Floundering, f*cking Up, want to quit

(Joanna) #1

I have been struggling with keto for three years. In the past year, I have had some success, but lately…
In December I tried fasting, ate everything in the world. Kept trying.
Then I tried to go back to keto. I have been falling off the keto wagon constantly. I am scared of the keto flu. I hate it! It never goes away for me, I take potassium and magnesium supplements, Himalayan pink salt, still feel like shit for weeks.
I don’t even know what I am asking for here. I just need to feel as though I am not alone. I posted on reddit and everyone there was ferociously mean.

Potassium, clarity on how much?
(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #2

Ive fallen down and got back up so many times from 2002 to now. It’s hard to go back. Once your on, it’s easy. But you never get the results unless you do the work. And you and I are never gonna be clear, or good, or cured, or whatever until we accept that this is a way of eating for life. It’s easy to stay on. It’s easy to fall off. It’s hard to restart. But it gets better.

(Stacy Blanchard) #3

The more I understand the science behind Keto, the easier time I have following it. Do you have a close relative or friend you could do Keto with?
Don’t get down on yourself; everyday is a new opportunity.

(Nicole A) #4

I fell off the wagon in December. Ate holiday crap for (at least) three weeks. Decided to get back on track. It’s been so hard. I still mess up but try to take one day at a time. I’ve not had keto flu like I had it this time. I literally thought I was going to die. My heart rate was going up in the 160s. I was dizzy, short of breath. I did all the right things. Scary crazy. I’m never doing that again. Stay the course. Win the fight.

(Karen) #5

Weird, I’ve heard that from several people about reddit. We’ll we support you! Gentle yourself back into keto. No goals, just slowly get back in. I didn’t have any keto flu, so I don’t know what everyone is talking about. I was already taking calcium with magnesium, and I take a potassium sparing diuretic prescribed so maybe that’s why. Or it could be that I had already had stopped eating wheat for a month before.

How about baby steps. Drop wheat for a bit first.

K

(Miss E) #6

I struggled with the keto flu but most of it was because I was struggling to let go of the carb addiction. If you are scared of the flu, the less carbs you eat in that first week, the quicker you get into ketosis and the quicker the Flu would go.

My advice would be eat a standard (but lowish cal) diet for a week or two while taking liver support supplements and probiotics. I noticed a quick improvement when taking both of those but if and when I need to reboot I will boost them before starting. Just think it would make the transition more gentle.

xox

(matt ) #7

I love reddit for entertainment and news but the anonymous nature of it makes it a shithole for advice. I would never ever post on the r/keto group there.

Keto is one of the easiest things I have ever done so I cant really speak to your issues. I am T2D so i decided keto was the answer and that was that. I was already “lower carb” so I never got keto flu.

(Chris) #8

Don’t quit.

(Candy Lind) #9

It’s all about the balance, and salt is the “great equalizer.” You can store too much potassium (K) with supplementation. I would stop taking K, and stop using lite salt, at least temporarily.

I was experiencing all that malaise, high pulse rate, dizziness. I think it was a combination of low BP & excess K. The body can store K in fat cells, and salt regulates how much is stored. I wasn’t getting enough salt to regulate everything. When I stopped K supplements, I was feeling much better in a few days. When in doubt, increase salt. The body will flush what you don’t need. 5 grams per day is a good goal.

#10

Funny, I must have been active there during a particularly good phase. R/keto helped me out immensely when I was first starting out, and the majority of people were incredibly supportive. I don’t go there as much anymore, but when I do I can tell the difference between then and now. There must be a high turnover of people who use it, and you either luck out with the current cohort or you don’t. There’s certainly no comparison to this forum, that’s for sure!

(David) #11

You are definitely not alone :slight_smile:

#12

I have found that it’s easier for me to stay the course now that I have a reason besides weight to motivate me. Obviously being a pork pie wasn’t enough motivation for me in the past as I eventually just learned to be comfortable in my own misery. However, I began keto with the intent to become healthy and improve inflammation in my body as I developed arthritis at 30. Feeling like I’m falling apart at such a young age has kind of opened my eyes to all the abuse I’ve done to my body over the years. I always knew I couldn’t treat it like a garbage dump and expect a palace, but we don’t always make choices based on logic :expressionless:.

I guess long story short, try looking at the change in eating as a necessary for health and not for weight? I know it’s easier said than done as it took a dx of arthritis and severe pain before I was ready to commit…but if you can manage it, it will be so much easier.

(Cece Blackstock) #13

Mean people suck!

I wonder if it might be easier if you gradually decrease your carb load?

Hypothetically, if you have cereal for breakfast, sandwich and chips for lunch, and maybe a pasta dish for dinner, slowly weed out the carbs.

Start by having eggs instead of cereal, and then continue with the rest of your day. A few days later, have eggs for breakfast, and maybe a salad for lunch with some fatty dressing, then eat your normal dinner, then a few days later adjust your dinner as well. Maybe that might help?

Or just go back to the basics and eat bacon and eggs every time you are hungry, or THINK you’re hungry… that might even help with the keto flu you are worried about, because of the sodium in the bacon. (Plus you can just take salt by itself, it really does help with keto flu)

:grin: All the very best to you!!

#14

A lot of people lack self awareness.

Ceceb, your advice is spot on… start over with bacon and eggs!!!

(Marie Dantoni) #15

I just tripped and slid down the rabbit hole myself, so I can totally relate. What I do is revert to Atkins induction level and white knuckle it for 4 days…I’m on day 3 now ad starting to feel better. Hope that helps. Don’t mind the idiots either.

(Newimprovedme ) #16

@Crazyjojo you are not alone. I’m just getting back on the wagon myself after being off at least 6 months. The way I ease back on is focusing on eating things I love that are also keto and staying full and satisfied…that way I don’t feel deprived. So basically I crowd out all the carbs by staying full on fat. For example I would start the day on eggs, bacon, avocado and butter. I stay full and satisfied for hours. Before I get too hungry and susceptible to carb cravings I have an equally satisfying lunch. And so on. Eventually I no longer have to worry about cravings because they are gone.
So hang in there.

#17

What’s done over at /r/keto in most cases isnt keto and that place sets up people to fail. There are many different things that can screw with your losses, but in general if you do keto the traditional way you’ll have good results. We can’t attack this without a couple days worth of the types of food you eat and what your basic rules are. In most cases people that make it to keto flu and not getting through it are the people that cut carbs WHILE not cranking up the fat, calorie counting, and either eating way too much protein or simply anti ketogenic foods. Without some sample meals its all guesses.

(Sheri Knauer) #18

You can try easing into it. First 2 weeks, eat only 3 meals a day and add some fat to your plate. 2nd 2 weeks cut out anything sugary, next cut out grains. Each time you cut out something, add in a little more fat, Then maybe try skipping breakfast and eating enough at lunch and dinner so you are satiated and not wanting to snack.
Maybe it’s too much of a shock to your body to suddenly go to a keto diet.

#19

Why would you want to quit? Your health is at stake here. Sticking to keto has been incredibly easy for me. I don’t have any non-keto foods in my house.

(Miss E) #20

Whilst it’s great that you’ve had that experience, this journey is different for everyone.