Flabu-lessly Yours

How many days have I been low-carbing now? I forgot already! It's been less than a week, and already I am reaping the benefits of my new lifestyle in so many ways. For one thing, the cravings are gone! Hooray! When I was eating carbs, barely a few hours would pass before the next craving hit, and then the battle of the wills would begin. Usually the craving would be so overwheming that I'd cave in just to make it go away, even though I knew it would be back with a vengeance before long. There's no doubt that I was an addict (and ice cream was my drug of choice).

The cravings would be so intense at times...I felt like I was going crazy! Carbs were my crack, and I could barely wait for my next fix, which was always followed by a high, and then, predictably, a crash. This is the hallmark of hypoglycemia. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a special type of hypoglycemia called "reactive hypoglycemia," which essentially means that my body freaks out when I eat a lot of carbs. It becomes overzealous about bringing my insulin levels back down; eventually, my glucose levels get too low, and then my body responds by releasing a rush of adrenalin. This roller-coaster effect continues as long as I take in more carbs than my body needs (which, incidentally, is very few carbs indeed).

My reactive hypoglycemia symptoms have definitely subsided since I started low-carbing. Now that my blood sugar has stabilized, sometimes I even forget to eat. Hard to believe, I know! But it's true! My concentration has improved greatly since my body stopped screaming for another fix, and the "brain fog" and my other hypoglycemia symptoms are completely gone. Isn't that just "flabu-less?" I think so!

However, despite my short-term success so far, I'm not out of the woods yet. According to various experts in the field of nutrition, detoxing from sugar takes more than just a few days. And, even though low carbing eradicates cravings by addressing the physiological need for sugar, we still have to battle the psychological desire for it, not to mention the social aspects of eating. It's not always easy to do when we live in a society where food is associated with love. This is the holiday season, and rich, sugary treats will be lurking around every corner between now and the end of this year. Will I be tempted to indulge? Maybe. Will I give in? Probably not. I'll keep you posted.