4 days in and hurting

[amylouna]

Hi, I found this site last night and was so impressed and inspired by everyone on it; I'm having a lot of discomfort with induction and was ready to move on to a different approach but I'm hanging in there thanks to all of you.

My main question is how does one know that the discomfort experienced during the induction phase is sugar withdrawal and not a signal from the body that something is wrong?

I'm four days into induction and my head is really hurting badly. My stomach feels a bit sick and digestion is not moving along as it normally has. I am drinking lots of water, exercising, eating two salads of dark leafy greens a day and getting fibrous veggies (mainly asparagus, which I love) along with eggs, meat and cheese. Today I began taking metamucil psyllium capsules (3g carbs in each 5 capsule serving) and I'm hoping that they help, eventually... At what point should I be concerned that I might be hurting myself? I have a clean bill of health (bloodwork, urinalysis, etc.).

I know these experiences are common it's just that they feel pretty severe, especially the headache.

Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated!

[Elizellen]

Re: 4 days in and hurting

From Chapter 9 of DANDR 2002

Fallacy #5: People doing Atkins may feel tired, weak and lacking in energy.

Fact: Fatigue may occur during the first few days of doing Atkins, while the body adapts to the switch in metabolic pathways. It typically takes about three to four days for the body to convert from a sugar metabolism to a primarily fat metabolism. Your body can store carbohydrates for only up to forty-eight hours, so you can be confident that your metabolic switch will occur, as long as you are doing Atkins properly.

After the transition, those people who were tired at first usually report high energy and clear thinking throughout the day. The explanation is simple: They have rebalanced their nutrition so that their blood sugar is stabilized. They avoid blood-sugar peaks and valleys throughout the day, putting an end to mood swings and periods of lethargy. And those people who consume a full vitanutrient program are much less likely to feel weak or tired even at the start of Atkins.

and from chapter 11

That said, there are a few people who experience fatigue or light-headedness during their first week doing Atkins. Most often this means that the process is going too fast for their particular metabolism-they're losing weight too fast, losing water and certain minerals too fast, and their bodies can't keep pace with these quick changes. One sign is ascent weakness: You feel weak walking up stairs. These reactions can be aggravated by hot weather, when you are already losing minerals through sweat, or by taking a diuretic. Obviously, drinking lots of water is essential.
Usually, I advise patients who have these problems to slow down the weight loss. They should add another helping of vegetables to their evening meal or one or two ounces of nuts or seeds. Although their bodies would almost certainly adjust during the second week, there isn't any good reason for feeling washed out and sickly for even one day. After the symptoms abate, go back to the lower level of carb intake

So drink your water (64 fluid ounces plus 8 more for every 25 pounds you hope to lose), take your vitamins (plus your usual headache pill if needed) and stick to the allowed list and rules of induction and your body will I hope soon respond and feel better as you continue your Atkins journey towards better health and a slimmer you

[Scooterjam]

Re: 4 days in and hurting

No worries. Sounds like a bout of induction flu. Trust me, give it time, I restarted induction several months ago. At day 6 I was feeling very tired and kinda grumpy (mind you I had just came off a 6 week binge of bad bad stuff and gained several pounds back) but all of sudden, day 7 hit, I had energy through the roof, went out, ran. Cleaned, worked on music, that night it was like midnight....I couldn't sleep my adrenaline was pumping. It's pretty much been that way since, I love it!

You're doing just fine!!! Keep posting though hon, it really helps to talk about it too!!!