Keto flu... twice?

[Rakehell]

I started keto just over a week ago, I played some sport only having had fat and protein beforehand, burnt off what carbs I could, and then didn’t eat anymore that day. Next day my Ketostix was registering 8 mmol/L, and I felt as if I had the flu coming on. But it only lasted that day and from thereon I’ve been fine.

Yesterday I fell off the wagon a little, I had 40g net carbs from eating out. And today as I feel as though I’ve come down with a cold, but even worse. And I’m trying to figure out whether I’ve reset myself, although I doubt it because it was very little and I then walked a few miles after, or whether I’ve actually come down with something.

Anyone gone through keto flu twice in a week before or?

[JohnH]

New to keto myself - just starting week 3. First couple of weeks were something of a rollercoaster as my body was (still is) adapting to significant changes in diet.

I had a couple of periods of feeling worse then better, and it seems like the second bout of it was worse than the first. I seem to be stabilizing now and feeling pretty good most of the time. So for me at least, there have been ups and downs.

One thing that has helped me is drinking a glass of water infused with a little lemon and lime juice. I use about half a lemon and half a lime, cut up into slices, squeeze out the juice from a couple of the slices and drop the others in whole, into about a gallon of water, stored in the fridge (or add ice if you want some right away).

That may or may not help you, and it may have just been the water that helped me.

[ava_ad0re]

Next day my Ketostix was registering 8 mmol/L

Your ketostix is measuring the amount of ketones you are wasting through your urine, not how far into ketosis you are. You’re on the right track though.

I’ve never experienced the flu, I’ve always used ketoaide to keep my magnesium and potassium up. Have you tried drinking that before?

[Rakehell]

Your ketostix is measuring the amount of ketones you are wasting through your urine, not how far into ketosis you are.

So that implies my body hasn’t entered ketosis?

What do I take away from that, do I have fewer calories to utilise ketones more? I ask bc I’m already keeping my net carbs under 20-25g a day already and can’t really cut that down even more.

[Jacymac]

Ketoflu tends to be related to electrolytes as much as anything else.
Try upping your salt, potassium and magnesium to alleviate the symptoms.
You can feel ropey at any point if you don’t keep on top of your electrolytes.
Try Ketoaide if you struggle to get enough in other ways.

KetoAide homemade

It is very important that you check with your doctor before consuming Lite Salt, as it contains potassium. Do not over consume Lite Salt! I normally only drink two bottles of KetoAide a day and only add 1/4 teaspoon Lite Salt to each bottle. Do not supplement this with additional teaspoons of Lite Salt! That’s too much potassium! Again check with your physician before consuming Lite Salt. [image] [image] 290 mg sodium 350 mg potassium 75 mg magnesium

That said, I actually have a (non-keto) flu/cold this week - there seems to be something going round at the moment.

[Jacymac]

If you are showing ketones on the stix then you have entered ketosis. The question is whether you are using the ketones efficiently. That normally takes a few weeks and just requires patience!

[Rakehell]

Try upping your salt, potassium and magnesium to alleviate the symptoms.

I take electrolyte tablets anyway because I sweat a lot when I exercise and weightlift about 4 times a week.

That said, I actually have a (non-keto) flu/cold this week - there seems to be something going round at the moment.

I think mine is no-keto flu, I think there is something going about up here, my flatmate said he was feeling a bit piggish.

If you are showing ketones on the stix then you have entered ketosis. The question is whether you are using the ketones efficiently. That normally takes a few weeks and just requires patience!

Ahhh, thank you. Every time I pee on it I register 8 mmol/L each time, unless I’ve exercised in which case it comes out as trace amounts.

[Jacymac]

I hope you shake it off soon.
The biggest issue I’ve had is not being able to take lemsips and similar cold and flu remedies as they contain sugar.
I’ve been making do with the cold and flu tablets and hot sugar-free squash.

[Rakehell]

I hope you shake it off soon.

So do I! But cheers

The biggest issue I’ve had is not being able to take lemsips and similar cold and flu remedies as they contain sugar.
I’ve been making do with the cold and flu tablets and hot sugar-free squash.

I know the feeling, bought some throat sweets, went to scan them on MFP (use to track carbs), and realised they had 6g sugar each. So I’ve just been making do with water and green tea.

[Polly1]

Gargling with either salty water or with dispersible aspirin in water is quite good at killing germs in your throat. If the saline is strong don’t swallow, spit it out. Swallowing the aspirin should be fine.

Sorry you are feeling unwell, I hope you mend quickly.

[PaulL]

It’s worth noting that the symptoms of the “keto flu” (which used to be known as the “Atkins flu”) are caused by a lack of sodium and can be remedied by keeping one’s salt intake up. I had seen this in a couple of lectures by Dr. Phinney on YouTube, so I was forewarned and never experienced the keto flu. I do find, however, that if I slack off on the salt, I get constipated and start having migraine auras again. This is why Dr. Phinney recommends taking a cup of bone broth twice a day (he prefers home-made bone broth, but says that commercial stock cubes will do, as long as they’re not loaded up with too much crap.)

The keto “flu” is different from another symptom of starting keto, which is a persistent lack of energy. This lack of energy is the result of the muscles’ having to re-learn how to metabolize fatty acids, and it takes around eight weeks or so for the muscle cells to make the necessary biochemical changes. You know you’ve become fat-adapted when your energy returns. I have not heard of any way to hasten this process; the only cure is to wait it out. The good news is that many people report that when their performance returns it is actually better than in their pre-keto days.