NO Energy

(Carole Sundeen) #1

Week and a half in and I feel like my bones have been removed from my body. I can hardly move. The feeling was slightly lessened with Smart Water to replenish my electrolytes but I still can hardly move. Help please.

(Allie) #2

Smart Water likely doesn’t contain the amount of electrolytes your body needs. There’s a recipe posted on here multiple times called Ketoade that would be better for you. I’ll see if I can find it for you.

(Allie) #3

If you’re drinking too much water as your other post seems to suggest, then you’ll be harming yourself by flushing out more electrolytes than you’re taking in. Try the recipe but just drink to thirst.

(Bethany) #4

Right now your body needs a lot more electrolytes than Smart Water can provide. The ketoaide suggested above is good. You can also use chicken broth as well for sodium (and based on symptoms it sounds like the primary suspect).

Here’s a good overview with some more details: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/supplements

Hope you’re able to find the right electrolyte balance and feel better!

(LeeAnn Brooks) #5

I felt this way on and off for the first 4 weeks.
It’s a 2 part reason:
1)you’re electrolytes are off. Just as others have said. I found ZipFizz offered the best quick relief for me. That AND added salt.
2) since you aren’t eating carbs to fuel your body, it’s lost it’s primary fuel source. Since you aren’t fat adapted yet, the body doesn’t know how to efficiently use ketones as fuel. So you’re in a limbo where your body doesn’t have the fuel it needs.

Taking care of #1 helps, but to some level you’re going to have low energy and be easily exhausted. This affects some more than others. It’s simply something you will have to get through. Take it easy and don’t exert yourself too much. But don’t up carbs to counter this as it will increase the time it takes to adapt.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s worth this period if you stick with it.

(Ashley) #6

I second this, zip fizz and add salt to everything. Since doing this I stopped feeling low, lethargic. I feel more alert and awake. I have one a day plus a lot of salt.

(Ashley) #7

I also take a magnesium cirtrate supplement and stopped having cramps in my calf.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #8

Me too. :grin:
I miss the black cherry flavor though. :frowning:

(Ashley) #9

I haven’t ventured out past fruit punch. All my sams have is grape and fruit punch. And idk if I would like grape. Amazon has them but more expensive.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #10

Sorry, Costco employee here. I don’t do the S word.:wink:

We carry the mixed box (orange, grape and fruit punch) and a specialty flavor at all times. Used to be black cherry and I loved it. Now it’s Limon (lemon lime mix). It’s okay, but not as good as the black cherry. I’m afraid of the grape flavor too. I hate artificial grape flavors, and I’m not much better with orange.

I bought some blue raspberry on Amazon, but they have 3g carbs per drink. I’m okay with the 2, but I won’t go higher than that to get my electrolytes. So my son got those. They did taste really good though.

(Ashley) #11

Yeah I don’t want to go above 2. Especially now I’m doing zc atm. Grape artificial is horrible so I doubt I’d like it. I’ve tried their actual website but they cost more.

(Ashley) #12

Wish we had a multi pack to try.

(Tricia Roth) #13

Are you eating enough? Let can suppress your appetite, so it’s easy to eat too little. My energy was never very low, but once I started eating more, that tired feeling a few hours before bedtime went away.

(Ashley) #14

I think it depends, I was really low energy and ate a lot, more than probably macro wise wanted. But around the 3 week mark my body adjusted and got a lot more energy. I think it’s just an adjustment period. I’d anything probably not enough electrolytes!

(LeeAnn Brooks) #15

I agree that electrolytes can help, but I still think there’s an adjustment period that some of us just have to tough through. It lasted up week 4 for me. Without the glucose from carbs and without my body knowing how to efficiently burn ketones, even though I was properly feeding my body (I was adhearing very strictly to a 4 week introductory meal plan) and supplementing heavily for my electrolytes, it was sort of like having a big leak in my fuel tank. No matter how much I put in or the quality of what went in, a goood portion of it was just spilling out leaving me with very little to actually run my body.

Of course now I feel great, so it was well worth it, but I did have my moments of doubt there. It’s a weird feeling when you all the sudden can barely walk without feeling like lead and the need to sit/lay down is nearly overwhelming.

(Ashley) #16

Think that’s the best way to describe it, by after that adjustment you feel
Great!

(Carole Sundeen) #17

That is an exact description of how I’m feeling. It’s nice to know that it’s Not just me. It’s nice to know that I’m not just being lazy. Thank you.

(LeeAnn Brooks) #18

This is actually very common, so you’re definately not alone. I had dizzy spells and would have to sit down while carrying a basket of laundry up the stairs.
I was running 4 miles, 3-4 times a week pre-Keto. After Keto I got to the point I could only walk 2 miles, and that was a massive effort.
I wouldn’t have done that except I signed up for a RunBet competition and didn’t want to lose my $. Luckily it only had to be at an 18 minute mile pace, but I was just under that.
Anyway, I was really concerned about my performance running as it seemed to linger for a while. Eventually I was able to start running again but only a mile or so before my legs just turned to jelly. But each attempt got better and I just completed a 10k last week (week 9). Now I’ve signed up for a half marathon. I’ve got some serious training to do, but I feel that Keto is an asset to me now.