I've been on Atkins for four months and lost 30 lbs. Most of the time I've been feeling wonderful, and I know I look better.

However, almost from the first I have had times when I felt very tired. I lose weight at about 1lb a week, after losing 13lbs on Induction. I think I probably have a low metabolic resistance, but approaching 50, the weight will come off slower than it used to.

I began to do more gentle exercise (yoga once a week, a personal trainer who has given me some home exercises to do) and lately I've felt very weary indeed. I think I may not be eating enough carbs. I'm not into micro-managing my food intake, like Dr I, I stick to low carb food without tracking it much - this is my lifestyle, so I don't want to be constantly listing and checking. A day's menu might be:

Breakfast: two slices of deli meat, couple slices (say, 2oz) cheese (Jarlsberg, Leerdammer, etc). Cup of tea with little milk.

Lunch: Chicken salad with green salad, cherry toms, cuke, spring onion, ranch dressing or lemon juice, avocado, feta cheese (small amount) maybe some olives, etc. Sometimes a hard boiled egg.

Dinner: cooked meat, at least two green veggies (spinach, broccoli, runner beans, etc) with a dab of sour cream, sometimes fauxtatoes - cauli, cheese, some cream. Mixed berries, tblsp sugar free jello, 2 tbs heavy cream.

snacks: macadamias, small pieces of cheese, pot of plain yogurt (10 carbs).

At least 8 8oz glasses of water - usually more. So my urine is clear.
I multivitamin, and a B-complex

I do NOT eat all the snacks every day - the berries etc and the yogurt would be an either/or.

Yesterday I felt so weary that I ate the berry dessert, the yogurt and had some scrambled eggs on thin wholemeal toast, all as a kind of dinner! I even ate a shortbread cookie (about 10 carbs) late afternoon, not because I wanted it, I just felt TIRED, and thought the carbs would help. I don't normally cheat - I haven't eaten cookies or bread in a long while.

I suspect upping my exercise even slightly has affected me and that I may need to add carbs somehow, but I'm not hungry enough to have any ideas (ketosis). I'm worried about doing this as I don't want to stall myself. Please don't tell me to cut the deli meat - it hasn't hurt me, I drink a lot of water to combat the salt, and I can't face a 'better' breakfast. I vary my food, I stir fry about once a week, and make lamb kebabs, etc, to keep it all interesting. Although onions are considered a bit dodgy for the GI, I do eat them because they are so full of goodness and anti-oxidants. I have been eating my home grown tomatoes and runner beans.

I'm wondering, would it be an idea to incorporate Atkins with another low carb woe, such as South Beach? I've never been keen on fruit - I've eaten more on Atkins than ever before.

I wonder if I may be sickening for something, but even if this is so, the tiredness does seem to creep up on me at times. My DH is now also low carbing, with enormous success (grr), and likes this woe very much. We both feel much better for it. If ONLY I didn't feel so tired. I don't have any medical problems, never had thyroid trouble, and my blood pressure is always normal. I was slender until my 40s, never had to watch my weight before then.

Any ideas???
Thanx,
Clare

[This message was edited by Calleva on 10-01-03 at 03:21 AM.]

It sounds to me like you're getting enough veggies in different varieties, but not enough protein.. 2 slices of deli meat for lunch, and more for dinner? I know you said you want to keep the deli meat, but how about keeping that for a snack, and adding some real, solid protein in the form of chicken breasts, burgers, steaks, pork chops, etc. to lunch & dinner?

(296/225/135) 04/01/03
The Downward Spiral Begins

Shrinky

I eat real meat at dinner!! Sorry, it maybe wasn't obvious from what I wrote. I also make the chicken salad with real cooked chicken breast, either bought pre-cooked or left over roast. Most of the time I eat 'real' food and avoid anything over-processed. A mixed platter of meats and cheeses is a common European breakfast (which doesn't make it right, of course....). I eat steak, pork and lamb chops, etc, almost always grilled.

I should have said that the weariness I've felt lately isn't exactly the sleepiness one gets in Induction.

are you eating within 1/2 hour of doing your exercise? Also you have to remember to increase your water intake in line with your exercise and take a water bottle in with you. Also, maybe you could have an egg as part of your breakfast,l make it your biggest meal. I would avoid the milk and yoghurt as they may be slowing you down. Also double check there's no sugar in your ranch dressing.
Everyone always says that exercise gives you energy, but not if you do so much you reach fatigue! Some nights I come home from the gym and can't move a muscle!
Maybe you are a little run down, I get that way if I've been really busy, make sure that if you feel you need a rest from the exercise you get it, there's nothing worse than putting your body under too much strain and trying to do too much exercise etc and making it worse. Go for a sauna instead! ( now please don't take this as an instruction to not exercise! It's about listening to your body - you do the best workouts when you have the most energy)
Also the other thing I would say is to eat as soon as you think you are feeling tired or flagging as it should just keep you going. Other than that your diet seems fine, so maybe visit the doctor if you think there's something wrong.
Keep up the good work

What about vitamins and supplements? Dr. Atkins strongly recommends them. I take a good multi, a B-complex, calcium. Refer to your Atkins book and check the chapter on vitamins and supplements.

Have you had labs done at your doctor?

Susan


LCE Member since 01/02
341/283.5/185

Kumus, I take a multivit, plus a B complex.

I was really hoping someone would come up with some ideas about 'tweaking' my diet, as I am wondering about upping the carbs a bit (not too confident about this though). Obviously we are all metabolically different, and I was wondering if anyone has had similar problems. Maybe I am about to come down with something.

Trude, I don't exercise that hard!! I go to beginners yoga, and the exercises I do at home are for every other day, and take about 20 minutes. Since I am losing weight at a pound a week, I don't think anything is stalling me. I find if I go below a certain level of carbs I feel utterly terrible, so the yogurt helps, but I don't eat it every day.

I haven't had lab work done. It's just not offered over here. I did get some blood tests done a while back before I started HRT, there seemed nothing unusual as far as I know. I have most of the time felt extremely well on this woe, and had fewer colds.

Sorry, can't do eggs for breakfast. I had them during Induction tho.

What your eating sounds fine to me. It sounds like your biggest problem is fatigue, right? That could be related to your new WOE but I'm not sure.

Are you taking B vitamins? If you're not, they might help. If you ARE taking them, try stopping them. I had to stop taking them a long time ago because they invariably made me feel fatigued. I'm probably unique that way.

Are you drinking coffee or caffeine products? If you are, you might want to try cutting them out. I did, and it increased my energy level a bit. When I quit it, there was a time lag there when I felt more fatigued from the withdrawal but that was over after a week or two. I still drink it once in a while when I have something important that requires a lot of attention.

I also, somewhat cautiously, might recommend a supplement called DHEA. It gets some mixed reviews from people. If you are interested, read up about it before you try it so you know what it's about. I've had great results from it but I can understand that it might not be something everybody should try.

***********************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."

maybe you're overdoing it generally, in which case general exercise is ok, maybe it's just the change from not doing it.. take it at your own pace. Dr I could be right about the caffeine.. maybe the fatigue will pass in its own time. Make sure you are getting lots of fresh air, your body could still be detoxing itself in which case you're bound to feel rubbish.
No ideas about the food tweaking though, it looks ok to me- all the green veggies should give you energy.

Clare - funky as this may sound, I'm sayin' it anyway. Your fatigue could be related to the changing season. I, too, have been feeling just blah, but then I always feel like this in the fall as the light starts fading earlier. I generally snap out of it after a couple of weeks (I try to up my exercise during this time - that seems to help).

Jen
175/131/120

Jen

You may well have the answer. I'm considering anything!! Seasonal change has sometimes affected me in odd ways.

Clare

Yep, it's a stinker. I am originally from Florida, but have lived in MA since 1985, and the seasonal change STILL gets me. Good luck!

Jen
175/130/120

It definitely could be due to the diminishing daylight hours, I know it affects my DH a great deal this time of year.

Also I would definitely suggest getting a blood panel done. That way you can rule out any metabolic reasons for your malaise, or if there IS some medical reason for it, get it treated!!

Char

Don't squat with yer spurs on!

Darn the change of seasons. My DH is rampant with his own form of PMS during the summer/fall transition. Who wudda thunk?

Kellie, F38
Started Atkins 8/1/03 (off and on for the last few years but sticking to it this time!)
206/193/160 -- 10.75 inches GONE! (as of 9/28)

Fatigue is also a sign of low iron levels. I suggest getting blood work done also... it will tell you if you are low on iron, if you are, then try getting in more dark green leafy - spinach, red meat ( the rarer the better).Don't take iron unless your dr. says to....you can over do it on iron and not know it.
hope this helps
carolyn in texas