I've looked but haven't seen a post about extreme lethargy

(Kerin ) #6

I think it sounds like your body is in a recovery phase. Its transfer out old, process in new.
Let your body rest, don’t force anything, and definitely stay on the ketogenic diet.

(Sheri Knauer) #7

The lethargy is because your body used to use sugar as fuel. Now you are not eating sugar and your body cannot yet use fat efficiently as fuel. Make the ketoaide. That will help. So will eating more fat at meals, especially if you find you are still hungry after a meal. Just hang in there. Once fat adapted, you’ll have energy to spare

(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #8

I had extreme lethargy when I began again this time. It felt like I was trying to run through waist deep water all the time. It lasted about 3 weeks full on, then started easing up. I don’t know when exactly I began having lots of energy, I just noticed one day that, wow, I felt great! I also learned that I needed to limit my eating to 1-2 times a day and no snacking. When I was starting out I was told that there aren’t really any such things as Keto fruits, and to keep my carbs below 20 grams a day. Eat only meats, fats, and a few low carb veggies until I got adjusted. I believe that completely cutting out fruits and other high insulin triggering foods helped me get over the lethargy.

(Melissa Britton) #10

I did read through all the newbie posts and read some “tired” posts, but this is like, my legs shake when I walk!!! I feel like I’m eating all the time, I’m putting salt on everything, but I’m craving sugar desperately!! And I’ve upped my water intake. Thank you!

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #11

Sorry, I was on my phone and it came out with “pay” instead of “post”. :smiley:

(Melissa Britton) #12

That would help immensely!!! Just list what I’m eating and how much?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #13

It would also help to know your age and height, if you don’t mind sharing. But mostly, a representative day’s food should do the trick.

(Melissa Britton) #14

I’m 54. I used to eat healthy and worked out all the time. But after several life traumas, I ended up alone with cats (my family). When healthy, at 5’8" my best weight was 145. After I was diagnosed with clinical depression & ptsd, put on meds & therapy, the world was a scary place so I became a shut-in, snacking all day on processed chocolate granola bars, ice cream, peanut butter & the only fruit I ate was bananas! (I hear the groans). I gained 55 lbs, which just got me more depressed & isolated. The first week on keto I lost 12 lbs and felt fantastic! So it puzzles me I went down so fast this week. I do eat quite a few salted almonds, but I read on here that is not good. I also have not eaten red meat or pork/bacon for 30 years, and cannot start now. So I know bacon is a staple for ketoers, not sure what to do about that. I’ve switched from almonds to olives, which taste awesome & extremely salty. Sorry for the life story but I feel like I have extra challenges as a keto eater. I haven’t weighed since, but I wonder can rapid weight loss cause fatigue? Thank all of you, thank God I found this site!!!

(Susan) #15

It is true that a lot of people on the forum love bacon, but some of us rarely eat it, it is not a necessity by any means, so don’t worry about that =).

I am 54 as well, will be 55 in November.

This is really awesome! Way less carbs so that was an excellent choice!

If you use Electrolytes, get enough salt, then you will recover from the fatigue you are feeling, that is caused from lack of electrolytes, and carb and sugar withdrawal.

You can make this, or just make sure you are drinking a lot of water, and a good salt, like Pink Himalyan salt, take a few teaspoons a day (you can either eat it and then drink a lot of water with it) or add it to water and drink it, and put it on your foods as well =).

I love salmon and chicken and end up eating a lot of them as my proteins. Everyone is different, and Keto is very versatile, you can modify the foods according to your preferences =).

Just keep your carbs 20 grams or less, adequate proteins, healthy fats, no sugar, and lots of water and your electrolytes and you will be okay soon enough.

(Melissa Britton) #16

Thank you so much for the KetoAide electrolyte water! I will drink that all day. I just can’t, yet, eat a spoonful of salt…I mean I was an extreme sugar addict! And I never salted anything because I didn’t want to retain water…I know, I know! Hard to lose those old rules. When everyone told me “more salt, more water” my brain said (that’s going to bloat me!) But of course it won’t.

(Susan) #17

For sure, I am the same age as you, so we were taught to have low fat, lots of fruits and vegetables, but Keto is the opposite of this, and we have to retrain our minds and our bodies! We are all here to encourage you though, so please stick with it and we will all be cheering you on =).

(Melissa Britton) #18

Thanks so much Susan…people knowing what you are going through and knowing how to help and encourage you is priceless! I just downloaded the cronometer, hopefully I can pull myself out of this sooner! :heart_eyes_cat:

(Susan) #19

I found personally that the salt really helped =) with the fatigue, dizziness and leg cramps so I think you will find it helps you lots too =).

(Melissa Britton) #20

Thanks. I was only eating strawberries & blueberries, but I’m still not out of snacker mode, so I’m sure I was eating to many. No fruit until I can walk normally again!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #21

Salt will help with fatigue, but there is a certain amount built into the switchover from burning glucose to burning fatty acids. The good news is that after 6-8 weeks, you should have all your energy back. I didn’t particularly notice, because of a number of major life events that piled on at the point I went keto, and perhaps that was a good thing. :grin: But people who do some form of exercise generally do notice, and if you work out in some way, give your body a break by easing up during the adaptation phase.

Be sure to get enough protein. You need somewhere in the range of 1.0-1.5 g of protein/kg of lean body mass/day. Then fill in the rest of your calories with fat. Olives and avocadoes are good sources, if you’re not comfortable with animal proteins and their associated fats.

(Parker the crazy crone lady) #22

Shout out to you! My story has some big similarities. Fatty fish is great, and the dark meat w/skin of poultry works too.

(Kirk Wolak) #23

Are you measuring your blood glucose and ketone levels?

here’s my first blush take:

  1. You are eating ENOUGH Carbs to release insulin, which is DEPRIVING you access to your fat stores.
  2. I would try IF (Intermittent Fasting), and do a FAT FAST (1-2 foods ONLY for 1-3 days until you are bored to death with them), and then FAST
  3. Here’s the thing. If you feel BETTER (more energy fasted), then it is MOST LIKELY an insulin response to ANY food. Insulin turns OFF your access to your fat cells.

And if that is the case, I would use OMAD and a more carnivore diet, but certainly OMAD. Reduce those insulin hits. One meal of suffering. And about 5-7 hrs BEFORE bed, so you sleep better. Which reduces stress/cortisol, and lowers your future insulin responses!

You’ve got this!

#24

Do you drink coffee or black/green tea? I don’t think it is always a good habit, because caffeine can have many unwanted sideeffects, but a Cup in the morning can be very helpful to overcome those keto fatigue.

I had the same problem for seven weeks. I was soo tired and weak all day, every movement was a big challenge.

It got better when I
-decreased magnesium (in my case I think I overdosed it, but you may have a deficit, if you haven’t supplemented yet)
-stopped eating so much cheese and almonds (what leads to less snacking!)
-started drinking some coffee

(Khara) #25

@Skrdykat Welcome. You are only 1 1/2 weeks into this. Please be patient. The extreme fatigue, for me, is normal. I’ve gone on and off keto a number of times and always have days of fatigue. This is your first time and your body has not learned how to use fat for fuel. It is still looking for sugar. And it’s desperately trying to convince you to give it some. (That’s how I think of it anyway. Don’t give in!:face_with_raised_eyebrow:) Fat adaptation, from most reports here on the forum, takes around 6-8 weeks. From my experience, the fatigue doesn’t last that entire time but there are definitely difficult days in there until the body adjusts and easily uses fat for fuel. I’d recommend accepting that this will be a bit difficult and doing all you can to prepare for your days and set yourself up for success. Definitely eat whenever hungry. You already know what to eat. Have plenty of keto foods available all around you including some quick foods that don’t require cooking time. For me, cheese for snacks early on when getting through adaptation is a must. For some reason my body just needs and craves it. Oftentimes hunger would hit and fatigue would set in kind of abruptly, making it difficult to prepare a nice meal. This is when the quick foods come in handy. I also rely on things like bratwursts or sausages or quality hot dogs for a quick emergency meal. Then, usually about a month in, I’m fine and cut back or completely cut out the cheese. By that point I’ve settled in to a meal routine that is getting the proper amount of fuel in me to last until the next meal and also my body has adjusted to look to fat as fuel rather than carbs so the energy crashes are less frequent and eventually non existent. The salt recommendations above are a must too. I found that drinking bouillon really helped. I keep beef bouillon around and make it like a cup of coffee.
Good luck and just stick with it. If you push through the difficulty, you will see the benefits.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #26

In case it hasn’t been posted yet…

I wouldn’t jump into any fasting, fat or otherwise, at this point. You are still transitioning from a carb-burner to a fat-burner.

I suggest using either:
Chronometer or
CarbManager

to track what you are eating. Have you done any tracking? There are lots of hidden carbs everywhere, and they can be very sneaky. It’s also possible to think you are eating right and then discover that it’s all wrong.

If you are willing to share a day or two of what you ate and how much we can help see if changes should be made.

If you can increase fat at meals then you might not be so hungry in between.

Also, checking your glucose and ketones isn’t necessary for many people.