Fatigue and bad sleep

(Amit Leon) #1

Hi everyone.
I am feeling down after 6 weeks of keto.
In the first month I’ve lost 6 kg but the last 2 weeks I’ve lost no weight.
In addition I feel constant fatigue and my sleep is pretty terrible. I want to start working out but i just feel drained of strength.
I supplement magnesium and try to eat more salt.
I usually maintain calorie deficit and eat much less than 20g of carbs a day.
Any advice?

#2

Perhaps this is your body’s way of telling you to eat more.

(bulkbiker) #3

Only works for a short period then you slow your metabolism to accommodate the reduction in food… hence its not advised when following keto.

(John) #4

First 6 weeks was a pretty bumpy ride for me, too. It really wasn’t until about 12 weeks in where I pretty much felt “normal” all of the time - normal energy levels, good sleep, etc.

Your body is adjusting to the changes in your diet and it takes a while to adapt.

Some people do well on extremely low carb but others need more carbs in their diet. I tend to feel better overall when I do keep my carb intake up a bit, probably more than the 20g but less than 50g. From vegetables and salads, though, not grains, starches, or sugars.

(Amit Leon) #5

Thanks John that’s very helpful

(John) #6

The advice about eating too little is helpful, as well.

Maintaining a chronic calorie deficit (meaning, every day) works for a while then stops working as the body adjusts. One of the ways it adjusts is to make you feel fatigued, so that you do less (i.e., burn less energy to match the reduced intake).

What seems to counter that, is to make the food-intake deficit more of an average over time, with periods of normal intake (keeps your metabolism running at normal speed) offset by periods of lower intake (where your body has to use stored energy), but not long enough for the body to slow down.

(Scott) #7

At six weeks you may not be fat adapted yet, it took me three months, stay the course. I have gotten into a cycle of waking up at 3:00 am and rarely go back to sleep. I don’t feel bad but it may have caused a one pound gain (yes I have been in a very narrow maintenance range). I think it is more related to me not running much lately. Weather has been lousy so when the rain stops I plan on getting out at 4:30 am each morning again. Time will tell if it helps.

(Susan) #8

This =) I agree.

Welcome to the forum, Amit.

Keeping your carbs at 20 grams or less is all you need to worry about, which you said you are doing, that is awesome.

A free app that might be helpful to make sure you are eating the right amounts of carbs/proteins/fats is cronometer.com

You should NOT be doing a calorie deficit, eat enough =). No sugars, or processed foods, and you should be fine, best wishes =).

(Amit Leon) #9

Thanks Susan
I am watching my macros with carb manager application
Weight loss is probably my main goal at the moment
Do you think this is achievable without calorie deficit?
I tend to believe that at the end of the day it comes down to simple math
Am I wrong?

(Susan) #10

I had a 2.5 month stall because I was Fasting for a lot of 48 and 72 hour fasts and only eating under 1000 calories, sometimes 500 calories on my eating days, (my body went into starvation mode and refused to lose weight(, so yes – eat enough. I now try to eat about 1800ish calories on my eating days, always keeping carbs low, and I am losing again =).

#11

@Leon just in case you haven’t come across this there’s a whole thread on here about caloric deficit.

(Amit Leon) #12

Thanks Bob
I’ll look into it

(John) #13

It is actually rather complex math with various feedback mechanisms.

There is some basic math that is true. You are losing weight every minute of every day by exhaling carbon (carbon-dioxide), and excreting water though breathing, perspiration, urination, and defecation.

You are replacing that weight by breathing in oxygen, consuming water (from foods and drinks), and from the digestible components of the foods and drinks you consume.

The amount of energy you use up is meaningless in the context of mass lost. You are essentially a little chemical engine that breaks down organic molecules into carbon and hydrogen and uses the energy from the chemical reaction to generate heat and the ability to make muscles contract.

So if you are not becoming dehydrated, then any weight you lose is the carbon atoms attached to the oxygen atoms you exhale. If you replace all of those carbon atoms from your food intake, then you will be at a static weight. If you replace less carbon than you exhale, then you will lose weight. You can breathe out about 1/2 pound of carbon per day, give or take, and will excrete a little less than 1/10th of a pound of water to go with that, so maybe 0.6 pounds of actual fat loss per day, comprised of carbon and water.

So the carbon balance is managed by energy expenditure, both automatic and intentional, and energy intake. Energy intake is derived from foods, but because the three macro-nutrients are handled differently by the body, you can’t equate a protein-calorie to a carb-calorie to a fat-calorie.

Also, the body adjusts and adapts the energy expenditure side of the equation, in part driven by not only the quantity of bio-available food energy, but the timing and mix of it. A 2000-calorie meal comprised of 50% carbs and 50% fat is handled a lot differently than a 2000-calorie meal comprised of 30% protein, 65% fat, and 5% carbs (by calorie). So in that sense, it is not just math.

And creating a 3000 calorie deficit by fasting for one entire day while eating at non-deficit for six days, versus a 500-calorie deficit for 6 days in a row and one day of eating at maintenance, will result in a difference in the way the body down-regulates the energy output side of the equation.

So yes, it is just math, but it is not quite like the old “3500 calorie deficit = 1 pound lost.” It is more like “10 calorie deficit maintained over 3 years = 1 pound lost.”