Hello all!!
So today is day 25 of my keto lifestyle…i have lost 18 lbs so far! But i need to know if anyone has felt the way im feeling during this period of keto…
Lets say this first…i have panic disorder. I am super tired, kinda lost the motivation to get to the gym as much, and the last couple days was truly hell mentally for me. I started using intermittent fasting about a week ago and have notcied my anxiety had REALLY amped up. Just a few days ago i figured it was my glucose levels sending me into legit CRAZY feelings…shaking, foggy, sweating, heart palpitations…i did some reading on how to fix this after about the 4th episode that got so bad i had to reach for the only thing “sugary” which was about 3 sips of “coke” 
…(i was literally so upset i “had to” do that.
Anyway…i went and got some glucose tablets…just in case…started taking magnessuim and daily womens vitamin…and tried again today… I have to say so far it has been a successful day without any panic. But im hoping i am not reading too much and getting all confused… Im sticking to the food…its not hard per say…BUT i also have 3 kids and a husband to take care of so i have been looking up recipes and “trying” new things… But… I feel like im doing to much amd should just be keeping it simple… Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get through eating well on keto amd keeping my anxiety down. and managing my familys meals and lifes l, while keeping my keto lifestyle on track?
I kno this was a lot…im not good at staying focused on one subject
Day 25.. Anxiety overload and overinformed
Welcome Chris, and yes, some do go through some strange things when first starting and this can differ from person to person. Make sure you’re keeping up on your electrolytes and drinking plenty of fluids. In time you might find these things will pass, as your body gets used to the changes that are happening.
Well done on your loss so far, and hope things get better soon for ya. 
I myself try to keep it simple as you mention above, and have been since starting. Reading and learning is always encouraged and it helps you understand things so much better. But yes, try not to get yourself too worked up, because having anxiety or stressing too much is never good.
Chris, you’ve already said it… keep it simple. If fasting causes you anxiety, don’t do it. If trying to find new recipes causes anxiety, don’t do it.
Keto can be done very simply. Just keep your carbs <20 g. So you can even eat what your family is eating (in many cases), just focus on the meat and keto-friendly veg.
Yes, keep it simple. My two kids and husband aren’t keto, so I cook my stuff for all of us then add a side that satisfies their carby desires. My stuff also gets added butter or other food fat beyond what they are eating, so the “shared” food isn’t any crazy high fat foods or anything. Unless that is the point if the meal.
Your weight loss so far is astounding. Especially if you are doing this in the midst of stress. I would suggest at this point to try to settle into something a little more comfortable and less obsessive on the foods (while still keeping below 20g carbs) and see how things go with a slightly more relaxed attitude. Based on the odds, you are looking at a couple weeks of stall coming up so you can either keep white knuckling it or you can relax into this new way of eating and see how to make it work WITH your family.
Do watch for any signs that your experiments aren’t the best for you. I weigh for data, not to tie my success to a number. (Even though that number is 22 in 9 weeks!!!) That data, which is on a smart scale, clued me in that I personally don’t do as well with processed meats. Lesson learned. But if that is too much for your anxiety levels, just find a pair of pants that fits well right now and use those as your yardstick.
18 pounds in 25 days (especially under what seems to be stressful conditions) is too fast in terms of weight loss. Even if some was initial water weight, you should not be losing so fast. You are likely not yet fat-adapted so you are likely essentially doing a calorie restricted diet (where instead, you want to leverage being a high metabolism fat-adapted person). Calorie restriction will work for a while but might lead to a bounce - up to where you started and even more if you slow your metabolism enough.
Of course, that all depends on whether you have 200+ pounds to lose or just 20 to 40. Almost any dietary intervention will make someone that has to lose 200+ pounds to lose have a big initial weight change.
If you are closer to needing to lose 20 to 40 pounds, you might need to pull out of this nose dive and eat enough so that you lose weight at a more reasonable rate (a pound a week) while you let your hormones stabilize, become fat-adapted and ensure your metabolism speeds up. After that you can speed things up with IF/EF.
Thanks rob! I honestly thought it was crazy the amount that was coming off so fast. But i kinda summed it upto me being so overweight. I started at 267 and goal is 180…so that’s a lot of weight to drop…i was also exercising alot in the beginning… I actually haven’t budged gor a week now and that’s probally why im feeling unmotivated… But you are definitely correct… No be so balls to the wall and chill out.
I have been trying to keep dinners simple and easy also! Its the one meal i can kinda control…they arent always fond of it though 
…and im really looking to calm the stress in my life…which is a lot. So i think just sticking to the basics will make one part of my life easier!! Thanks for your feesback! And great job on your journey!
Yikes! Hang in there, you’ll find a lot of supportive people here.
Go with it. (edit: too vague.) You don’t need to go to the gym. Exercise, in the beginning, can actually be counter-productive. Low-carb is not just another diet, shaming you into behaviors that are difficult to maintain. Consider taking a break from "the gym” until you regroup and feel calm.
Drop IF until you’re more comfortable. It’s a nice-to-do, not a must-do.
Well, you didn’t “have” to do it, but it’s OK. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Yea, and you’ll get a lot of responses from we well-meaning forum members, some of which will conflict. Dr. Westman’s approach is radically simple. He calls it “Sticking to Page 4” It is so much more simple than all the noise you’ll hear about living a low-carb life. You can get a copy of it here. If you don’t know Dr. Westman, he’s seen tens of thousands of patients and is one of the leading evidence-based low-carb doctors in the world. I’m also a patient of his.
- Check out Dr. Westman’s simple Page four approach
- If you pray or meditate or do calming exercises, do them. If you don’t, I strongly recommend doing so. Even five minutes can do wonders to your well-being.
- Lean on this forum. Many of us will dive on in and help.
I will keep you and your family in my prayers. You can do this!
Id kick back and keep it as simple as possible for now until ur more adapted and the energy levels return, only worry about carbs. Ask ur husband to chip in too, any reasonable person would be happy to help during ur adaption phase. You could find ways to distract urself from anxiety like pc games, deep story movies or any hobbie that keeps ur brain busy.
Fasting trips the stress response and increases cortisol which puts a heavy burden on the adrenals. If the adrenals are already dealing with panic attacks (and anything else that might trigger cortisol), the effect is a pretty sucky array of symptoms, I know.
My life improved when I went on a search and destroy mission to reduce all superfluous cortisol triggers so my adrenals weren’t so exhausted. Might be something to look into–especially as a mom of three!
I’d recommend dark chocolate and herbal teas for panic attacks. That eay, you don’t have to feel guilty about sipping coke to calm down.
Hypoglycemia is likely a result of not yet being well adapted to fat as fuel. Make sure that you get enough protein too. Give your body a chance to get used to the way of eating before you start fasting. Intermittent fasting might even come naturally after some weeks, with you just not wanting to have any breakfast at all.
I am personally not a breakfast person, so after four weeks on keto, I could easily skip both breakfast and lunch at work, as long as I had lots of herbal tea, and some salty water. But I felt energized when doing this, and around noon, I’d feel like running rather than walking, and I’ve never enjoyed running in my life before this.
But four weeks are 28 days, and you likely haven’t given your body enough time to adapt quite yet. So just go easy, make sure you aren’t hungry for a couple weeks or more, just to let your body and instincts calm down a bit. Expect a stall weight wise, but watch your waistline.
If you want to make food easy for yourself, just make sure that every dinner has lots of protein (with or without fat), good fat for cooking (but not a lot), and cauliflower, broccoli, and some tomato. For your family, add carrots, potatoes, or rice as they like, just don’t eat it yourself. Add butter or sour cream to your own food, make enough to have something for lunch the next day. And if you can have dairy, cheese is your best friend outside dinner time, if you don’t have leftovers.
And if they insist on tacos, you can still have yours in a piece of romaine lettuce, just go easy on the sauce and use enough cheese. Lettuce is good for hamburgers and hot dogs too. Family friendly keto is absolutely possible, and can even be easy.
I have been researching cortisol…and working slowly each day to trybto reduce it…i dont want it to be a reason for a stall in my weightloss! Thanks! Also been looking at adrenal body types…i definitely am one…and want to change that if possible… Lol dr berg says 6 month getaway i wish…whos paying and whos taking care of business at home:thinking:
…oh!! But his other cure is his suppliment package:rofl:…he must not have access to my bank account 
Me, too, and we can use that to our advantage. It sure made body building and mountain climbing and starting my own business fun…but you add perfectionism and a selfless approach to relationships to all that and you’ll burn out faster than the clutch on a 1975 Chevy Nova.
Frankly, addressing it from the neck up made lightyears more progress than all the physical approaches I’ve taken. If you’re interested in learning one of the first steps I took, PM me and I’ll share an amazing book.
Hi there and welcome. First let me say congratulations for the success you’ve had so far and for identifying a problem and coming around for some support. I wanted to respond to say that while I think IF and extended fasting have merit and many, many people do really well with it, I am not one of them. I have a history of bipolar disorder and in my 20’s skipping meals turned into an eating disorder for me. As I got older that euphoria from not eating (and dropping weight) turned into agitation and anxiety. I am fat adapted but still find myself getting very cranky, tired and anxious when I am hungry. If I’m not hungry, I don’t eat, but I usually am so I do eat. If I let myself get too hungry it never goes well.
I eat three meals a day and I am still getting the benefits of keto including weight loss. Again, I’m not suggesting you DON’T fast, but I like when I hear people who do it talk about how it was a natural progression of fat adaptation or their keto journey. I think I may even try it way, way in the future myself, if my body tells me it wants to.
We’re here to answer specific questions, there are great threads about easy or inexpensive food ideas, there’s a thread called What Did You Keto Today with photos galore and tons of information about keeping your electrolytes in check. You sound motivated, keep up the hard work!
Some woman specific advice on how to make keto work, and fixable side effects not too different from what you described: https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2018/09/mistakes-on-keto/
A woman’s body apparently doesn’t work the same way as a man’s, even regarding diet…
Oh, that poor office. I called every Monday, every week, until I got an appointment. It was before the current inflection point in low-carb interest we’re seeing, now. But I do consider being a patient of his a humble blessing, absolutely. I would have failed without his advice.
When I get overwhelmed this is my go to for keeping it simple for meals: A protein, non starchy veg and a salad with lots of good fat. Nothing more nothing less. I don’t buy or try to make any keto snacks (therefor no cravings) and I eat a plate full and overflowing of veg and salad w my protein. I buy pre washed organic lettuce greens and toss with olive oil and vinegar. Simple.
Thank you so much for sharing…this really helped me…i have had many oersonal struggles in my 30s also and i think everything just turned into anxiety over the last 2 years…i am working faily to conquer it…and it is not easy!
Im really diggin the simplicity that everyone is encouraging… I feel it will take a load of unnecessary stress off!