When I eat low carb (<0.5g/lb) I sometimes experience pain and tenderness along the sides of my neck (in the area of the anterior cervical lymph nodes).
Currently cutting for an event, I decided to try Indigo 3G. 3 weeks in. I have noticed that in the hour or so after I take I3G, the pain is a little more pronounced.
The pain is not in the area of the thyroid, really, it is out wider than that, along the line of the muscles on either side of the front of the neck.
I am not that lean, so I am not in a really deprived state (probably 15-17% BF). The pain was more of an annoyance during previous low carb diets, but I have become more aware of it in the last week. I am also approaching some PR’s for narrow waist size, and visible veins.
Anyone else experienced this? Aware of anything to be concerned about?
I’ve never heard of a diet or supplement like this being related to neck pain, no. And I haven’t heard of anything similar in the five or so years Indigo has been around. Are you sure there aren’t other factors that connect together other than “low carb = neck pain”? Are you training a certain way or with certain exercises/cardio methods when you go low carb that you aren’t using other times?
You can be in a “deprived state” while still carrying plenty of bodyfat, if we use “deprived state” to mean a calorie and/or macro deficit.
It’s worth noting, though, that using Indigo while on a low carb diet isn’t the most effective route. Better to use a strategic carb approach coordinated with enough training and give the Indigo something to work with as a nutrient partitioner.
Chris,
Good to read I am an outlier. I would definitely not say I3G is causing this, I have felt it at times during previous diet phases the last several years. I can’t find any training variable I could attribute. I’ve felt it during a carb fast while during times when I was not able to train.
I had thought that whatever mechanism was causing it, it was a trigger around fat loss, and I was guessing I3G was just doing its job. I had been starting to see some loss of strength-endurance in my training, but still strong on big lifts in the low rep range. The I3G has definitely helped because I have seen strength come back, despite losing additional fat the last few weeks.
I am eating 30g carbs or 60g (training days) in the 30-120min after I dose I3G. It is meat, eggs and green veggies the rest of the day, with the occasional sweet potato with the last whole food meal of the day. I am thinking tomorrow I will cycle in a day of higher carbs and very low fat, and then for the other days I will up the peri-workout carbs a little more, and drop the fat cals a little. Are there recommendations for macros with I3G? I am still trying to stay in the 10-11cal/lb range, that seems to be the right amount for consistent slow progress. My maintenance unfortunately is only 12cal/lb. with 4-5 training days, plus 1 HIIT day.
I have consistently read that 10% is the range when the body becomes more anabolic. I’ve been trying for some time to get into the lean range where all of this becomes more manageable. I haven’t yet gotten to the place where a 3-5lb weight gain is more muscle than fat.