Why do I feel hungover and crave carbs the day after my carb-up?

[Par Deus]

what about the low-carb induced insomnia... when you can't go to sleep no matter what... does this also mean that leptin levels have decreased, or is this just a carb-related thing?

It is a carb related thing -- a combination of lowered serotonin (insulin facilitates the transport of tryptophan across the BBB) and increased catecholamines and cortisol (insulin inhibits their release)

 

[Millie]

great, thank you Par

I was wondering about that because it usually happens to me after 3 days of lowered carb intake. But the thing is that I don't have any cravings. So I wasn't sure if it was a signal that my Leptin levels are low, and it's good to know that it isn't

I guess, it is a good idea to supplement with l-tryptophan or 5-htp on my low-carb days.

 

[Par Deus]

I guess, it is a good idea to supplement with l-tryptophan or 5-htp on my low-carb days.

I highly recommend 5-HTP on reduced carb diets.

 

[Millie]

should 5-htp be cycled, or is it better to take it every day?
and is 50-100mg a good dosage to take on reduced carb diets?

SteelWeaver, sorry for intruding on your thread and changing its subject

 

[Par Deus]

should 5-htp be cycled, or is it better to take it every day?
and is 50-100mg a good dosage to take on reduced carb diets?

Yes, that is a good dosage -- in case you are unaware, it can cause drowsiness, so it is best taken at night. I do not see any real reason it needs to be cycled.

 

[Millie]

bump for PowerPrincess

 

[valerie]

SteelWeaver-are you dieting for a contest or just trying to drop some fat? My experience has been that it is a real mistake to include junky sugar food products in a refeed. I have found it impossible to loss the fat doing this. It becomes a two steps forward and two steps back type dance. Why not make your refeed using good starchy carbs of varying g.i. ratings and using sweet fruits as the goody part of the meal. I carb up twice per week this way and feel great, strong, full of energy and ready to rock and roll the next morning. I have done what you have and know that crummy,yucky feeling. Believe me when I tell you that I am the original cookie monster. The best thing I can do is stay far, far away from goodies like that. My daily eating consists of various sources of protein and boatloads of veggies with twice weekly carb ups until I reach my goal wt. Honestly I feel tons better than any cookies would make me feel! Hope this helps-Valerie

 

[Lumberg]

I never fail to be amazed at how our bodies work. Cortisol increases energy?

Could ALA have any connection to the lead feeling?

And I realised I did plot how I feel in my w/o book - Friday night, carb-up,
Saturday, hungover feeling, carb craving, leg workout,
Sunday, fine, off,
Monday, fine, cardio and weights,
Tuesday, lead feeling, weight training,
Wednesday, BAD lead feeling, cardio only,
Thursday, lead feeling not as bad as Wed, weight training,
Friday, lead feeling about like Thursday so far, cardio, and I carb-up again tonight.

I'd like to try and figure out exactly what this is before I increase carb-up frequency. Tonight I plan to start earlier and end later, add a tiny bit more fat and protein, and see how that goes. Any more ideas would be welcome.

Millie, sorry, I don't know anything about low-carb insomnia.

what it looks like to me is that Wednesday is like your hump day when your body finally lets go of the idea that it should be running on carbs. Basically it takes until Thursday to say "fine. I will adjust to the new diet." Then you are starting to cruise just as you carb up.

What I would do is try to stretch it out farther. Try two weeks. Why work so hard just to be in fat-burning mode for just 36 hours?

my 2 cents,

JC

 

[SteelWeaver]

Ho ho. This is an old post. Contest is done and gone and I'm prepping for the next show now

But hey, nice to get some new insights on this

Valerie, if you check out Par Deus' site and read his articles there on leptin, you'll find that leptin apparently responds faster (better?) to high GI carbs, so it's good to start off a refeed with them, shoot the levels up, then hit the low GI stuff later on so your body doesn't go completely out of whack. I remember reading something else about this somewhere more recently though, which suggested that high GI isn't absolutely necessary, that the AMOUNT of carbs ingested at one time affects the insulin (and other hormonal?) responses more. But I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly what it was.

Also, Lyle Macdonald, writing in his papers on BodyOpus, said he started off his carb-ups with maltodextrin/dextrose shakes, plenty of high GI stuff.

What I did find, though, after this post, was that MS and Par were right on with their advice to just add in a bit of fat, fibre and protein near the end of the refeed day, to prevent the low blood sugar hangover the next day.

I'd be interested in other people's experiences too, since we're back on the topic.

 

[JJFigure]

I'm on the Natural Hormonal Enhancement plan, and it has you carb load primarily with starchy carbs (80%+) and only in your last meal (or last two meals, if you want to spread it out). According to the plan, simple carbs replenish liver glycogen and starchy carbs replenish muscle glycogen. Usually, I carb load only on starchy carbs, but on the rare occasion when I combine simple w/ starchy carbs, I usually feel worse the next day. I never feel great the first day after, but the simple carbs seem to make the "hangover" worse (for me, at least).