuming that when you say you're drinking a lot of water you really are drinking it to excess.
    This.

    Also, when some go the "clean eating" route, they drastically cut down on sodium. Bad idea.

    This is a thought -- do you cook with salt? If not, and if you don't have a reason to watch it, and dramatically changed your diet, try tossing a pinch of salt into the pan when you are cooking. Things taste better too, IMO!
  • crazyycatlady1
    crazyycatlady1 Posts: 292 Member
    edited April 2017
    First thought would be the caffeine reduction. Second thought would be lower carb intake. I'm also in the process of switching to a more whole foods (plant based) woe, and have really been struggling with feeling 'down'. I've been dragging by early afternoon, to the point where I need to lay down/headaches/feeling overall 'blah' etc. I did some mental math and I realized I had inadvertently gone lower carb (under 100g). I know from past experiences that I do much better on a higher carb diet, so I've upped the carbs and I'm back to feeling normal again. It always boggles my mind that some people thrive on low carb diets, because even lower carb makes me feel like trash :p
  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    cerise_noir wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Did you quit sugar and caffeine? That often will make me feel awful for two or three days.

    It could be something else - some illness.

    This. Also
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    The large water consumption could be draining, quite literally, your electrolytes. This is the thing that usually causes keto flu.

    Reduce water intake so your pee is more straw coloured and add salt to your food. I believe lo salt has potassium, someone can confirm, using that will be even better as your potassium is also likely low too.

    This is of course assuming that when you say you're drinking a lot of water you really are drinking it to excess.
    This.

    Also, when some go the "clean eating" route, they drastically cut down on sodium. Bad idea.

    This is a thought -- do you cook with salt? If not, and if you don't have a reason to watch it, and dramatically changed your diet, try tossing a pinch of salt into the pan when you are cooking. Things taste better too, IMO!

    I'll start doing that. I don't cook with salt at all. Thanks.
  • temple_girl
    temple_girl Posts: 17 Member
    crazyycatlady1 wrote: »
    First thought would be the caffeine reduction. Second thought would be lower carb intake. I'm also in the process of switching to a more whole foods (plant based) woe, and have really been struggling with feeling 'down'. I've been dragging by early afternoon, to the point where I need to lay down/headaches/feeling overall 'blah' etc. I did some mental math and I realized I had inadvertently gone lower carb (under 100g). I know from past experiences that I do much better on a higher carb diet, so I've upped the carbs and I'm back to feeling normal again. It always boggles my mind that some people thrive on low carb diets, because even lower carb makes me feel like trash :p

    I feel your pain!!!!!
    Why can't I just be one of those people that switcthes diets and is fine!!
    I need to up my carbs slightly as well maybe. Thanks.
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