My Low Carb Venture

Wow. Eating low-carb is alot harder than I dreamed. I cannot believe how crummy I feel! Now, granted, I haven't felt "well" for such a long time that I can barely remember how it feels. My chiropractor is 150% convinced that most of my problems are related to my carb intake.

And I have to admit - I've always been a carb-a-holic. I love carbs... always have. Nothing like a donut, brownie, piece of homemade bread smothered in melting butter. I have always loved these things. I have never been a meat-eater. I like veggies, but the best part of any meal is the potatoes, noodles, and stuffing. Desserts are not essential, but I do love cream pies, cake, and other such things from time to time...

So, it's not a surprise that cutting back on these carbs has left my body in shock. "WHAT is she doing to us?" cries my cells. They are actually rejoicing that I am giving them a much needed rest.

My main symptom right now is just fatigue and fogginess. I am just plain tired. Dr. Bob told me that this is normal - I have cut down on SO many carbs that my body is confused and trying to learn how to deal with the change. I have been very dizzy throughout the last few days and yesterday was the worst with my sugar bottoming out and leaving me weak, dizzy, and feeling like I was going to pass out. For now, at least, that has finally passed.

I am, of course, avoiding the carbs as much as possible. I am eating more veggies, meat and a 1/2 slice of Ezekiel bread from time to time. This hasn't been too hard since I am already feeling so lousy. As I get feeling better, I know I will be more tempted to sneak some junk, which of course, means carbohydrates. However, I have felt crummy for so long that if I can find a half-way practical way to eat, I will probably do so.

So, we shall see how the next week goes. I have lost a couple of pounds and I am feeling tired, but content. The anxiety is gone and I am not feeling the ups and down of emotions and energy. That's a good thing. I'm keeping track of everything on Livestrong. It's an awesome site for knowing how many calories and carbs, and how much protein and fat you are consuming. It is sponsored by Lance Armstrong, but the daily plate on there will let you keep track of just about any kind of food out there.

Adrenal Fatigue and Carbs

I have been studying the effects of carbohydrates on those of us with Adrenal Fatigue and have learned some very important facts.

First of all, the diet of an AF patient is crucial. It has taken me about 10 years to fully understand this. For some reason, because everyone else is eating whatever they want, I thought I could to. Eating a special kind of diet seemed like "too much" and the whole concept was basically overwhelming to me. In fact, I did not really understand how it could even be possible.

So, after doing well and then crashing about a million times, my chiropractor once again told me to please stop with the carbs. "Try it," he would say, "for one month. You will be amazed at the difference." I would half-heartedly try, but I craved the donuts and sweets so much, that I would give in after a day or two.

This time, however, this are different. I am NOT eating any sweets. It has been difficult, but I have not died and my craving has drastically diminished. I do drink diet pop, which is the sweetest thing I have all day. No sugar and the only grains I eat are brown rice (very small quantities) and my Ezekiel bread, which I usually limit to two pieces a day at the most.

I found this amazing article that I want to share regarding this very subject: Adrenal Fatigue Diet. The concept is simple - the carbs really give our adrenals a work-out. The constant spikes make them work much harder and could even be the reason there is no recovery.

I implore you to give your diet a cold, hard look and see how it may be impairing your adrenals. Chances are, there is room for improvement. Diet is the one thing that we CAN control and we have no one but ourself to blame if we continue to eat poorly and suffer. The next thing I need to give up is caffeine, but I'm not there yet.

I am hoping to lose some weight and feel better by eliminating these carbs. I will continue to blog about my progress.

Right Now

Right Now

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