A no-carb Thanksgiving? Stuff that!

The Arizona Republic ^ | November 27, 2003 | Jaimee Rose

[Dianna]

My problem is that I feel so rotten, as if something is wrong with my brain. My head hurts and I'm dizzy.

Likely a reaction to the carbs you had. Your body isn't used to it.

[Think free or die]

My husband was having a tough time for the first 10 days or so. He was feeling tired and hungry all the time. He hung in there, and after a couple of weeks I didn't hear him complaining too much. I think it was just a big adjustment from the carbs and sugar he was accustomed to consuming. It's been about a month now and he seems a lot more comfortable.

[Maven]

In all of your ruminations.....remember that diabetics have to eat a low carb diet all of the time!

Yep!

Since my parents and I all low carb, and our guests don't mind the menu, this is what we had:

Gefilte fish with horseradish
Chopped liver (with crackers for the non-low carbers)
Olives and celery
Turkey
Sweet potatoes candied with sugar-free maple syrup and butter
Green beans with almond slivers and olive oil
Dressing (made with low carb herb bread)
Cranberry sauce (made with Splenda and spices - everyone loved it)
Cheesecake (my own low-carb recipe)
Pumpkin pie with a pecan nut crust (again, my own low-carb recipe)

Granted, the whole meal was carbier than I usually eat - about 50 carbs for the entire feast for me, but my blood sugar was within normal levels two hours after we were done, and that's the whole point for me.

Maven

[SuziQ]

I took a holiday from my low carb eating yesterday, but I went right back to it today. I've lost 11 lbs. in the last 3 weeks, and I'm thrilled. I'm not hungry during the day, so I'm not in the kitchen grazing all afternoon!
I'll be curious when I go for may annual physical in the next two month, just what my cholesterol levels and triglycerides.

[CDHart]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I wasn't hungry, I was just angry and frustrated all the time. I might try a less stringent version -- I understand there are some modified low-carb diets out there. I don't think I want to go through that again, even for a few days.

Carolyn

P.S.Checking the blood sugar level is a good idea, as I'm a five-year cancer survivor, and Lord only knows what chemo does to your body.

[Lazamataz]

Congrats to you! If I lost 100 lbs. I would weigh -2 lbs.

If you weighed -2 pounds, we could line 747 wings with Holly_P's and have antigravity airships.

That's me, AlwaysThinkingMataz.

Please don't think I am making light of your situation (no pun intended) It's just that I cannot gain weight no matter what or how much I eat. I am 18 years old and might pass for Ann Coulter's skinnier sister.

I really wish you wouldn't do that to yourself. You are a very attractive young lady, and if I was 97 years younger, I'd make a pass at ya.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Did you feel this way before you fell off the wagon or after? If it is after then nothing to worry about. You'll be fine once your blood sugar levels out again.

If it was before you maybe should have a few tests run. That is why the books do recomend that you see your doctor before starting your diet.

[Nov3]

My wife and I both practice a normal-carb lifestyle yet we cooked for a dozen family members yesterday and made the same things we make year after year.

Your wife is onboard now? Sucess is hard to ignore.

I am happy that low carb or "normal carb" is taking off. I am on maintenence and eat about 100g a day and still lose slowly.

We did make some low carb versions of yams and cranberry sauce. They were excellent. After the meal they were gone and the high carb versions were hardly touched despite the fact that the majority of the people there were not on Atkins. They did not even know they were low carb - they just scarfed them. I ate some garlic mashed potatoes. They weren't even good tasting to me! The Sister Schuberts rolls were a nice treat however.

The turkey bones and scraps are now a nice cajun soup with the addition of some green peppers, jalepenos, shrimp, and crawfish. Yum Yum.

The change on FR is astounding from 5 years ago on diet. I remember being flamed mercilessly when I said I was on Protein Power/Atkins. Again sucess is hard to argue with.

[marajade]

Congrats on your weight loss. I've lost around 70 so far and have between 35-45 more to go to my goal. I've been doing it by eating three meals a day and no snacking in between.

Breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal, Oatmeal (one serving). Lunch is a sandwich with meat and cheese and a fruit. Dinner is a regular dinner with meat, vegetable, and some kind of carb, i.e., potato.

I also try to burn around 500 calories on my treadmill each day.

I've been doing this since around Aug of this year and have still lost eating carbs.

I think the secret to my success has definitely been the exercise.

[SamAdams76]

Excellent to hear and congrats on your accomplishment so far. Having made it so far, I am sure you will carry it to the end and get those last 40 pounds or so lost.

It takes me about 4.5 miles to burn 500 calories on the treadmill and so I know you are getting a good daily workout. Yes, that is the way to lose the weight rapidly! I tried walking 7-10 miles a day during the summer. Recently, I've cut back to about 5-6 miles a day - a combination of treadmill time and walks outdoors. I'm actually enjoying walking in the winter weather. If you dress properly, you can walk outdoors in just about any extreme.

I'm sure you've read some of my other posts on my program so I'm sure you know that I still eat carbs too. It's just that I stick with whole natural foods so the carbs I get come from natural sources such as vegetables, nuts, berries, yogurt, etc. I think the carbs that were harming my health came from all that processed junk I was eating that was loaded with stuff like that high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils, etc.

Anyway, I am very happy to hear about your program. You must feel fantastic.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Somebody tell me I'm not dying. Please.

You aren't dying. Your body is being starved of the massive thrice-daily glucose injections it is used to, and it is rebelling. There is a light at the end of the tunnel - it took me about eight or nine days of feeling weak, tired and headachey then all of a sudden it passed and I felt great. And I've felt great ever since - down 55 pounds since April.

[dogbyte12]

Had 2 helpings of turkey, spinach, green beans with garlic, cranberry sauce made with splenda. Oh, I suffered once again. Went for a walk after-wards, while the rest of the people passed out.

Perhaps I should have eaten the mashed potatoes and stuffing, so I could have been in a coma too.

[SamAdams76]

The change on FR is astounding from 5 years ago on diet. I remember being flamed mercilessly when I said I was on Protein Power/Atkins. Again sucess is hard to argue with.

Yeah, and I might have been one of them! I was a bigtime skeptic of this high protein/low carb lifestyle early on and lumped it in with all the other fad diets that are out there. But as you say, success is hard to ignore. And it really does make sense going back to eating the way humans pretty much ate for thousands of years before there were all these processed foods which are abnormally high in sugar and starch.

[WVNan]

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. I always felt good and full of energy before the diet. It wasn't the Thanksgiving meal that caused the problem. The headache seems to have let up some and my body appears to be adjusting better. I don't have the "night eating" problem so much now. I've always gone all day without eating and then would be hungry most of the night. Same with my sleep. I was up all night. I fall asleep a bit earlier now and I go to bed without eating. That's a plus. I still don't have the energy level I had before, but maybe I will in time.

[Nov3]

Actually when my wife had gestational diabetes the diet she was given was 300+ grams of carbs. We ignaored it and the doctor was amazed at the fact she didn't need insulin.

[Nov3]

And it really does make sense going back to eating the way humans pretty much ate for thousands of years before there were all these processed foods which are abnormally high in sugar and starch.

Atkins made a critical mistake in how he presented his diet. He should have present it as fresh whole historically natural foods. It is truly "normal carb" historically. In todays enviroment it is "low carb". I like the intro to his revised 3rd edition where he compares the trends in eating (documented) to documented obesity in our society. People were not meant to eat this trash and it doesn't even taste good after you get away from it. (Mostly anyway).

Hell dogs and cats are getting diabetic now!

[DefCon]

Roast biff and grin beans are some of my favorites !

[Nov3]

I'm beginning to think that the diet may have triggered some grave disease. Somebody tell me I'm not dying. Please.

It HASN'T. Eat more fat. Your body is unable to mobilize its own fat properly yet. Get some ketostix and see if you are getting into ketosis. If not look for "hidden" carbs. It will work and you will feel good.

[DefCon]

"...Somebody tell me I'm not dying..."
- - -
We are all dying.