Hi there!
I started the Keto diet for health benefits, in particular the potential impact on inflammation and on overall energy levels.
To give a little background, I have celiacs, and recently discovered my adrenal gland is not producing enough cortisol. While the docs figure it out, Im desperate to be proactive in anything else that can improve my energy and health. The adrenocortical problem is having me sleep 12-19 hours a day!
I love love love the science behind the ketogenic diet and turkey believe it. I did a ton of research and am a neuro researcher myself.
Days 1-3 were easy, and meals were a delight that I actually looked forward to (steak cooked in butter and garlic and lemon, with spinach cooked in butter too⌠i mean, whatâs not to love!?). I have some headaches and shaking hands but thats it.
But then on Day 4 I was up 5 times during the night with (sorry to be crass) diarrhoea and now feel incredibly dizzy, woozy, and have sudden anxiety.
I did all the roccomended drinking of water (2 litres) plus extra salt (a stock cube in water; tons of bacon within the Marco), and magnesium supplements.
My question is if any of you Keto Veterans have any comments in general.
And then specifically - when Does it stop seeming like âKeto fluâ and seem like something thatâs actually causing you harm? What would the cut off be for you guys?
So far I am still sticking with it, mostly because Im stubborn and dont want to have to go through Keto Flu twice if thats all it is! Lol. But it would be so encouraging and motivating to hear thoughts of others. Just to be sure
Thanks and wishing everyone a fantastic day! 
Day 4 Keto Diet Newbie _ Help, Im Starting to Doubt!
I am not a veteran, started Keto 1 1/2 weeks before Thanksgiving, days 1 & 2 I was so sick I honestly wanted to lay down and die. I drank broth with lots of salt, and avocados with lots of salt and it helped tremendously, that is now a very distant memory for me. Hope you get relief soon, but, I would say stick with it. My niece also has Celiac disease.
Forgive an old guyâs silliness this morning:
Iâve found Turkey to be most reliable and circumspect in her beliefs; the same for Rocco - whose endorsements are always good, and glad to hear that Marco has maintained his bacon consumption. 
I hear you on the ânot going through it (keto flu) twice.â I donât know what the symptoms would be when itâs âtoo muchâ and/or likely harmful. For the great majority of us, the body adapts quite well - even if it takes a while. There are the minority outlying cases, donât want to downplay the fast that itâs not for everybody.
Wouldnât want to push you in any direction - I think if it really gets too bad you will know. I had diarrhea more in the beginning; that has greatly improved. I figure the body gets used to things, and I can testify that the more you do it, the better it getss.
What was your carb count before starting keto? Did you regularly eat foods with sugar/starch prior to starting?
This is based on my experience: I have found that tapering first makes the adaptation period easier. If your standard diet has been high in starchy carbs, rather than cut carbs to keto levels cold turkey, you might try a few prep weeks with carbs coming only from whole food fruits and lots of vegetables. A nutrient dense diet could help build up your vitamins and minerals and help with the adaptation symptoms.
It took me 3 weeks to get into a groove. I have done extended keto twice. I didnât have much keto flu either time, just a few moments of light-headedness when my sodium got low. Both times I had already been eating a low carb/high fiber diet, avoiding starch and added sugar.
Certain magnesium compounds can cause diarrhea.
I hope you feel better soon and can enjoy the awesomeness that keto-adaptation has to offer!
K
A couple of things stand out. Youâre supplementing with Magnesium, which can cause diarrhea. If you donât have symptoms of deficiency, thereâs no reason to take it. Our bodies usually do a wonderful job of obtaining the nutrients it needs from our diet, especially if itâs well formulated.
Large amounts of fat can cause diarrhea, especially if youâre not used to it. Stay low carb, but back off the extra fat a bit. You may want to meet fat macros by using foods that are naturally high in fat, like avocado, nuts, olives and dairy (if well tolerated).
Hi Keto_Newbie
Congratulations on the bold and courageous choice to eat keto! That is awesome! Fantastic! It feels so good to take positive actions instead of just letting life happen.
Congratulations on feeling terrible! It is a rite of passage into ketosis and not everyone is so lucky as to feel like garbage. Just think about it ⌠you are withdrawing from carbohydrates and that is going to be a bit painful for a lot of people. So ⌠congratulation! In just a few short weeks you are going to feel terrific.
Be sure to get plenty of salts and minerals while you are adapting to your much different diet.
Keto for Life!
Warmest Regards,
Richard
Magnesium oil to spray on the skin is a great alternative to ingesting it. You can make your own (equal parts magnesium chloride flakes and distilled water, mixed in a spray bottle) or buy it ready made in a lot of health food stores or even on amazon. That way also your body only takes what it needs.
Hope you are feeling well soon.
Hey! Youâve gotten great advice on here (I love this forum! folks are smart and thoughtful and just really⌠nice 
) and I just wanted to stop by and wish you good luck. Please keep us posted!
Sorry you are feeling so wonky. I hope you adapt soon. I wonder what symptoms you were experiencing from your lack of cortisol and also, very important, celiacâs disease? Both can have an important role in how you are feeling. Celiacâs in particular is know to inhibit the absorption of B12 and that can really impact energy levels. I know it takes some time to recover from C. D. - six month or more. My point is that your dietary changes should help going forward but lots of time is needed.
I agree that supplementing magnesium may be the root cause of diarrhea. I would back off that and just drink 2 cups of salty broth per day. Home made is best but if you are buying it, be sure it is glutton free. Do not chug water. It will only further dilute your electrolytes. Drink to your thirst and remember that a large part of our food is actually water.
Feel better soon.
Hey @Keto_Newbie welcome. There are some pretty awesome folks here. I got lucky (unlucky???) in that my keto flu was pretty mild but I was already backed off on carbs a lot a couple of weeks before taking that plunge. I still thought I was going to starve, then thought I wouldnât be able to # 2⌠Then thought I wouldnât be able to stop going because I overdid it on coconut oil trying to get my fat intake up.
I also had a few sudden, inexplicable moments of panicky anxiety: out of nowhere. This isnât a common thing with me but had occurred a few times during a difficult phase of my life so I knew how to talk myself through it. These really freaked me out until I read of others having anxiety.
I also was annoyed to no end hearing the phrase âa well formulated ketogenic dietâ because I didnât have a solid answer on just what that was!
Anyway, your symptoms seem pretty common from what Iâve read on here and I second the mention of magnesium oil. It can be a skin irritant to some people but it wonât have you running to the toilet.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Magnesium Topical ? Cool.
Relatively unstudied !
I know someone with really bad skin that would likely benefit from topical application.
I think Epsom Salt baths are also good for topical magnesium.
As a supplement: Volek & Phinney recommend Slo-Mag in their books. Supposedly it doesnât cause disaster pants.
Iâve been using it on my lower arms (it can feel a bit sticky) for the past 6 months. I forget where I originally heard about it but a few doctors online mentioned it too as alternative because of upsets caused ingesting it.
I just read the conclusion to the link you provided and thought darn it⌠so did a google and this site lists some studies too https://betteryou.com/evidence-transdermal-magnesium-absorption, which seem on first glance to support its use. I will have to go investigate some more though and do some reading. Cheers @VLC.MD
@kbird yeah the magnesium flakes I buy (big tub) is meant to be used in the bath too.
I wonder how much is absorbed âthrough the bumâ.
on the same thought, I wonder how much water âgoes up the bumâ when bathing.
Loved your comical interpretation of the typos - great to be in a silly mood on a Monday morning! But did you realize YOU had two typos in YOUR post? 
Hi there⌠lots of great comments and suggestions here already but since I can strongly relate to your issues, thought Iâd add mine, too. I have colitis so I feel your pain. When I first started keto (4 weeks ago), I too, had more frequent trips to the bathroom. I assumed it was too much fat too fast, and it cleared up within a few days.
Iâve also had my share of experience with magnesium supplements because everyone on the colitis forums says we need to supplement. I tried the liquid drops⌠disaster⌠I was practically living in the bathroom. I tried the epsom salt foot soaks but donât always have time for those so I started rubbing the magnesium oil on my skin a few times a day. That still caused D so I started using less and that helped. Also, I have discovered the âCalmâ packets which are a powder you add to your drinking water. I use less than the recommended dose so now Iâm spending a lot less time in the bathroom.
And I can relate to the woozy, panic, too. One morning while getting ready for work I had to keep stopping to run to the toilet and then after the last bout when I tried to continue getting ready, I almost fainted, got real hot, dizzy, and had a panic attack. Made it to the bed and collapsed. I called my GI doc and he said it was probably a lack of electrolytes from all the D. After having some Gatorade, I felt better (that was before Keto).
Anyway, hope you feel better soon!
Sue