My first post and a question about carb and fat adaptation

#1

Hi, this is my first post.

I’ve been trying to go low carb/keto for a while - perhaps a year? I can’t actually remember when I first started.

I’ve been a carb and sugar addict for the best part of 50 years. I have loads of health problems. I’m not doing well on LCHF or keto. A few months ago I started paying for a Diet Doctor subscription, so when I follow the meal plans on that site I ought to be eating enough and also eating a properly constructed low carb or keto diet.

One thing I don’t understand is how the switch from being carb-adapted to being fat-adapted actually works - and when it happens. Are there people who can’t digest fat very well? If there are I’m wondering if I’m one of them. I follow a meal plan, I follow the advice on how to deal with keto flu, and I can keep it going for about three weeks at the very most. I am eating a low carb or keto diet, so I’m getting very little fuel from carbs/glucose. I’m eating lots of fat but my body still doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. As a result I’m not sure what exactly I’m surviving on, low levels of carbs/glucose or low levels of fat - I just feel so weak! As a result of feeling so weak I end up succumbing to eating carbs again, and so I am back to square one.

Does anyone have any advice on what I’m doing wrong?

(Ethan) #2

Can you give some examples of what you eat each day? Are you testing glucose and ketone levels

(Carl Keller) #3

Hello and welcome.

We are hardwired to take advantage of whatever fuel source is most available and by keeping our carbs lows (under 20 grams for best results), we encourage our body to make good use of the plentiful incoming fat. The process isn’t like a switch that we flip on or off. It might take a several weeks or even months before our body becomes proficient. That might mean a struggle for energy at times.

Yes. It all has to do with how well we produce bile and digestive enzymes. If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, this might complicate things. There are ways to improve your gut microbiome as you can find in the Dr. Jocker’s article below. Hope this helps:

https://drjockers.com/trouble-digesting-fats-hacks/

(mole person) #4

Your problem is that you are never getting fat adapted. Most people take a month to six weeks to start feeling better so you are hijacking the process every time.

Are you hungry on this plan, or just feeling super weak? This is the problem with plans, we are all individuals some of us will need more or less of both food and electrolytes at the start of keto. It’s very possible the plan is failing you.

For the first six weeks, while you are getting over the fat adaptation hump you shouldn’t be restricting calories in any way.

#5

If you look at any of the meal plans or recipes on Diet Doctor : https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/meal-plans it will show the type of things I’m eating, but I don’t know what non-members can see. (I’m a member.)

I eat meat, fish (rarely - I’m not keen on fish), eggs, natural fats and oils (nothing processed), above-ground veg, full-fat dairy, various cheeses, avocado, a few berries, a few nuts. I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t use sweeteners. I don’t take sugar in drinks or add it to any food.

I haven’t been testing glucose or ketones. I have been considering getting a glucose meter but there are so many to choose from and I’ve been putting it off (I’m an expert procrastinator) because I can’t make a decision about what to buy. I’m aware that it is essential to take the cost of the disposables into account.

(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #6

Hi and welcome! :hugs:
When I started this time I had that exhaustion you are describing for a few weeks. I always felt like I was walking through waist high water and fighting the current! After I stayed strictly Keto for about 3-4 weeks, many days eating less than 5 grams of carbs, it started to improve. Eventually (after a month and a half to two months) I realized that I had more energy than ever! You’ll see a lot of people on here saying n=1, this means that it is their personal experience and may not apply to anyone else. We are not cookies, so cookie cutter approaches do not work. We are all individuals and it takes some time and experimentation to find what works for us each as individuals. I believe that if you quit sabotaging yourself by eating carbs, you’ll get fat adapted and find that you feel better than ever! “Don’t give up 5 minutes before the miracle” as a very wise woman used to tell me!

#7

Thanks for the reply and the link.

One of the health problems I have is low stomach acid, which obviously makes it harder for me to digest food of all kinds. (The only food I appear to digest very easily is carbs/glucose. :roll_eyes: ) I also take Naproxen for chronic pain. It can damage the stomach lining and so I have to take ranitidine to reduce the risk of that damage - and that reduces my stomach acid even more. I’d be surprised if I had any stomach acid at all in the food leaving my stomach. I also have very little saliva, and suspect I have Sjogren’s Syndrome, although I haven’t tried to get a diagnosis yet. And I have a medical history which includes lots and lots of antibiotics, so my microbiome is almost certainly very unhealthy.

The struggle I have for energy when I cut most carbs out of my diet and switch to fats is quite extreme. I find it difficult to walk without staggering around all over the place, and I struggle to get upstairs. But worst of all is my brain - my ability to think and reason diminishes a lot, my memory and word-finding difficulties make me sound like someone with fairly advanced dementia. If I then eat carbs it is like someone has given me a shot in the arm and I can suddenly think and walk again.

I do have a gallbladder and eating fats doesn’t cause me any really obvious problems in terms of gut pain - I just don’t seem to get much benefit from them. I don’t know how good my levels of digestive enzymes are, nor do I know a way of finding out. I know it is possible to buy digestive enzymes, but many of them include Betaine HCL which I can’t tolerate. The ones without this don’t seem to achieve much for me.

I’ll take a look at your link, thanks.

#8

Hunger is not my real problem - although I do feel hungry sometimes. I just think I am like a car running on empty all the time - I’m not eating much in the way of carbs/glucose, but I am getting little benefit from eating fats. I feel very, very weak. If you read my reply to CarlKeller I’ve described the problems I’m having with my balance and my brain power.

Regarding electrolytes, I don’t stint on the salt, I supplement a small amount of potassium (usually about 200mg potassium per day), and I take magnesium citrate supplements every day (containing 300mg magnesium per day). Without them I get dreadful cramp and/or restless legs.

Maybe I should just be eating more - but I assumed that the meal plans provided by Diet Doctor would be sufficient (it’s a well-regarded site). :frowning:

#9

Thanks for the reply. As well as weakness and exhaustion I’m struggling with being able to think, reason and remember, and I find that very scary.

I’ll do my best to keep it up for longer, and I’ll try to eat more. :slight_smile:

(mole person) #10

Some people need a whole lot of salt at the start of this diet. My husband was one such. As much as 2 extra tsps a day on top of what’s on your food. Try taking a 1/4 tsp few time each day starting when you wake up.

Try that first. If it’s going to work you’ll know very quickly.

If that doesn’t work I’m a bit worried that it’s hypoglycemia. In which case I’m not at all qualified to make recommendations.