euheide's Journal, 10 January 2014

Not bad! I wasn't expecting my weight to go down .7 kg and stay there lol. So, considering... Not bad at all :), still in the right direction.

That soup was not exactly eaten yesterday, but also not exactly eaten today. It was eaten between days lol. I slept both before and after :)

I'm doing two things at once today to try to find what recently caused my RLS symptoms. I'm not cycling today, and I'm also laying off dried fruits for today. I'm still maintaining my ban on sweets. I've came too far to give up without trying other things first. One thing is worrying me though. I've read about how refined sugar based diets alter your dopamine circuitry in your brain and how lab rats, when suddenly deprived of sugar, experienced withdrawal like it happens with drugs. I also read that RLS is connected to dopamine in your brain. This common point really makes me think about it. If cutting exercise and some foods don't do the trick I'm afraid I will have to eat some sweets to see what happens. It's better to go back to how I was before with sweets than acquiring this condition permanently (hopefully I haven't already).


this is what I found:

Wikipedia: "Opioid detoxification has been associated with provocation of RLS-like symptoms during withdrawal (I hope this is it -> Temporary!! I mean it can't be a coincidence! lol) (opiate withdrawal may also "trigger" the syndrome if the patient already has RLS)..."

Wikipedia: "...Finally, a 2008 study noted that sugar affects opioids and dopamine in the brain, and thus might[weasel words] be expected to have addictive potential..."

other website: "Sugar even affects the same "feel-good" brain hormones as street drugs. Nobody would say sugar is the same as heroin, but it can still mess with your brain and body."

Wikipedia: "Researchers say that sugar and the taste of sweet is said to stimulate the brain by activating beta endorphin receptor sites, the same chemicals activated in the brain by the ingestion of heroin and morphine".

I'm hoping that, if this is connected to sugar withdrawal, that it will end at some point. If it happens with some drugs, it's probably the case with sugar too and they are definitely saying that it only happens during withdrawal (in the case of drugs). How long is withdrawal for sugar? lol

Given the fact that, it definitely appears to be connected to sugar withdrawal, I will not interrupt my consumption of dried fruits. I will just skip cycling for today since my legs are also tired and also because it is said that a lot of exercise can worsen RLS symptoms...


edit: I don't know why, but I'm naturally feeling the need to eat more than I have been eating in the past few days. Go figure... :)


edit: I think that I'm eating a lot due to my sleeping schedules being a little "out of whack"...

132.5 lb Lost so far: 11.7 lb.    Still to go: 9.0 lb.    Diet followed reasonably well.

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1823 kcal

Fat: 78.32g | Prot: 69.48g | Carb: 225.54g.   Breakfast: cherry tomato, goji berries, Water, Hazelnuts or Filberts Nuts, Almonds, Dried Pumpkin and Squash Seed Kernels, Raisins, Dried Prune, Date, Dried Apricot, Walnuts, Pineapple, Bean and Rice Soup. Lunch: Vinegar (Cider), Balsamic Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese (Whole Milk), Bananas, Arugula Lettuce. Dinner: Bean and Rice Soup. Snacks/Other: Grapes, Queijo Serra da Estrela (DOP) Queijo da Serra (DOP). more...