Hi all! I have been keto for about four months and have felt like I was fat adapted. Typically I have been doing 20/4 fasting and keep my carbs under 30g. This past weekend my boyfriend’s parents visited and I had quite a few carbs and grains, grits, two beers, a biscuit, etc.
I went back to 20/4 Monday and keto this week but the last two days I am feeling like I have keto flu again. Does this happen, or has this happened to anyone else? I think it makes sense since I had such a carb boo boo…
Yes, once our bodies get used to burning fat for energy, and then gets assaulted with carbs, the carbs become the priority while fat-burning is pushed to the side.
Early on while I was trying to add carbs back into my diet for a variety of different reasons, I noticed that I always went through a period of malaise until I settled back into being fat-adapted again. This would usually take 24 to 72 hours for me.
In a recent LCHF talk, someone asked Dr. Stephen Phinney why this happened and it’s because our bodies see rising blood glucose as a dangerous situation that must be resolved ASAP. As far as the body is concerned, the only fuel source more dangerous than carbs is alcohol which is immediately processed above anything else.
Keto flu is usually caused by an electrolyte imbalance. I didn’t have it when I started but I was also pushing salts.
Electrolyte imbalance is certainly part of it, but others prefer the term “carb withdrawl” instead of “keto flu” and this is part of the transition to get the body producing and burning ketones by first removing glucose from the carbs.
Question - I’ve seen places selling ketones in drink power and bars. Would that help jumpstart the ketogenic process after a bad night of eating?
No, exogenous ketones only raise your level of blood ketones, which would be beneficial for people with mental derangements such as Alzheimer’s, ADD/ADHD, etc., but they don’t help your body to make ketones from fat.
In other words, exogenous ketones only give you a short burst of having ketones in your system, but then you’re on your own again until your body starts making it’s own again.
There’s also the fact that exogenous ketone supplements provide the right and left handed versions of betahydroxybutyrate (BHB/BOHB) and the body can only use right-handed version, so what’s happening to the left-handed version?
What Bill said… in addition… I’ve read that IF will help jump start it. How much? I have no idea.
Stay away from the gimmicks… which is what that is.
I did try those exogenous ketones once and I was well fat adapted, I did feel a strong burst of energy and focus, I agree with what you said and they are to expensive anyway.