Feeling ill on primal

[Psyche]

I'm starting day three. I'm only doing loose primal. I am striving for no grains or refined sugar but like last night I had two small wedges of baked potato and the night before beans in my chili.

I'm eating to hunger and drinking lots of water.

I'm really grumpy though :shifty

And yesterday evening I was getting the sweats and chills.

This morning I felt really shaky. I ate a half orange with my egg "muffins" and after 20 min still felt icky so I added a tsp of sugar (liter tsp) to my coffee and cream.

I'm getting enough fat. I actually gained a half pound between yesterday and today so I'm pretty sure its not due to lack of calories.

I don't remember this happening when I did this in April... Am I missing something? Do I just need to knuckle under and get through the transition? I think my blood sugar is wonky but I didn't test this morning or last night to see.

In case its pertinent, yesterday I ate

a couple slices of bacon and sausage and two egg muffins with green pepper and onion. coffee with cream

a date and almond "roll"

an apple

Lettuce roll ups with roast beef, saurkraut and mustard.

Another almond roll I think.

Beef roast with two wedges of potato (with skin) and carrots.

And a couple of handfuls of almonds throughout the day.

And a small glass of wine after the kids bedtime.

I still don't feel good despite my breakfast. I"m not hungry but I feel empty.

[Peridot]

how many days in are you? :hug2 I'm thinking its probably sugar/wheat withdrawal. Most especially if you have suspected you do not tolerate wheat or dairy well, and have gone without those you could be experienceing some intense withdrawal. Dairy and wheat, when not digested properly, form narcotic compounds in the brain. :shifty


:hug2 try not to worry about the weight gain. I probiotic, or adding a fermented vegetable like saurkraut or pickles to your diet would likely help.

---------- Post added at 08:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

oops- I see you're on day three.
Hang in there momma you're detoxing/withdrawing. It will get much better. :hugheart

[Psyche]

Oh and I also ate a whole cucumber yesterday and some slices of green pepper.

[Marsha]

Honestly, without enough carbs, that doesn't sound like a lot of fod, esp when just starting. For what it's worth, even when I do the diabetic diet, I have a week or two of feeling like I have the flu:shaky, achy, dizzy, etc.

[Peridot]

do test your blood sugar. :yes I found, testing mine that it was not anywhere near as low as my signals were telling me I was. It never fell below 85. :no

'enough fat' is really hard to measure. I ate ridiculous amounts of fat. :yes I cook my eggs in as much fat as they can absorb. Remember an egg is only 90 calories. You need more calories than you expect while your body transitions to burning fat for fuel instead of carbohydrate.

having said that- you're going to feel gross. :hug2 :shifty BUt after the gross is amazing. hang in there. ANd eat more eggs. :giggle

---------- Post added at 08:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:56 AM ----------

Oh and I also ate a whole cucumber yesterday and some slices of green pepper.

these pretty much don't count, except for enzymes adn nutrients. hardly any calories.:giggle

[HomeWithMyBabies]

Sounds like what I go through when I drop grains. It should even out in a few days.

If you are still nursing I would add in some starchier fruits and veggies more often. I found I really needed that with the demands of nursing even an older baby.

[Housekat]

What everyone else said. It sounds very much like the carb flu.

Feeling empty is the give away. Your body is screaming "yes there are calories, but they're not the RIIIIGHT kind. Give me caaaaaaarbs!!!!"

Stick with it. Eat cheese, avocados, eggs, lots of clean meat (btw watch your nitrate intake - bacon and sausages have lots of nitrates/nitrites, which aren't good for you) and nuts nuts nuts.

:hug

[milkdud]

The GAPS dr says to mix equal parts butter and coconut oil w/honey to taste. Then eat a teaspoon every 30 mins to help stabalize blood sugar. Maybe that would help.

Also, that doesn't look like enough food, IMO.

[ArmsOfLove]

I would be sick as a dog on that much meat :sick Even eating meat, I have to be careful about how much I eat. My liver feels literally toxic when I eat meat with two meals during a day.

If this continues, please consider that one of the other paths to people feeling great might work better for you. :hug I'm finding, for instance, that Paleo is kind of like "Raw" with meat--and I feel great on Raw. I have a friend who eats Paleo and he feels great on that. What we both have in common is that we're eatings lots of amazing fresh vegetables and trying to give our bodies lot of nutrient.

[teamommy]

From your menu it looks like what you are doing is closer to Atkins than paleo. Where are all the vegetables?

I don't eat paleo, but I get the idea it is free-range meats and eggs with tons of veggies and a little fruit, no dairy and no sugar. I truly think that to feel well on any diet you need to get in lots and lots of veggies, especially green ones. I also think giving up sugar can make some people feel yucky for a while until they get used to it.
(And like Crystal, I would feel sick on that much meat).

[MiriamRose]

Otoh I find if I don't eat enough meat I don't feel good. I need it with at least one meal a day, better if twice a day, though I can skip some here or there if I'm getting enough on a regular basis. I've tried cutting way back to only eating meat a couple times a week and it was a disaster. Everyone's bodies are different and what works for one person might be miserable for another. I wouldn't hesitate to try something different if you still feel bad after getting past the expected detox period.

[Peridot]

The GAPS dr says to mix equal parts butter and coconut oil w/honey to taste. Then eat a teaspoon every 30 mins to help stabalize blood sugar. Maybe that would help.

Also, that doesn't look like enough food, IMO.


I did this! I mixed butter, honey, vanilla extract, and almond meal. :yum :yes Now I don't eat butter anymore, so I don't make it- but boy did it help those first weeks! :phew

You can get frozen, nitrate free sausage. I practically lived on the stuff last semester- not that I recommend that. :shifty

Keep in mind that you don't want to be eating scads of lean protein. :no from a Primal standpoint- only the fattiest portions of the animal were worth the energy it took to procure and transport it.

---------- Post added at 10:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:53 AM ----------

what I'm trying to say is- your focus in paleo is on fat, not meat. Avocados are great. :rockon

I need meat at least twice a day as well. Going vegan was the worst experience of my life! :giggle I agree that everyone is different. But it will take longer than a few days to tell if there is an issue with your meat intake.

I second and third the vegetables. I never liked them until I stopped eating carbohydrate as my primary fuel source. :doh

[Mother of Sons]

That doesn't seem to be excessive meat to me but I do think you need more veggies!

I think it's carb withdrawal though and it will get better in a few days depending on how dependent your body is.

[Katigre]

I agree that you should feel better in a few days. One ready way to get in more veggies, fat, and carbs is from a green smoothie with frozen berries avocado spinach or kale and coconut milk.

Sent from Katigre's Galaxy S3

[Auroras mom]

Seems like classic day 3 of any low carb eating plan. Definitely eat mroe big bowls of salads/greens.

I will not lie to you though - two years of eating strict paleo, and I was evil and unhappy pretty much the entire time, and I did not have the promised "tons of energy". :no

[Blue Aurora]

Not to derail but what do you eat now?

[Auroras mom]

Not to derail but what do you eat now?

Oh my, it is not "intentional", but I eat pretty mcuh South Beach-ish or Paleo-light, with the exception of too many desserts and sugar in my coffee! I am learning that my brain cannot handle the sugar deprivation. I am self-medicating for some chemical imbalance, I am certain (seratonin, probably). So, I am "happier" and more peaceful, but I am really, really fat!! LoL.

Next week, I plan to join you in the world of sugar dt's and unhappiness again:P

[ThreeKids]

More insulin resistance symptoms were what I experienced after going gluten-free. I've done paleo, too, after being well-transitioned into gluten-free and it didn't get worse during the switch to paleo.

My personal notion for why I'd have an increased sensitivity to sugar (and simpler carbs) is the sugar was in some way being prevented from being detected so readily while I was on gluten and then removing that made me more sensitive to it, with a greater dump of insulin into my system and a greater crash later. The crash would be shakiness and weakness.

[Peridot]

:yes yes, after a while gluten free, my insulin sensitivity came back with a vengence. I don't really mind though- because feeling incredibly rotten after eating refined carbs helps me remember WHY I'm not eating them in the first place. :doh

[gpsings]

I just popped in here. I am below 50 low carb primal (I like cheese) and also a runner/ weights/ 'athlete' wannabe.

I got this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983490716/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

which is teaching me a lot. I got sick, headaches, etc. the first week, which I summed up to detox, and my runs got aweful! Slow and conking out in the first half.
According to the book, there is a 3-4 week adjustment curve, even while in dietary ketosis, where your body re-teaches itself to use fat for fuel.
I did a trail-run boot camp yesterday, and did awesome! I still had plenty of energy left after to take my kids and dogs to the park, and even some left at bedtime for dh! :giggle So....I know it is working.
The idea is, that once your body burns fat as it's main source of fuel, you can reintroduce slow burning carbs.
I know that's not exactly the same as Paleo, but it's an interesting study and it's working for me. (I have major blood sugar issues, so low carb is just my only option)