I've been away a bit but wanted to update on the low-carb thing. Let's see...
Thursday - good day, decent energy, started to feel like myself again
Friday - great day, high energy, felt refreshed and energized even after several hours of shopping (and that never happens), first day of having little interest in food. I'd say this is the first day where the benefits of the switch really became evident.
Sat/Sun - really good days, high energy, very little appetite but I made sure to eat decent meals because I've been busy and didn't want to have any energy crashes. Have houseguests and need to also have energy for that.
I've had very little in the way of typical muscles aches for this TOM. I feel as energetic as if I was consuming caffeine even though I'm not. I've been able to stay awake longer than normal without feeling tired at all. Very pronounced energy jump.
My meals have been mostly the same. I don't count carbs and I don't weigh. I typically eat:
breakfast - eggs, sausage, sauteed cabbage (which I love)
lunch/dinner - big salad with protein and full-fat dressing.
snack - herbal tea with splenda. a few bites of salami and olives as an appetizer before the salads.
I don't restrict how much veggies I have although I'm not eating any root veggies and my only higher carb veggies are cherry tomatoes and red cabbage. I've been using lots of black pepper, jalapeno, and a variety of dressings for interest.
When I first started I was having maybe 2-3 packets of splenda per day and I'm down to 1. I make a large mug of spicy cinnamon herbal tea and sip on that throughout the day when I want to have a taste of something sweet. The splenda satisfies the feeling without triggering cravings.
I am SO glad I did this. I feel so good. And happy. Not only is my energy elevated, but so is my mood.