How long until my brain runs on Keto and not chocolate biscuits

(Mark) #1

Hello

Great forum! Had great comprehensive answers so far!

At few years ago I had a motor accident which caused a mild injury to my brain, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m super sensitive to any movement in blood sugar, I seem to get serious hypos after a workout or I go too long without food (cheap carbs/power sports drink) I decided to give Keto a go 2 weeks ago and kept blood sugar around 4 by eliminating carbs (apart from a handful of low carb veg) plenty of healthy fat, coffee with ghee and MCT oil, I just feel wiped out, not any happier or positive, how long until my brain adapts? Is this what’s known as ‘fat adapted’ I’m in this for the long haul but maybe too weeks is rushing it and being impatient- I’m basically looking for this mental clarity and stable blood sugar - how long should I expect to wait for this? Sorry for all the questions!

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

Keto is a long term process, not a quick fix. Initially most folks feel a decrease in energy simply because you’re no longer giving your body enough carbs to fuel itself and your cells and organs don’t yet know what to do with the ketones and fatty acids you’re giving them. So you simply ‘run out of gas’. Don’t worry it will pass. In addition, you’re no longer retaining water and the water is taking sodium and other electrolytes with it. Increasing sodium intake will help eliminate a lot of discomfort many folks experience the first few weeks on keto.

As for your brain. Once it gets used to ketones, it will use them almost exclusively and you may notice a marked increase in alertness. Ketones are a much more efficient and clean burning fuel than glucose.

(Mark) #3

Thank you I appreciate this information, I will just be patient

(Ron) #4

It took me all of 6 weeks to get over the “keto flu” but it was well worth the sacrifice. Stay strong! :muscle:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

Keto “flu” is preventable. Just eat more salt. There are reasons we need more salt on a ketogenic diet, not to mention the fact that government recommendations for salt intake are unhealthily low to begin with.

As for the increased energy and better brain function, two weeks is generally too soon. Usually fat-adaptation takes around six to eight weeks. Sometimes it takes even longer. You should, however, start to notice improvements before you are fully adapted.

I don’t know much about keto and TBI, but we can probably say that if your brain is sensitive to variations in glucose, ketones should provide a steadier supply of energy.

We don’t generally see much use for exogenous ketone supplements, but in your case, they might be helpful. They are expensive, so you will have to factor the cost into your decision-making, to see whether any improvement you might possibly see is worth the extra cost. One benefit of endogenous ketones is that the body makes them free of charge!

In any case, wait at least another 30 days before deciding whether or not the ketogenic diet is making any difference in your situation.

(charlie3) #6

I’ve been dedicated to eating low carb for 2+ years. Currently that works out to 40 grams net carbs for 12 days then3-7 days carnivore which works out to may be 10 grams net carbs or less. Gradually the cheats are farther apart, pretty much it’s down to a few trips to Ye Olde ice cream store in the summer time. I think my fat adaption has continued to improve to the present day. It seems like my body will go to fat stores without bringing up glucose. The better I get at that the fewer hunger pangs so easier to reduce body fat when that’s called for. If there is lots of physical activity everything just works better and happens faster. It’s easier to get all the micros if you’re eating more food. (I noticed a few weeks ago, rolling my cart up to check out, that every item contained only one ingredient. For instance, the only thing in lettice is…lettice, etc.)

(Ron) #7

Paul, you keep saying that and maybe in majority this is true but in my case it was not. I was taking in a daily amount of over 10000 mg trying to help with keto flu to no avail. I had to supplement both M&P to suppress the symptoms. To say it is preventable is more of an absolute than I would be willing to promote. Although that is just me.

#8

I love the post title Mark.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #9

I never experienced any discomfort when I started keto. Did not add sodium or any electrolyte since I didn’t know about that potential issue at all. I subsequently experimented with sodium, potassium and magnesium supplementation to try to deal with night cramps. I had them since years prior to keto so not related to the change in eating. I was able to reduce the night cramps significantly. No longer an issue for me.

(Mark) #11

Thank you everyone!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

As I understand it from the PURE study and a couple of others released around the same time, 10,000-15,000 mg of sodium chloride is the healthy range of daily intake for most people. Given that the kidneys excrete sodium more readily in the absence of dietary carbohydrate, people eating a ketogenic diet probably need even more salt than that.