Dealing with diet restrictions
Weight loss on a low-carb diet
Controlling blood sugar with a low-carb diet

Dealing with diet restrictions

In junior high, I found out that I was allergic to citric acid. In May, 2000, I found out that I was lactose intolerant. In June, 2001, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and hypoglycemia. I July, 2002, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Needless to say, I've had my food troubles. Thankfully, there is commercial lactase enzyme to help with the lactose intolerance. The others, though, have had a significant impact on my diet, especially the hypoglycemia and celiac disease.

Dealing with these limitations has been difficult, but I've found several things have helped.

1. Joining a support group--there is nothing like knowing that you are not alone. Also, you can swap recipes and get advice.

2. Educating you friends and family about your limitations. If your friends are true friends, they will bend over backwards to help you out; from eating in instead of out, to asking for recipes so that you don't have to bring your own stuff.

Family is a little trickier. Hopefully, your family is a good one and will understand and make you feel comfortable. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. My parents are good examples of both. My mother is very understanding. She tries very hard to make sure I eat well when I visit, double checking everything with me to make sure it's safe. (Thankfully, she's the one who does all the cooking, so when I visit, I feel pretty safe.) My father, on the other hand, thinks that all the above is just in my head, that I am just trying to get attention. He has finally quit making comments at mealtimes about how much I am inconveniencing the family, but he continually tries to get me to eat things I shouldn't. If he were the cook in the family, I wouldn't put it past him to slip something into the food to "prove" to me that it won't hurt me. If your family falls into the latter category, you have my sincere condolences, and I strongly encourage you to eat only that which you have cooked yourself while visiting.

3. Have a few favorite recipes that satisfy you rather than trying to find replacements for everything you used to eat. If you concentrate on the latter, you are going to be disappointed every time, and you are going to dwell on the things that you can't have, get depressed, and cheat. It's getting into the mindset of thinking of what you can have rather than what you can't.

For instance: you used to eat cookies and cakes for dessert after every meal. Dangerous mindset: trying to find recipes for those baked goods. Good mindset: look at what's available and choose from that. In this case, start eating ice cream, fruit, or chocolate pudding for dessert. You'll have a tasty dessert without the frustration of lots of failed baking attempts.

Weight loss on a low-carb diet

The way that a low-carb diet, such as the Atkin's diet, works is by changing what your body uses for energy. Normally, your body burns carbohydrates and sugars for energy. Fats and proteins, which are more difficult to break down are stored and used only as necessary for building material in cells. By restricting the amount of carbohydrates your body gets, you force it to turn to fats and proteins instead. Since fats and proteins are more difficult to break down, more energy is used in the process. Therefore, you'll need to eat much more protein and fat, especially when your body is getting used to the new diet (the first couple of weeks).

Splenda is a great sugar-substitute, and I recommend it. I use it in almost anything. Because of this and the fatty foods (such as heavy cream poured over fruit), I don't feel like I'm dieting.

When I first started the low-carb diet, I followed it pretty strictly. I found some sugar-free ice cream and sugar-free chocolate, and beyond that I pretty much stuck to meat and vegetables, with a sandwich here and there. Now, I "cheat" much more frequently. This is sometimes a bad thing because of my hypoglycemia.

When I started the low-carb diet, I was 5'9" with a medium bone frame weighing 162 lbs. I had been the same weight since high school (at least 6 years), so I always assumed that was my ideal body weight. Of course, I never really tried to lose weight. Once I started the low-carb diet I lost about 3 to 5 lbs. a month until I reached around 130 lbs. Then, it just leveled out. I guess that is my ideal body weight. Now that I cheat much more frequently, I weigh between 135-140 lbs., but I am staying fairly slender.

Controlling blood sugar with a low-carb diet

I use the low-carb diet to control my hypoglycemia (low-blood sugar). If I eat sugar or too many carbs, I produce too much insulin to counteract it, dropping my blood sugar too low.

Unfortunately, sometimes I mess up on the diet causing problems.

1. If I go too long without eating, I'll crash (my blood sugar will drop) causing me to feel faint and weak. Sometimes I even pass out.

2. If I eat too many carbs in one day, I feel cranky and am much more susceptible to crashing after shorter periods of not eating. Also, if I eat a reasonable number of carbs, but not much protein in a day, I have the same problems.

I seem to be able to tolerate more carbs than some hypoglycemics. My sister-in-law, for instance, reacts differently to eating too many carbs by crashing right away.

It usually takes 12 to 24 hours to fully recover from a blood sugar crash. Eating lots of vegetables and protein and getting lots of rest seems to be the best medicine.

It is a good idea to keep a couple of snacks on you at all times, for emergencies. I keep carrots and nuts in my purse. Carrots have enough sugar in them to bring up your blood sugar again, but not too much to where you trigger another insulin response. The nuts are good for energy.