Huge Problem

[EMSOfficer]

Hi all

Got a major issue here. For the last few days I have had non stop head and body aches. Today I woke up at 0930 and just laid in bed til 1800 because I was so weak and lethargic. I wanted to stop this diet when I first started feeling this way a few days ago but I didn't and I keep feeling like I am getting sicker. Does anyone recommend any supplements to take while LC'ing?
Does everyone eat breakfast here? I havent been that much since I started LC'ing. I took some Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium and I feel better.

Any thoughts

Lou

[BayouBecky]

Yikes, that sounds miserable... how long have you been on Atkins? You should be feeling better soon, I would think!

:bhug:

[katwoman]

Lou, how long have you actually been on induction? Some people seem to miss the induction flu completely--others it only lasts a matter of days, and I've known of a few unfortunates for whom it held on a couple of weeks. I don't have anything scientific to back this up--but my guess is that much depends on how long it takes to detox each individual.

Have you ruled out other causes? Is it possible you have a virus of some kind and it's coincidence that it hit during induction?

As for supplements, I keep them pretty simple. A good multi-vitamin, calcium and potassium are all I take on a regular basis. Once in awhile I'll through in chromium--but I'm not diligent about it.

The one thing I can assure you is that if it is related to LCing, if you stick with plan and aren't having a food allergy you haven't yet identified, it will eventually get better and you'll be glad you stuck it out.

You have my sympathy--I despise the induction flu--and never plan to have to go through it again.

Oh, yes I always eat breakfast. Most important meal of the day you know :)

[TheMiss]

Sorry you feel like that, I don't really know of any vitamins that would help right away, but when I had induction flu I was very achy too so I took ibuprophen and it helped. I hope you can stick with it, hopefully it will go away within a few more days and you will be feeling better.

[X-carber]

HI EMSOfficer,
Sorry to hear your not feeling well.
I am not sure what will help you, but I can relate to how you are feeling and tell you how I fixed it.
1. Breakfast... you have to make sure you don't skip meals, even if your not hungry, take in something. You have to take in an adequate amount of fat and protein to compensate for the low carbohydrates. Which I think is the best thing since slice bread(pardon the pun). I am a hardcore meat eater. When you wake in the morning from a fasting state and do not eat breakfast, you become lethargic amoung other things.

2. Make sure to take a regular mulitvitamin everyday. Do a little research on what is best for you and read labels. That will help you optimized your well being.

3. Induction Flu - I think most of us have been through it. After a few days it should pass. If not, I agree with Katwoman make sure there isn't anything else going. It eventually passed for me.

HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

[j13]

That's rough. I take a multivitamin, an antioxidant booster and 3 omega-3 fish oil supplements every day. I don't know whether they'll help you get over the induction flu faster, but they may, and one way or another they're good for you...

Also, DON'T QUIT. I started around your weight but 4+ inches shorter. IT IS WORTH IT.

-j.

[snburch]

If this is your first week....it probably is "induction flu."

I had it bad the first time I tried LC. Major withdrawls!! I thought I had the flu for real. I cut out caffiene at the same time too which only added to my condition. I think I spent two weeks walking around in a fog.

If you stick with it, it is well worth it. Hard to believe, but it is.

[potatofree]

Can you tell us what you've been eating? It'll sure help get a better picture of what you're getting in a day and maybe see where the problem is. It sounds to me like awful "induction flu" indeed, but most likely that you aren't eating enough.

[tmatrocks]

Relax the carb count - in other words, ease into Induction.

I realize it may not be a very popular notion around here, but any step in the right direction is positive.

If you were eating 200 grams of carbs a day previous to Atkiins, easing into Induction by limiting yourself to 40 grams, then 30, then 20 might be a solution worth considering.

In my humble opinion - we needn't start so stictly 100% of the time. We are each different. We are each in charge of our bodies. One rule/plan/routine does not fit all!

GOOD LUCK - stick with it, my friend!

[diemde]

Lou, sorry to hear you are feeling so bad. Please post what you are eating and drinking so that we can help tailor suggestions for you. A lot of people aren't hungry after a few days of eating low carb and they don't eat enough food, which contributes to feeling ill. At your weight, you will need to eat a lot of food initially, so don't try to cut back on calories at the same time as cutting back on carbs.

Definitely eat something in the morning, but it doesn't have to be traditional breakfast foods. And drink plenty of water throughout the day to help flush out the toxins.

As a last resort, rather than quitting, try increasing your carbs by 5 or 10 to see if it helps. I'd rather see you increase carbs just a tiny bit than to quit altogether.

Let us know how it's going.

[ndurance1]

I would not advise skipping any meals at all. In fact, I would recommend low carb snacking in between meals.

This is not a white-knuckle test of willpower, tho you may have your moments of trial on occasion. This is a pretty easy going thing. I would ensure that you are eating regularly, and snack often - just hit low carb snacks that are OK on the plan.

If you keep the fat levels high, and ensure you are getting enough protien and all - it should help alot! I recommend the supplements others have (multivitamin, maybe some Omega3/6 Oil tabs, etc). It might help!

Drink lots. Drink lots of water. Drink lots of flavorful low carb beverages (Pepsi One, Coke Zero, Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Green Tea, Sugar Free Tropicana Lemonade, Unsweet Tea, etc). Eat some sugar free Jello, and some Dannon Low Carb Yogurt!

Snack. Eat beef jerky, cheese sticks, string cheese, unsalted nuts/almonds/etc.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!! KEEP YOUR CHIN UP!!!!

[potatofree]

tmatrocks- not always popular but right. ;) Even according to Dr. Atkins, there is no reason to feel that awful. He suggested raising carbs by a few grams to ease the symptoms if they become unbearable.

[piper10]

Whenever I have felt sick on Atkins (this is not my first time around) it has been because I wasn't drinking enough water. That can make a HUGE difference in how you feel.

Hope you feel better soon!

[kathleen24]

Lou,

Stick it out. You want to be a firefighter. This is not the LC plan that is bothering you so much, it's the withdrawal from all the crap you've been eating--no disrespect intended.

Use this time for contemplation of what has brought you to this point, what you want, and what you'll get out of sticking it out. I'm really glad we've had a few people on here who started out about your size, and are walkin', talkin', postin' inspirations of what is possible. I'm hoping the same for you.

I'm also going to bump my re-start post so you can see what a whiny baby I was getting through this--although for me it wasn't so much actual physical aches and pains as just plain sugar-blues withdrawal. The good news is that it passed and I feel soooo much better than I did before I got back on the wagon.

Also, feel free to get on here and post all day long if you find it helps--no one will blink an eye--we understand how difficult this is, and we are rooting for you.

[EMSOfficer]

Ok well I have been eating lean steak, salads made from iceburg lettuce and ceasar dressing. The ceasar dressing has 1 Carb for 2 Tablespoons. If I want a snack I eat Mozzerella string cheese or pork rinds. I will have sugar free jello also. To drink its been alot of crystal light because plain water makes me gag. I will still have a caff free diet coke if I want it. I took some Magnesium, Potassium and Calcium and I am not dizzy and feel better. The odd thing is today is day 14 and it started around day 10 ish. I am going to eat some breakfast even though I dont want to.

Does anyone have an approved foods list? or a recipe for lasagne?

[ValerieL]

Is it possible you just got the regular flu? Or something else? I've never heard of anyone getting the induction flu 10 days in. Maybe you are just sick, normal, nothing to do with low-carb sick.

Your diet sounds fine. Approved food lists are in the book or online at atkins.com, look for or search for "induction" to find it.

Lasagne? Um... that will be a tough one. A lot of noodles in that. There are Dreamfield's lasagne noodles (Dreamfields is a low-carb pasta some use) you could use if lasagne is something you absolutely must have. If it's more that tomato/cheese sort of taste you are missing, try Donald's Deepdish Pizza Quiche (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=44087). It's a good thing! ;)

Good luck!

[MNLisa B]

Good luck on your journey. In order to be successful, you will have to make this a way of life. Start by reading some books, doing online research and listenng to your own body, there is no right or wrong way, everyone is uniquely different in the way that they lose.

For the first 4 months or so I avoided the Dreamfield's lasagna noodles (available online) then as the weight started to come off, I did purchase a few boxes. Use any standard recipe, there is one right on the box. OMG is all I can say. Made a pan last night in honor of Soprano's finale!!

You could also use thinly sliced zukes/and or eggplant instead of noodles, equally delicious. Part of the fun is doing the research and seeing the endless possibilites- anyone who says this is a boring way to eat has not done their research. :wave:

[katwoman]

There is a recipe from the forum (check the kitchen section or if you can't find it pop into my journal and let me know since I printed it out). It uses spaghetti squash instead of pasta. I haven't tried it yet, though I keep intending to.

[TX_Bayou]

You're story sounds similar to mine. I started around 6 weeks ago and I felt very much like you've described. I'm going to endorse tmatrock's answer because I used that tactic to feel better without any negative consequenses.

I'm very compliant with this wol, and my mood and general well-being have improved once my body got over the shock of lowering carbs drastically.

Best wishes to you!

Chris

[TX_Bayou]

One more thing I wanted to impart... I only added say 10 grams of carbs. I didn't go overboard and it was very controlled. I hope this information helps.

[Scented1]

hope you are feeling better today Lou! If not, go to the doctor.
(((((((lou)))))


Rach

[relaxme]

I just wanted to throw this out there. A while back I was watching something about pain (muslce and joint, general all over pains with no real notible cause) and it turned out it was a vit D shortage (rickets). That got me thinking that since I stopped a lot of milk and the wheat products that always have 'added vit D' and with winter and working inside that could explain some of my muscle aches. So I grabbed the bottle my doctor gave me long ago (which I had been ignoring) and sure enough in a day or so I noticed my joints and muscles weren't aching quite as much.

My doctor is holistic and told me to take at least 4000 IU vit D a day as well as getting some pure sun. He's really into sun (no sunscreen allowe as far as he's concerned) and tells me min 30 minutes/day. I guess I should have been listening to him but I'm taking my vit D now, every day, and much less pain now.

Maybe you've cut out some sources of Vit D to cut the carbs and your body is feeling it?

[MorganMac]

I don't have a recipe for lasagna and I can't even imagine how to create one that would be acceptable on induction, though later on in the diet, you can try the low-carb pasta substitues (shirataki noodles or dreamfields) and probably come up with something.

As for the approved foods list, I don't have a link offhand, but just google "atkins induction food list" and you'll get a ton of sites, though the best is to get the actual book and keep it on hand :)

I drink diet sodas, maybe 2 a day.. but now that I'm on plan, I've given up most of the artificially sweetened drinks (aside from my 2 prized diet sodas a day, lol). I had an aversion to plain water as well, but as long as I have a good bottled water and a mug full of ice, it's ok! I can get down 64 oz a day without much trouble.

Every serving of sweetener (be it splenda, aspartame, or whatever) counts as 1 carb.. so 6 8oz servings of crystal light = 6 carbs, add in the diet sodas (each can is 2 servings) and the jello - and that's adding up to a lot of potential carbs each day, just from that!

Water, plain water, is really important on this diet because as the fat is burned from your body, one of the byproducts is water and you need to increase your water intake to flush out all the "remains" - and a host of other reasons!

Keep an eye on your cheese intake, it isn't a "free" food and try to incorporate some leaner meats as well - chicken is the most common meat that I eat, and I've learned about 400000 different ways to prepare it, lol, gotta keep it interesting!

The "Atkins Flu" will go away once you've gotten all the stored sugars and carbs out of your body - the heavy intake of the sweeteners could be prolonging that.. thats my theory anyway, hehe.

Good luck!

Morgan

[suze_c]

Based on my own experiences-I have to agree with that it is more so the junk we had been putting into our bodies and not doing so any more that can cause many of the cruddy feelings.

I remember I stayed on induction for over 2 1/2 months in 2002- and I could not stand anything sweet any more- even the artificial sweeteners made me feel nauseous! I am in the middle of a move right now- so not totally LC'ing yet- but can't wait- I know how many of the carbs can drag someone down- I use stevia for sweetener now-it is a natural substance and not chemical- I have no clue what it is on carb count- but a teeny bit goes a very long ways! I use like a 32nd of a teaspoon to sweeten a quart of tea!

[suze_c]

p.s. looked it up, and stevia has no carbs! Good enough eh? :agree:

[callmedoc]

Every serving of sweetener (be it splenda, aspartame, or whatever) counts as 1 carb.. so 6 8oz servings of crystal light = 6 carbs, add in the diet sodas (each can is 2 servings) and the jello - and that's adding up to a lot of potential carbs each day, just from that!


So, are you adding a count of 2 Carbs per each can of diet soda? I usually only drink one can a day, but I have never added anything for that.

[MorganMac]

Yeah, I count each can as 2 carbs, being that they're 12 oz.. a bit of an overestimation, but better that than underestimating.

[pennink]

induction lasagna... use thinly sliced zuchini or eggplant or cooked cabbage leaves... yum

[ValerieL]

Those sweeteners count as carbs because in the packets (and Crystal Light) they are mixed with fillers for bulk (maltodextrin) that are carbs.

Beverages that are not made from powder, like diet coke, does not contain carby fillers like maltodextrin and thus do not need to be counted as carbs.

You can count diet coke as 2 carbs if you really want to, but it's not necessary. It isn't really 2 carbs.

[ecstacyrai]

EEK I thought I was just wiggin out thinking the working out was making me so sore everywhere. It is misrable.

[callmedoc]

Those sweeteners count as carbs because in the packets (and Crystal Light) they are mixed with fillers for bulk (maltodextrin) that are carbs.

Beverages that are not made from powder, like diet coke, does not contain carby fillers like maltodextrin and thus do not need to be counted as carbs.

You can count diet coke as 2 carbs if you really want to, but it's not necessary. It isn't really 2 carbs.


Oh GOOD!!! I was really hoping that I wasn't missing some carbs in my count. My carb count is low enough right now, since I am still doing the Induction Phase, but when I move into OWL, I want to make sure that it's not going to hinder me at all. Nice thing is, I don't seem to have a problem with Aspartame ( at least not yet ). :cool:

[MorganMac]

Well, I believe that DANDR says to count each serving of sweetener as 1 carb.. so thats what I do, works for me, but YMMV! :)