Strict "no carb" phases of low carb diets have developed a reputation for giving dieters severe headaches. Dietitians have identified a number of different factors that could cause
these headaches. They vary from person to person. One of the factors is caffeine. Most low carb diets prohibit caffeinated drinks because they cause fluctuations
in blood sugar, which can potentially
jeopardize the efficacy of the diet.
The Atkins diet suggests that dieters
begin scaling-down caffeine consumption
before they start the induction phase of the
diet to minimize unpleasant withdrawals. Another factor is wheat and sugar addictions,
which can be the byproduct of reliance on
refined carbohydrate products for
a quick boost in blood sugar levels.
If you snack to increase your blood
sugar level, you may be addicted
to carbohydrates, according to
Dr. Atkins. Again, you may want to
begin scaling down your snacks
before you start the induction
phase to minimize withdrawal
symptoms. The last factor is dehydration. If you
are losing weight rapidly on a "no
carb" initial phase, you are also
losing a lot of water that is bound up
in your carbohydrate reserves.
In fact, you are actually losing four-times
as many grams of water as you are grams of
glycogen (or stored carbohydrates). In addition to preventing dehydration,
your body needs to replenish all of the
water it loses daily to simply maintain
organ functionality, flush out toxins,
replace electrolytes, and promote
good skin health. Most low carb dietitians suggest that
you consume 8 eight-ounce glasses
of water each day. This is especially
important if you are losing more than
the average amount of water each day,
so make sure you are sticking to the
"8 x 8"--or whatever amount you can
drink comfortably each day--so you don’t
become dehydrated during the first phase
of your low carb diet. The key to preventing low carb diet
headaches is to make sure you are consuming
enough water and to scale-down your
potential "addictions" before you
start. If you have already started your low carb
diet, there is nothing you can do about these
headaches. Most experts suggest that you
simply wait it out. If they don’t go away
after four days, then you may have food allergies,
in which case you should halt the diet and consult
your physician. Benji Paras runs http://www.list-of-low-carb-food.com, specializing in the benefits of the low-carb lifestyle. The site contains a treasure trove of information for losing weight, and includes a list of low carb foods along with informative articles and the latest low-carb headlines.
|
Categories 
