I decided to start a low carb diet on January 1st and in 7 days I have lost 6.5lbs which is exactly the result I had hoped for. Throughout the week I have felt myself becoming more and more physically depressed until today when it’s just catastrophic.
This evening I decided to make myself a wholemeal bread sandwich with some lovely homemade lentil soup. I decided enough was enough and low carb is just not possible for me.
I suspect my conversion of T4 to T3 has been effected causing the desperately low mood. I can’t continue this eating regime as I have a family to look after but I’m very very disappointed that it has impacted my mood so terribly whilst having such a positive effect on my weight.
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Joesmum
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Low carb isn't for everyone. Some people on low carb diets describe the symptoms you mention and simply need more carbs to feel fine. The ketogenic diet can be particularly difficult as no more than 5% of your daily energy intake is supposed to come from (low glycemic) carbs. And not everyone enjoy eating that much fat (75% of daily energy intake). Beans, lentils and other legumes containing resistant starch are supposedly great for balancing blood sugar levels and losing weight even on low carb diets.
If you don't have a problem with insulin resistance or diabetes 2, it's possible that you are eating less carbs than you need to feel optimal. Why don't you try adding some healthy carbs, such as fruit/berries and some yoghurt or whole grain bread, and see if that makes a difference?
Then it sounds like your symptoms could be "withdrawal symptoms" common when starting on low carb diets and your body adapts to using fat as its main source of energy instead of carbs.
Depending on how much carbs you were eating during the first week, you could have ended up in a ketonic state which may be too harsh for your body (or, once again, just a sign your body is adapting to a new main source of energy).
Then, there is always the question (as others have said) about how much carbs your body needs. There is no "one size fits all" solution.
Many of the books, articles and blogs I've read on the subject recommend 10-20 g of low glycemic carbs per day for weight loss (above 20 g/day you are considered eating a liberal carb diet which is fine for some but too high in carbs for many insulin-resistant people; some again need less when losing weight but are fine eating slightly more carbs once they have reached their weight goal). But, if you feel really bad, try estimating how much carbs you were eating on an average day during the first week, and if it turns out it was less than 20 g/day, you could try adding vegetables or a fruit per day and see what happens. Go slow and don't overdo it on carbs in order not to jeopardise your encouraging results and end up overeating carbs. Been there, done that...
@Joesmum, Low carb, or no carb? How many carbs were you eating a day? What were your macros for those 7 days of 6.5 lb weight loss? Carbs, fat, and protein?
Too low of carbs will make some people feel very unwell. You were "low carb" for 7 days, but now you're on practically straight carbs by eating bread and lentil soup. Your body may not respond positively going from no/low carbs to lots of carbs.
Why not just increase your carb intake by a small amount (10 grams, max 20 grams) and retain your weight loss instead of going back to a high carb diet? Hidden says the same. Add complex carbohydrates (slower to digest, longer sustained energy), not simple sugars (quick to digest, fast energy), like those found in processed foods or fruit.
You don’t say anything about what you were eating, how many carbs, etc. What are you current Vit D, B12, folate, iron? Are you taking vit D? B12? Folate? Multi vitamin? Iron?
Low carb initially worked for me but I felt the same as you after a few weeks.
I’ve just started a slimming ‘club’ (the one with syns... although I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that) and have lost 4 1/2 pounds in five days. I’ve been eating baked potatoes and fruit, which I’d religiously kept away from when low-carbing. It seems to be working for me and it’s great to feel energetic.
It was the dietdoctor.com site that I was using to guide me.
Interestingly on the site is a link to a video with them talking to 4 doctors about “ can low carb cause depression”?
The answer was a unanimous NO.
I’m afraid I have to disagree. It is well documented amongst the psychiatric fraternity that low carb can impact on mood and is not advised for all folk.
A few years ago I adopted the low G.I. way of eating and had great success. I must admit that I didnt find it as convenient as the low carb diet but it was very effective and I lost about 2 stone.
Having to eat 3 meals a day plus 3 snacks was sometimes very inconvenient though.
I’m torn between the low G.I. eating plan now OR increasing my carb intake and sticking with the low carb diet.
It’s all very confusing because the science for both is equally as persuasive.
I've been eating very LC (20-25 carbs daily) for almost 11 years because I'm a T1 diabetic. Though I still eat LCHF, I had to raise to 40 carbs daily because of Hashimoto's. Eating very LC was stressing my adrenals. To be honest, I don't think seven days is long enough of a test.
How many carbs were you eating? Before you throw the baby out with the bath water, try raising carbs some rather than ditching it completely. With insulin resistance, you do need to eat low carb before you officially are a T2 diabetic. It's also the best way to lose weight with insulin resistance. The more carbs you eat, the more the insulin you'll produce & the more insulin resistant you'll be. Insulin is a fat storing hormone.
I find this very interesting (I have read other books by one of the authors where he advocates a very low, almost no carbs, lifestyle, so I was very surprised to find this book. But when I read it, it makes sense:
I am not sure how legumes work energy-wise, though; if resistant starch is not turned into glucose in our stomachs, I don't know if it will provide energy like other carbs, but I like the idea of being able to eat beans while trying to reduce my carb intake.
I do agree with G2G2, and would like to add that even as insulin-resistant (not yet T2), lowering your carb intake will be much more effective for weight loss than a traditional low carb diet. I have tried Weight Watchers many times in the past, and simply cannot feel full on the tiny amount of fat allowed (fat "costs" so many points that it is almost impossible to eat enough to feel full...at least in my experience). So it seems you are on the right track, but just need to find the right amount of carbs for you...!
Best of luck and keep us updated, will you? I am trying to find the right low carb lifestyle myself right now so I'm very interested in other people's success stories
I'm using diet doctor - I started low-carbing (not for the first time) about 10 days ago. I felt diabolical for the first few days or the first week, and am just beginning to feel human again now. I think that my body isn't good at knowing what to do with the fat I was eating. I wasn't eating much carbs and I was following instructions on the protein quantities. I felt absolutely starving, weak, depressed and never felt full. So I increased the amount of fat and protein I was eating without any reference to the actual meal plan I was following. If I could get my body to accept fat and protein as a food source I thought I would feel better. It does seem in the last couple of days that things are looking up, and most of the starting side effects have started to dissipate. I think I will eat a lot this week but I will source my meals and recipes from the diet doctor site, and will try to stick to the diet properly from next Sunday or Monday.
I'm not prepared to give up on low-carb. My HbA1c went into the pre-diabetic range last year for the first time and I want to drop back quite a long way into the healthy range. I think low-carb/keto is my best bet.
I am sorry to hear that you had this extreme reaction to the keto way of eating. I started eating this wayover 33 years ago at the recommendation of a forward thinking MD. The recommendation was for weight loss and to keep from getting diabetes, which is prevalent in my family. It can be a challenging way of eating at first...I refuse to refer to it as a diet, because for me it is the way I eat for life. There are some very important things a person must do to get into ketosis. I suspect you were not at that point, because for most people it takes about 2 weeks for full ketosis. Most people will get what is commonly call the KETO FLU in the first 2 weeks. It is real! Actually...once in true ketosis, most people start to feel really good...less joint pain, clearer thinking...more energy...loss of cravings etc. I suspect the weight you lost was water weight which means you needed to drink a LOT more water (no you wont retain it) It's also recommended that people on keto add potassium and magnesium supplements. The addition of more good fat is really important. Keto is NOT low carb/ high protein. Keto is low carb/ MODERATE protein and higher good fats. Good fats being, avocados...salmon...ghee...etc. Too many Drs tell patients to try Keto but do not give proper information. Probably because they don't know what that is. Get a good book on Keto....not just recipes. A book explaining what ketosis is and how to achieve it. I am telling you all of this from 33 years of personal experience. I am 70 years old and can keep up with any one of any age. I do not have any wrinkles...which is a benefit you never hear about with Keto eating, but I think the good fats have helped and I have maintained a good weight after losing 35 lbs. I have had times of life stresses where I have added more carbs to my eating and I regret it every time and within a few weeks am back into my Keto way of eating.
I am not saying it is for you, but if you do try again...educate yourself on the keto way of eating. Search for a keto support group in your area.
I was also advised by my naturopath to go paleo/ low carb and after a few months I was feeling worse and worse and my insomnia got worse. I have now added carbs again and I sleep much better. There is a lot of info and testimonials on the Internet about low carb worsening hypothyroid.
I heard people talking about carb cycling yesterday: you do low carb on weekdays, then indulge in all the carbs on the weekend.
It wouldn't surprise me if you're simply missing out on some sort of nutrient with your low carb diet: if you feel up to it, I discovered an app called cronometer, where you can list everything you are, and it tells you what nutrients you for in that day. It would let you see what vitamins/minerals you might be missing.
Copper27, I eat extremely well ( organic meats, lots of veggies, no sugar) and my vitamin levels are all good. I now believe low carb is not for everyone, especially women with thyroid problems. I really believe paleo and keto diets are just a fad, as you will find many primitive tribes eating lots of carbs in form of potatoes and tubers for example. Unless you have Hashi or are celiac or have other intolerance issues, low carb can do more harm than good.
I was on low carb diet it ended up losing a lot of weight it helped with pain but really made my thyroid numbers wonky and I was hospitalised with three thyroid storms in 3 weeks. I’m now back on the carb wagon
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