Muscle Fatigue. Stubborn? Or Dedicated?

[Lynne_Johnson]

Hi all! I have so many questions lol
I have been on keto 1 week now. What I am frustrated with is my work out intensity. I feel such fatigue in my muscles, mostly my legs. almost like they are going to drop out with achy muscles as if I worked out hard. Now … I understand this is normal for keto starters? But what I am wondering is, when will this correct itself? Did you guys find this ? Did you push past it ? Part of me thinks I should take it easy but the other part is wanting to get the work out in.

Thanks

[JohnH]

Some insights from Mark Sisson here:

Exercising While Keto: 11 Tips For the Transition To Keto (and For Long Term) |...

[CarlKeller]

Hello and welcome Lynne.

There are some great responses to your concerns, in this thread:

4 weeks Keto. Low endurance

(Looking for some encouragement /education.) 4-5 weeks on keto now. Things are great! (clothes fit better, sleeping better, GI issues COMPLETELY gone, hunger between meals gone, lost 5 cm from waist, down 9 lbs, and love what I eat). My one issue is loss of “endurance”. I run 3 miles about 4-5 times per week and I do some light exercise every morning (push ups, crunches, jumping Jack’s, squats, planks ect). Over the last 2 weeks or so it has gotten more and more difficult. On my runs, I start o…

[Rclause]

It was about three months for me.

[Dread1840]

If you push past the soreness it gets less sore as time goes by. If you wait until your legs fully recover from all soreness you’ll just make it worse.

Adapting to keto can cause loss in strength and endurance but it usually bounces back after about a month.

[PaulL]

Yep. Completely normal. It takes six to eight weeks and occasionally longer, to become fat-adapted, at which point you should return to, and possibly even exceed, your pre-keto performance levels. In the meantime, go easy on yourself. The cellular adaptations involved take the time they take. There is no hurrying the process, alas!

[Pasta]

First time I worked out in keto I had fever and body ache for 2 days.

[marklifestyle]

I found making sure to take electrolytes…copious amounts of them and to just accept the down time. It goes away and it becomes worth it. Part of the difficulty in truly answering your question is each of us entered into keto from a different starting point of unwellness.

[David_Stilley]

Ease up with running and weight training until later. You’re just going to stress your body while it’s trying to adapt to a new energy source. You’re not eating carbs now and you’re pushing yourself without a source of energy that you’re used to having. Walking is good and some stretching and light calisthenics.