Fatigued and out of breath after 2 months on keto

(Jodi) #1

Hi
Can someone give me some advice. I started keto two months ago. I am not doing keto to lose weight. I am doing it as I have some neurological symptoms that I want to see if I can heal myself. My weight is 54 kg and my height is 166 cm. I’m using the Cronometer apps settings.
My fatigue is slightly better but I still get out of breath sometimes just walking upstairs and have no energy. It seems to get better as the day goes on. I’m also on antidepressants. So I’m not sure if this got something to do with it. I was on the Paleo diet before this and I had a lot of energy. I think it has something to do with keto and the way that I’m doing it. Can anyone help?

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Many experience fatigue simply because until your cells/organs figure out that ketones and fat are fuel, they ‘run out of (glucose) gas’. It will pass.

(Robin) #3

I remember the same feeling at about the same time period. Suddenly going up stairs wore me out. Then one day, that fatigue just went away. You got this!

(Carnivore for the win) #4

I have definitely had fatigue, especially in the first year. Your body is probably doing some major healing. Try not to restrict calories. Eat lots of fat and protein to help the healing, just keep those carbs below 20g. Your body will adapt and come out stronger.

(Jodi) #5

Thanks all so much for your comments. I really appreciate it.

(Scott) #6

It took me about three months to get to where I didn’t need to take walk breaks during my morning run. Stay the course.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

I have nothing to add, except that while we tell people fat-adaptation generally takes 6-8 weeks, there is plenty of individual variation. It might simply be that you are one of those people for whom the process will take a bit longer. Keep on ketoing on, and you should be fine.

Some things you can do to help the process: (1) Be very strict about keeping your carbohydrate intake under control. We recommend an upper limit of 20 g/day. If you have to, measure what you are eating, so as to be sure you are staying under your limit. (2) Don’t stint on calories, and don’t stint on protein. Be sure you are getting enough protein (we recommend 1.0-1.5 g/kg of lean body mass/day) and then fill in with fat until your hunger is satisfied. (It won’t take as much fat as you think, because fat is twice as calorie-dense as protein and carbohydrate. (3) Don’t stress your body with too much exercise; just take it easy until your energy returns.

(Jodi) #8

Thanks Paul. How many calories should i be eating? I weigh 54kg and 166cm. I was told around 1790 calories.

(Allie) #9

If you can share more info about the way you’re doing things, macros etc, we would be better able to advise.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

The standard figures are that women need around 2000 calories a day and men need around 2500. On the Ketogenic Forums, we don’t recommend a calorie target; instead, we recommend eating to satisfy hunger. The reason that works is that a well-formulated ketogenic diet lowers serum insulin to the point where the appetite hormones start working properly again (in most people, at least), so that appetite becomes a reliable guide to how much to eat. Elevated insulin interferes with the brain receptors that recognise the satiety hormone leptin, which thus keeps us hungry and eating. (If you think of eating fall berries in order to put on fat to hibernate over the winter, this makes evolutionary sense.)

I found that about two weeks after embarking on a ketogenic diet, I suddenly stopped wanting to eat in the middle of a meal. It was weird, because I had filled up my plate as usual, and had to put half the meal back in the fridge to finish hours later. In my carb-burning days, I’d fill my stomach to the literal bursting point and still want more. The first two weeks on a ketogenic diet, I continued eating the same quantity of food, but suddenly, in the middle of that meal I mentioned, it was as if a switch had been thrown. Very weird! Nowadays, I stop wanting to eat long before my belly is full.

The synopsis is this: (1) Eat as little carbohydrate as possible, under 20 g/day is best. (2) Then eat a reasonable, satisfying amount of protein. (3) Then add enough fat to satisfy your hunger.

If you have excess fat to shed, your appetite should stop you at a point that will allow both the fat you eat and some of the excess stored fat. As the excess is consumed, your appetite will slowly increase until you are meeting all your energy needs from your food intake, because there is no excess fat to shed.

(Jodi) #11

Thanks Paul. Im following the Wahls protocol Paleo Plus. Dr Terry Wahls recommends 50 g of carbohydrates to ensure you get the most nutrients from vegetables and berries. I’m trying to heal some neurological symptoms that I have without medication. So Im following her diet quick strictly.

(Jodi) #12

Hi
I just wanted to let you know that I finally got more energy yesterday and it’s continued today. So I guess I’m finally burning fat properly. I also think I wasn’t eating enough fat & nutrients from vegetables. Now I am eating about 5 cups of vegetables (Dr Bergs recommendation) per day with about 30-40g of carbs. I check my ketones on a regular basis and I’m still in middle range ketosis.

So thank you everyone for your advice.

(Laurie) #13

Great! I’m glad you found the solution. No one wants to feel tired and out of breath.