Help!!

[EgYpTiAnMaTT91]

Hello everybody. I have a concern and I don't know if it's serious or not. Lately, when I stand up sometimes (just random times), I start to feel dizzy, my eyes like don't work (for some reason I see blue spots and nothing else), and my legs start to feel weak. I'd appreciate it if anyone could help me with this.

Thanks!!
Matt

[lbrowne]

I would say call your doctor's office or hospital for advice. Many hosptals have a nurses line for someone you can talk to.

Are you drinking a lot of water? Are you eating enough?

~ Linda

[lbrowne]

My first thought was either low blood sugar or low blood pressure, but I hadn't heard of the vision spots before. I found this info on a women's pregnancy guide, please ignore the pregnancy references!

Low blood sugar
Many women notice that they feel dizzy and a little sick to their stomach when they don't eat frequently. In addition, they may feel weak and see dark spots or have other vision problems. If this sounds familiar, you're probably suffering from low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).

If these symptoms are a regular annoyance, you'll have to plan your mealtimes a little more carefully. Be sure to eat something first thing in the morning, and eat several small meals or healthy snacks that include some protein (to help sustain a steady blood-sugar level) throughout the day.

Low blood pressure
Pregnancy causes blood to pool in an expectant mom's legs, which in turn makes less blood available to her brain. Because of this, her blood pressure can drop abruptly and leave her feeling faint when she rises from a lying or sitting position. Standing for a long time can be problematic as well, and a warm environment often makes the situation worse. As with low blood sugar, she may experience vision problems as well.

To avoid low blood pressure, drink plenty of fluids, rise slowly when you get out of bed or a chair, and take cooler showers. Support hose can make a huge difference, especially if your work requires you to stand for long periods of time. When standing, contract your calf muscles and move in position slightly to help pump the blood from your legs back up to your heart and brain. Dress in layers, so you can shed some clothes to prevent overheating.

~ Linda

[island reina]

When I first started out, I know i felt leg cramps, but never anything as severe as what you're experiencing, that's definetely something for a Doctor to check out

[SugarFreeSheila]

Please visit your pediatrician regarding this matter.

[lbrowne]

Hi Matt,

I didn't take note of your age. Definitely call your doctor's office and also let your parents know what's up.

~ Linda

[2big4mysize]

have you been taking your supplements? As Linda pointed out there are some easy to correct medical reasons for this happenening and some others she didn't mention like inner ear, but the cause of them needs to be pinned down. your doc can do some every easy tests and determine exactly what you need fixed and how to fix it. So call your doc and don't worry about the cure being stopping Atkins cause correctly eatting Atkins does not cause that

[SAHER]

Matt your 13 years old! Surely you shouldnt be doing this diet at your age!! How much weight do you intend to lose?

I advise you to get off the diet as soon as possible, and eat sensibly!

[lbrowne]

Get off this diet and eat sensibly??

What is NOT sensible about learning to eat well? I was thin as a teenager but have always had issues with food. My friends and I did some crazy things as teens, like diet pepsi & donuts for lunch, with diet pills to decrease the appetite. And we didn't need to lose weight!

Kids today are under even more pressure from peers and the media. Learning how to eat well, how important eating enough and getting good nutrients are, learning how to make lifestyle changes and getting regular exercise are VERY important.

My doctor and many others fully support Atkins as a valid healthy program. It has been recommended by some doctors for teenagers and even younger children in special circumstances, although they may need to be in OWL or Maintanance levels, that is individual.

The main thing is learning to do the program properly without myth and hype getting in the way. Cutting out junk food and learning to incorporate many good veggies and fruits is great at any time in our lives.

Matt, as we said, be sure to talk to your parents and doctor. If they are biased against Atkins we can help with proven information. We also have a teen forum here that you'd be welcome to join. And as for some studies on exercise and the carb loading myth (not that you asked, but I find it interesting ) kids, exercise and the carb-loading myth

Have you progressed up the rungs of OWL yet? At this point you probably should have. **Remember** Atkins is not a low calorie diet. You should be eating plenty of good foods so you will up your metabolism and lose only fat and not any muscle or organ tissue.

~ Linda

[Moochiecat]

This was originally posted by Not2Late (I think. It was a long time ago and I neglected to save the original writers name, only the post iteslf.)

It's highly recommend that a teen not try this or any other diet unless they are monitored by a physician. Your doctor should be seeing you at least monthly to check your weight loss rate (to make sure you aren't losing too quickly), your blood work and other things. See, you're still growing and developing, so your nutritional needs are very different from us older folks.

The recommended low carb plan is described in the book Feed your kids well by Fred Pescatore, MD. Dr. Pescatore was the Associate Director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine during much of the 1990s. The diet described in his book is the diet that the Atkins Center used for children and teens (at least that's what Dr. Atkin's introduction in the book says). This diet is much more nutritionally suitable for a growing teen than the Atkins Diet.