Mental Clarity?

(KJ) #1

Hey all, Been doing Keto for 2.5 months. Loving the way I feel, rarely ever feel hungry, and usually have lots of energy.

One side benefit that I have read about on this WOE is mental clarity. I have not noticed this at all, in fact quite the opposite! I am frequently forgetting words, I have to pause while speaking to figure out what I’m trying to say. I feel absent minded a lot. I’ve turned the wrong way when leaving work. I’m making mistakes that are very much uncharacteristic of me, like twice in two days I put my car in forward instead of reverse when backing out of my driveway (I’ve never done that before). And overall, my focus just isn’t what it used to be. I am an engineer, so this is somewhat worrysome for me.

And these are all things I’ve noticed that are different now, than it was 3 months ago before I started keto. I feel like I’m keeping myself hydrated enough, and I drink pickle juice, salt everything I cook, and drink a homemade electrolyte drink with Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium, so I feel like I’m getting enough electrolytes. And I usually get about 6-7 hours of sleep a night. So, what gives?

Is there something I’m missing? Or is there some other factor that I’m overlooking that can be causing my absentmindedness?

42, Male, 193 lbs, 68", Started Keto 1 Mar 18 (215 lbs).

Thanks
-KJ

(the cheater) #2

What else are you doing to keep your brain sharp? You gotta read, think, play video games, make decisions, learn, write, go outside in nature, play music, watch thought-provoking videos… I think the mental clarity bit may be a tad overblown; as if it almost magically makes you super smart. I have noticed an increase in mental clarity, but I am also VERY intellectually active all the time, just about. Today is pretty much the only exception, though I realized I’ve been trying to recall names of lots of people I haven’t thought about in a long time. But for normal day-to-day issues, I’m on the ball!

#3

I know my cognition declined about four months in, similiar symptoms to yours. I attribute this to possibly two things; at the time I was on metformin (not enough glucose made, by the liver, for optimal brain function?) or that I was not cosuming enough calories. Now that I am off metformin and keep my calories up, my cognition feels normal.

#4

Any medications?

(KJ) #5

Well, I’m not doing anything differently that I was 3 months ago, so I’m not sure why that matters. Diet is the only thing different. As I said I’m an engineer, so I’m keeping my brain pretty bust at work. And I’m doing projects around the house, so my brain is usually pretty active. The weird thing is that it isn’t affecting decisions at work, it’s just the little things that are being impacted right now.

(KJ) #6

None.

#7

Do the things you mentioned happen daily/ at certain hours of the day or are they completely random in occurrence?

(KJ) #8

Not daily necessarily. And I’d say happens mostly in afternoon/early evening. Maybe?

(Bunny) #9

I have experienced quite the opposite of your description and that was me in your description prior to starting the Ketogenic Diet\LCHF which makes me wonder what am I doing right? (Also understanding that people have different biological and mental pathologies!) As I do a lot of different things besides being mindful of my dietary nutritional status and what I put in my body including phytonutrients but the other is not dietary like transcendental meditation TM, kundalini etc. or simple effortless restful awareness (mindfulness) and things of that nature which probably amplified and enhanced the mental clarity benefits I get from nutritional status probably maximizing redox potential which also effect the mental health neurological benefits (neurogenesis) etc.

Respiratory Synchronization with Neural Oscillation is just as important as nutrition and clearly the research DATA demonstrates this?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

This presentation by Dr. Georgia Ede may explain what you are experiencing. She is a psychiatrist who has studied brain nutrition and its effect on mentation.

#11

I’m asking because I get it sometimes as well, also in the afternoon. I figured it doesn’t have to do with nutrition/diet changes but rather due to increased energy demands (either cognitive or physical) since I wake up at 5am to go to work and go non stop till afternoon

(Diane) #12

Over the past year I’ve been experiencing symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, which include mental fog and depression. These were significantly helped with the ketogenic diet. I have also found that MCT oil and acetyl L-carnitine supplementation can help with these symptoms. The acetyl L-carnitine crosses the blood/brain barrier better than L-carnitine.

If you decide to try supplementing with MCT oil, start out really slowly, it can cause gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea.

I take 500 mg of acetyl L-carnitine, twice a day (morning and night). I also take an additional 500 mg of L-carnitine tartrate twice a day, more if I’m going to try and be more physically active. The L-carnitine is for general energy production- my mitochondrial function seems to be impaired and I don’t seem to be able to use fat for energy very well without the carnitine supplements.

Good luck as you try to sort this out!

(Adrian ) #13

Great answer!

To add in my 2 cents, 6-7 hrs is sleep depravation, IMO, unless you have some gene sequence that allows you to get by with less sleep