3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

[miller98b]

wI searched the forums for similar threads, but I may be searching incorrectly. Sorry if this is repetative.

I have been on the atkins diet for three weeks and I feel like someone put a bag of rocks on my back. I gave up coffee, caffeine, sodas, alcohol and I am sticking to the diet religiously. I am taking my vitamins and working out at least four times a week; if not more. Exercise seems to be the only thing that keeps my energy levels up, but when I start the exercise and the day after the exercise I feel like I have the flu. To be honest, I don't feel like the inducticion flu ever stopped. The headaches, "foggy brain", aches and tiredness all remain. The pain is worth the gain, even though the gain has been slow. Tips? Similar stories?

[atkinsgal08]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Are you eating enough food?

Are you getting all your vegetables?

Are you drinking all your water?

If you want to post a typical day's menu, with quantities and net carbs, we can take a look.

[miller98b]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Breakfast: 4 boiled eggs, two slices of provolone, water and multivitamin.
(4 net carbs, because Egglands best eggs have no carbs)

Lunch: 10 oz mahi mahi filet with two pats of butter and salad greens with 2 tbsp of caesar dressing. (3 net carbs)

Dinner: 10 oz ribeye (or salmon filet with butter) and broccolli with broccolli (4 net carbs)

Water: at least 100 oz per day.

I am 6'3 285 pounds. I use fitday and it does not seem too low. Around 2,000 kcals per day.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

>>egglands best eggs have no carbs>>

That's not true. That's just the label that says that ... since the net carbs of an egg are below 0.5, the label can say 0. So 4 large eggs would be 1.2 net carbs.

You don't have enough net carbs ... you should be aiming for 20 net per day, with MOST of them coming from Induction vegetables.

At 285 pounds, you might want to aim for 140 ounces of water.

Also, believe it or not, 2000 calories might not be enough.

The combination of not enough carbs and not enough calories can easily lead to no losing ...

[cleochatra]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

I can tell you that when I eat too low-fat I die! I swoon over furnishings. I swear I almost blacked out once.

Make sure you're eating enough fat. I'm not sure what your ratios are.

[miller98b]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Very good points. My ratios are typically 55%F/40%P/5%C. Here is what I will try:

1. I will up the fat ratio
2. I am already drinking a ton of water, but I will drink more water to see if that helps
3. Raise my caloric intake
4......and see what happens

Here are a few follow up questions, though:

1. The best thing about this diet is that I have lost my insatiable (sp?) appetite and I thought we were only supposed to eat until we were satisfied. I get satisfied pretty quickly and often do not get hungry. I do force myself to eat when I hit the four or five hour mark, but what do you think is the best balance.

2. In your experience, what do you think would be my optimal caloric need?

3. Did the chicken or the egg come first?

Thank you so very much for the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2.

[cleochatra]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Your fats are super low. I'd up those. This will automatically raise your caloric levels, so I wouldn't worry too much!

I wouldn't add extra water, personally. Your body knows thirst, and when thirsty you drink. I don't think forcing down extra water will help, but this is speaking from my experience. For me, feeling lousy had more to do with what I was (or wasn't) eating (ie fat) that drinking more water.

1. The best thing about this diet is that I have lost my insatiable (sp?) appetite and I thought we were only supposed to eat until we were satisfied. I get satisfied pretty quickly and often do not get hungry. I do force myself to eat when I hit the four or five hour mark, but what do you think is the best balance.

I eat when hungry and stop when no longer hungry. Period. Some days I'm hungry and other days I'm not. If we truly listen to our bodies, chances are, caloric needs from day to day will honestly differ. Of course, I'm not sure how much you exercise and how strenuously? This will affect things.

Dr Atkins also says that losing too fast can affect feelings of health and well being. Are you losing too quickly?

2. In your experience, what do you think would be my optimal caloric need?

It really comes back to how physically active you are. Fitday can help here! If you exercise you might need more food thn someone who doesn't. Granted, I never found a difference, but my choice in exercise is walking on an incline of 5.

3. Did the chicken or the egg come first?

McDonalds would have you think it's the McNugget.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

>> I thought we were only supposed to eat until we were satisfied.>>

Very often early on our "cues" aren't really "spot on".

>>In your experience, what do you think would be my optimal caloric need?>>

What's 10-12 times your current body weight?

What's 250 calories above your BMR?

I've seen both work quite well.

BMR Formula

Only you will be able to tell what your best caloric intake is.

[miller98b]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Some one in my office just said that they felt tired until they ate more fats. Bacon here I come! Thanks for the help.

[cleochatra]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

It's definitely the fat. Keep us posted, ok?

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

yep up your fats and stabilize your blood glucose levels.

Also you might want to check the reports section of whatever food tracker you are using and see if you are defieicnt in any vit and or mineral. looking at your posted food I can see several you would be low in.

if you are already drinking a ton of water don't as more as too much can wash your electrolytes and water soluble vits out making you depelted.

Dr Atkins says in DANDR tired feeling folk are the only folk he tells to eat more food so if you up your fats and still feel tired eat more. tiredness is one symptom of hunger. Learn your body's symptoms things like being cranky irritated for no real reason, light headed, dizzy, foggy thinking are a few and if you feel then even though your appetite is suppressed from your ketosis you will need to eat.

Make sure your food choices are nutrtionally dense too so when you are not hunger and only eat a few bites you are getting some fat some protein and some of your veggie carbs eatten.

Since you are on week 3 you should be in OWL and adding even more of thsoe yummy veggies to your meals as your first addition back.

[bizzlekitty]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

One other tip I found that helps. Try and spread your carbs out a little throughout the day. Ex. eat some veggies carbs with each meal, including breakfast. Add some mushrooms, peppers, spinach etc. to your eggs in the morning. Don't forget to track them! (use Fitday, it can really help see what you're eating each day, nutrient amt. etc). I found this helps stabilize the blood sugar a bit more over the day. Eating 5-6 times a day with smaller meals can help with this too.

[miller98b]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

I will keep you up to date.....Talk to you in a week! Thanks for your time.

[miller98b]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Just a quick note......After we talked, I cooked five slices of think bacon and I actually feel much better this afternoon. I really think my fat and calories were too low. I was getting "Rabbit Hunger." Who would of thunk that eating more fat would make the diet work better? I thought I was getting enough fat with the eggs, the cheese and the ribeyes. Wouldn't it make sense on the surface that eating a low carb diet and not going crazy on the fat would make you lose weight faster?

[Georgiana]

Re: 3 weeks...I still feel utterly exhausted!

Wouldn't it make sense on the surface that eating a low carb diet and not going crazy on the fat would make you lose weight faster?

In order not to undereat calories on a low carb diet, you need to get those calories either from protein or from fat.

This article explains the benefits of a high fat diet over a high protein diet: Why Low-Carb Diets Must Be High-Fat - Second Opinions, UK