2nd time around-feeling bad and reacting different

(Pam) #1

Hi All,
My first post here.
My keto journey …first time around I was on the keto diet for 31/2 years and lost all of my desired weight within the first couple of months and maintained for all of that time. Felt great. We just moved last November to a new city and kind of went crazy trying all of the new delicious restaurants and cocktails. So I have gained back about 10-12 pounds. I jumped back in hardcore thinking i would drop this in no time. But the scale is not moving. I use carb manager to track everything, I take loads of supplements including Magnesium. I am trying my hardest to stay hydrated but i struggle. I am not feeling well, i have pretty consistent headaches, i feel what i can only describe as tightness in my chest. I had a complete cardio workup and everything is completely normal. My ketone levels stay between 1 and 2.5. Glucose 65-110…just varies. Feeling very discouraged and could use some motivation and/or advice.
Thanks all.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

Welcome to the forums.

Firstly, losing ten or twelve pounds goes rather slowly for everyone. Even people who lost their first hundred fairly rapidly find that the last ten come off slowly. Second, keto is often a bit more difficult the second time around. The results may take a bit longer. Another consideration is how your clothes are fitting. If they have gotten tighter, then you have probably gained some fat. If they are still fitting comfortably, then perhaps the higher number on the scale is not a problem.

The headaches could be from not getting enough salt. Try increasing your salt intake and see if that helps. Drink to thirst, not to some arbitrary target. It is easy to disrupt our electrolytes by over-hydrating.

If you adjust your salt and your water but are still feeling that tightness in your chest, get to the doctor again, especially if you have a fever. Ask for a COVID test. Even if you’ve been vaccinated, you can still contract the disease. Or you may have regular bronchitis or some other kind of infection. At least you know it’s not heart disease; that has to count for something, right?

There are indications in the various studies that have been done on COVID that high blood sugar can exacerbate symptoms, so this is the time to really keep calm and keto on, regardless of what’s causing that tightness in your chest.

Lastly, remember that a ketogenic diet promotes metabolic health, with fat loss as a delightful side effect. If there are other things going on with you, your body may want to take care of them first, before shedding those ten or twelve extra pounds. So just stay the course, and you’ll be fine.

(Pam) #3

Paul,
Thanks for the reply. Yes I have been tested for Covid and thankfully i am negative. I think it definitely has something to do with me being dehydrated and needing more salt and water. Is there a particular method (other than salt increase) that you use to keep your electrolytes in check? I feel like that is always an uphill battle for me.
Thanks
Pam

(Jane) #4

How long did it take you to put the 10-12 lbs on? I would expect it to take just as longto burn it off (or maybe longer as women’s bodies can be stubborn about holding onto fat).

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

I’m glad you’re negative for COVID. As for electrolytes, personally I don’t worry about them. I happen to like the taste of salt, so I just put a little extra on my food, and that seems to do the trick. Getting enough sodium helps keep calcium, potassium, and magnesium regulated, too.

There is some evidence to suggest that a low-carb diet, especially if it includes fresh meat, supplies most, if not all, of the minerals we need. For some micronutrients, the absence of carbohydrate means the body handles them differently or needs less (vitamin C is an example). Also, there is evidence to show that meat, poultry, and fish contain many nutrients in a more absorbable, bio-available form than plants tend to have. (Certain B vitamins are found only in meat, in fact.)

I tend to feel that a proper diet should not need supplementation (that’s my bias, at least) for the majority of people, but of course, some people do need supplements and should therefore take them.