HELP! crashing /sleepy after meals. Trouble adapting 8 weeks in

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #30

I do want to say that I had a Green Tea (with MCT Oil and Butter) before noon. My glucose is currently around 79 (I’m not checking ketones until supper), which is at the upper end of my average for last week. But, its still a good number, and I seem to have recovered from last night’s accidental sugar consumption. And as of around noon my ketones were around 2.6 mmol. Down from what they were before breaking my fast, and only down a little bit from before the “sugar incident”.

Really, I think the length of time it takes to recover is highly individual. You would need to do experiments to find out where the line is for you. Also, remember, it could vary depending on how pure of a sugar (carb) you are eating. Eating more veggies (or milk) could be totally different from eating the same amount of carbs in donut form, for how you react to it.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #31

I had a lot of the tired, headache and sluggishness at work after lunch in the beginning. It helped to eat my carbs at lunch and what’s left, at dinner. The boost I get from a bit of veg at lunch seems to help. Breakfast is usually zero carb because I pair it with coffee and always feel pretty alert in the mornings anyway.

I keep chicken granules at work to make broth for headaches or if I’m feeling weirdly peckish or sluggish. I’m terrible about getting enough water but since I’ve quit diet Mt. Dew and all other drinks with artificial sweeteners (due to an elimination diet, not because I’m against them) it’s what I am working on. I am definitely more tired and have brain fog and achy joints when I am dehydrated. I’m two seconds away from putting chips in my pocket and switching them to another pocket every time I finish a tumbler of water.

Glad you’re here too. The folks on this forum are really supportive and understand that everyone has their own needs.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #32

Just in case it hasn’t been mentioned, and even if it has for reiteration… SALT!

Your kidneys are more efficient without the carbs, so you will need more salt. Some of the tiredness and heart palpitations may be signs of low sodium.

(Sungl1025) #33

Hello all,
I thought I’d update on my status after removing lo salt and lowering my carbs to under 20g a day. The sleepiness/ crashing after eating a meal is definitely improved, but not totally gone. It seems like it happens after lunch meal, and less often after dinner (even when eating the same exact meal). Strange

My appettite has gone down dramatically. I’m actually not very happy about it as weight is coming off my already thin frame. Yesterday I ate one meal and I’m not hungry for the rest of the day…pretty crazy. I can see why this would be appealing to those who have weight to lose.

-I’m still working thru a number of issues.

My problems are the following:

  • My legs feel weak going up/down stairs still. Physical strength still low
  • heart palpitations are still there(much improved since the beginning bug not going away totally even after taking in tons of electrolytes. I’ve gone as high as 8,000 mg of sodium as an experiment)
  • I’m waking up in the middle of the night wide awake. Then trouble falling back asleep. Might be screwing up my circadian rhythm

Benefits:
-clearer skin (acne)
-sharper mind at times
-easier to wake up

Will continue to keep carbs low. I take the appetite drop as a big sign that my body is starting to adapt. So far it’s been mixed feelings about the diet but I don’t want to make any premature conclusions until I actually get fat adapted. Trying to be patient… cheers

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #34

Thanks for the update. How’s your hydration, are you experimenting with that? I’m glad you’re feeling more energy than before and hope the muscle fatigue improves.

(Edith) #35

8000 mg of sodium or 8000 mg of salt? I ask this because they are not the same. Salt also has chloride in it, so 8000 mg of salt only contains about 3100 mg of Sodium. I’m 5’3”. I have to supplement with 2 teaspoons of salt a day in addition to the salt in my food.

You probably need to take magnesium, too, if you are not taking that already. It is also an electrolyte.

Also, the fat adaption can take some time. The feeling of lead in your legs doesn’t just suddenly go away, it just slowly gets better as the weeks progress.

The waking up at night may improve over time. It can be an adjustment as your body gets used to low carbs. Your body thinks it’s starving, so it releases cortisol to release some glucose during the night . The cortisol release wakes you up. The other related reason for waking up could be you are not eating enough food. That can also stress your body and cause cortisol to release.

Keto can be easy for some. For me it’s been a big electrolyte balancing act. I’m always having to tweak them. I have to look at taking them like a medication, because otherwise I get muscle aches, cramps, and heart palpitations. Fortunately , I like all other benefits I’ve received from it, and that is what keeps me going.

(Sungl1025) #36

Yes I’ve experimented with all levels of hydration. I found that too much water worsened my palpitations (flushing out electeokyets) so I drink about 2 liters a day now or so.

(Sungl1025) #37

It’s a struggle balancing electrolytes as well. I’ve been experimenting with different ratios of sodium potassium and magnesium for the past 2 months. I’ve gone as high as 8,000 mg of Sodium not salt, still not feeling perfect. I usually take 4-5000 mg. I take 200-400 mg of magnesium glycinate, and eat plenty of greens for potassium.

(Edith) #38

You may need to up your magnesium. I was taking 400 mg a day of magnesium citrate for years. My need for magnesium must have gone up on keto because I developed heart palpitations that only resolved after I doubled my dosage.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #39

It is my opinion that it is virtually impossible to eat even the minimum suggest daily intake, let alone the high end of that range without adding potassium salt. Most people unless you eat half a dozen or more large avocados every day, on SAD or keto, don’t come close. Until I started eating keto I had hardly ever thought about potassium, even though I knew somewhat that deficiency was associated with night cramps. Instead, I was focused on magnesium. Finally, once I started experimenting with my current mix of sodium, potassium and magnesium salts, I started to alleviate my night cramps.

(Sungl1025) #40

I was taking magnesium citrate capsules 400 mg pills 1-2x a day in the beginning but it gave me diarhhea. I then switched recently to magnesium glycinate capsules and dropped my dosage to 200-400mg. What type of magnesium do you recommend? I don’t notice any difference whether I supplement or not but perhaps I need to take more as you say

(Sungl1025) #42

Thanks for sharing. I will check it out for sure but unless it’s some miraculous resource that has ground breaking info, I’m afraid I’ve already applied and exhausted all generic keto flu advice/tips :frowning:

I’m up on my b vitamins
I supplement electrolytes religiously in all possible ratios
My carbs are 15-20 g net
I cut out dairy
I cut out nuts and seeds
I use no sweeteners
I go to bed at 10…
I go for light walks
My protein is moderate <100g
My fat is high 200g+

Two months into it, I’m still not feeling the way I should. Feeling frustrated at the moment.

The only thing I haven’t tried is cutting carbs EVEN more to 10 g or less… at which point I might as well go zero carb…

(Sungl1025) #43

I was supplementing with potassium chloride for 2 months and it wasn’t helping any of my symptoms. :frowning:

Someone on this thread suggested taking it out so I’ve been “Lo Salt free” for 1.5 weeks and instead eating lots of avocados, which has helped the palpitations . My energy is still very low…I’m praying to god something clicks soon and I have energy. 9 days into your recommendation of <20 grams of carbs.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #44

Your carbohydrate threshold depends on your degree of insulin-resistance. The principal reason we recommend a limit of 20 g/day is that it is low enough to get everyone into ketosis, except for those who are especially insulin-resistant. Since elevated insulin interferes with ketogenesis and fatty-acid metabolism (not to mention preventing triglycerides from being broken down—lipolysis—so that the fatty acids can leave the adipose tissue in the first place).

I would strongly recommend dropping your carb intake from 30-35 grams net to under 20 g total. If that doesn’t work, you may need to drop your intake even further. The sleepiness is likely from too much carbohydrate—it’s the crash from the over-production of insulin because you are insulin-resistant. You can avoid the crash only by eating so little carbohydrate that the resulting glucose rise doesn’t spike your insulin so badly.

If you find yourself feeling lightheaded, dizzy, and having muscle cramps (you didn’t mention it, but just in case), that is sodium deficiency and can be cured by eating more salt.

Now as for the weakness and fatigue you are feeling, that is because your muscles are currently relying on either (a) an inadequate glucose supply or (b) ketone bodies, which they can use, but don’t do all that well on. What the muscles really want is fatty acids to metabolise, and there is an adaptation phase that takes the time it takes. The only way to get through it is to stay consistently in ketosis, and that requires keeping carbohydrate intake below your threshold. You will know you’re fat-adapted when your energy returns. At that point, your muscles will be metabolising fatty acids in place of glucose and ketones.

(Edith) #45

I use magnesium glycinate because that is supposedly more bioavailable.

(Edith) #46

Maybe, some tips from Diet Doctor might help.

(Failed) #47

@Sungl1025 @Ruina

THIS!!! I felt horrible for the first 2 months on keto. Everyone kept telling me to take more salt, but I couldn’t eat that much salt, so I ignored their good advice and kept feeling horrible. Quitting keto isn’t an option, so I just lived with it.

I finally got some salt tabs several weeks ago and make sure I get a minimum of 4 g of sodium a day along with lots (2-3 g) of potassium. I’m currently taking 9 caplets of potassium gluconate 3 times a day which isn’t even the recommended daily intake of 4.7 g. I’ll be making my own capsules with potassium citrate powder once the caplets run out so I don’t have to take so many.

Magnesium glycinate doesn’t have a tendency to cause diarrhea, so you can take more than you can with the magnesium citrate if you need to.

World of difference! Listen to the experienced ones (not including myself in that category) and save yourself weeks of feeling awful.

In case you find it helpful, here’s what I now take in electrolytes each day:
400 mg magnesium glycinate (once a day)
2.6 g potassium gluconate (split into 3 doses per day)
4 g sodium (split into 3 doses per day)

Lost my energy
(Sungl1025) #48

Hello guys, I need some help… I just checked my fasting blood glucose and ketone levels today using keto Mojo for the first time 45 min after waking.zxx

Glucose was 91 and ketones were 5.5???!!! Is this a dangerous ketone level?? Please advise. Should I stop keto?

I’ve been eating OMAD since yesterday. Does that play into it?

(Ellenor Bjornsdottir) #49

dangerous would be 7 in the presence of glucose over 170.

you’re fine.

(Ellenor Bjornsdottir) #50

widen up on your eating window. consider doing 4 or 5 meals per day if you need