Artificial sweetener/nicotine during low carb

Hey y'all,

I have been trying to find something about this online but to no avail.

About 5 weeks ago I stopped drinking soda and have limited my carbs to about 20-30 net a day under Drs. advice. Sure enough she was right, I do have exponentially more energy than before and don't feel nauseous nearly as often.

What is weird, is that having a drink with artificial sweetener or smoking a cigarette causes me to feel really light headed/dizzy/weak. I am assuming this is because both have excitatory properties, but I don't understand why it wouldn't be very noticeable until about 2 weeks into the dietary shift.

The bright side is I think it's going to force me into quitting smoking, but I am curious what is going on physiologically.

Thanks!

ETA: I used to drink 4-6 diet sodas a day, and have a carb based diet so this is a BIG change. (I know, I know... I quit!)

Reduced carbs and most likely calories means your body has less substance to dilute the effects of these stimulants in your system. So your body most likely is going to be more sensitive to their effects. Kind of like drinking if you haven't eaten in 24 hrs. It's going to hit you quicker! I hope I explained it correctly but basically your body is running on less fuel so is going to be more sensitive to changes like caffeine, nicotine etc.

I'm not a doctor or nutritionist but this has been my experience dieting.

The nicotine thing I cant explain other than both sugar (and most artificial sweeteners) and nicotine can increase your chances of having an insulin resistance. The artificial sweetener I can. the only artificial sweeteners that wont have this affect on you are Splenda and Sucralose, all others trick your body in to thinking its sugar which your brain will tell your pancreas to produce insulin, which in turn can increase dopamine levels and can make you feel light headed. All of this is only relevant if you are on a low carb diet. It all has to do with how your body processes sugars, which is all carbs really are.

Diet beverages are only still legal and on the market because of the size and power of the companies behind them. The stuff is poison and can cause serious neurological problems. It is linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and numerous other serious health problems.

I was drinking Diet Coke all day long until a couple of years ago. Then a medical professional filled me in on the stuff. I did some reading to verify what he told me, and quit it altogether.

Because I was drinking so much of it there was no way I could just quit drinking something. Now I drink water non-stop all day long. I keep a cooler full of water bottles and start the day with a big Yeti tumbler full of ice.

Yup - quit the smoking and quit soft-drinks (both=poison); (water only - DONT just shift to some other 'drink') - you will be significantly more healthy, AND food will have much more flavor WITHOUT having to dope it up with too much spices/sauces or MSG(also bad for you).

Thanks for the responses- makes more sense now! Body thinks it's sugar (Sweet and Low was my sweetener of choice), body is using sugars differently, has a different response to it than before... plus running on less all together. Seems logical to me.

I sort of fell off of the wagon around Christmas and am still struggling to get through that first week of cravings. Time to get back on it seriously, I certainly felt better when I was stricter- and I know the benefits of low carb takes time to get into ketosis.

I have switched to unsweetened tea but need to drink more water. Soda is surprisingly addictive! I crave it the way I do nicotine. I have been reading about the dangers of soda/artificial sweeteners, refined sugars, etc... I am blown away by how bad it really is.

Glad I read this.

I have also changed to a low carb/water only diet. 2 weeks in and I think I'm going to make it now. For a while there I thought I might carjack a Pizza Hut delivery driver.

I have also almost kicked my 1/2 pack a day smoking habit. Down to one or two a day.....

Well done! The longer you do it the easier it is. One thing I did learn is if you start to feel light headed or your muscles are twitching, drink a little chicken or beef stock.

I too am doing really well with the tobacco thing and go a few days in between a cigarette or two. Slowly but surely!

Hey gimmeabuck get yourself some Ketone strips if you haven't already. They're helpful in telling you if you're in the state of Ketosis.

Tip: It can take up to 5 days of ZERO carbs for some people to reach that state. Good luck

For most people a good indication that you're in Ketosis is if your urine smells god awful (all the time) and your sweat may be pretty rank. I can get there usually in 4 days with no more than 25-30 net carbs per day. Also if you are eating very low carb, you may need to increase your salt intake, that will prevent headaches and getting lightheaded. Like she mentioned broth is a great way to get the salt you need. BTW, great job everyone! It is tough, but effective.

Stay with it Gimme, the headaches and cravings for soft drinks made my wife and kids want to cave my head in. I have had only 1 soft drink since 1999. Was drinking 7 to 9 Dr. Peppers every day. Started back on coffee at work 2 years ago and trying to wean myself off of it or at least down to 1 cup a day.
Good luck.