Feeling hungry, weak, and "foggy"

newbies

(Elizabeth Baker) #1

I’m halfway into Week 2 and it’s been a rollercoaster. First few days were awesome - felt better, slept well, lost ~2lbs a day (down 12 in Week 1!). But over the weekend I started to feel the withdrawal. I got on here, read up on bone broth & Gatorade zero, and it helped. Then I was up 2lbs in 2 days. This week, though, I’m battling serious hunger, weakness, and a lot of brain fog. I’m T2D and my #s are fluctuating. I’ve stayed at or below 20 net carbs but I think it may not be enough? I’ve read that I should eat when hungry, but I’m ravenous again a half hour later. I’m eating full fat cheese, hwc in my coffee, sausage & eggs eggs eggs…

Suggestions? I’m close to moving my carb count up to 40 or 50 because I’m so hungry but it seems counterintuitive.


(Carl Keller) #2

You can eat more without moving your carb count upward. Fat and protein don’t have carbs so eat more of those to satisfy your hunger.

The Gatorade zero might be part of the problem. One of the ingredients is sucralose and

Many of the most common artificial sweeteners out there, such as aspartame, sucralose , and splenda , are technically low glycemic and low in calories, but we encourage approaching these with caution. In some people, they can affect blood sugar, lead to more cravings, and even disrupt hormones and ketosis

https://perfectketo.com/top-four-sweeteners-for-a-low-carb-keto-diet/


#3

In my 2nd week I was also very hungry and I ate like I hadn’t eaten properly for 20 years. That’s OK. I still went into keto and still lost weight.

I would not try 40 or 50 g carbs as that may well make you feel much more hungry. Aim for 20g Net Carbs unless it’s extremely difficult. (It is possible to ease into it and work your way down…). Anyway I went cold turkey, glad I did.

Foggy - sounds like you need to have much more salt and or broths. Also drink lots of water. It’s a combination of sugar/wheat withdrawal and with keto we pee out sodium so need a constant supply …

As for weight, I reckon forget about it entirely. Let your body adjust, many things are changing. Besides, water levels go up and down like a yo yo all day, not to mention hormones or anything else so you’ll just discourage yourself.

Gatorade zero - hmm, not recommended. I reckon stick to real food first, maybe later …

As for 2TD - sorry I have very limited knowledge - I know keto helps peopel with T2D but I also know the experts suggest medical supervision especially in relation do doses of medication … We are all just chatting here, none of this is medical advice.

Focus on your carbs. Check in a week or two. (And it will be a week or two before you get a better handle on how it’s going, days are too brief to mean anything …)

Cheers.


(Sheri Knauer) #4

Stay the course, make sure to add plenty of salt to your food. As Alexx99 stated, your body is going through a lot of changes. For many, many years your body used glucose as its primary source of energy. You are now not giving it that source of energy, instead giving it fat to use but it is still in the process of making changes to be able to use that fat as fuel, hence the low energy and foggy brain. When you are hungry, eat fat. Eating more carbs may delay the process of becoming fat adapted.

Also as Alex99 stated, you should work with your MD to monitor any meds you are taking that are associated with T2D as I have heard that the need for insulin can go down fairly quickly.

Hormones also can throw a monkey wrench into the works, especially for us women.

For the first month or 2, just eat when hungry, keep carbs below 20g, don’t go crazy on protein, don’t weigh yourself (the scale can be all over the place and you could actually gain a little weight as your body adjusts. Those first 12 lbs you lost were mostly water weight, because when you eat carbs, your body retains water. When you don’t eat carbs, your body flushes out the water), increase your salt, make sure you drink enough water (take your weight, divide by 2 and that is how many ounces you should be drinking per day plus a little more if you are a coffee or tea drinker), don’t worry about exercising just yet, and wait until you are fat adapted to incorporate fasting into your routine (if you want to that is. Intermittent or extended fasting is not a requirement. People tend to naturally start to intermittent fast naturally because of increased satiety from the foods they eat)

If you can get through the adaptation period, which I know you can, then you will be feeling so much better, a lot more energy, decreased hunger, brain fog will lift, hormone regulation, and blood sugar control (you may want to invest in a glucose blood meter if you don’t already have it). This is the hardest part of going keto.


(Elizabeth Baker) #5

Thank you all! This was super helpful.


(Elizabeth Baker) #6

I didn’t know this about Gatorade! Good to know, thanks.


(Elizabeth Baker) #7

THIS. I’m not drinking enough water. Going to work on this, thank you.


(Elizabeth Baker) #8

I did weigh this morning (just can’t help myself) and I gained. But I’m fine with it because I do realize it’s mostly water weight that I lost last week. I’m still down overall, which is fine. I will increase salt as much as I can. I do have some broth at home & will add that to my dinner or snack this afternoon.

One thing I’m struggling with is vegetables. There are only a few that I like, but it’s mostly because I don’t have a gallbladder and so many veggies are hard to digest for me. Anybody know how to disguise some veggies or make them more digestible (and palatable)?


(*Tame Those Ghrelin Gremlins) #9

Welcome. Personally I like mashed cauliflower with salt and butter. Or sautéed veggies like summer squash or zucchini. Easy to eat. Also I make homemade kale chips in my air fryer…soooo good, light and crispy.

Now I’m making myself hungry lol. Finding things you can enjoy and eat comfortably is very important. I’m not that far off from you, I started 3 weeks ago. You can do it, trust you can get through the hard part :smiley:


(Karla Chamoun) #10

Do you use insulin or take oral diabetes medication? Be very careful. If you’re taking any of those, you need to go to your doctor and get your prescription checked. You were used to eating a lot more carbs and needed those meds to maintain glucose homeostasis. When you cut the carbs dramatically, you won’t need as much, if any. I suggest rechecking those ASAP as hypoglycemia may be fatal.


(Full Metal KETO AF) #11

@Elizabeth_Baker Try this instead of gatoraide.


(Sheri Knauer) #12

If you don’t have a gall bladder, you need to eat things that can help “thin out” your bile, like beets or beet greens. It just takes a small amount. The greens I like to sauté in butter and garlic, then add salt. The beet root can be sautéed as well. You can also research digestive enzymes. Also TC Hale does a lot of videos regarding digestion. http://kickitinthenuts.com/lack-of-bile-production/