It's day 7, I am exhausted, and snappy -- well dangerous, really

[Luckymisslucy]

Its withdraw. It will get better. When I first started everything made me angry. Even the smallest most ridiculous things. After I got over my keto flu everything got better. Around week 2 my quick temper subsided and I felt much happier. Just getting through the first couple weeks can be a bit rough. Try to take 10-15 minutes each day to sit quiet and try to calm when you feel snappy. It really does help. Stress was a big barrier for me when I started and once I figured that out and taught myself to handle my stress better I made huge progress.

[PaulL]

Try eating a bit more salt, just in case some of the irritability has to do with sodium deficiency, We need more salt on keto anyway, so a little extra won’t hurt.

But Charlotte is probably right, and it’s mostly sugar/carb withdrawal. It will pass. You will also feel a physical lack of energy for a while, which is completely normal and will go away in a few weeks, as your body adapts to burning fat instead of sugar. Good luck, and keep us posted.

[Jennibc]

That was me giving up sugar last March. I was cranky, exhausted, seemed to need more sleep at night, etc. By either day 8 or day 9 I woke up feeling like a new person. The closest thing I can equate it to was giving up smoking over 20 years ago.

Just to add, the new person had energy not seen since 1988 or so and better mental focus than ever before.

[runswithdogs]

Carb withdrawals… acording to my dh… way worse than giving up smoking… (i never got them but im kinda weird…)

[Rosie_Adams]

Thank you I really thought I might kill someone today!

[Rosie_Adams]

Thanks will add some salt all these things we are told not to eat!

[Rosie_Adams]

Thanks probably not long to go then and I will be safe to mix with people x

[Karim_Wassef]

Eat fat and salt and drink lots of water … or bone broth for short.

I supplement with magnesium (a lot), potassium and theanine. I find that it really improves my mood and ability to manage stressful people.

[Luckymisslucy]

yeah, that was me when I started. It gets way better. Hang in there.

[David_Stilley]

Day 5 I felt 99% turned around. I guess I was really lucky. I started without any real guidance other than a couple of internet articles and didn’t find out that Keto Flu was even a thing till day 4! I googled I’m eating Atkins Diet and I feel sick. It felt almost exactly like opiate withdrawal.

[Karim_Wassef]

Carb withdrawal is hard for the brain to accept. It’s emotional and physiological. No better proof that carbs are a drug.

[Karim_Wassef]

Oh… one more thing… sleep…

Sleep was very helpful in getting my body and mind to adapt … sleep as much as you can.

[juice]

Keto Is This Easy

Keto is this easy (aka Keto for beginners) Quick Version This is for Phase One - the starter phase. It’s still not complicated later, but this is the really easy to explain version which will help you no end. Eat under 20g of carbs a day (usually 20g net when starting, but for some people 20g total carbs works better). Don’t worry about the scale. All it tells you is weight, it tells you nothing about body composition, even the “smart” scales. Eat plenty of good food - fat and protein…

[JohnH]

I remember getting super cranky somewhere in week 2 or so. I don’t know quite what triggered it, or why it subsided. But it was a definite thing.

[KBG]

I’m just impressed your GP suggested this for you. That is really great. You actually have a medical professional on your side with this. That’s just huge.
As others have mentioned, sugar withdrawal and electrolyte imbalance. The Keto-Aid recipe on this forum helped me quite a bit. But before I found that I used chicken or beef broth as a drink and that was also helpful.
Good luck!

[Alex99]

Hi,

Dehydration can make one very irritable.

Get plenty of water, actually tons

Also plenty of salt

Every single day.

[ClareBear]

Definitely make sure your electrolytes are topped up! Sodium is important. I found that when I started potassium my snappiness went away.

[adp]

in addition to what everyone else has already suggested, make sure you’re eating real foods with clean ingredients as often as possible. i’ve found that when i consume products containing crap like fructose, sucralose, maltodextrin etc., i usually get super tired, and sometimes moody afterwards… i know you’re only on day 7 so most of your tiredness / mental fatigue is probably due to your body adjusting to keto, but going forward, ingredients like those hide in things you would least suspect, so keep an eye on your food labels!

[Azure]

Welcome! You will be fine, it’s normal just stick it out. I felt that way until week two then it was like a switch was activated and I had super focus and energy all day. Just keep your electrolytes up.

[SpartanFan]

Coffee with MCT oil and heavy cream help me get going in the morning and homemade fat bombs helped in the afternoon took the edge off.