RE: Low energy after 2 years

[Guest guest]

Are you getting enough potassium? That is sometimes a culprit of low energy.

At least I think it is... sorry I'm still sick and head is kinda fuzzy.

HTH

Cheryl Ü

[Guest guest]

I have been on Atkins for nearly two years now, sort of. The last

six months have been an attempt at maintenance, but I really think

I am doing it all wrong. Okay, I know I am doing it wrong. Instead

of upping my carbs with healthy things, I have upped it with more

unhealthy things. The birthday treats that I just can't pass up

and things like that.

At the higher carb levels I am not nearly as energetic as I was

at very low carb levels. What is your average daily intake on carbs?

Are you still on OWL or maintenance?

Jean

[Guest guest]

Jean:

I'm on maintenance. Yes, when I eat too many " treats " I begin

to feel loogy. My 1 year is coming up next week! 11/99 was

when I started. I really do limit my treats. When I'm

following my " plan " , I do really great energy wise. I eat a

lot of vegetables and lean proteins with some dairy and flax

seed. Basically, 4'11 " and 123lbs has been maintainable with

1,450 calories and anwhere from 50-110 carbs per day. If I

eat towards the high end of the carb levels for too many days

in a row I gain a pound or so and cut back again. This really

doesn't happen very often. Once a week (okay, so not every

week) I eat 1/4 cup of red beans or 1/4 cup cooked black rice.

(heh, coincidentally, the rice is called " forbidden rice " )

That's actually the only times my carbs might be reaching 110

in a days time. That is still 1/3 the carbs of what an

average American eats.

A

[Guest guest]

,

I wonder if eating the higher carb levels, in spite of how much less we

are eating than the average American, is what is causing the tired feeling

that we are having? I think my tiredness is fighting the frustration

lately. I know that I need to cut back on my carbs for at least two weeks

so I can really get back to feeling energized again. I think that would

also help deal with my work frustration because, for me, low carb is great

for my mood levels. For some reason, I just can't seem to stay on track.

I have no energy at home, I am tense at work, and I know what would help

both problems. I just need to get my head back into less lenient higher

carb choices. Even if I don't cut back to induction, I feel that better

choices would help. So if I know the answer, why can't I do it?

Jean

PS - Comfort food is the answer, I need to start thinking of playtime with

my cats as a substitute for comfort food.

[Guest guest]

Hi

Maybe thinking of going back to induction for 2 weeks is overwhelming to you. Just decide to do it for 2 or 3 days. You can do anything for just a couple of days. Once you've done that you may feel like you can continue. . But don't decide til then!

Meenie

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with low energy. Do you take a

multi-vitamin? Have you run this by your doctor? perhaps you're anemic?

You might need iron - OR if you're taking iron, you may not need it. Many

women take iron unnecessarily and you can have too much as well as too

little. It can cause all kinds of symptoms and fatigue is one of them.

Meenie

> Perhaps my continued low energy after two years comes

> from a low carb diet, a full time job, going to the

> gym 5 hours a week, taking care of my family and

> house; whatever the reason(s), it is something that I

> personally have to deal with and I hope that somebody

> might have a suggestion. Thanks for your help.

[Guest guest]

Hi Meenie,

I think 2 or 3 days is good and less overwhelming, given the rest that is going on right now. Sometimes

I think 2 or 3 meals would be good. I start out every day perfect, I end every week day perfect, it is that

in between time that gives me the problem lately. If you think work pressures don't affect eating habits,

I'm here to say it isn't true. Which meal during the work week do I consistently have problems with during

the day? The one that falls right in the middle of my work day. I can wake up fresh and ready to eat well

for the day. Once I have left work, with the exception of the burger and fries after a very high stress

encounter last week, I can do fine. Put me at work for 4 hours with at least another 4 to go and I eat

wrong. Now, I eat breakfast at home and dinner at home, but eat out at lunch. I don't think that is the

main problem though as I was doing that when I started Atkins as well. It may be more tempting to eat

wrong now that I have lost 55 pounds, but I don't think it is the real issue.

Jean

[Guest guest]

Hi

I have trouble at work also but not so much because of lunch. I work in a hospital and our grateful patients like to reward us with donuts and huge boxes of candy. That can be a powerful temptation on the best of Atkins days Sometimes I succeed in looking the other way, sometimes I don't <sigh> It's stressful in itself!

I succeed best on days that I have gone in armed with pepperoni chips or those little sausage/egg muffins. I have to fight people off my pepperoni chips!! LOL

Meenie

[Guest guest]

LOL your schedule sounds like mine & I'm tired all the time as well.

Ginseng is supposed to boost your energy, so I'm taking it, but I

can't really swear it has helped. Are you taking potassium

supplements?

To be honest, I'm just waiting until the kids grow up to sleep. I

have applied to telecommute 2 days/wk, if approved, that means

another hour of sleep in the AM a couple of days a week.

Beth in TX

P Witherow wrote:

<<Perhaps my continued low energy after two years comes from a low

carb diet, a full time job, going to the gym 5 hours a week, taking

care of my family and house; >>

[Guest guest]

Yep, , me too. I just need to get away from all those

things that I now remember I love. LOL

But Terry the Turtle Torturer is going to get me back on track

and if she can't do it, I'm in real trouble.

Jean

[Guest guest]

I have been doing excellent since Saturday, which also just so

happens to be the day I started my progesterone cream. I use it for

2 weeks every cycle, but lately my cycles are all screwed up & I

can't get them back to normal. However, all of the sudden, I start

the cream and I don't care about comfort food no matter what happens

and even though I walk past it constantly at work. And for the last

several weeks before that I just couldn't pass it up. I am seriously

wondering if there is a hormonal connection here. (Sorry gentlemen,

more than you probably wanted to know!)

wrote:

<< For some reason, I just can't seem to stay on track...Comfort food

is the answer, I need to start thinking of playtime with my cats as a

substitute for comfort food.??

[Guest guest]

Well, Meenie, I currently have string cheese, brazil nuts, cheese cubes, and

macadamias at work to snack on. I will have to get some more pepperoni and

go for the chips again. It has been awhile since I last made those.

Jean

[Guest guest]

Jean:

It's not the higher level that does it for me, for me it is

the higher level of certain types of carbohydrates that do it.

Mainly, treats. (like darrel lea chocolate pieces or cheese

cake or what have you...) If I stick to salads and veggies

and yogurt, etc. I'm quite perky!

A.

[Guest guest]

Beth,

You know I used the natural progesterone cream for about 4 months

earlier this year and stopped because it seemed like TOM was coming

to visit a little earlier than I liked. I may need to try it again.

Anything to get away from the need for comfort food. That reminds

me I also have some L-glutamine around here somewhere. Maybe if I

took a capsule an hour before lunch every day that would help.

You guys are the best!

Jean

[Guest guest]

Hi

I too have been on Atkins for nearly 2 years (it'll be 2 years on 4th Jan).

For the last 6 months I've been on sort of " maintenance " , although you'd

throw your hands up in horror if you knew what I'd eaten. I actually even

did a one-month stint on a low fat diet (which I didn't enjoy at all), but

the rest of the time it's been Atkins Monday to Friday (with the occasional

evening off for pizza etc) and eating whatever I wanted at the weekends

(carbs, carbs and more carbs!). Surprisingly I've managed to maintain my

weight, but now, coming up to a holiday in December, I've decided to get

serious and try to lose about 7 lbs. When you mentioned your lack of energy

that really struck a cord with me - I remember when I was committed to

Atkins, I was never tired and would leap out of bed before the alarm went

off, and be at the gym by 6:30. Probably also related to the approach of

winter, but there's no way I could do that now! But I'm finding it so hard

to stick to induction too, and at the back of my mind there's always

thoughts like " Well, you know you're not going to gain if you eat this

sandwich/slice of quiche etc as you haven't in the 6 months " , and " you don't

really need to lose any more - you look OK as you are " etc - what's happened

to my commitment!?

Anyway, I've read through Terry's turtle menus, and I'm going to start

following them next week, from Tuesday (we're off to England this evening to

stay with the in-laws for a few days - they live in the north of England,

where the diet is pretty frightening...although my father-in-law had a heart

attack earlier this year and apparently they're now committed to low-fat

dieting...so goodness knows what I'll be eating in the next few days!)

Jane

[Guest guest]

Hi Jane,

Your first paragraph summed me up perfectly, except that now I have started

to gain again, so I know I pushed things too far. That is why I am going

to do the turtle menu this week. Well, that and of course, Terry's guilt

trip which I needed to kick me into gear.

I want to do this week perfectly because I know that I will feel better

and I need to feel in top form right now.

Jean

[Guest guest]

I too have had way more energy and stamina since going low carb, and I used

to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and sleep a minimum of 13 hours a night and

still be tired all the time!

One thing I might suggest to add to or vary your excercise routine - try

Oxycise!. It is a video tape excercise program that focuses on deep

breathing and getting oxygen to your whole system while working each muscle,

and it only takes 15 minutes a day. It's the only excercise I do on a

regular basis (other than recently I started biking, but now that winter is

almost here I've put the bike away), and I feel so energized on the days I

do it because of all the oxygen that fuels the brain. I tried doing it

before bed once or twice, but that was a big mistake becuase I couldn't

sleep I was so " wired " from the natural shot of oxygen to the brain!! Now I

do it in the morning and I feel really alert and energetic for the whole

day. You can even do the basic breath anywhere to revive yourself and get

oxygen to the brain, and I find I do that somethimes in the middle of a

stressful day when I need a pick me up (the deep breathing is also good for

de-stressing and calming down). The fitness results from Oxycise! are also

so great, you may be able to cut down on going to the gym and have more time

to rest or take time for yourself doing things you enjoy (hobbies are also

very theraputic and help me to feel more energetic afterwards because I'm

destressed and mentally charged).

HTH,

Keep Living La Vida Low Carb!

Crystal in Saskatoon, SK, Canada

174/132/132 42 pounds gone forever

Atkins since Jan. 12, 1998

Maintenance since May 1998

(My story and photos are at http://lowcarber.org/ in the " Stories "

section)