UGH! I'm never eating sugar again!

[Lesley]

LOL...okay....maybe someday I'll have just a little...but anyway...

Some of you may have read what I wrote about planning to have some birthday cake for my dd's birthday. I've been on Atkins and completely sugar free for a month.

Well, today's the day and after a very good low carb day (omlette for breakfast, japanese for dinner, no time to snack in between) I had my piece of ice cream cake. Let me tell you....I feel awful. My stomach started feeling weird before I finished...and now I just feel all yucky and have a headache! It seems as if I have very little tolerance for carbs like that now....and I'm pretty happy about it. I did think that ice cream cake would be a better choice carb/fat/protein wise than a regular cake.....but its still causing me to feel really yucky.

My next planned "treat" was to be for my own birthday (4/23)....I think perhaps I'll just be splitting a dessert with someone (or two or three others...like dh and kids) and I'm going to be very careful about when my body starts to say "when".

Okay, so now for the extended aftermath.....I'm drinking tons of water to try to flush this out of my system. Perhaps I should try to counteract with plenty of protein too? I'll try to update tomorrow....I'm just amazed at how bad I feel and its hitting me that I used to always feel like this. I'm really going to have to kick my butt in gear tomorrow if my previous lethargy tries to catch hold...good time to start working out, I think! And I'm definitely going to stick to an induction menu tomorrow...beyond that I'll see how I feel!

And, WOW....my baby is 3 today! I can't believe it!

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

Lesley, thanks for posting your experience! I am going to remember it when I think I need a bite of sugar!! Sorry it made you feel bad though. Hope the water works!

Onward and upward!!

 

[TigH]

Thanks for sharing that story, Lesley! I think when we are in the middle of our old eating habits, we just take for granted that we feel the way we do. Eating healthier opens up a whole new way of feeling though. I notice that I can sleep much better when I stick to my plan and that my stomach is never upset. It's when I indulge in something that I mentally think is the most delicious thing in the world (like nachos or almost anything Mexican!) then I pay for it later with sleepless nights and an upset tummy.

Keep up the great work! You are very smart to listen to your body!!! Hope you feel better soon! And Happy Third Birthday to your DD!

 

[nativetxn]

I've read about this happening, but I wasn't sure it was true.

Thanks for posting this Lesley. Hope you feel better soon.

I haven't had sugar, bread, pasta or fruit since 1/9/03. I don't miss it at all (that really surprised me, the not missing part). I hope that if I ever eat any of that stuff again that I get sick too.

I've read lots of stories about "carb" hangovers, I thought they were exaggerated. How very interesting.

{{{HUGS}}} sweetie.

 

[Lesley]

Okay, I'm feeling better today. I really had to kick my own butt to get up and get moving this morning.....but I did. Woke before the kids and did a yoga video (it was HARD!) and got on with my morning routine a la Flylady. I got a lot done today and didn't think about food. I had a bit of a craving flash when serving the last of the ice cream cake to the kids as a snack (wanted to get rid of it fast) and I think if I'd start eating sugar in small amounts again it would become really easy to fall off the low-carb wagon. I didn't really do induction today....there were some raspberries in the fridge that didn't look like they'd last too much longer (at $3 a container, you just can't waste raspberries!)....but my carbs today were well under the 35 grams I'm set to have this week. More like 25 or less, I'd say.

And I found myself picking veggies out of the wok as I waited for our steaks to finish cooking tonight.....I had to laugh at myself! That is just so....well....not me! I've never been much of a veggie eater before now.

Katholyn...I haven't had any grain foods at all either since I started...but I have added back low carb fruits. I don't miss any of the bread/pasta/etc..... when I think about the texture it just turns me off completely!

So anyway...I survived and I'm still on track. I'm glad to be able to share this with the rest of you....be very careful with sugar! I knew going into this that I would always have an occasional "treat" and planned on it as a way to keep myself going...but I don't know how much of a treat it ended up being. I think next time (not until April) a few bites will do it!

I am, however, dreaming up some sugar free cheesecake w/ strawberries.....almond crust....I bet I can find a recipe somewhere, but if not I can probably wing it! Perhaps that should be my own birthday treat rather than something with sugar!

 

[Jenzebelle]

Ugh! I know what you mean about sugar sickness
I'm on a variation of the zone, which is what my Dr suggested for me.
Today was my once every 3 weeks cheat day. I had a couple of munchkins and an extra large iced coffee. I had it 6hrs ago and I feel so nauseous that I want to throw up.

I'm too nauseous to eat dinner, or to exercise.

 

[DixieDreamer]

Oh! The sugar is just not worth it.... I have a WONDERFUL lowcarb cheesecake recipe I got from a lowcarb bulletin board. A poster named Beachgirl is responsible for this lovely concoction and it is very good.

Beachgirl's Basic Cheesecake

32 ounces cream cheese
1 cup splenda (may substitute 1 cup of Davinci Syrup which reduces carb count to 3 for each serving!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sour cream


With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and splenda at slow to medium speed, scraping sides often. Add all other ingredients except eggs. When completely mixed (with no lumps), add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating very slowly. When eggs are incorporated, do not mix any more. Over-mixing the eggs is a contributing cause of cracked cheesecakes. (The leading cause of cracking is over-cooking, so don¡¦t believe any one who tells you it is normal for a cheesecake to be cracked; it isn¡¦t.) Always treat the batter gently.

Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Place the pan on a very large piece of aluminum foil, and fold the foil up around the pan to create a watertight barrier around the cheesecake. Then place the barrier pan in an even larger pan and fill the larger pan halfway with water. This is called a water bath. It is a gentler way to cook the cheesecake.

Place the entire water bath containing the cheesecake in a 300-degree preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour and reduce heat to 200 degrees for 1 more hour.

Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in until the oven is completely cool. The cheesecake can even be left overnight at this point. Cracks can also occur when a cheesecake cools too quickly.

It may be beneficial to run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake, separating it from the sides of the pan. If your goal is to serve the cheesecake on a different dish without the bottom of the spring form pan, then the pan can be lined with parchment paper before the batter is poured in. Make sure to grease both sides of the paper. This will make for easy removal of the cheesecake later. It works best if the cheesecake has been refrigerated fully before trying to remove it from the bottom pan.

Per Serving (based on 12 servings per cheesecake): 308 Calories; 29g Fat; 8g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 165mg Cholesterol; 244mg Sodium.



Beachgirl goes on to provide this additional help in making the PERFECT low carb cheesecake.

"Okay, as I am a "self proclaimed cheesecake expert", having made numerous cheesecakes of various flavors and having mastered the art of the "restaurant quality cheesecake", otherwise known as the "crackless cheesecake", I offer these tips...

1. Treat the batter gently. Making sure all the ingredients are at room temp. helps them blend easier. Mix it as little as possible and at a medium speed. The less air you whip in, the less tendancy it will have to rise.

2. Bake your cheesecake in a water bath. This requires you to have a pan large enough to hold your springform pan and with sides high enough to cover half-way up the springform pan with water. A large roasting pan should do it. That's what I use.

3. Reduce the heat and lengthen the cooking time. I bake all my cheesecakes at 300 degrees for the first hour, then reduce the heat to 200 and bake for one more hour. The cheesecake will not rise, but instead bakes more like a custard and comes out very creamy and dense. Mmmmm...

4. Exercise patience. While the cheesecake is baking, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. And leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool, also with the door closed. It's okay if it stays in there overnight. A great cheesecake is like a work of art...it takes time.

5. To keep the top from browning, place a sheet of foil on your top oven rack, just beneath the heat element. This will shield your cheesecake from the direct heat and keep the top pale and pretty. Especially important if you're doing a marbled cheesecake, you want those swirls to show through!

6. Refridgerate the cheesecake at least 12 hours before unmolding from the springform pan so that it's good and set. Run a dull knife around the sides and then release the pan."

This is a classic - beautiful cheesecake - tastes HEAVENLY - and makes a wonderful dessert for special occassions - as well as a great BREAKFAST option!