feeling worse with the low carb diet
 

hi everyone, i have cfs and feel worse with the diet. is it normal?? i have no strength in arms and legs and feel more tired. i have candidas and maybe its due to that? cos candidas feed themselves on carbs so now they dont have food theyre dying and release more toxins??
dunno what to do..

How long have you been low carbing? I know for me, the first week or two was very rough; headaches, nausea and major fatigue are all normal as your body changes from glucogenic (burning carbs for fuel) to ketogenic (burning fat for fuel.)

Lili, you must have just started. It does get much better, as your body adjusts. How much time are you giving it before you decide if it's working for you?

hello! thanks for replying!!
i started 3 weeks and a half ago. the first days were really hard because i was used to eating a llot of carbs- muesli for breakfast, loadsa fruits (4 at least a day), rice or other for lunch and again carbs in the evening and at 4 some rice cakes so i felt i was starving even though i ate loadsa proteins then after a few days i wasnt craving sugar anymore but i started feeling even worse, i had no strength in my arms and legs, when i walked up the stairs my legs were going weak, i once couldnt even run to catch the bus. so i was a bit scared that sthg was wrong cos even if have cfs i had never been so weak in my muscles before, then i called a woman who coaches pp with the specific carb diet and she said it was not normal to feel so weak and said maybe i shd eat a few spoons of rice in the evening then it was a bit better but then i had cravings and reactions to carb so its not a solution, it ddepends on wich carb i eat too.. anyway you too have cfs so its normal to feel worse even a month after i started??

thank you so much for your help!!

It sounds to me like what you have is "Induction flu". Your body is detoxing all of those carbs and going through withdrawal. Adding rice to your diet will make you feel better temporarily, similar to giving a junkie a fix. However, it will indeed make you crave more. It's a normal part of starting low carb.

HOWEVER, if what you're feeling feels so awful you can't function, then please do see your doctor. From what I can find about cfs and low carb, the diet generally seems to improve symptoms, not make them worse. There may be other issues.

thanks for helping! thats what i thought too but i dont mind having symptoms as long as theres nothing serious going on.. i have no reactions with raw cereals or fruits so ill eat a tiny portion one day out of two and then out of tthree etc until i feel better..

Sounds like the little Candidas critters are getting upset and its going to take a bit of time to let them die off. I Am betting its taht, stick with this woe and time will heal your body...

Ok I've only just started on this diet - 3.5 days, but I've got the fatigue in arms and legs really bad too. I know it's not been as long as you but I do believe this is a reaction to the toxins released from the candida and from your illness. I've got CFS too and a few months ago I had to fast for 3 days as part of a medical test and I felt really shockingly terrible. I believe it was the body being able to deal with some of the toxins (after reading up on fasting).

The reaction I'm having now is similar and I believe it's my body being able to clear out some junk due to the lower level of carbs that the digestive system has to deal with, and also the effect of the body using some fat for energy, which will release toxins stored in the fat. I've heard that it can take 3 months to feel better with candida but you are already a third of the way through that, and I think most of the time people feel better before 3 months.

To support your liver to detoxify take vitamin C, my doctor suggested 2 g daily. Also, you'll know to drink lots of water. Taking EFA will help too. And milk thistle if you don't have endometriosis. I was really constipated for ages in the earlier stages of CFS and that didn't help my body to get rid of the toxins so if you are constipated you need to deal with that - flaxseed oil is good for that.

I really believe that toxicity is what's causing my CFS, or playing a large part, and I really believe that you'll feel lots better in many ways if you can get through this period. You are doing so well, and you are so brave to get through one month of these appalling symptoms...really hope you start to feel better very soon.

Thank you Suee! I'm sorry to hear you have CFS too!

Well that message was so long ago, I have given up this diet now. I started feeling better after about a month but not any better than before when I was eating grains. Also I weighed about 53 kg when I first started the low carb diet and it went up to 61 now, because I felt so frustrated that my binge eatng crises came back violently. I have then reintroduced grains in my diet because it's too important for me psychologically, also I dont feel I need a 0 grain diet to feel better but we're all different.

I found out I had thyroid and adrenal issues, as well as ovarian issues, which have an impact on my immune system etc so Im addressing it right now.

I wish you all the best with the diet!

Lilix

Hey Lili,

Oh yeah, I will check the date of posts in the future :o

Glad to hear that you have some answers at least about what's going on with the CFS and things that are wrong. I really hope it all gets resolved and you and I are back to full health soon. CFS sucks.

I've got hypoglycaemia which I think has been draining my body and making the CFS much worse, so I really think this diet is right, I've had much less low blood sugar than before the diet already, so good signs. If I can get through the induction flu!

Best wishes to you too x

ahah no problem! i know what u mean about hypoglycemia, it was the only thing that this diet really helped, i didnt have that anymore!

i eat only a small amount of grains a day though so that is ok,now I suppose.

Good luck then and keep us posted!

Could you post what your daily menus are, so we could look at whether you're eating enough of the different macronutrients etc. That can affect fatigue.

Lee

Hi Lee

Not sure whether this was to me or Lili, thought I'd take advantage :) , maybe there are some glaring errors I am making. I'm on day 6 today.

breakfast: 3 sausages, 1/2 can of tinned plum tomatoes
lunch: quinoa (25g carb serving), kale, celery, 1/2 tin of salmon, olive oil and mayo
snack: 2 chicken thighs, 2 gluten free crackers (6 carbs) with smoked mackerel pate
dinner: 25g brown rice pasta, chicken breast, egg, cheese, mushrooms, olive oil (spaghetti carbonara just with little pasta).
supper: small amount cheese and turkey

I did start the day (very bad start to the day at 3.30am) with 35g dark chocolate, which really wasn't great, and i won't be doing that again.

I'm aiming for about <=90 carbs a day, but I think from today will be cutting down to about 50-60 per day.
I think I need to increase my fat intake?

Many thanks

Sue

oh Suee I see you still eat carbs then? i thought u were doing a 0 grain diet! I do the same, I eat a small amount of grains with my meals, I try to eat more veggies and proteins and then a bit of fat, raw butter or olive oil.

Hi Sue, I was aiming the question at either of you. Your menu does seem to be lower fat and lower calorie. Do you know your ratios of carbs/proteins/fats and calories. I would also say ditch the grains, it was the best thing I did for fibro fatigue. You feel a bit rubbish for a week and then you start to have more energy.

Lee