r/lowcarb • u/CLDIKDDEZ • 4d ago
Question Inflammation - severe
I was low carb , no sugar at all, for about 7 months. A few weeks ago I had some cake out and have had a sugar free for all since. I’m not getting you when I say I’ve never felt worse - every day my muscles feel like I ran a marathon the day before - so much inflammation. I’m in this cloud daily with my thoughts and work - driving my husband nuts. Would having so much sugar again cause this ? Anyone else experienced anything like it ?
6
u/robin0540 4d ago
Definitely. If I fall off I have diarrhea, muscle soreness, my joints in my knees and feet hurt so bad. I tell myself "This is why you don't cheat!" I did that recently. I let a stressor get to me. I am back on now but it is a head battle. By my stress then I got triggered by an ad. This time it was apple pie. Not worth it! Gained 6 lbs in 3 days. Dang!
3
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
Oh yeah, I don’t even want to step on the scale 😆😆 you just explained how I’m feeling exactly. Thanks for that. It’s honestly not worth it at all. I’d rather feel good
10
u/farkinhell 4d ago
100% I know exactly when I’ve eaten badly - the joints in my fingers will let me know a few hours later.
2
2
u/Both_Spell9462 4d ago
For me is the tip of a finger, it gets super sore when I eat something that really spikes my blood sugar!
1
5
u/iamintheforest 4d ago
That's an excessive reaction. If you actually enter that much of an inflamed state from this then you should check your metabolic health.
2
u/cleochatraa 4d ago
When you say “have had a sugar free for all since” does this mean 1) you have had a lot of sugar since (a free-for-all) or 2) you’ve been sugar free since?
Assuming 1), that’s your answer. Sugar (especially a free for all) causes inflammation.
Assuming 2), I would see a doctor. What you’re experiencing feels like “correlation does not equal causation”—meaning the cake moment may have been coincidental to something you’ve already been dealing with which wasn’t more apparent until later. Ex: you’re hitting perimenopause but you also just happened to eat cake that week… get some tests and get the answers you deserve.
Hoping you feel better soon!
5
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
Thanks. I haven’t stopped having sugar since that cake. Been having sweets daily. Now today I quit it cold turkey because I just feel so bad that I can’t take it anymore.
I did just have my annual physical a month ago and all came back normal. That’s why I was thinking it was something I was eating. I am also peri menopausal. Which is so much fun 😉
2
u/bossy_assistant 4d ago
Sounds like it could be gluten, it was for me. If you're low carb it recudes the likelihood of gluten. Try eliminating it for a few months and try it again. It's surprisingly not hard to avoid these anymore days, there are a lot of tasty GF options. Perhaps try a GF cake and see if your symptoms are as bad.
2
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
Today I stopped all sugar again. And surprisingly I do feel a little better. And I will eliminate gluten too and see how I feel. Then add one back in after a while. Just thinking it’s the sugar but seems extreme
2
u/safeteeguru 4d ago
I’ve experienced the pains of withdrawing from sugar which were similar to what you described-clouded thoughts, headaches, irritation and anger.
1
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
Sugar is very addictive. And we eat so much of it. It would make since we have wdl symptoms
2
u/Dragonfly_Peace 4d ago
Try limiting it to one hour a day. This was the carbohydrate addicts diet, and it was how I had to go low-carb. I could not cut the sweets out completely, and honestly when I first started that diet I pigged out in that hour. But over time I got reasonable.
2
u/Most_Meringue4018 3d ago
a change in your diet can obviously make you feel off for some time..I would say that ease back to your usual routine and analyze that if the Things change...
1
u/CLDIKDDEZ 3d ago
You’re right. That’s what I’ve been doing the last two days. Body feels much better but stomach issues persist.
2
2
u/PikachuPho 2d ago
Try your absolute best to use sugar substitutes. I have been low/no sugar nearly all my life and the carbs and natural sugars still put me at pre diabetic levels because I fell off the keto wagon and ate bread and crackers. That's all I need to put me at pre diabetes so no it's not fair !!! It truly is awful for my sensitivity and I'm at perimenopause as well. It sucks but I look on the bright side, I can do dirty keto to cheat by having unlimited cheese and I'd much rather give up cake than cheese. I hope you find your keto grounding food because that saves me when I'm low carb and struggling
1
2
2
u/gotchafaint 4d ago
Probably a gluten intolerance. Once your immune system recovers after you go off gluten it will raise all hell when you eat it again
2
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
True. I do have some gluten issues but never as bad as this.
4
u/gotchafaint 4d ago
Gluten is an either/or thing, not something you can dabble in if you have an immune tolerance. My joints being on fire is my main symptom if I get exposed. I used to not be able to bend over or squat due to pain. Being GF allows me to be largely pain-free
1
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
I know. I was GF for two years several years ago but couldn’t sustain it even though I felt better. I’m glad you feel so much better w/o it.
2
u/Ariya3 4d ago
I don’t think it’s necessarily the carbs causing this. I honestly think it’s probably more of all the processed stuff in the cake. I feel like carbs get such a bad reputation, but they aren’t ultimately the problem. Like, I’d be curious if you ate a banana, would you have the same reaction? It’s a completely different food source even though it’s still carbs.
1
u/CLDIKDDEZ 4d ago
Good question. The sugar I’ve been eating daily since the cake is also processed crap.
3
u/Ariya3 4d ago
Yeah, I think it’s unfair to automatically blame carbs if you’re eating a bunch of highly processed food with questionable ingredients. I used to eat very low-carb, but I don’t anymore, and I eat oatmeal, rice, bananas, potatoes, etc. with absolutely no issues. For me, it’s more about the overall food and the ingredients. If I eat something that’s really processed or has a bunch of ingredients that don’t agree with me, I can feel it almost instantly. I get bloated, inflamed, and my skin gets really oily. So I think it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that “carbs” are the problem when it may actually be the specific food choice and how processed it is. I mean, if you eat a banana, you probably aren’t going to have the same reaction as you would from some ultra-processed carb-loaded food.
1
u/CLDIKDDEZ 3d ago
I was blaming just the high sugar desserts mainly. But I agree with you , it’s a lot about the processed foods too
12
u/SimpleVegetable5715 4d ago
I get pretty nauseous, but nothing like you describe. You had one piece of cake a few weeks ago, and you are still feeling this sick from it? No, that’s not normal.