Questions regarding first few days of Paleo/Primal eating
crissyrox
Posts: 94
I have been on the fence about actually starting, have been eating mostly paleo/primal for the last week with the occasional snack that was not. However I started full force yesterday, and have noticed a few things and was wondering if anyone else experienced them too.
1. Feeling more tired and sluggish, could this be my body just purging all the crap?
2. Kinda more sad/blah feeling, will this go away?
Thanks for any feedback you can give me!
1. Feeling more tired and sluggish, could this be my body just purging all the crap?
2. Kinda more sad/blah feeling, will this go away?
Thanks for any feedback you can give me!
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Replies
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How's your carb intake? If your carbs are drastically lower, that could explain the symptoms. Make sure to drink plenty of water, and check your macros to make sure you're eating a decent amount of fat as well for a good energy source to replace the energy you're craving from carbs.0
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The following was written as a timeline for the Whole 30, but honestly when I went paleo for the first 30 days (not being as strict as the whole30 is) I experienced much of this.
http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/
Stick with it, once you get past the first 2-3 weeks you will feel better! Good luck
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Primal guidelines say to eat 50-100g/carbs per day to lose weight, 100-150g/carbs to maintain weight and over 150g/carbs to gain weight. If your carb intake is closer to 50g than 100g, increase the carbs.0
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My carbs for yesterday were 83, and less the day before because honestly I haven't been that hungry (that is one good thing that has happened!) Fat intake and Protein have all been good and I drink water like its going out of style. I will try and up the carbs a bit today and see if that helps. Thanks for all the support and answers, hopefully in the next few days I will start feeling better
Feel free to add me could always use the support and motivation, and I am pretty good about giving support as well 0 -
The following was written as a timeline for the Whole 30, but honestly when I went paleo for the first 30 days (not being as strict as the whole30 is) I experienced much of this.
http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/
Stick with it, once you get past the first 2-3 weeks you will feel better! Good luck
Wow thats almost exactly how I feel! Thank you for sharing that article!! 0 -
I reacted the same way. When you're eating low carb paleo (which is a great way to lose body fat, in my opinion) you're going to feel sluggish, tired, cranky, etc for a while. Your body has been fueled by carbs up until now and whenever you cut your carbs your body is transitioning to using fat for energy. Your energy level will return, and I don't think you need to up your carbs. I shoot for under 50g/day (from mostly veggies and a little fruit).Give it a week or two of low carb paleo and I bet your energy levels with return and improve!0
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Just another tip that you didn't ask for (haha), you should check out the Paleo Solution Podcast and listed to the first couple of episodes. They go over a lot of the basics and will probably answer a lot of the questions you're having. I love that podcast!0
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Just another tip that you didn't ask for (haha), you should check out the Paleo Solution Podcast and listed to the first couple of episodes. They go over a lot of the basics and will probably answer a lot of the questions you're having. I love that podcast!
I will def check into that. Thanks for the tips, its much appreciated 0 -
Totally normal! It's sometimes called low-carb flu (and while this isn't a full on Atkins style low carb diet, and you're still drastically cutting carbs). It usually only lasts a couple days to a week, and you'll be feeling amazing once you reach the other side0
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Agreeing with all the above posters - it is totally normal, and it will pass. And I know this has been said above, but I want to stress it - make sure you're eating enough fat! We're so programmed to avoid fat, but that's not the way Paleo/Primal works. Keep the fats natural and healthy, and keep 'em coming! Scramble a bunch of eggs in butter or coconut oil, have a big steak, eat some bacon, or a couple of measured servings of macadamia nuts. The fat will give you energy to replace what you're used to from the carbs and sugars.
Stick with it - you'll feel so amazing on the other side!!
Amy0 -
OMG - I'm so glad I read this discussion. I'm on week 2 of Primal, and I feel like crap. Constantly tired, brain fog, a bit low blood sugar shaky. I'm also hungry most of the day. I'm not sure if I'm not eating enough? I'm trying to keep my calories under 1200 which is hard to do on a high fat diet. Maybe I should stop counting calories?? My carb count has been between 58 - 100ish for the past week. I don't crave the sweet after every meal like I used to, and if I do, I just eat a piece of fruit, or a bit of dark chocolate.
I'll hang in there.0 -
I was always hungry the first week or so. Now it's not bad at all!0
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The following was written as a timeline for the Whole 30, but honestly when I went paleo for the first 30 days (not being as strict as the whole30 is) I experienced much of this.
http://whole9life.com/2012/06/the-whole30-timeline/
Stick with it, once you get past the first 2-3 weeks you will feel better! Good luck
Wow thats almost exactly how I feel! Thank you for sharing that article!!
This is hilarious, I'm on day 4, the last three days I though my eyeballs were going to explode from behind, today I feel good! Now I'm worried I'm going to kill someone! hahaha Well, at least I know I'm right on track:) Oh ya and thank goodness my day 6 is a Saturday!0 -
OMG - I'm so glad I read this discussion. I'm on week 2 of Primal, and I feel like crap. Constantly tired, brain fog, a bit low blood sugar shaky. I'm also hungry most of the day. I'm not sure if I'm not eating enough? I'm trying to keep my calories under 1200 which is hard to do on a high fat diet. Maybe I should stop counting calories?? My carb count has been between 58 - 100ish for the past week. I don't crave the sweet after every meal like I used to, and if I do, I just eat a piece of fruit, or a bit of dark chocolate.
I'll hang in there.
Is there any reason you're trying to keep your calories below 1200? Unless you're under 5 ft, it's usually not healthy to net less than this amount (after exercise). You don't appear to have much to lose based on your ticker, I would recommend re-doing your goals on here to reflect your new style of eating. Keeping your carbs between 50-100 is perfect! Most of your daily calories should be coming from protein and fats. Read the timeline I posted above, feeling crappy week 2 is generally to be expected as you are no longer running your body on carbs like it's used to so you HAVE to make sure you're giving it enough fat to fuel itself.
Good luck!0 -
if you are restricting enough to get into ketosis you will have much more energy and the flu-like symptoms will go away.0
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Thanks everyone for all the tips and encouraging words! Today feels better than yesterday, still slightly sluggish and blah but near as bad as Monday and Tuesday, hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel soon, so excited to get to the other side!0
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