These changes lead to further decreases in metabolic rate, as they force the body below its weight set point. Forcing the body below its weight set point causes a big drop in metabolic rate, irrespective of body composition (whether thin or fat, losing fat lowers metabolic rate).

Doing so also has a tendency to raise the set point. The only way to bring the metabolism back to optimal is to achieve a calorie surplus and gain weight until the new, higher weight set point is reached or exceeded, at which point weight stabilizes (I call it "fat-proofing") and low metabolism-related symptoms improve or disappear altogether.

Continuing to eat a high caloric intake at or above the weight set point (and also emphasizing a surplus of sleep and relaxation), can result in a decrease in the weight set point over time, triggering a spontaneous loss of body fat without conscious attempts to restrict food intake or increase physical activity.

But it's still difficult to attain, because metabolism, stress levels, sleep quality and quantity, and other factors truly have to all be optimized to achieve it. And that's hard to do in today's society. It also becomes less likely the older one gets."

Eating more "balanced" meals helped me feel better for a week or two at a time, and then I'd feel even worse. A shortage of carbs was just an added stress, even though it medicated my faintness issue temporarily.

The only way I could get the benefits from a very high-carb diet without the faintness was to, you guessed it, work less, sleep more, get outside, and reduce stress! Boom. Problem solved in 72 hours or so as long as I don't slip back into bad habits.

Funny though, as looking up the condition of feeling faint after eating (postprandial hypotension is one name it goes by) turned up a consistent recommendation by every source to "eat frequent, high-protein, low-carbohydrate meals."

That's because most of the health information world resides under a medication mindset. We medicate problems instead of fixing them. And medicating problems without addressing the cause almost invariably makes the root problem WORSE.

In other words, 9 out of 10 times that you look for a fix for a problem you're experiencing, you're going to get advised to follow a treatment that will make you fundamentally sicker.

This whole scenario is very similar to what "hypoglycemics" experience. Low-carb is a godsend for them at first, eliminating unstable energy levels and moods. Until months or years go by and the lack of carbs really catches up with them and they feel the worst they've ever felt (insomnia, low energy levels, depression, dry skin, constipation, sexual apathy, and so on).

If eating lots of carbs makes you feel shitty, and avoiding them makes you feel better, be careful about writing off carbohydrates. Carbohydrates don't make people sick--especially root vegetables, rice, and fruit.

Other causes screw up our carbohydrate metabolism, in turn framing carbohydrates as an enemy, when they are our greatest asset against more common causes of poor health, such as stress, lack of sleep, inflammation, lack of exercise, and a low metabolic rate.

You can run from carbs, but you can't hide. Eventually you're going to have to tackle the real causes of your health problems.