Feeling terrible after switching to low carb, Paleo style diet...

blah88

So after a long clean bulking phase I'm now trying to get my bodyfat down under 10%. I had planned to do this without strictly counting calories, as that drives me insane. So 3 days ago I cut out all the starchy/sugary carbs from my diet and increased the good fats, vegetables and protein (getting at least 1g per lb of bodyweight) . However yesterday I tried to play a casual football game and just performed terribly. I felt weak, tired and uncoordinated. I still feel terrible today, sort of spaced out. Not hungry at all though.

Should I try decreasing my carbs more gradually or would I be better off just gritting it out for a few days on very low carbs so my body and brain starts to utilise fats instead of carbs for energy? I have heard before that it takes some time to ''adapt'' to these diets but I wasn't expecting to feel so badly. I'm having trouble sleeping even though I feel sluggish and weak throughout the day.

I want to be able to perform well in sports whilst losing fat. I'v gotten shredded from strict diets before but these always left me with little energy, low libido and general moodiness. This time I was hoping to make more of a lifestyle change, instead of taking the quick-fix route. I'v only been on the diet a couple of days now so should I stick it out for a while or should I make some changes?

blah88

Just to give people a rough idea of how I'v been eating whilst on this diet. Usually 3 main meals a day and some snacks when I feel like it.

Breakfast- Coffee, multivitamin, 3 whole egg omelette with chicken, ham, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers. (Cooked in butter and coconut oil.)
Meal 2- Chicken salad and 2 beef burgers with cheese (no bread)
Meal 3- Tuna with full fat mayonnaise and veggies.
Snack on mixed nuts, berries, eggs and seeds blended into a protein shake usually twice a day.

I haven't been counting calories, but I used to in the past and I'm pretty sure I'm not even in a deficit at the moment. Just trying to get my body feeling normal on low carbs for now. I'v also been supplementing with fish oil and vitamin D. Also been taking zing, magnesium and extra electrolytes as I heard this helps with the transition into ketosis. Doesn't seem to have helped though. I know many crossfitters and MMA athletes train on low carb, paleo diets, so is it just a matter of getting over the initial adaptation phase?

siochain

blah88 wrote: »

Just to give people a rough idea of how I'v been eating whilst on this diet. Usually 3 main meals a day and some snacks when I feel like it.

Breakfast- Coffee, multivitamin, 3 whole egg omelette with chicken, ham, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers. (Cooked in butter and coconut oil.)
Meal 2- Chicken salad and 2 beef burgers with cheese (no bread)
Meal 3- Tuna with full fat mayonnaise and veggies.
Snack on mixed nuts, berries, eggs and seeds blended into a protein shake usually twice a day.

I haven't been counting calories, but I used to in the past and I'm pretty sure I'm not even in a deficit at the moment. Just trying to get my body feeling normal on low carbs for now. I'v also been supplementing with fish oil and vitamin D. Also been taking zing, magnesium and extra electrolytes as I heard this helps with the transition into ketosis. Doesn't seem to have helped though. I know many crossfitters and MMA athletes train on low carb, paleo diets, so is it just a matter of getting over the initial adaptation phase?

What was your bulking diet like?


You are more than likely in with drawls hang in there for at least 7 - 10 days and see how you feel. I would count calories just to get a idea of what your macro split is and how many calories you are now consuming.

Some carbs especially wheat can cause pretty bad with drawls.

Ye-olde carb flu.

An unfortunate side effect of switching to a low carb way of eating is that your body doesn't flick the switch quite as fast as you can.

It takes maybe 4/5 days to not feel shattered all the time, as your body has become so accustomed to cheap fuel (carbs) that it isn't as efficient at processing lipids.

Stick it out until your body's engine heats itself up again. Treat any cold symptoms (I got these, and get these again after a sustained period of 'boldness') as if it were a cold, lots of water, rest and vitamin C.

Short term pain, long term gain!

Example day looks excellent by the way.

--Kaiser--

blah88 wrote: »

Just to give people a rough idea of how I'v been eating whilst on this diet. Usually 3 main meals a day and some snacks when I feel like it.

Breakfast- Coffee, multivitamin, 3 whole egg omelette with chicken, ham, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers. (Cooked in butter and coconut oil.)
Meal 2- Chicken salad and 2 beef burgers with cheese (no bread)
Meal 3- Tuna with full fat mayonnaise and veggies.
Snack on mixed nuts, berries, eggs and seeds blended into a protein shake usually twice a day.

I haven't been counting calories, but I used to in the past and I'm pretty sure I'm not even in a deficit at the moment. Just trying to get my body feeling normal on low carbs for now. I'v also been supplementing with fish oil and vitamin D. Also been taking zing, magnesium and extra electrolytes as I heard this helps with the transition into ketosis. Doesn't seem to have helped though. I know many crossfitters and MMA athletes train on low carb, paleo diets, so is it just a matter of getting over the initial adaptation phase?

Sounds like carb flu (though I've never experienced it). Looks like a pretty good set of meals to me....and I eat like a horse!

If you're lacking energy after you have adapted to low carb you should eat more fat

jt72

I switched to paleo mid september. For about 2-3 weeks I didn't feel like I was performing at 100%, mostly feeling like I had low energy. About 2 weeks into that I had lost a good bit of weight and ran a 10k race I was very happy with.

You could stick with it and be through the adaptation faster. Or you could add a sweet potato or similar food to help manage the carb deficit you're experiencing, and then work your way down from there.

I'm 4 months in, and never turning back.

jt72

You can probably ditch the multivitamin if you're eating paleo. You've got fish oil and D3, and your Magnesium and Zinc, so you're probably not missing much anymore.

If you want to check, I have used www.cronometer.com to plug in my foods, and it breaks things down into macro and micronutrient (vitamins/minerals) level - as long as your food is generic enough.

blah88

Thanks a lot guys. I think I'll stick it out for another while. I think I just changed from a high calorie, high carb diet to completely no carbs and lots of conditioning work too quickly. I already had a bad cold aswell. I'v been resting a few days now and I'm starting to feel stronger again. Thanks for the advice. ps. I realise I probably don't need the multivitamin but the old Berocca has been a part of my morning ritual for ages now and I just enjoy it with breakfast. Makes it easier to down a pint of water in the morning, IMO.

GeorgeOrwell

I've been on a paleo diet for a few weeks, and I know how that transition can feel.

I've kept up my morning berocca too (mostly out of habit) but I've massively increased the amount of water I drink during the course of the day and that has helped with the sluggishness and tiredness. If you're feeling low, drink plenty of water and try a handful of nuts or something.