Adrenal Fatigue/PMS --> Fat Adapted? Feeling Calmer, Relaxed, Happy BUT no weight loss

#1

I have (had) been dealing with pretty severe adrenal fatigue from working 50-60 hours per week as a nurse, and experiencing some grief in the last year… I was also suffering from terrible PMS for 2 weeks out of each month, as well as some depression/anxiety.

I have been on pretty strict keto for about 6 weeks. The first 4 weeks I had severe keto flu, and felt VERY depressed. My electrolytes were all over the place, I had major fatigue. Was going to bed at 7pm each night and waking up feeling unrested, seriously moody, also spotting in between periods… It was a bit of a nightmare. I was about to call it quits, and then last week I just had this feeling of calm come over me. Problems that appeared to be impossible to solve a couple of weeks ago now seem minor in the big scheme of life. It’s such a freeing feeling! My sleep still isn’t perfect, but for the most part it has improved significantly, and I wake up ready to tackle the day. Whereas before I literally felt paralyzed with everything on my to do list. I seriously feel like keto has been re-wiring my brain and body. I didn’t have any energy to exercise in that first 4 weeks, but now wake up in the morning excited to get moving and do something active. I still have times where I crave carbs though… I had a dream last night that I threw a fit because everyone was eating this non-keto friendly cake and I couldn’t have any (haha)… I sometimes get low energy in the afternoons but I realize this is likely due to electrolyte imbalances and I still need to play around with my macros a bit. The one thing is that I’ve actually GAINED weight. I am not unhappy about this, but would like to lean out a bit. I have a feeling that my body was too stressed to deal with weight loss as my adrenals and hormones were too messed up and it knew it needed to deal with that first.

Has anyone else experienced delayed weight loss because of severe stress? I know it makes sense that this is the reason, but I would love to hear anyones take or experience on this. Also, tips for moving forward would be greatly appreciated. I think my macros might be a little high, but honestly at first I felt like I needed it to get through that first 4 weeks. I am starting to cut down the fat a bit now. Also, if you have a reputable macro calculator that you can recommend, that would be great!

I am 5’4, 120lbs (was 115 when I began) I don’t really care about the number on the scale, but would like to lean out. Right now I look a little soft!

Macros from Keto Calculator:

Fat: 142g
Protein: 52g
Carbs: 20g

(Bunny) #2

At rough guesstimate your BMI would be 20.6 (normal) looks good!

(Diane) #3

I use Cronometer or Cron-o-meter. I believe I paid ~$2.99. I really like it. You can set your own macro goals. You can track (and graph) weight, blood pressure, glucose, ketone levels, etc over time. It keeps track of micro nutrients as well. It has a lot of foods in the database (the bar code scanner makes it pretty easy to see if a food is already in there) and you can add in your own frequently eaten foods or use it to calculate macros for recipes. I have even added in the supplements I take regularly.

They also have a website where it is pretty easy to search and get help on how to use the different features.

(Sarah ) #4

Is this self diagnosed or medical? I’m not discounting either way, just wondering how serious your condition is, in terms of electrolyte imbalance. BTW Leeann Vogel podcast and blog has lots on this issue. Mostly, her message is exactly what you already know…, the only answer is time and healing… and that takes time and healing.

#5

I’ve been diagnosed by my naturopath. She has me on some supplements and homeopathic drops to help - but it wasn’t until going keto that I actually started to feel better! Could have been a combination of both! I love every Leanne Vogel, so I will check that out! Thank you.

(Joan) #6

I haven’t been doctor diagnosed about adrenal fatigue but everything about it made sense to me. I was a CNA at a nursing home so stress at work is intense and hard, plus a lot of family stress. When I started keto I was dropping at a good rate but had a major life changing stress event that stopped everything. I often wondered how much stress i could handle, well I found out that day. I kept on keto but marginal weight loss for about 4 months. It seemed like I had to fight for every lb lost. I concentrated on sleeping thru the night, before I was up most of the night watching the clock, now I’m sleeping better, and tweaking keto and finally everything seems to be working again. I do feel much calmer and a steady energy, I don’t pass out every time I sit down to watch tv. So, yea, stress changed my weight loss. And I use Cronometer, I like it, it breaks down food so you know what you’re eating. :slight_smile:

(Tubeman) #7

I imagine these results are more than enough to want to keep up with this diet! Way to make it through those first tough weeks…it’s kind of amazing when you first realize you feel… okay, like deeply okay. It’s like some constant buzzing, which has been there so long you tuned it out long ago, finally stops.

Anyways, being fat adapted rocks because it allows things like intermittent fasting. Basically, you eat within a certain window of time each day. Skip breakfast and eat between 12:00 - 8:00 is an easy way for many. If you go this route, it behooves you to learn more. There’s a whole category on this forum for it :slight_smile:

Personally, I think anybody who has just started with this woe should just try and listen to their body for a while. Our bodies are so damn smart.