I should start by saying I am used to being very strict with myself about food. I lost almost 50 lbs. and reduced my dangerous triglycerides 14 years ago by giving up most carbs, and although I've added some back into my diet over those years I never eat sugar and almost never eat bread.
I also have to severely limit saturated fat, plus I react badly to solanine, so that eliminates all the nightshades, along with several other foods. I've been okay with this for a long time.
In early June I came down with unexplained fever, sweats, and assorted other symptoms that I later learned were typical of Lyme. Before I found the deer tick attached to me, before I was thinking about Lyme at all, I said to someone, "It feels like that fever changed everything." I felt very different somehow, and one of the differences involved eating.
I had very little appetite for weeks. I forced myself to eat to combat low blood sugar. But I had no desire to eat most of the foods I always liked. All I wanted to eat were crackers, pretzels, bread, peanut butter, dark chocolate, and fruit.
Because I felt so lousy and needed to eat, I let myself eat what I craved. That seemed to make sense at the time. But here I am a couple of months later, being treated with doxycycline, and still craving those foods. I have a lot of my appetite back, but much of the time I have to force myself to eat things like salads and almonds, which I used to love.
What's with these cravings? I've craved carbs my whole life (except during the period when I cut them out completely), but now I seem to have lost my self-discipline (along with some of my hair, my stamina, and quite a bit of sleep).
I assume this is Lyme-related?
Thanks,
Alis
Posted by lotus26 (Member # 26556) on :
sounds like me. i used to be a pretty good eater and now i crave crave crave pasta bread cheese carbs carbs carbs. and chocolate and fruit. i dont know why? feeding the candida?
Posted by Dekrator48 (Member # 18239) on :
The bacteria thrive on sugar...carbs.
They are asking to be fed..and your body is craving what they want.
It's best to go back to your low carb diet and the cravings should decrease.
Posted by Alisandne (Member # 27304) on :
Nice to know I'm feeding my bacteria. :-)
Sounds like Lotus and I shouldn't indulge our cravings. It's too bad.......just when we could use some comfort food.
Thanks for responding, both of you.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
quote: All I wanted to eat were crackers, pretzels, bread, peanut butter, dark chocolate, and fruit.
Chocolate and nuts are high in magnesium. The Lyme bacteria uses up the magnesium in our cells.
Almonds are a good source of magnesium, as are beans. At one point I ate alot of almonds for two months, and after that lost my craving for chocolate.
Are you supplementing magnesium?
Carol
Posted by Alisandne (Member # 27304) on :
I've supplemented magnesium for years. Maybe I need a larger amount. I have to be careful when I take it now, because it interferes with doxycycline.
It's funny.......almonds are one of the things I ate a lot of before I got sick, and now I have to push myself to eat even a small amount. I still like walnuts and pecans, though.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Dekrator is exactly correct. Then once you get on abx, the sugar cravings get even worse!!
Do what you can to get back on the wagon!! Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
I try to eat beans frequently. Bean soup, baked beans, refried beans, bean burritoes, kidney beans.
Carol
Posted by Leelee (Member # 19112) on :
For me the food cravings, low blood sugar, extreme weight gain and nausea after eating were all related to Lyme and Bartonella.
I was always athletic and weighed barely 100 lbs when this nightmare began. There was simply nothing I could do about my endocrine system. Doctors were no help, of course.
At my worst I went up to 163 lbs. I have lost most of it thanks to abx treatment for a year and a half although there are times when my low blood sugar is wildly out of control.
I can only speak for myself, but I do believe these symptoms are all related to my version of disease.
Posted by lotus26 (Member # 26556) on :
sounds like me leelee. i used to have an amazing metabolim. i was athletic and ate a variety of things. now sugar and carbs are all i crave. i have all symptoms of low blood sugar.
whenever i felt sick my mom always told me it was low blood sugar. i gained much weight. 205lbs now at 5'6 and nausea. i suspected bartonella also because of all of my mood disorders/rage
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