Stacie Lorenson wrote:
>
> What degree of carbohydrate restriction would be necessary to correct
> this? I have eliminated grains and starches (potatoes etc.), but still
> eat a goodly amount of fruit. This totals less than half the amount of
> carbs. I was eating before. I tried an all meat (with lots of fat) day
> yesterday and couldn't even get out of bed this morning, I was so tired.
> Dizzy and disoriented for a couple of hours after rising. Had a fruit
> smoothie and several hours later started feeling better. Any ideas?
This reaction to an all meat day may be there for different reasons. First,
if this is much lower in carbs than you went before then you will go through
a day of being lightheaded, lethargic, dizzy, and possibly nausious.
This happens because your blood sugar level drops, but you have not really
started to burn enough fat for energy. This usually happens only once, assuming
you stay on a low carb diet. Not everybody goes through this, but most people do.
When you had your smoothie you brought your blood sugar level up.
The other reason you felt like this (less likely one) is that meat does not have high enough
percentage of fat. Me and my similarly strict buddy refer to this as
"protein coma" - a period of time after eating a steak dinner when
you can't help but fall asleep (even in the middle of the day). We
have not figured out yet exactly what triggers it, but eating a
high protein with insufficient fat will do it most of the time.
I usually order some butter with my steak and eat it the first thing
(I know - not paleo, but this is more socially acceptable than drinking
olive oil from the bottle).
> Also, what is Hashimotos?
I believe it's auto-immune reaction to your own thyroid gland. Not exactly
sure of all the details. This can be tested for with a lab test.
> It is possible that I have also chronic
> fatigue, but I would think of that as a symptom of hypo-thyroidism, or
> at least they overlap, right?
Not sure what causes what, just have seen a lot of people with CFS who
also have Hashi. Most of the symptoms of CFS and fybro can be explained
by low adrenal and/or thyroid function, so in that sense they are related.
If you are already following paleo you are probably doing a lot more than
most to help yourself if you have CFS/fibro. If you have just a normal
low thyroid function than very low carb diet may not be for you
(suppresses T3 levels, though this does not seem to have a negative effect
that you get with hypo-thyroid patients). If you are interested in low
carbing and want an easy and informative source read "Protein Power" by
Eades. If you want to read a bit more about thyroid problems read
"Hypothyroidism - the unsuspected illness" (or a very similar name) by
Broda Barnes.
I don't think more in-depth discussion of CFS, etc. is warranted on this list.
Ilya.
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