Just started yesterday

(Nick) #1

Any suggestions on bypassing the feared KETO flu?

#2

lots of salt

(Maha) #3

Yes on the salt. Drink more water than you think you need during this time. You’re going to lose a lot of salt and water for the first week or so. And when/if you think it’s not working or think you shouldn’t feel so yucky, stick to it. I almost gave up 3 times during my flu, but so glad I stuck it out (7 days total for me). I didn’t have the benefit of knowing how to manage the flu. Also, don’t do deliberate exercise, and do take naps as needed if possible. And eat enough fat at each meal to be satisfied. I suggest avoiding all sweeteners because they’ll keep the cravings active, and you want to get rid of the cravings. In fact, I suggest no sweeteners for the first 3 months - it’s not just physical cravings, it’s psychological as well, which I think is harder to overcome.

(Robert Smith) #4

There is a ketoade recipe on his site

(Nick) #5

Yes I agree on the psychological part. It’s been almost a year since I quit smoking and it was more psychological than anything lol. I am already an active person (3 gym visits a week , about 60-75 minutes per day) so when you say “Don’t do deliberate exercise” what do you mean?

(Maha) #6

What you’re doing is what I mean by deliberate exercise. You’ll have to play it by ear, but your energy levels could dip dramatically and exercising could exacerbate it. As your body switches from using carbs to fat for fuel, your body won’t yet be adapted to using fat for fuel. If you’re already exercising, maybe just dial it down some so you don’t make yourself sick. I don’t do deliberate exercise (a regular schedule) any more, but I’m positive that if I’d tried to exercise during the keto flu/carb withdrawal, I would have made myself extremely sick. I was having headaches, feelings of being out of my body, dizziness, fatigue. It was all I could do just to be at work. Just listen to your body and if you need to rest or stop exercising, then do so. The first couple of weeks, IMHO, is just about getting used to eating a different way and learning to listen to your body.

I made an assumption that you’re doing this to lose weight. Is that a correct assumption or is it for general health reasons? The reason I ask is if you’re already a lean person or close to it, I suggest really keeping your fat intake up - if you don’t have a lot of stored fat to burn, you will need to get your energy from your diet more. And not having stored energy and trying to switch over to burning fat for fuel…I just worry that you will really, really not feel well. Again, listen to your body to know what you need. If you’re already lean or close to it, you might research that situation. I started off overweight, so that’s where my suggestions were coming from. The salt and water suggestions still hold true, but there may be other considerations for you.

(Nick) #7

I’m overweight by 20lbs. So, I’m not obese, but there is some pounds that need to come off. I am doing this for general health reasons, a buddy of mine is doing this to build lean muscle and it’s really working great for him, it may be a different story for me though. I can say by just cutting to a low carb diet in general some of that weight has probably come off. I have been focusing on keeping my fat consumption increased because I am close to average weight.

(Maha) #8

And you may shed those 20 lbs pretty quick, men seem to lose quicker than women in general, so just keep an eye on your energy levels and adjust accordingly. Once you’ve been doing it awhile, you’ll dial it in pretty well. I encourage you to be flexible too - some days your energy needs may be higher than others, other days not so much. If you need to eat, eat, even if it’s outside of whatever protocol you decide on. Good luck to you! Glad to hear you’re on track with your health.