New carnivore aches and pains

#9

Your taste buds will tell you when you’ve had to much. 5000mg sodium a day is reasonable, if you’re in to tracking.

#10

I’ve been ZC for 5 months and had opposite experience - pain went away. Everybody is different. Stick with it for at least 30 days (I started out with same trial period) and see what happens. So many benefits from this way of eating. Salt should help. Good luck!

(Ali) #11

Thankyou! Do you happen to remember if you were a bit sore and achy to start with?
I’ve found my appetite has vanished so I’ve not eaten much yesterday and today should I just go with it or make myself eat regularly still?
I am really determined to stick it out so any tips or advice is highly appreciated!

#12

The Salt Fix by Dr. Nicolantonio had some great information about optimum salt intake. Ketoans need more salt.

#13

Sorry I don’t recall any specific pains, just a little adjustment- like infrequent bowel movements but not feeling constipated. The main thing I’ve learned is to just trust your body and hunger signs. I have a Michael Pollan-esque mantra: “Eat only when hungry. Just meat. Repeat.” The rest will take care of itself. I don’t count macros or calories. Most days I eat once or twice, some days 3 or 4 times. I just follow my mantra.

Time is the only variable - for you it may take a little longer.

(Ali) #14

Great info thanks!

(Ali) #15

So I added a heap of salt to a juicy ribeye and within a few hours the pain in my shoulder, hip and knee reduced to almost nothing! I was starting to cramp up a bit in my legs too and that went away almost instantly. I can’t thank everyone enough!
It’s not something I would have thought to do.
This morning I was down another 1lb too. Normally I would be worried that too much salt would cause water retention and weight gain but it seems there is a lot more to learn about how my body works :blush:

(Ali) #16

I really connect with the idea of trusting my body but I guess I still struggle with it a bit after many years of food abuse, restrictive dieting and constant ‘hunger’. I was quite good at eating food just because it was there.
I was never any good at counting calories or macros but now I don’t count anything and I’m absolutely loving not being hungry and not wanting food all the time. I guess there’s still a part of me that worries I’m not feeding my body enough.
I need a mantra!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

Actually, it’s eating carbohydrate that causes water retention. Switching to keto means that comes to an end, so you need to pay more attention to your salt and water intake. A couple of cups of broth a day does wonders. Recent research done at McGill University suggests that our daily intake of sodium should be much higher than is currently recommended. The notion that salt is bad for us is about as scientifically well-founded as the notion that saturated fat causes heart disease, which is to say, not at all.

(Ali) #18

Thankyou, I am converted to salt! Adding it in the last few days has really made a difference :slight_smile:

I don’t know if this is me getting really unlucky or it’s a normal part of the process but overnight I started getting the shakes really bad, my whole body ached, I had a bad headache and sore throat and temp of 38.6°c! I know there are lots of bugs going around at the moment… Gonna make chicken bone broth today and see if that helps!

#19

Bone broth with a good dose of salt will work wonders. If you’re eating dairy you may want to cut that from your meals for a few days until the cold is gone. You’re doing great!

(Ali) #20

Thankyou! I feel like all I’ve done is moan but I am really feeling better not eating carbs, having no significant cravings, less tired, even mood etc…
I do have a horrible taste in my mouth atm and nothing tastes of anything else, is this the cold or ketones or overeating protein or… simply overthinking everything?!
I don’t really know what’s what but I literally can’t stand the thought of eating meat right now :frowning:

(Jodi) #21

Usually the the weird taste in your mouth is from ketosis. It goes away/ you get used to it eventually.:blush:

Whenever I eat ZC, there is a point where the idea of eating meat sounds not so good, I take that as a sign of not being hungry/needing to eat. Whenever I’m actually hungry, the idea of eating meat sounds ok…and when it is in front of me, it’s exactly what I want to eat. I’m not sure if this makes sense lol, but that’s how it works for me.

(Ali) #22

Thanks Jodi, that actually makes perfect sense. I cooked a joint of pork but couldn’t face it at all. Then an hour later I started thinking about belly pork so cooked some up and devoured the lot!
My daughter and I are really suffering with a virus, I find it really unfair that I feel so sick at the same time I’m trying to get to grips with this woe. It’s very testing

(Jodi) #23

I hope you feel better soon! Hang in there and get some rest if possible.
The first time I tried ZC I got the flu in the first weeks, but by then I was so excited about how I much better I felt I was able to go right back once I was feeling better and ready for food.
It’s harder if you are already struggling I’m sure.

(Ali) #24

My little girl is only 3 so rest seems like a mythical place far far away at the moment lol
I did wonder if it was part of the adaptation process but then that wouldn’t explain why my daughter and everyone around me has it as well. Unless it’s just a cruel coincidence!
I’m on day 14 now and haven’t deviated at all, even feeling so rough lately I just don’t feel like eating as opposed to feeling like eating carbs.
I really want to experience feeling better eating this way, it’s very frustrating.
On the plus side I would normally be suffering big time with my sinus, my whole head would be throbbing by now and that hasn’t happened! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #25

Remember the old saying, “Feed a cold, starve a fever.” It’s descriptive, not prescriptive, however, so do try to eat a bit, even when you don’t feel like it. When you’re well again, go back to eating only when hungry. When I got sick back in October, my appetite picked up noticeably, but then I lost interest in eating once the fever started. I’m sorry you’re dealing with illness before having had time to get solidly fat-adapted. (I was fortunate to have been keto for six months when I got sick.)

I suspect that you will benefit from trying to eat keto (whenever you can face food, of course!) even though sick, so just keep calm and keto on, as we say (KCKO).

(Ali) #26

Thankyou, I am trying to eat a bit and I’ve got a fresh batch of bone broth in the slow cooker as we speak. I’m not interested in eating anything carbs or otherwise so I’m thinking of that as a win!
I guess I’m more annoyed it’s happened now at the start but I’m committed to sticking with it, I’d really love not to get sick anymore, and to show everyone that it’s not the diet that is making me feel ill!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #27

@moofus Relax! (I know, sorry.) But it’s not the keto eating that’s giving you a fever. You have a bug, and it will eventually go away. We call it keto “flu” because of the aches and pains, but you already solved that by increasing your salt intake (by the way, Dr. Phinney talks about studies coming out of McGill University in Canada that suggest we need around 5 grams—yes, grams—of sodium a day, so it’s not likely that we could overdose on salt very easily).

If it’s any comfort, apart from the one viral infection I told you about, I’ve been disgustingly healthy since starting to eat keto. Even my allergies are greatly improved, to the point where I often forget to take even a decongestant, much less my asthma inhalers. The arthritis in my knees has improved, though not completely gone away, and I can now climb stairs pain-free if I don’t overdo it—ibuprofen is still my good friend, lol.

Once you are fully fat-adapted, you should notice significant improvements. But even though lowering your insulin is good for your immune system, you’re still going to catch the odd illness now and then. (Though my guess is that that happens far less frequently on keto.) Unfortunately, while ketosis provides many improvements, it doesn’t make us perfect. Although I still have hopes of growing three inches taller and waking up to a full head of golden-blond hair! :grin: :bacon:

(Ken) #28

For myself, I’d often experience muscle aches when my protein intake gets too low. I always upped my protein, while following the 60/35% macro. So, I ended up increasing my fat as well. This worked, as the increased fat was used for energy, while the increased protein was used for muscular maintenance, repair, and growth.