Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hey All -

I started Paleo 4 weeks ago... first three feeling amazing. No carb flu, no nothing...I am 150% committed. I felt some pretty drastic changes the first week or so. My energy was blazing, I felt clear headed, and pumped to do this. Now 4 days after finishing my period, I'm still feeling PMSy times a thousand. Has there been a drastic shift in hormones? Do I have the carb flu only now 4 weeks out?

Anyone experience this later in the game, rather than earlier?

FYI - I don't consume eggs, dairy, or nightshades, and the only fruit I have is about a cup or so in the AM with

Thanks!

flag	asked Feb 9 2012 at 4:48 Mandy 21●1

	It would help if you posted what you have been eating. Are you zero carb, very low carb, or are you including some safe starches in your diet? – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Feb 9 2012 at 4:51
	Looking at what you posted on food below, I'd say, "Where's the beef"? It looks like you just posted breakfast and lunch, and there's very little meat there. Is dinner any different? What are your calories at on Fitday? You just had your monthly cycle, dumped a lot of resources, and need to rebuild them. My suspicion is that's your issue, and necessarily low carb flu (unless it's aggravated by your body trying to rebuild what it just lost). – James Feb 9 2012 at 23:25
	she does say "red meat", so that could be the beef (and iron) – daz Feb 10 2012 at 2:54
	I eat lunch/dinner the same...either steaks, chicken or fish... it's been primarily steak though, that's what I've been craving. I've decided to switch over to chicken & fish primarily this week because it seems I really do eat a lot of red meat... or does it really matter? It's hard because I read one thing and then there's so much other conflicting talk so... II think experimenting slowly & trying to figure out what's best for me is the only option because no one seems to have a definitive stand on well... anything. thansk for your help! – Mandy Feb 10 2012 at 7:27

ZombieApocalypseKitten · Answer 1 · 2012-02-09 05:30:46Z UTC

If you are on the lower carb side of things, try some broth. I'm personally on the side of cold-turkey if you are trying to low carb. It's hell, but faster. But I have seen decent suggestions for gradually lowing carbs if that is too much to handle.

You may be low in Magnesium. That can make your period hell. Stress, exercise, and your period can screw with your magnesium levels.

Magnesium isn't the only thing you have to worry about, but that is the first thing that comes to my biased mind. (Read a book about Magnesium. I barley even feel my period since supplementing.)

If you were low Magnesium prior to going paleo, you may still have some catch up to do.

PrimalDanny · Answer 2 · 2012-02-09 15:03:58Z UTC

It's not a complete answer, but yes there has been a drastic shift in hormones. There's a strong tendency to call any negative symptoms 'low-carb flu', just like people do with real flu, but I think that often misses the point. Low-carb flu is a combination of the wtihdrawal symptoms from being addicted to wheat and a more general systems crash while your body sorts out the hormone levels, enzymes, metabolic pathways etc. to get up to speed on a different fuel. If you've been functioning well for 3 weeks then that's not the issue.

There are a bunch of reasons why things seem to get harder. First off is the obvious one you mention. Your body and its needs change throughout the month. While I can't offer personal experience, if you eat the same food every day then you're logically going to be out of sync at some point in the cycle. You've got nutrients you need to replenish and a different hormonal environment. Feel free to experiment rather than thinking you must find one right way to eat all the time.

Speaking of those nutrients, you may just have run low on something which you regularly got in your diet before. Maybe you had a bad night's sleep or you've been exercising too much and you just need a break to get everything balanced again. Or maybe you're just not eating enough - regular carb-based diets tend to over-rev the engine, there's no risk of it cutting out. It's quite common on switching to lower-carb paleo to feel fine without eating as much. But sometimes the body needs a feast, and it's not a failure to eat more occasionally. Again, variety. A lot of people go back to reintroducing carbs. After a life-time of living on them they certainly can mask a multitude of ills, the ultimate comfort food. It's probably not the root cause of how you're feeling though. However you choose to tackle it, just remember it doesn't have to be all or nothing. It should be a constantly developing process of learning to listen to your body day by day.

Tyler · Answer 3 · 2012-02-09 21:31:01Z UTC

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Eat some oysters and sweet potatoes (start at .5-1lbs a day).

answered Feb 9 2012 at 21:31

Tyler
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JeJ · Answer 4 · 2012-02-09 22:24:23Z UTC

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If this was a veganhacks, the answer would be "that's the meat toxins working out a magic unknown pathway and cleansing your body!". I'm glad these answers are 100% better than that.

answered Feb 9 2012 at 22:24

JeJ
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And on the paleo-side we can say "it's all those grain toxins working their way out of your fat stores as they get processed by ketogenic goodness!" :) – James Feb 10 2012 at 1:34

citrusfire · Answer 5 · 2012-02-09 05:07:18Z UTC

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Yes. You feel like you have no energy because your body has to jump through hoops to replenish your glycogen stores. Eat more carbs and see how you feel. Paleo is not low carb.

Feel free to go back to very low carb if you end up putting on tons of weight (if you're on it for weight loss), don't feel better, etc. but I think you'll be much better off if you give it a shot.

answered Feb 9 2012 at 5:07

citrusfire
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Paleo can be low carb, but doesn't have to be. It depends on your goals and what you believe about weight loss. – ZombieApocalypseKitten Feb 9 2012 at 5:38

I wake up about 8am, I make a smoothie with spinach, spring mix, blueberries, frozen mixed berries, 4 table spoons coconut oil and a banana... for lunch I either have red meat or chicken with salad or some sort of greens... I snack on some berries or cucumbers. thats essentially what I eat everyday. I'm at perfect weight, but I do have a serious "so called" RA (even though my factors come back negative), where I sometimes can't even walk... so I'm trying this avenue instead of drugs. – Mandy Feb 9 2012 at 5:55

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i would say eat more. calories are energy, literally – citrusfire Feb 9 2012 at 16:17

Lyndsay · Answer 6 · 2012-02-09 07:07:53Z UTC

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You are going to feel really crappy, starting paleo. Your "Lady's Time" is going to be all sorts of messed-up, at first, It can spring on you, at any time. It is going to be Hell's Kitchen for a few months.

answered Feb 9 2012 at 7:07

Lyndsay
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I wasn't sure what the general timeframes were, I mean I know everyone is different but I just found it odd that it all hit me at once... 4 weeks in. I actually feel a lot better today! Thanks again! – Mandy Feb 10 2012 at 7:22

Happy Now · Answer 7 · 2012-02-10 02:35:58Z UTC

The hitting the wall post period makes me think you could use some borscht or other hearty stew with red meat and roots.

http://paleozonenutrition.com/2011/02/17/russian-borscht-nutritious-easy-and-paleo/ (drop the tomato paste in the recipe if you aren't doing nightshades, and I usually add more dill than recipes call for because I loooove it).

You most likely need to replenish the nutrients and minerals you lost going through the process, menstruation takes energy to accomplish (my acupuncturist recommends borscht to "rebuild blood" and I believe her because it makes me feel strong again when I get that hit by a bus feeling).

4th week in, feel like crap??

7 Answers