HELP I AM A CARB ADDICT

Butch up.

--
Most people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. -- MFW

"Richard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05...

Quoted message said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches and
brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I can't think
at ALL.

I never thought I had a problem with carbs. I feel like a heroin addict...
just gimme a little soda, a SMALL soda and I'll be ok. Is this OK? I can't
cut cold-turkey like this.. its horrible. Is it OK to sneak a few carbs in
on the first few days?

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't help.
,
this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

In article <W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05>,

Richard said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches and
brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I can't think
at ALL.

I never thought I had a problem with carbs. I feel like a heroin addict...
just gimme a little soda, a SMALL soda and I'll be ok. Is this OK? I can't
cut cold-turkey like this.. its horrible. Is it OK to sneak a few carbs in
on the first few days?

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't help. ,
this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

You can, because it will get better. You're detoxing. You can't make it
better by eating a few carbs, just like a smoker can't make quitting
easier by having a few cigarettes. Think of the bright side: if it
hurts right now, it's because you were really addicted, which means once
you've broken the addiction you'll most likely see even greater benefits
than someone who was only mildly addicted.

One question though: are you by any chance cutting out caffeine too?
You say you want soda, could it be you're feeling extra bad because it
was caffeinated soda and now you have no source of caffeine?
Personally, I don't believe cutting out caffeine is necessary unless
your doctor has told you to for some specific reason, so if you think
you may be having caffeine withdrawals along with your carb withdrawals,
I'd say go ahead and have a diet, caffeinated soda, or some coffee or
something. May be a controversial recommendation here, but hey, coffee
and diet soda didn't hinder my weight loss. In fact, hmmmm, I started
stalling right about when I was trying to cut back on coffee. Hmm.
Interesting.

Man up.

Richard <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches
:> and brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I
:> can't think at ALL.
:>
:> I never thought I had a problem with carbs. I feel like a heroin
:> addict... just gimme a little soda, a SMALL soda and I'll be ok. Is
:> this OK? I can't cut cold-turkey like this.. its horrible. Is it OK
:> to sneak a few carbs in on the first few days?
:>
:> Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't
:> help. , this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

It's temporary - you'll feel better in a few days.

In fact, you'll likely feel better than you have in years once your
body is done adjusting.

Cold turkey is the only way to break a physical addiction, ya know.

IMO, it's a good thing to remember how freaking bad this feels for
future reference - you don't wanna get sucked back into the carb thing
later and hafta suffer this again.

In article <W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach.

Hi Richard, welcome to the group!

Quoted message said:

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't help. ,
this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

I agree with Luna that the headaches could possibly be caused by
caffeine withdrawal. Caffeine withdrawal headaches can be EXTREMELY
powerful, and I see no reason to cold turkey from caffeine. It's a good
idea to cut it out eventually, but I highly recommend doing so in a very
tapered fashion.

As for the brain fog, well, you say it's been a couple of days now. If
you can hang in for a couple of more days, you'll probably find yourself
feeling MORE alert than you've been in a very long time. Your body is
fighting to get more carbs, but it'll settle down once it adjusts to
burning mostly fat for fuel instead of mostly carbs.

--
Saffire
205/129/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

*** This post originated in alt.support.diet.low-carb -- its appearance
in any other forum is deceptive and unauthorized. ***

In article <[email hidden]>,

Saffire said:

In article <W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach.

Hi Richard, welcome to the group!

Quoted message said:

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't help. ,
this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

I agree with Luna that the headaches could possibly be caused by
caffeine withdrawal. Caffeine withdrawal headaches can be EXTREMELY
powerful, and I see no reason to cold turkey from caffeine. It's a good
idea to cut it out eventually, but I highly recommend doing so in a very
tapered fashion.

Eh. I've come across more studies citing the health benefits of
caffeine, specifically coffee, than potential dangers from it. Unless I
develop some sort of health problem caused by caffeine, I'm not planning
to give up my coffee.

Quoted message said:

As for the brain fog, well, you say it's been a couple of days now. If
you can hang in for a couple of more days, you'll probably find yourself
feeling MORE alert than you've been in a very long time. Your body is
fighting to get more carbs, but it'll settle down once it adjusts to
burning mostly fat for fuel instead of mostly carbs.

Yup. And then you'll feel much, much better, and the first time you
give in and decide to "cheat" with, maybe, a piece of pie at the holiday
table, you'll feel like utter [censored] and wonder why you ever enjoyed
eating sugary things in the first place. Well, maybe you will. Some
people do.

And I agree about the caffeine also...I've not yet had any issues with
weight loss and never gave up my coffee; just a half-day without it and the
foggy headache that results renders me nearly non-functional.

You're doing a great thing for yourself, Richard, if you can get through the
first few days you will be totally amazed at how great you feel! 🙂
--
Sherry
364/297/195 (4/3/05)
http://lowcarb.owly.net

"Saffire" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach.

Hi Richard, welcome to the group!

Quoted message said:

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't

help. ,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

I agree with Luna that the headaches could possibly be caused by
caffeine withdrawal. Caffeine withdrawal headaches can be EXTREMELY
powerful, and I see no reason to cold turkey from caffeine. It's a good
idea to cut it out eventually, but I highly recommend doing so in a very
tapered fashion.

As for the brain fog, well, you say it's been a couple of days now. If
you can hang in for a couple of more days, you'll probably find yourself
feeling MORE alert than you've been in a very long time. Your body is
fighting to get more carbs, but it'll settle down once it adjusts to
burning mostly fat for fuel instead of mostly carbs.

--
Saffire
205/129/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

*** This post originated in alt.support.diet.low-carb -- its appearance
in any other forum is deceptive and unauthorized. ***

Luna <[email hidden]> wrote:

:> Yup. And then you'll feel much, much better, and the first time you
:> give in and decide to "cheat" with, maybe, a piece of pie at the
:> holiday table, you'll feel like utter [censored] and wonder why you ever
:> enjoyed
:> eating sugary things in the first place. Well, maybe you will. Some
:> people do

Also, the carb withdrawal only happens to newbie LCers (IME). Once you've
been through it once or twice (it's been a long time), the body
automagically can deal with it the next time you come off a carb binge (try
very hard to avoid those). I'm one of those who doesn't feel like utter
[censored] from eating a piece of pie on a holiday, even though I try to avoid
eating a full-on sugar treat if I'm not planning to put in some heavy miles
on the bike.

"Richard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05...

Quoted message said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches and
brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I can't think
at ALL.

I never thought I had a problem with carbs. I feel like a heroin addict...
just gimme a little soda, a SMALL soda and I'll be ok. Is this OK? I can't
cut cold-turkey like this.. its horrible. Is it OK to sneak a few carbs in
on the first few days?

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't help.
,
this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

You should follow the diet.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Luna <[email hidden]> wrote:

:> Yup. And then you'll feel much, much better, and the first time you
:> give in and decide to "cheat" with, maybe, a piece of pie at the
:> holiday table, you'll feel like utter [censored] and wonder why you ever
:> enjoyed
:> eating sugary things in the first place. Well, maybe you will. Some
:> people do

Also, the carb withdrawal only happens to newbie LCers (IME). Once you've
been through it once or twice (it's been a long time), the body
automagically can deal with it the next time you come off a carb binge
(try very hard to avoid those). I'm one of those who doesn't feel like
utter [censored] from eating a piece of pie on a holiday, even though I try to
avoid eating a full-on sugar treat if I'm not planning to put in some
heavy miles on the bike.

Generally speaking, in my case the opposite became true, you feel worse on a
high carb diet than on a low carb one. But this took quite a bit of time.

Joe the Aroma <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:> news:[email hidden]...
:>> Luna <[email hidden]> wrote:
:>>
:>> :> Yup. And then you'll feel much, much better, and the first time
:>> :> you give in and decide to "cheat" with, maybe, a piece of pie at
:>> :> the holiday table, you'll feel like utter [censored] and wonder why
:>> :> you ever enjoyed
:>> :> eating sugary things in the first place. Well, maybe you will.
:>> :> Some people do
:>>
:>> Also, the carb withdrawal only happens to newbie LCers (IME). Once
:>> you've been through it once or twice (it's been a long time), the
:>> body automagically can deal with it the next time you come off a
:>> carb binge (try very hard to avoid those). I'm one of those who
:>> doesn't feel like utter [censored] from eating a piece of pie on a
:>> holiday, even though I try to avoid eating a full-on sugar treat if
:>> I'm not planning to put in some heavy miles on the bike.
:>
:> Generally speaking, in my case the opposite became true, you feel
:> worse on a high carb diet than on a low carb one. But this took
:> quite a bit of time.

Oh, I agree that were I to switch toa high carb diet, I'd eventually feel
much worse than I do on a low carb diet. I'll never switch to a high carb
diet, ever. However, some here actually feel bad (ie, become ill-feeling)
if they simply eat a piece of pie or some other carby thing. I don't.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Joe the Aroma <[email hidden]> wrote:
:> "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:> news:[email hidden]...
:>> Luna <[email hidden]> wrote:
:>>
:>> :> Yup. And then you'll feel much, much better, and the first time
:>> :> you give in and decide to "cheat" with, maybe, a piece of pie at
:>> :> the holiday table, you'll feel like utter [censored] and wonder why
:>> :> you ever enjoyed
:>> :> eating sugary things in the first place. Well, maybe you will.
:>> :> Some people do
:>>
:>> Also, the carb withdrawal only happens to newbie LCers (IME). Once
:>> you've been through it once or twice (it's been a long time), the
:>> body automagically can deal with it the next time you come off a
:>> carb binge (try very hard to avoid those). I'm one of those who
:>> doesn't feel like utter [censored] from eating a piece of pie on a
:>> holiday, even though I try to avoid eating a full-on sugar treat if
:>> I'm not planning to put in some heavy miles on the bike.
:>
:> Generally speaking, in my case the opposite became true, you feel
:> worse on a high carb diet than on a low carb one. But this took
:> quite a bit of time.

Oh, I agree that were I to switch toa high carb diet, I'd eventually feel
much worse than I do on a low carb diet. I'll never switch to a high carb
diet, ever. However, some here actually feel bad (ie, become ill-feeling)
if they simply eat a piece of pie or some other carby thing. I don't.

I don't get ill feeling at all. What I do get is very sleepy for whatever
reason.

I did the first couple of times - although I've only eaten carby foods maybe
4 times since I started - but the last time it didn't bother me nearly as
much, maybe just a little indigestion. Which is, in some ways, a bummer. I
don't crave carbs and don't desire them, but that antabuse-like response was
a good "just in case" reinforcement 🙂.

--
Sherry
364/297/195 (4/3/05)
http://lowcarb.owly.net

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > Oh, I agree that
were I to switch toa high carb diet, I'd eventually feel

Quoted message said:

much worse than I do on a low carb diet. I'll never switch to a high carb
diet, ever. However, some here actually feel bad (ie, become ill-feeling)
if they simply eat a piece of pie or some other carby thing. I don't.

These days when I go back on low carb after being off for a while, the
headache is manageable for me and only lasts a day or so. I take some
motrin and live through it. I also try to start low-carb at lunch on
friday. That way, I can sleep through the headache on the weekend and
feel good again on monday. The first time was a lot harder for me
though. YMMV My wife had the headache for six days. Stay with it.
You'll feel a lot better in a few days.

brian

Try about 10 grams of L-Glutamine, and switch to Atkins. It is common for a
newbie to not be following what the book says. Are you starving yourself?
Are you trying to do low fat at the same time as low carb? Could you be in
caffeine withdrawal?

If this is effecting your work, you might abandon the diet, and then slowly
put back elements of the diet one at a time.

"Richard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05...

Quoted message said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches and
brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I can't think
at ALL.

I never thought I had a problem with carbs. I feel like a heroin addict...
just gimme a little soda, a SMALL soda and I'll be ok. Is this OK? I can't
cut cold-turkey like this.. its horrible. Is it OK to sneak a few carbs in
on the first few days?

Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't help.

,

Quoted message said:

this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

Richard said:

I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches
and brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I
can't think at ALL.

Hopefully you're feeling bettet by now. For me, I *was* sick as a dog my
first week of induction - nausea, headache, exhaustion - and I did not quit
coffee. The second week I felt icky and irritable, and the third almost
better. But something kicked in by the end of the third week and I felt
better than I had in years! It was so amazing!

The way I felt once adjusted to ketosis and low carb was so amazing to me
that I would have done it all again. I would never have lasted through
almost 3 weeks of induction had I not had good advice from people on a
low-carb Compuserve message board. Fortunately, I soon learned that adding a
few more carbs to my diet really made a lot of difference in how I feel. I
just never feel really well down at 20-30 consistently. Dunno why, but I
just feel a lot better around the 60 mark. And even after extended
non-ketogenic or even high-carb excursions, I never get sick like that when
returning to ketogenic levels. Icky feeling for the first few days, maybe
some tiredness, and a headache that lasts for anywhere for a couple of
minutes to an hour or two. Never worse than that, often unnoticeable if I
haven't been off track long. Like Roger, I just don't get sick from eating
carbs.

HG

Some people have had success in gradually reducing carbs. Give it a try.

In news:W5slf.14323$Wu.4084@fed1read05,
Richard <[email hidden]> stated
| I'm on my 2nd day of South Beach. and I'm having HORRIBLE headaches
| and brain fog. This is getting me in really big trouble at work. I
| can't think at ALL.
|
| I never thought I had a problem with carbs. I feel like a heroin
| addict... just gimme a little soda, a SMALL soda and I'll be ok. Is
| this OK? I can't cut cold-turkey like this.. its horrible. Is it OK
| to sneak a few carbs in on the first few days?
|
| Any other way to help with the brain fog and headaches? Advil didn't
| help. , this is serious. I don't know if I can continue

What I did was about a month before I started I slowly cut down the
amount of sodas I drank untill I was at one a day. I made it pretty
easy to quit without serious symptoms.Only the first two days were bad

If cold turkey was the only way to break an addiction, people would never be
able to quit things like heroin as quitting cold turkey can be very
dangerous. Detoxing and breaking an addiction are not the same thing.
Breaking the addiction is a long term process, detoxing is short term. You
can detox gradually and not suffer as much and still break your addiction.

In news:[email hidden],
[email hidden] <[email hidden]> stated
| It's temporary - you'll feel better in a few days.
|
| In fact, you'll likely feel better than you have in years once your
| body is done adjusting.
|
| Cold turkey is the only way to break a physical addiction, ya know.
|
| IMO, it's a good thing to remember how freaking bad this feels for
| future reference - you don't wanna get sucked back into the carb thing
| later and hafta suffer this again.