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Date: | Mon, 21 May 2001 15:33:09 -0700 |
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<<I have tried many diets. From Atkins to McDougal. I still feel tired
on these plans. I do not feel well if I eat too few carbs, for instance 20
grams
a day, like on Atkins.>>
According to Protein Power (p144-145), extreme fatigue when first starting a
low-carb program is due to the adjust period required to develop new sets of
enzymes. Enzymes developed during consumption of a low-fat, high
carbohydrate diet help store, retrieve, and break down carbohydrates. It
takes a few days for your body to produce the new enzymes to deal with the
composition of a low-carb diet. According to the Eades, "after a couple of
days of a little tiredness, your energy levels should rise considerably, and
you should actually end up with a lot more energy than you had before you
started the diet."
Once this period of "feeling fabulous" is established, some people lapse
into feeling exhausted and their legs sometimes ache. This is caused by
hypokalemia or low blood potassium. Because a low-carb diet has such a
diuretic effect on the kidneys, it often gets rid of enough potassium along
with the excess fluid that some people become potassium deficient. Low
potassium can cause all kinds of different symptoms such as tingling,
light-headedness, fatigue, muscle aches, and especially deep muscle fatigue
and cramps.
The Eades recommend using Morton's Lite Salt or NoSalt because these are
pure potassium salts and usually will compensate for the potassium lost
through the kidneys. Potassium supplements are also available in 99 mg
capsules.
Rob
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