5 days on a low-carb diet

We asked Joanie, one of our Advisors, to try going five days on a low-carb diet and write about it. Here’s what she wrote:

Why is it that the minute I decide to give something up, I want it more than ever? This is what happens when I agree to go low-carb for a few days. Just a few days! Other than the occasional binge-type behavior, I try to limit carbs anyway. Suddenly I find myself wanting French bread dipped in spicy olive oil, pasta, and, strangely enough, peanut butter cups!

So, let the games begin. I go blank. What do I eat? The first day goes well: eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch, a nuts-and-seeds trail mix for snack. I feel really good. I’m confident that this experiment will be a piece of cake.

My saving grace: Greek salad

Here’s what saved me after three days of failing my low-carb experiment:

• Green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion
• Garlic, mint, and parsley
• White beans
• Mix walnut oil and lemon juice with salt and fresh pepper
• Add feta cheese and olives if you like
• Toss and enjoy!

Cake? Exactly. A baby shower at work sends me into goodie mode and I not only have too much, but I go home at night and have a glass of wine. I really thought I was in control at the time. Hah! The result of that smart move is that I stop sleeping. I toss and turn all night, up and down, wide awake. I’m 58 years old, post-menopausal, and went years trying to regain the ability to have a good night’s sleep. Insomnia caused me to gain a lot of weight and the less I slept, the less I felt like doing anything about it. Staying very low on carbs, along with some good supplements that work for me, has helped me regain my sleep patterns. But I really blew it in one day!

The third day I have to put up with hot flashes and exhaustion. Was it worth it? Maybe. I did have some fun. And I’m also reminded as to why I had to change my diet in the first place.

The other wrench in the spokes is that all I want now are carbs because my blood sugar keeps crashing and I just want something to make me feel better fast. It’s not like I don’t know what to do. I just don’t want to do it. They don’t call it comfort food for no reason. All that sugar makes me feel really irritable and I know that sugar (in any form) will make me feel better fast. I’m sure everyone else around me would have appreciated it if I ate some, too! I really believe that mood swings are the worst aspect of eating too much sugar. Not sleeping, pity-partying, losing sight of pretty much every health goal, all from that one over-indulgence. That doesn’t stop me from grabbing lots of sugary leftovers today either.

On the fourth day of my carb experiment, I have to regain control. I feel like a failure. In spite of everything I know, I’m doing all the wrong things to feel good again. What helps me turn the corner is a recipe for a Greek-style salad made with lots of fresh vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, garlic, parsley, mint and anything fresh you want to add. It also has white beans which seem to help with the blood sugar issue. I add a dressing made of walnut oil and lemon juice, salt and fresh pepper and eat it for two days. Being able to sleep again is the key to how well I feel all the next day, the key to getting things done, and also the key to feeling good about myself.

So the low-carb experiment has given me a bit of a jolt. I thought I was in control, but quickly found out how fast that can change. I know now that for me, I just have to politely decline the goodies if I want to feel good and be healthy. I’ve had to change not only how I eat, but what I cook for my family. There were some grumblings at first, but now I’m really sticking to my guns and my Cake Bible is going to a yard sale!