Lack of energy?

[need2know]

I know lack of energy is often quoted as a side effect by the anti low carb brigade and until now I have never experienced it but this time round I am!
OK, I know I'm not as young as I was but it just seems to have occurred since I started cutting my carbs again.
Has anyone else had this and if so is it a temporary thing and is there anything I can do to get my old get up and go back?!

[tragedian]

It could be a side effect of induction. Are you using any vitamin/mineral supplementation?

[Kirsteen]

Someone in another thread mentioned that your mineral/salt/electrolyte balance can go out of whack, and that salty broth might help.. Sea salts and natural salts have all kinds of minerals.

I normally am really great on very low-carb, and have been low-carbing or moderate-carbing for several years. Last Autumn, following a period of latitude, I dropped my carbs again to try to lose a bit more weight, and for no apparent reason, my energy levels kinda bottomed out and I really was fit for nothing. One day, I utterly had to go out and just about collapsed, so I had a plate of ham and lentil soup at a cafe, and it acted like medicine.. So for several months I added a tiny amount of pulses (legumes) to all my meals and it worked great for me - they filled me up, didn't disrupt my blood sugar, kept me satisfied for hours and for that time, I felt they really helped. Unfortunately, I made a big, big mistake and added large amounts of a high-carb fruit to my daily diet, thinking it was a low-carb option, I also allowed myself both coffee and alcohol which are big ruiners of the diet for me, one leading to stalling and swelling, the other leading to chocolate and mega-quantities of cream.. So I gained horrible weight.. I was away from home with no access to scales, and all my clothes are elasticated, so I didn't realise.

I don't know whether I'd have gained weight with only the legumes, but certainly I suggest that if the salty broth doesn't give you an instant lift, then try raising your carbs with a slow-acting carb - I was only adding about 1-2 tablespoon of chickpeas, lentils or similar per day - and see if it helps or affects your weight.. After a month or two, you could try removing them if you want to see if you still need them.

I'm back on a very low carb diet and it's feeling wonderful... so I think our needs might change with seasons or other variables, and we just need to go with the flow, to an extent, while keeping an eye on the scales.

[need2know]

Tragedian-I'm kind of doing my own thing! Just keeping carbs really low but trying to eat more fat. I take quite a few supplements but not of the multi-vitamin kind. I'm using Magnesium oil on my body but that's supposed to give energy not take it away!
I feel it most when I'm out with my dog and have to walk uphill-as it wasn't a problem before.
KIrsteen-as I'm just starting out I don't really want to include a lot of carbs at the moment. I really don't do well digestion-wise with legumes/pulses anyway. I do intend to include berries etc when I've lost a bit more but am finding with high-fat I'm not losing weight very quickly unfortunately :-(

[Elizellen]

In DANDR Dr Atkins talked of what he called "ascent weakness" 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.
I know you are not doing Atkins but maybe the same solution would help you?

[madeyna]

Great post Elizellen. I was thinking the same thing. I had the same problem but several months into low carbing . I had upped my exercise to much and been super low carb. to long. He recommends vitamens, salt, and broth as well.

[need2know]

Wow that's really interesting Elizellen-I'm glad I asked now! Thanks a lot :)

[kindke]

Feelings of energetic-ness , or lack thereof, is mostly nervous system mediated. ( sympathetic nervous system to be exact ) And generally not anything to do with electrolyte imbalances.

If I inject you with adrenaline, you will suddenly feel energetic, with no change in nutrient or electrolyte intake.

It is not easy to pinpoint the exact cause of lethargy becuase alot of things can contribute to it, but I have found that carbohydrate addiction withdrawal aswell as a grazing protein feeding pattern on low-carb to be strong culprits.

Getting into deeper ketosis may help you, this is where coconut oil comes in. Not grazing on protein helps keep your insulin down too, ( elevated insulin blocks ketone production ), insulin will be elevated for about 3 hours after a protein meal.

[Liz53]

Getting into deeper ketosis may help you, this is where coconut oil comes in. Not grazing on protein helps keep your insulin down too, ( elevated insulin blocks ketone production ), insulin will be elevated for about 3 hours after a protein meal.

Could you talk a little about how coconut oil helps you get into deeper ketosis? Are you suggesting adding coconut oil to what one is eating now, or substituting it for something else? Thanks!

[kindke]

Could you talk a little about how coconut oil helps you get into deeper ketosis? Are you suggesting adding coconut oil to what one is eating now, or substituting it for something else? Thanks!

coconut oil has medium chain fats which are preferentially converted to ketones by the liver, they are not stored in any meaningful quantity. This has the affect of elevating serum ketone levels.

Adding coconut oil is up to you, generally I eat it alone because it usually taints whatever food im eating with a strong coconut taste which I dont really like.

[Liz53]

coconut oil has medium chain fats which are preferentially converted to ketones by the liver, they are not stored in any meaningful quantity. This has the affect of elevating serum ketone levels.

Adding coconut oil is up to you, generally I eat it alone because it usually taints whatever food im eating with a strong coconut taste which I dont really like.

I already eat coconut oil, often by itself. I've also found it to be fantastic for pan frying chicken thighs - they get crisp and brown with no flour or breading whatsoever because you can set the temperature relatively high.

I guess I didn't realize the part about MCFAs being preferentially converted to ketones. Interesting. And good. I do notice it gives me a real boost of energy.

[Kirsteen]

Feelings of energetic-ness , or lack thereof, is mostly nervous system mediated. ( sympathetic nervous system to be exact ) And generally not anything to do with electrolyte imbalances.

If I inject you with adrenaline, you will suddenly feel energetic, with no change in nutrient or electrolyte intake.

It is not easy to pinpoint the exact cause of lethargy becuase alot of things can contribute to it, but I have found that carbohydrate addiction withdrawal aswell as a grazing protein feeding pattern on low-carb to be strong culprits.

Getting into deeper ketosis may help you, this is where coconut oil comes in. Not grazing on protein helps keep your insulin down too, ( elevated insulin blocks ketone production ), insulin will be elevated for about 3 hours after a protein meal.

Thanks for this.. I was interested to see what you said about protein. I am always saying that I don't do too well on eggs for breakfast, as they make me feel very off-colour and affect my blood sugar. People always immediately post and say that eggs are fine. No-one else seems to have that problem with eggs, and I was beginning to think I was psychotic, lol.

[Liz53]

Could you have an egg allergy, Kirsteen? It's not that uncommon.

[LRU_xcmom]

Interesting thing about the eggs....
I too assumed they were a great breakfast and they have in fact, in the past, served me well for a morning protein. However, yesterday I had two boiled eggs with mayo (a sort of egg salad type mixture) with a slice of toast at 6:30am and I was STARVING by 10am. I don't mean I was ready for a snack, I mean STARVING...as in I ate my entire packed lunch at 10am. I was not happy and didn't make the same mistake today. I wasn't sure why that happened but now I wonder if it was the eggs.

I hate the feeling I get when something in my diet is deficient. Hopefully you will get this tweeked and be feeling better soon. FYI...In the past when I have eaten low carb, I have found if I add something such as an extra carb serving, a fruit, or even the occasional dessert type slurge, if I add it at night, to my evening meal, I sleep through any 'cravings' that might be induced and usually I am fine by morning.

[need2know]

Hi LRU, if I ate toast with eggs it would be the toast that would make me hungry-not the eggs. I try to keep off eating them every day (though it's hard) as I tend to think if you eat something every single day you can make yourself intolerant to that food.

[Elfie]

Too much protein can have the same effect as carbs (Dr. Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution"). I've always done Atkins with great results, but when I went back to it several years ago, I did not have the same success and I just assumed it was because I was older. Then I got ahold of Bernstein's book where he limits protein to 4-5 oz at a meal because of the glucogenic effect of excess protein.

Once I started on Bernstein's plan, the pounds started rolling off again...and my blood sugar stabilized.

[need2know]

Thanks for that Elfie-that's worth remembering. However I think my little problem seems to be "ascent weakness" as mentioned by Elizellen as I feel fine otherwise.

[Kirsteen]

Could you have an egg allergy, Kirsteen? It's not that uncommon

Thanks for asking.. but no - one egg is OK, and I feel the same with carbs in the morning. Later in the day, I can eat higher carbs and more eggs, particularly at the evening meal. I always blame the egg white, as it's seemingly very easily assimilated, so probably just turns to sugar after the overnight fast.

What works for me is to eat very low carb and limit eggs to one in the morning - I can have one egg with loads of green salad, olive oil, and a few tasty colourful salad veggies for breakfast, and I concentrate most of my veggie intake later in the day. That is working well for me.