Keto Fatique...not sure where to go from here


(Stephanie) #1

So I started the keto at the beginning of July 2019.
(Roughly 3 weeks ago.) I cut out a lot of carbs/sugars. Tried and still trying to keep ot below 20 carbs per day. Switched to diet coke, and coffee with no creamer. Lost 12 lbs so far. But the last 2/3 days I’ve had headaches and no energy. Now I’m a mama of 3 I have a ton of energy and this just is not like me.

So my question is where do i go from here. I dont like a lot of salty foods, but I hear salt intake is important.
I need help…


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

Not to worry. Losing 12 pounds in 3 weeks is nothing to feel bad about. Some of it was water, but some of it was real, honest to goodness fat. So you’re going in the right direction. The symptoms you describe are very typical of carb withdrawal, aka ‘keto flu’. It will pass. If the symptoms persist more than a few more days and/or get especially disconcerting, yes, you need to increase your salt/electrolyte intake. 5-6 grams of plain table salt dissolved in a liter of water, consumed over the course of the day will likely help immensely. It’s quite palatable. If that doesn’t help enough, do 2 liters per day. It’s not difficult.


(Susan) #3

Welcome to the forum, Stephanie =)

Many people make this themselves, you can add flavours so you don’t really taste the salt as much. Personally I am not a big fan of salt either, but it does make a big difference, in Keto. What I do is EAT salt directly, a few teaspoons a day on normal days and more on Fasting days, and just put it on my tongue, and then gulp down some nice water directly afterwards. I find this the easiest way for myself.

Making sure you are drinking enough water is very important as well, atleast 64 ounces or more, I drink way more, I love water =). It is important to have no more then 20 grams of carbs, NO sugar (sugar substitutes can mess up some people, I eliminated all of them as well), get enough proteins and some healthy fats.

You have done great losing the 12 pounds in 3 weeks though, keep up the good work =-).


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

We need more sodium on a ketogenic diet, because without all those carbohydrates to stimulate insulin, the kidneys are no longer being prevented from excreting sodium at the proper rate. Those symptoms you mention are merely signs of lack of salt. Cook with more salt, put a little more on your food, eat bacon—you’ll find a way to get enough salt. The good news is that when we get enough salt, that usually also keeps our potassium, magnesium, and calcium at healthy levels, since the regulatory mechanisms for these minerals are all interlinked.

Constipation is another symptom of lack of sodium, so if I forget to keep my salt up one day, I’ll be reminded the next. If I should happen to overdo it, the effect is also noticeable, lol! (I’ll spare you the details.) You’ll figure it out.

A note, however: Even with the salt taken care of there is a period of what we call fat-adaptation, as the muscles stop metabolising sugar and re-learn to metabolise fatty acids instead. But in the meantime, they are limping along on the ketones your liver is producing, and you may find there’s a limit to how well you perform on your workouts. This normal and temporary, and it passes in six to eight weeks. The adaptation process is gradual, but one day you’ll realise just how much you’re accomplishing.

For me, it wasn’t so much a lack of energy per se, so much as a limit on how much force I could exert with my muscles. Nowadays I am not only stronger, but I have much more stamina than I used to. I contracted some sort of undiagnosed fatigue syndrome in 2006, as the result of a bad viral infection. It used to be that any exertion above the minimum necessary to go to work would lay me up for a couple of days; now I can mow the lawn for four or five hours, say, and still be functional. For me, that is a huge blessing.


(Hamz Edward) #5

Keto is a diuretic diet, and you’ll lose a lot of electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium) via your urine and sweat. Replenish them regularly, and keto flu symptoms will stay away. Bone broth, pickle, and saltwater are some easy ways to get your electrolytes. Avocados are packed with potassium and take a magnesium supplement.

Do you have any hormone-related health conditions like PCOS or Thyroid issues? If you do, try increasing your carbs a little bit because carb intake below 30 grams per day might not be suitable for all women.


(Stephanie) #6

As far as im concerned I’m quite healthy, I have problems with going #2 but other than that just fat and happy. With one of my pregnancies I did have a seizure but not one of the 6 doctors I seen could tell me why. I suffer from 1 or 2 migraines once a month, and I noticed I’m getting more headaches which I’ll take over a migrain any day. I will try adding more electrolytes to my diet.