RE: Newbie to LC - many questions

[sdellis]

Hi All,
I am new to this forum. I tried the atkins diet years ago and lost alot of weight but didn't feel good on it. I found out it was because I cannot have milk products, only goat cheese. I am also sensitive to some vegetables (sensitivity meaning that my body has imflammation to some foods that cause pain for me) I do have some grains I can eat.
I am also a hypoglycemic that craves sugar and sweets physiologically and mentally. It is so hard for me to get off of them. I am not only gaining wait from it, but also it is affecting my health.
I wanted to see if I could get some tips on how to start the LC diet and follow it, so I don't have those low, high, crashes and cravings based on foods I can't eat. Is fruit part of the acceptable foods?

Thanks for any advice to start me on this road...I am so tired of being tired from sugar cravings, highs and lows and feeling like do do.

Thanks and I am glad to be here!
Sheryl

[amandawald]

Hi there sdellis!

Well, I'm going to recommend the plan I'm on: the Schwarzbein plan as it is a very gentle LC plan - I suppose most people on this board would call it moderate carb, rather than low carb, though, although it is certainly lower in carbs than your average version of the Standard American Diet (SAD).

One of the reasons that I recommend this plan to you is because of your hypoglycaemia, which could be a sign of adrenal fatigue. Schwarzbein's plan specifically addresses adrenal fatigue and how to recover from it, so that would make it a good plan for you, if your hypoglycemia is indeed a result of low adrenal function. Unless you do Atkins properly and take the supplements he recommends, embarking on Induction at 20g of carbs per day could put a lot of stress on your system, worsen your hypoglycemia and wear out your adrenals even more than they already are. I'm not against Atkins as such, don't get me wrong, but if you have an underlying health problem such as hypoglycemia, it might not be the best solution for you right now.

If you are OK with more technical books, then this is the one for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbein-Principle-Transition-Regeneration-Accelerated/dp/1558749640/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299058049&sr=1-2

This one doesn't go into such detail about the science behind her plan; it is more a "how-to" book:

http://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbein-Principle-Program-Losing-Healthy/dp/0757302270/ref=pd_sim_b_3

This book is also very good for learning about the body chemistry of adrenal fatigue and how to recover, although it doesn't have so many specific diet recommendations:

http://www.amazon.com/Adrenal-Fatigue-Century-Stress-Syndrome/dp/1890572152/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299058231&sr=1-1

From my reading - I'm a nutrition book junkie - I have come to the conclusion that as adrenal fatigue basically comes about from getting yourself stressed out (for whatever reasons) and one of the major reasons we become less and less able to cope with stress is because we become deficient in magnesium, that adrenal fatigue is basically a result of magnesium deficiency, first and foremost. This is something I learnt from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Magnesium-Miracle-Carolyn-Dean/dp/034549458X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299058375&sr=1-1

This is why one of the very first things I would do in your shoes would be to get a decent magnesium supplement. It helps regulate blood glucose and carbohydrate metabolism, helps you cope with stress better and is an all-round miracle worker. It is needed by the body to make ATP, which is the fuel our bodies use on a cellular level. Low magnesium can cause so many health problems and it is a scandal that its importance is so little known. After trying out many different kinds of magnesium, I have settled on these two types:

http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-High-Absorption-Magnesium-240-Tablets/16567?at=0

I have been using these Mg tablets for around a year now and have had good results with them, (plus no BM side-effects!!!). I have also been taking Mg chloride and am now going to try this brand:

http://www.iherb.com/Alta-Health-Magnesium-Chloride-100-Tablets/10682?at=0

If you order from iherb.com, make sure to use this code AMA168 to get a $5 discount off your first order.

If you want to read more about hypoglycemia and magnesium, this Google search list should give you a few good places to start!!!

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=magnesium+hypoglycemia&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=g1g-c1g-b1&aql=&oq=

I used to have all sorts of symptoms of adrenal fatigue and magnesium deficiency, but since following the Schwarzbein programme (not always strictly, mind you, but still!!!) and getting my magnesium levels up (amongst other things), I am a new woman!!! The brain fog, the morning dizziness, the lack of concentration, the mood swings, the irritabilitiy, the cramps in the night, the frenzied rushing-around, the low blood sugar, the constant tiredness and dependence on coffee and sweets to keep me going - these problems are - for the most part - things of the past. Of course, I still get tired, but I have a lot more energy than I used to.

I know this is a humongous post and I hope I haven't bored you to death, but the mention of hypoglycemia got me going!!!

Take care and feel free to pop in my journal if you want - you'll see my journey detailed in there, too - I've been doing this LC thing since May 2007!!!

amanda

[Water Lily]

I suggest you check out:

http://www.perfecthealthdiet.com