Oedema /Edema upon stopping keto

(Heather K) #21

I am years late but I am suffering from bad swelling on tops of my feet after stopping keto last 3x. Only 44. No prior swelling and have attempted starting keto so many times and going back off within a month for well over 2 years. My head feels swollen- lol- but really and my blood pressure is suddenly elevated out of nowhere. Just had a trip to er sunday ekg and several cardiac blood tests . All normal. Liver and kidney numbers in normal range. Very strange. Its like my body forcing me to go back on keto. Its a struggle to get it to work for me

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #22

I guess keto is like bathing daily. You do it and get all these benefits, and then, when you stop, the benefits all go away. Life can be so unfair like that.

(Heather K) #23

I guess you missed the point. I had NO swelling in my feet prior to keto. So not everybody fits the ā€œOh i stopped keto and now my swelling came backā€ that has been mentioned. Mine came while adding carbs the last 3 times. I am thankful for the things that keto has improved (sleep apnea - blood sugar - pop addiction) but i struggle to stick with it because iā€™ m a picky eater who hates to cook and Iā€™ve never really been a healthy eater.

(Butter Withaspoon) #24

Itā€™s possible that your body has just reached the point where blood sugar problems cause edema, and itā€™s a coincidence that carbs and sugars youā€™ve consumed in the keto gaps have been the ones that pushed your body into edema. Perhaps there is a bit of a rebound effect as well. Iā€™d suspect that you would have reached the edema state even if you hadnā€™t tried keto at all, possibly quicker.

Butā€¦ it could be something else entirely, I hope you find answers

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

It is entirely possible that you were oedamatous on a high-carb diet without realising the fact. I certainly was. But whether or no, you are now faced with a decision: whether to eat carbs and suffer the swelling, or to eat an inconvenient diet in order to avoid the swelling. I agree itā€™s not an easy choice to make.

Iā€™ve got some oedema that occurs when I eat carbohydrate, and some that is the aftereffect of a bad accident. The latter is caused by damage to the lymph nodes and is mostly the result of the various operations to put the bones back together. The former is helped by avoiding carbohydrate, and I am fortunate to be able to eat low-carb without problems. What helps the latter is lymph massage. There are some good videos on YouTube demonstrating the technique. Unfortunately, lymph massage requires a fair amount of time and patience, so it may not be the solution you are looking for, either.

#26

Ok you said it AND YOU must now see it :wink:

One thing we ALL know on our health journey is FOLLOW the health.

You want the crap food back BUT when you ā€˜do try longer on a healthy eating plan like ketoā€™ when you ā€˜do heal up a bitā€™ and GO BACK off plan IT IS SHOWING you alotā€¦

now key being what are you personally gonna do about it?

Choice is yours in full force. Do you go forward and hold plan as darn as you can to heal more thru the keto eating or do you post like this again? I went off my health plan and ā€˜have issuesā€™ so it truly boils down, and it is a hard darn path to sow and accept, but do you stay the heck on plan and get even better.

again, just a choice to you truly :sunny:

Know your physical food truths and follow the health path but it takes gumption on your part, again, what the heck do you truly want? What do you desire and frigginā€™ go for it and donā€™t look back! Find that backbone we all got, took time for alot of us to find it but darn when ya doā€¦we change so much to the better! :star_struck:

Sending great keto vibes you SEE the truth way forward!!!

(Edith) #27

Why did you start keto in the first place?

(Crmb 1234) #28

Iā€™m years late, but I have this same issue. Iā€™m 43 and a Lupus patient, I developed hives all over my body 6 months ago after Covid. My MD recommended I follow keto for 3 months to help with the hives. I did and it worked. When I reintroduced carbs, I began to swell and retain water, once I went back on keto, the swelling stopped, BUT I also stopped losing weight with keto. (In the past whenever I did keto, I always lost weight and I NEVER had any swelling when going back on carbs). I know many say to live a keto diet always, but Iā€™m very picky and I canā€™t do it for longer than a few months b/c I literally eat the same foods everyday while on keto.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(Robin) #29

I eat the same food every day, with few exceptions. After a while, you realize there is a freedom in not having to worry about your next meal will be. Think of it as fuel as opposed to a treat.
Works for me, anyway.

(KM) #30

I didnā€™t read back over the whole thread and this is probably covered somewhere. Carbs refuel the glycogen supply in your muscles, and that includes storing water. Itā€™s an individual thing but people typically say about 4 pounds; using up the glycogen supply is what usually causes that initial rush of weight loss with keto.

Iā€™m sure youā€™ll hear this a dozen times, but keto is basically a lifestyle. While it will help you get to goals, itā€™s not precisely a tool. As you can see for yourself, once you set it down, your former issues will return, just like you canā€™t stop brushing your teeth and expect to have a healthy mouth.

I agree with Robin, a continual diet of the same foods can be freeing. I actually wrote a post the other day about how there is loss associated with choosing keto ā€¦ Our cultures revolve around food. When we step away from that, we may also be stepping away from the world, shifting our basic outlook on how we live.

Also, there are literally thousands of foods you can eat on keto if you wish; it is certainly not necessary to limit yourself if you prefer variety.

(Edith) #31

Food is medicine. You can look upon following a keto diet kind of like taking blood pressure medication. I take the medication and my blood pressure improves. I go off the medication and my blood pressure goes back up. I eat a keto diet and my skin health improves, I go off the keto diet and my skin health reverts back.

Obviously there is a benefit your body gets from being low carb. Why would you not want to reap that benefit? You mentioned that you are a picky eater. Are you a picky eater when you are not keto? If not, what is it about keto that makes you picky?
Could you be making keto too complicated? You donā€™t need to make fancy keto breads and desserts. Meat and veggies are tasty and easy.

My current favorite quote is ā€œNothing tastes as good as healthy feels.ā€ If keto makes you feel healthier, isnā€™t that worth it?

(Crmb 1234) #32

Thanks for all those who responded. What I am trying to say is that I know Keto is not a ā€œdietā€, I have followed keto in the past many times and always dropped weight (my max is 140, Iā€™ve used it to drop to my ideal of 125). Once getting off of it, I usually gain a few pounds back and then am able to maintain my norm of 128/130 lbs. For me, keto is too difficult to do for more than a few months. I am always a picky eater, I do not like most vegetables, so I will only eat meats, nuts, eggs, and spinach (the only vegetable I can tolerate when itā€™s blended in my daily smoothie with MTC oil and organic pea protein powder), while on it. When I am off of keto, I eat mainly lots of different fruits, fish, chicken, nuts, and spinach in the smoothie. I never have processed foods and only drink water and coffee once a day. On weekends only, when off keto, I eat with my family, we have homemade bread, rice, pasta. Getting off of keto and back on my ā€œnormal dietā€ has never been an issue and I know famous athletes who have mentioned in their books and interviews that they have used keto also for months at a time and then off of it.

Now I am wondering if there has been anyone who is going through my current issue, which again, Iā€™ve never faced before with going on and off keto in the past. This time for the past 3 months after stopping keto at the end of December, I cannot seem to get rid of swelling in my legs and abdomen, with pain in my right leg if I stand longer than 20-30 minutes. Iā€™ve been to multiple doctors and they ran several tests, full blood work, ABI and vein tests in my legs, everything comes back normal, yet Iā€™m still swollen.

Would love to hear from anyone who experienced something similar and what you did to get rid of the swelling completly. Thanks in advance!!

(Edith) #33

I wonā€™t weigh in any more after this comment, because I havenā€™t dealt with edema and swelling, but I would imagine your issues are complicated due to the lupus and so while it might be okay for a famous athlete to cycle on and off, it might not be for your because of your autoimmune disease.