How I Messed Up Going Low Carb

Have you heard that low carb-high fat diets are very effective for losing weight?  Whether it is Adkins or ketogenic, some people swear by them and you may see great results.

What I want to share is that every person and what their body needs is different and it is important to pay attention to the way your body feels.

This is a cautionary tale.

Last December I found out I was prediabetic.  That scared me and I knew I did not want to develop diabetes.  So I committed to doing a no sugar, no flour protocol and no snacking.  I was not a big sugar eater, but I was eating some snacks that had  a fair amount of sugar and/or carbs.

For a couple of weeks, it was a little hard.  I was hungry a lot, because my hunger hormones were adjusting.  But the fat started coming off my body.  It was amazing.

My body was accessing my fat, since the glucose was all used up.  This is a good thing.

About 3 months in, I read some books about the ketogenic diet.  How good it is for your body, brain, energy levels.  If you aren’t familiar with keto, it is very law carb and high fat.  Knowing that I was already doing a Paleo type diet, I decided to try and get my blood sugar and carbs even lower, get out of the prediabetic zone and lose more weight.

Being the recovering perfectionist that I am, I was sticking to the keto rules pretty closely.  Funny, I started feeling weaker and more tired and hungry.  I was not experiencing the high energy that I had read about in the books.

I knew something was off.  So I had my nurse practitioner do some tests and guess what?  My thyroid was severely under-functioning.  After more research, I found out at that some women really can not do low carb.  They need some carbs for their thyroid to function normally.  And if you restrict too much, your body goes into starvation mode.  It needs a variety of nutrient dense foods.

Also, I was eating a lot of broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach and the like.  Which are not friendly to your thyroid when consumed in large amounts and raw.

So I had a perfect storm of foods that negatively impacted my thyroid.

Of course, this varies by individual.  Some people thrive on keto, especially men.

For me it was a no-go.  So I added back in some starches- a little rice, sweet potato, butternut squash.  I added a thyroid-boosting supplement.  I started feeling better within a week.  And my blood glucose stayed in a very normal range, even with the added starch.

Mind you, I am still not doing sugar or flour, except for my once-a-week, planned-in-advance, joy eat. Have lost 10 pounds since December.  The 10 pounds I have been trying to get rid of for 15 or more years.

Hope this gives you something to think about if you are considering going low-carb.  Be careful.  Listen to your body.  It never lies.

If you would like help with eliminating sugar from your life or losing weight in general, please contact me here.  We can have a free 20 minute call to discuss your situation and how I can help you can free yourself from your sugar desire……

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