Carb Flu....

[spatzcat]

so if someone had carb flu, how long does it last, what does it feel like, and if you have carb-gorge-fest, does it reset everything?

[Nmetzler]

idk about carbs = /, i've never experienced it more than a craving for a two handed brownie late at night. I know that I had a sugar flu when I first cut it out of my diet. It lasted for about 4 days hardcore for me... After that i stopped craving it, pretty sure that's not what you're looking for but that's my experience with the closest thing..

[Maggie May]

I had it last week for sure. The gorge-fest happened in the evening, and the next morning I felt hungover. Headachy, groggy, tired, cranky... you name it. I actually felt like I had taken some shots of captain morgan the night before. I felt pretty awful for that whole day, and it probably didn't help that I continued to eat kinda bad for a few days. I got headaches a lot. But I think the "worst" of it was only a day. I got back into clean eating soon thereafter and I felt better pretty much right away.

I don't know for SURE if it "resets" everything, but I'd imagine not completely. I feel like I got back on track and feeling better pretty quickly. I hope that helps! I'm sure it's not exactly the same for everyone, though.

(i just realized, are you talking about the carb flu meaning feeling sick because you HAVEN'T eaten them? or because you have? cause I had it after I had been clean for a while, then gorged.)

[spatzcat]

I am not sure if I have that or not, I need to start tracking my calories again. Carbs are low, but they are still around 120/130. I have a very good balance between carbs,fats,protien....fats:40%...carbs....30%....protien30%.....that was yesterday, usually fats are 30%, protien is 40%....

But I find when eat that amount of carbs day to day for a week, by the end of the week I feel like crap. I'm tired, I have wicked cravings for anything carb-wonderful...Sometimes I give in, other times I don't. But when I do, it's usually for 1 meal on the weekend, I'll have pasta, or pizza, then I usually get over it, and by Monday I'm back on the horse and I feel fine again.

It could be totally phycological, the way I am eating currently is not the way I intend to be my long term plan. I am trying to drop some fat right now, and this seems to be doing the trick.

But this is tough. much tougher than I thought. Minus an awesome cheat meal with my mom last weekend, and a bowl of chips I had last night...I havn't had bread or fruit in i think about 3 weeks.

I am debating putting this off, eating more and doing my 5x5 again for a few weeks.

This deprived eating is making me feel sad, and in combination with my winter blues, I dunno....recipe for disaster perhaps.

[This is Seth]

Carb flu sucks. I got it for about a week after two weeks of going low carbs. I was eating 80-120g of carbs a day and hadn't substituted anything in for it. When you cut out carbs, you need to eat more fat in order to have something to burn off it in its place.

Gorging doesn't help. You'll feel better for an hour but feel like shit the next morning. It's like cheap champagne. Instead, cook with butter and super hydrate.

[spatzcat]

see, I wasn't sure if 130 gram mark would cause it.....i guess it can? I need to up some good fats then, and drink more water.

[Philociraptor]

Yeah, 130g of carbs is quite a lot in my mind. I feel like I generally eat a lot of veggies and I still stay under 50, usually even under 20.

[Maggie May]

Yeah, 130g of carbs is quite a lot in my mind. I feel like I generally eat a lot of veggies and I still stay under 50, usually even under 20.

I agree, when I think I've had a "low carb" day it's usually 50-70g. And yes to the higher fat! good luck!

[aj_rock]

Carb flu is related to the onset of ketosis in the body. If, instead of eating up on carbs again for a part of every week, you champed through the pain, you would eventually stop feeling the effects.

[oystergirl]

At 120-130 I would not think it was carb flu, which as AJ stated usually sets in below 50g and the induction of Ketosis. Obviously if you are eating WAY less carbs than you used to eat you might be feeling yucky, but also you might have a bit of a cold or bug.

For me, when I started measuring carbs I had the experience of my long time ultra low carb sister for help (though I would never follow her diet, she did give me good advice). It was simple. Get all the carbs out. Fruit, grains etc and ONLY include the carbs you are choosing to eat long term (for me that was 1/2 cup of rice or one small potato a day) and then, like quitting smoking, simply ride it out. Do not add in more carbs because you will be messing with the blood sugar again and yes, it does reset if you have a carb binge but like Maggie said, not to the level it used to be and you will know what you are going through. My sister suggested eating more FAT if you feel sick.

I did this and I feel great--though I do drink about 2 cups of raw milk a day so that has some milk sugar in it.

I hope you feel better!!!! It sucks to be doing good with fitness and health and to still feel yucky!

[spatzcat]

thank you everyone! I was thinking it was too many carbs to have some sort of a carb flu going on. I think I just need more fats, and more calories. I went to starbucks and resisted...skinny latte and some almonds.

A woot to me, because that red velvet whatever looked delicious.

[aj_rock]

The fact that you have to call it red velvet whatever is alone an indication you probably shouldn't stuff it down your gullet

[Ryan Sannar]

Especially if it is actual red velvet. No clowns here.