Hi, it’s Kristen again…
Since starting Keto I notice in the morning my stomach is fairly flat, but by nighttime my belly is distended and resembles what I looked [and felt] like when I was 4 months pregnant. Is this reaction normal? Also, the arthritis in my knees has worsened. Any insight, suggestions, thoughts are welcome.
KQ
@Quinny I am looking forward to seeing what responses you get here. My Knee and Hip arthritis has ramped up quite a bit during this week, which is my first full week. Obviously part of the reason I went Keto was in hopes that my arthritis would calm so I didn’t expect a flare up. I am sure it’s a “wait it out” kind of thing, but still…
I’m stymied! Ditching carbs usually has the opposite effect. It certainly has for me - my bone-on-bone arthritic knee can take a lot more than it did on a restricted calorie high-carb plan. You’re staying at or below 20 net carbs a day?
I hope someone comes up with something helpful! In the meantime, KCKO!
Yes, I’ve been diligent with tracking carbs. Yesterday I ended with 8 net carbs! The day before that was 10 net carbs. What does KCKO mean?
Dairy, gluten, eggs - these three things can cause issues for many people. I would try cutting these 3 things out. If it goes away, add each one back slowly and see if it comes back. If it’s none of those 3, it could be another food you’re having a reaction to.
I agree w @KetoLikeaLady
Worth a try
Through my own experiences or experiments
The “ illuminate - re introduce later approach “ , really helpful 
Back in the pre fat adapted days🤔, it was just the opposite
Not feeling good, so I just eat more of the carby same
One more slice of pizza or 3, and more beer😂
I find my joints feel better 90% of the time and worse 10% of the time. My suggestion is fix the basics first. Drink lemon water to reduce acidity as that can cause aches and pains as well as kidney stones, keep your electrolytes up, get enough sleep, don’t over exercise. If none of that helps then I would start elimination investigating.
That said I find your body is really good at telling you when it doesn’t like something on keto. Digestive enzymes can also help.
yayhowfun…I’m gluten free so that’s good. I did an elimination diet in the past so thankfully eggs are okay as I’m not much of a meat eater. My belly wasn’t as big last night and the only thing that was different was that I didn’t have ground beef. I’ll keep trying. It’s just discouraging because you read stories from other newbies saying the experience a 5lbs + weight loss in the first week. If anything, I’ve gained.
That’s usually people who have lots of weight to lose and it’s usually water weight
I’ve scanned your posts and I’m still not sure of your situation - overweight, lean, healthy, chronic conditions, prior diet, etc. It really helps to define the best advice.
Overweight/obese newbies do lose a lot of water weight early but lean folks maybe not. Healthier people adapt faster, deranged people slower. Lean people struggle to lose weight but still heal themselves.
once the body processes lemon juice it has alkaline byproducts. Also the citric acid breaks down calcium build up which reduces uric acidity levels (in the same way citric acid cleans your kettle or toilet)
Hey girl. I’ve been keto for a year and have lost exactly 1.5lbs…so believe me, I feel you.
The NSV’s for me are: my alllergies are almost nonexistent now (they were awful before), I’m much less stressed, and the pain in my wrists (repetitive motion pain - probably tendinitis) is gone. Buuuuuut - it’s extremely annoying that I have 15-20 lbs that just won’t budge.
I recently had an MRT test done and found I’m intolerant to a TON of stuff. I’m currently eliminating everything and it seems to be helping. Hopefully weight loss comes once I figure this out.
Check out this thread
https://www.ketogenicforums.com/t/food-intolerance-testing/31544
Hi Rob, I’m currently 142 and want to lose 15-20 pounds [my usual and comfortable weight]. With that said, my stomach is distended at night despite waking with a somewhat flat stomach. I’m hoping to lose the weight I’ve put on since being diagnosed with Hypothyroidism.
I’ve struggled with this too. I had a lot of digestive issues before keto such as food intolerances/gut cramps excess gas, etc. and things mostly got better with keto. But one thing got worse which was slow irregular bowel transit time. Not full blown constipation but a slowness leading to bloating and discomfort.
I got past the worst of it by increasing electrolytes especially salt/sodium but also magnesium, potassium and calcium. But it still wasn’t good. Switching to a standing desk helped some too. Keto got me off the blood sugar roller coaster which gave me more flexibility in meal size and timing. I’ve found eating a big lunch and an early light dinner helps. A long walk in the evening or most any other physical activity helps too. When I get enough of those factors right I no longer have bloating or other digestive issues. Sometimes life gets in the way and I don’t get enough of it right and a little bloating comes back but it isn’t too distressful because I know it is temporary and I know what to do to make it right again.
Your issues and the mix of things to resolve them are likely somewhat different than mine, but look beyond ratios of fats to carbs for answers.
Thanks brownfat…I appreciate your input. Today is day 17 of Keto and the bloating by nighttime continues so I’ve been using a homeopathic laxative at night to keep things moving by morning time. Beginning yesterday, I’ve cut out dairy to see if that is a contributing factor. I’ve no reason to believe that I have any sensitivity to dairy but this bloated belly is very uncomfortable and is affecting how clothes are fitting me.
Yes, looking out for problem foods is a good approach too. When I went keto I stopped eating legumes and wheat and had an immediate improvement. On the couple times since that I’ve eaten significant amounts of pulses I’ve had issues return though I’ve found I can again eat peanuts, cashews and lentils in moderation without issue. If cutting dairy helps you might find some is still ok, such as ghee or maybe goat or sheep cheeses or it might just be a quantity thing.