never been so sick

[Aaron P Blazier]

Howdy,
I have been on this program for a little over a month. I have lost 13 pds so far and its not too hard to keep on coarse. Exept one thing. I have caught 3 differnt kinds of flu bugs sense I started. Two of them was one right after anouther. I got about a 2 week break then caught anouther. I am not the kind of person to get sick very often. Very rare realy. I have never in my life been this sick so many times in a row. So my question is this...Does your imune system take a beating when you first start? Is that "normal"? Take the sugar away and the body goes haywire for a bit?
THX
Blaze

[maxlharris]

Hey Blaze,

Sorry you are feeling ill.

I have heard about the "carb flu" that people get when they dump carbs. Might could be one of the "bugs" you got was that.

I don't think that LC is supposed to lower your immune system, but it's possible that you might see a temporary reduction. I don't know the mechanism, but it seems possible.

It could also be that your number was just up. It happens.

[Mitra]

Welcome, Aaron :). It doesn't seem to be a common experience for people starting to eat low carb to catch lots of bugs, though it's not unusual to feel a bit off for a few days, or even a couple of weeks as you adjust. Excessive exercise can deplete your immune system, so you are exercising, particularly if you're exercising hard, make sure you allow plenty of rest in between sessions.

It's possible that your system has been a bit more vulnerable while adapting to something new, or it may just be coincidence that you started at a time of year when there are lots of bugs around. Last year I caught everything that was going, and worried about whether my diet was a factor, but the problem turned out to be an infected root canal. Since I had it redone I've been fine. I'm not suggesting teeth are behind every minor illness ;) just that diet isn't the only factor.

Sorry I don't have a definitive answer - and I hope you feel better soon.

[Aaron P Blazier]

Thx for the replys. I have not been exercising because of feeling bad and I wanted to shuck a few pounds just based on the diet. However, it is that time of the year for flu bugs I am just not used to getting them. I am 34 1/2 now...maybe that has something to do with it. That and I live in Indiana. We have a saying here "If you dont like the weather in Indiana just hang out for a few days and it will change." That has been very true this winter.
THX Blaze