I don't know why, but I feel really weird inside. First, I lie down to sleep and I feel sort of dizzy. But not really dizzy, more like I am going to faint. I never fainted before, but I think that is what it feels like. Then, my heart is surging. My pulse is stable, and NO, I am not on absolutely any kind of drug or ephedra. I am only taking l-cartenine plus Basic 3, period.
I HAVE been working out a lot lately. To an extreme point. And I have been seriously cutting my carbs. To an extreme point. I calculated today, and I couldn't have had more than 8. And today was a high carb day compared to yesterday, when I had perhaps 5 or 6.
I also feel like I am being pulled like in this tunnel, just really like when you dive in the water and that surge you feel. That is how I am feeling, and I don't know what to do since I am not taking any kind of suppliments aside from the afore mentioned.
No caffenine.
No alchohol or cigarettes.
No food allergies, I've been tested before.
I also don't eat an exceptional number of calories, although I do high fat. I do around 1200-1400 cal. and that is heavy cardio and staying hydrated. Do you think my brain is not getting enough glucose??
In all seriousness, what do you think is happening to me, because I feel really nervous about it.
Thanks for any help.

whoa, thats kinda scary. Im not sure exactly what to tell you, im sure lots of people here will have great advice for you, but i say you gotta increase your carb intake!! 5-8 is to low! i believe it even says in the atkins book on induction that you must eat 20 carbs....

Hang in there! i hope you feel better.. and start eating !

The only thing that I can offer is that you need to increase your carbs. Many people that workout intensly/frequently need to also increase their carb intake. Are you eating your veggies? With your carb amount as low as it is, it doesn't seem that you could be having enough veggies as your body needs. Remember, Atkins says 2 cups of salad and one cup of other vegetables every day.

Hi Tsve,

I agree that you need more carbs. In fact as you are 5'10, and currently at the very low end of the normal weight for your height range, you should be looking at around 50 to 60 carbs in order to maintain.

Trying to lose more weight is putting your future health in serious jeopardy.

As you are doing a lot of exercise, you clearly need a lot more calories too. Your body is sending you a clear message. Please listen to it.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Rosebud

yes hidees, ATM, I feel like I am slipping into a coma or something. it is scary, and I am not being over dramatic. I am a really serious and nothing eccentrical sort of person.
chysmith, thanks for sugesting the vegetables. yesterday I had them, today I had a lot of fiber in the nuts I ate, so I actually didn't eat a salad. I am not on induction though so I don't eat salads every single day. I also do not think with taking proper supplimentation, a day without vegetables will kill me..or will it??

to provide insight to my menu
for breakfast I have usually 2 eggs
at noon I eat 1 ounce of nuts
right before I work out I have nuts or I eat half a can of tuna, mayo and relish
after I work out, I eat something light, like around 300 calories, but it is varied
for dinner I eat something light, drink decaf coffee and sometimes have no sodium broth
er...sometimes, but not lately, I eat atkins endulge bar, and on some mornings I have an atkins shake instead of eggs
I space out my Basic 3, thre times a day and take l-caritine 3 times a day, as directed, all in intervals
I drink nearly 4 liters of water per day, one glass upon rising and a full litter before and after a workout, also consuming about a half a liter during workouts.
...and I work out doing cardio and aerobic plus pilates, swimming and flex band resistance for about 4 hours a day, 6 times a week....
it all of a sudden caught up with me!! hm...still don't know what to do.

rose, I never considered I was putting my body in jerpordy, but you must have a point about the carbs. although, I am not trying to lose weight anymore, I am trying to lose body fat by conversion into lean muscle. I am also trying to keep lean. I don't have the option of doing it for vanity reasons either. If I want to keep my job, I work in fashion, and I have to have certain measurements.
It would be more stressful for me to not have my job, so I must balance my diet and exercise to find a healthy regimen, and apparently, I have done something wrong to end up in this position. Can I develop a food allergy to nuts if I eat them a lot? There are certainly more things apparent than I can suggest, so thank you for input everybody. And thank you rose, I hope I feel better soon too.

You need to eat more - more fat, more carbs (you'll soon burn them) and more protein - if you want muscle instead of body fat you should be eating MUCH more protein than you are eating at present.
raise your calories - a lot at least double your present intake.

Now that you're not on induction, you should be eating even more salads!
Induction in 20 carbs a day, OWL/premaintenance is more...
Also check that you're getting enough potassium...

Cheers
S

As a workout nut myself, I can for sure that it's your very strenuous workout schedule combined with low calorie and carb in take that's causing you to feel this way. At your height and weight you need to increase your carb and calorie in take. Your body is going to shut down if you keep it doing this, Tsve. Already it is sending you messages that something is wrong. If you hate preparing salads like I do, I just go to McDonald's or Arby's for a salad, which is delicious. If you don't like veggies too much, then have fruits. Choose any kind of berries, although strawberries have the lowest carb count I think. Also ou don't want to go too low in your calorie intake.. I think 1200 cals is too low for you. By doing that for too long, you get your body used to that starvation mode, so that when you do increase your calorie intake, body will try to hold on to any extra calorie then. So eat more, k? Believe me, you should not feel like fainting on Atkins! The diet is designed to make you feel great.

Being that tall and that thin...are you having regular menstrual periods?

Are you anemic?

Anyone who is working out NEEDS more carbs. Just choose them from vegetables and fruits.

How about checking with the Exercise & Body For Life forums? There are people who are big into weights and other workouts and know about when to add carbs.

They symptoms of weakness that you described above are DEFINITELY signs that you need more carbs.

Be patient with your body - you may be asking it to do too much too fast. Please take care of your health first - no job is worth risking that for.

I totally agree with everyone here. Please take their advice - you are really going to do some serious damage to your body if you don't start eating more. I am worried, please please please listen to your body!
*Cappy*

If you are excercising heavily and drinking a lot of water, you could also be experiencing a low level of potassium, calcium or magnesium (or all of them) and it wouldn't be a bad idea to supplement with those as well.
I agree with Rosebud. Your body is sending you clear signals that it doesn't like something that you are doing to it and it would be wise to listen. I understand that it would be stressful for you to lose your job over not having the correct measurements, but consider also that you could wind up losing your job from not feeling well enough to work. It doesn't look to good to be passing out during a photo shoot.
Since you're trying to maintain your weight now and instead replace fat with muscle, I think you should start working on slowly increasing your carbs (have you read up on maintainance or read Atkins for Life?). Eat more veggies, include some fruits along with those nuts and proteins and make sure that you are getting enough protein to build muscle with (about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass).
Please take care of your body. Your job in the fashion industry will not last forever, but you're going to have your body to answer to for the rest of your life.

This morning I am going to have a a salad! And some eggs with creme I think. I would put walnuts in it(my salad), but I am afraid that there is a possibilty I could be allergic to them. It was the last thing I ate yesterday along with a package of creme cheese.
I eat them during the day too but I wouldn't know if I had a minor intolerance to them since my heart rate is usually elevated all day long from doing some kind of activity, or I usually feel sort of drained from low carb in general.
I have come to realize I am getting a dangerously low amount of carbs. And I should be getting a little more protein as well. This was a really bad experience so thanks for helping me get throught it, I should say. The feeling has passed since I woke up, but anyone else who wants to offer advice, I won't resent it

Tsve, muscle will not grow in a vacuume. You have to give your body the fuel to create it. Exercising is only 20-30% of the equation, if you eat junk, or if you don't eat enough then you're not going to be able to create the new tissue necessary - you're not even going to be strong enough to do the damage necessary to cause growth to happen.

I've read your posts in the recent weeks and frankly, you're exercising to excess and cutting calories and carbs in excess (as you just stated above) - the only thing you're going to gain from this IMHO is heartache and stress as you try to achieve something that isn't possible based on the methods you are using.

Your body needs fuel - if you're LCing that will come from fat, not protein. If you eat HC that comes from carbs, not protein. The protein goes toward building and repairing tissue - not toward energy, this is especially true with a LC WOE. No fuel = no growth.

I don't mean to come off sounding harsh, but frankly I'm concerned about you.

Do you know what the definition of insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Nat