Help. 3 weeks of Keto and I’m tired, hungry and clumsy

(Sarah) #1

I straight up don’t know what I’m doing, let’s start with that.
I’m 40. I started Keto at 150 lbs and also went added sugar free on February 1. My goal is to eat less sugar (felt like an addict) and weigh a lean 135. I’m 5’7” and go to the gym almost daily. Normal weight is low 140s. I ate a lot of pie over the holidays. :woman_shrugging:t3:

-Week 1: I had no idea I had to manage calories or track carbs so week 1 was a free for all. But I started cooking more.
-Week 2: Found app Carb Manager. Plugged in my stats and it assigned me 21 carbs/170 fat/136 protein/2100 cals. I vowed no sugar. At all. Unless it grew with it. I was strict. Full. Lost 6 lbs in a week. And constipated as hell.
-Week 3: Read more. Realized my calories were too high and my fiber too low. Changed ratio to 17 net carb/105 fat/85 protein/1355 net calories. Added electrolyte powders with potassium, magnesium supplements and psyllium husks to diet. Yay, I can poop again. Energy level is like zero though. I have to use Pre-Workout just to walk through the gym door and I’m tired all the time. Lost muscle quick. Feel terrible. Very hungry and over my protein and fat by like 20 grams almost every day. But you guys I’m freaking hungry… went slightly up and down and ended week with no weight change from last week.
-Week 4: tired. Hungry. Cranky. Fighting not eating more protein and carbs but feel like I’m going to fall over if I don’t eat more. No energy for gym and losing more muscle. Drinking CardioCuts in a.m. now too just to make it through afternoon until lunch. Period started and bleeding wayyyy more than normal. No weight change this week. This officially sucks. But I don’t want to quit,

What am I doing wrong? I’m barely eating 15 carbs a day here, but I am going over my fat and protein by about 30 grams each per day. Do I have the ratio wrong?
Also, am I messing ketosis up by drinking so much preworkout?

#2

There’s your mistake right there. Too low for your height.

(Sarah) #3

What do you suggest @anon2571578? There are a million sites with glitchy calculators. Is there a calculator I can rely on somewhere?

#4

Are you getting your sodium?

@anon2571578 is correct about the low calorie thing as well. And FWIW I’m 5ft 4 & I eat about 100 grams of protein per day so you probably have room to add more.

(Sarah) #5

I use this Keto K1000 twice a day
I’m also salting my food. I used to have a thing with sodium where I swell so I eat way more now than I ever have (no swelling)

#6

You need quite a bit of sodium on keto - the lowered insulin levels mean that you don’t retain nearly as much as you do on a high carb diet.

Have a read of this

(Sarah) #7

Thank you. It did seem easier before I made such a strict change. The scale going down a pound every morning was so fun… until it stopped :joy:

#8

It can take a while to get things dialed in :slightly_smiling_face: Everybody will have different needs but if you make use of the search function you’re bound to find someone in the same boat.

#9

Don’t go by a calculator. You need to start going by what your body tells you. Get in your protein, keep your carbs under 20g net, and eat fat to satiety. Focus on fatty meats, get your carbs primarily from vegetables, and don’t overthink it. Focus on nutritional foods, things that shouldn’t trigger a binge. Eat when you’re hungry, eat until full, and don’t eat when you’re not hungry. No snacking. Keep it simple.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #10

The second ingredient is “natural lemonade”. I also see it says it has no sugar. I guess I don’t know what natural lemonade is. Lemon juice?

#11

Nor I but I do know that I need to visit the optometrist :eyes:

(Sarah) #12

Good question. It’s ‘ sugar free ‘ as noted on the row below. It’s designed for a Keto Diet.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #13

Does this mean you’re eating fruit or are you referring to veggies? Also I looked up Cardio Cuts and it has Maltodextrin, sucralose, acesulfame potassium–all artificial sweeteners which can have an effect on insulin in some people. If you’re drinking it for energy it has 150 mg caffeine and maybe you could get the same results with coffee and skip all the “stuff” that’s in it. You’ll hear people say to eat “real food” for a reason. You know what’s in it and can predict how your body will react to it. The multi ingredient food supplements, not so much. It’s trial and error.

Also, you’re in week four and maybe aren’t fat adapted yet. Some people take over 8 weeks to really start feeling energy again and many people decrease exercise until then. Your body is making changes and repairing itself. Feed it healthy low carb whole foods, mind your electrolytes (especially salt), stay hydrated, sleep enough. Best wishes.

(Sarah) #14

Thanks @PetaMarie
I meant I’m aiming for no added sugar or substitute, and to reduce natural sugar. I did not realize cardio cuts had all that. The purpose of me cutting out sugar was to break my dependence on it. I see I’m still hooked by cardiocuts. I’ll cut it.
I’m not eating fruit, like weighed raspberries if at all. I used to eat 4 apples and 2 bananas a day. For real. I thought it was “healthy” and I could eat unlimited quantities…Sugar. Addict.
I weigh and cook everything I eat in the last 2 weeks. I log it all in my app. That’s why I expected a loss in the last week. I’ll try and be patient it’s just sad to see my hard earned muscle fade away while I struggle to get through 15 mins of cardio. I just hope I don’t end up worse off than I started!

(Carl Keller) #15

Hi Sarah and welcome.

I think you should let your hunger set how much protein and fat you eat and just keep your carbs low. Whatever number of calories it takes to keep you from being hungry is the perfect number, IMO.

Also the workouts might be a real drag until your body figures how to properly use fat for fuel and until then, it might be best to take it easy to avoid that wiped out feeling. It might be a few more weeks of eating right before your energy levels will improve. And your general energy levels should improve if you eat fat and protein to satiety.

And I fully agree with @anon54735292 about needing quite a bit of sodium. 2+ teaspoons per day (8 grams) should help with a lot of keto “side effects”, including constipation.

(Sarah) #16

Thank you @CarlKeller. I will try and be more patient. On the positive side, I have made so much progress… I mean, even learning about food in a way I never have, cooking with my kids and enjoying time in the kitchen has made this worth it.

#17

I wanted to faint just reading your post. If it wasn’t for keto I surely would have. Girl, eat more FAT! More fat and maybe more protein. Lose the carbs, exercise takes a backseat until you’re adjusted. Hang in there and keep on ketoing.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #18

In addition to the fine advice above, most people naturally eat the right amount of protein unless they are purposefully restricting it. Protein and fat are satiating, so trust your hunger for those. It’s only carbs that will lie and say you need more.

(PSackmann) #19

Along with your exercise performance being reduced while you’re fat adapting, you’re losing the water that was holding glycogen in your muscles. That’s where most of your first week’s loss came from. If you’re used to your muscles looking “pumped”, they won’t look the same, as they give up their water. Once you’re adapted and start losing fat, you’ll start to see the definition again, in the meantime focus on how your body feels and what works for you.

(Christine Flack) #20

I’m in your boat. 2.5 weeks in. Lost 4lbs in 5 days but it’s all back. I’ve not eaten any sugar or bad carb. I’m in Ketosis per my urine strips. Frustrating no results! I’m a 48 yo female… want to lose 20 lbs!