5 days in brain fog

(Sarah Callow) #1

I’m insanely new to this but really enjoying it I’ve never stuck to something properly like this before and I’m already 8lbs down, I know that’s mostly water weight.
Anyone else struggle with concentration at this stage?
I’m keeping my carbs to under 20g a day atm and it’s not really a struggle for me but I keep forgetting where I put things.
Anyway to over come this brain fog?

(Jay AM) #2

How is your electrolyte supplementation going?

(Tubeman) #3

How long have you been doing keto? Brain fog started to clear for me after 3 or 4 weeks, but that was the brain fog from carbs! I feel like J_A-M is on the right track here with electrolytes.

(Sarah Callow) #4

I’m trying to get good amounts of everything really but it’s all so new I’m still working on fitting it all in

(Sarah Callow) #5

I think salt is all good but unsure if it’s a good idea to supliment some things until I’m a bit more clued up on how to get every thing else, I hate taking supliments though as I always feel they are something I should be getting naturally and end up peeing them out

(Rebecca ) #6

@DYLZETO I am on day 8 here. I think I am experiencing some of the foggy brain. Kind of a space cadet and struggling a bit to concentrate on work (which I should be doing right now of course!) but I have been getting at least 80 oz of water and have supplemented with salty broth and some pickles to keep salt high.

I have yet to check on potassium and magnesium supplements. Wonder if that might help?

(Steve) #7

If you’re getting enough Sodium your body will retain nutrients, not lose them in your urine (unless they’re excess).

Having a big bowl of chicken bouillon can do wonders to get your Sodium back up (and tastes really good too!!) :slight_smile: I did that a couple of times at the beginning.

Me, I think the only time to supplement your magnesium and potassium is if you exercise and sweat a lot - having an electrolyte drink after can be good to replenish what you lost in your sweat.

(Candy Lind) #8

I just copied the stuff below this paragraph from a post I just made elsewhere. I’m adding this: brain fog is usually lack of salt. You REALLY need to up your salt. What you are used to is not NEARLY enough. Your body needs salt, magnesium, and potassium in greater quantities to process fat than it needs for carbs. In addition, salt actually regulates the storage of potassium in your cells and releases it when it’s needed. 2KD did a podcast called “The Salt Fix” (with the author of the book, whose name I can’t recall, sorry!) and described how important it is. Here’s what I suggested to the other poster:

Are you tracking your salt? You might find you’re actually taking less than you think. The recommendation when you’re keto is between 4 and 5 grams. You might want to get a small shaker, like for travel or camping, and put 1-1/2 teaspoons of table salt in it. If you use it up daily, that provides just over 3500mg of sodium. Hopefully the rest will come from salt in your foods, such as cheese, processed meats, olives, etc. If you use something else, such as a pink himalayan, adjust the amount in your shaker according to the nutrition label. I was surprised to find they vary pretty widely.

If you experience any cramping or muscle weakness, you might need magnesium as well. I take 300 mg magnesium per day to prevent muscle cramps and keep me regular (nice side benefit, which you may or may not need. Add magnesium slowly in increments to prevent “disaster pants!” :flushed: )

Keep those carbs low, and your body will come around to your way of thinking. KCKO!

#9

Try to find out what helps. It took me a couple weeks before the foggy incidents stopped. I think I was a little dehydrated for a while and I made other little adjustments. I was and continue to take supplements including Magnesium, I increased salt but not a great deal. Between giving it a little time and tweaking to help adjust to your new you, it will end. (It’s not a constant/long-time issue)

(Rafe) #10

I also recommend salt. I had a little brain fog and increased my salt intake and it helped. I also think my body was inefficent at processing fat for energy initially and instaketones seemed to help. I ended up buying a second bag since it was working well, but ended up not using the rest when I became fat adapted. I also noticed some artificial sweeteners can give me a brain fog…make small changes till something works!

(Sarah Callow) #11

I’ve just had some pink himalayan salt in some apple cider vinegar followed by lots of water (I can’t take it in water I can always taste it.
I’ve had the odd pack if pork scratchings so thought my salts would be sorted with that.
Guess it’s a bit more counting and adjustment on my part. Thanks guys everyone is so nice here feel like I’m part of a big community

(Rob) #12

They taste super salty but the packet says not so much. If you are going to get 5000-6000mg of Na per day, you have to work at it. I eat salty foods, add salt, salty sauces, etc. and blood pressure has gone down, no water retention (pee like a racehorse), etc.

Do not fear the salt. <20% of the population is negatively effected by salt.

#13

I started talking a 250 mg magnesium before bed as I was experiencing Charlie horses by morning

(Tubeman) #14

I 100% agree about supplements. I stopped taking pills and started eating liver! I also make sure to salt the hell out of my food, in part for the salt, and in part because my taste for salt has shot up since starting keto.