Hey all,
I have been keto-ing for over two years at this point. I’ve been intermittent fasting and on weekdays I only eat from 5:30 to 8:00. In between I might have coffee with heavy cream around noon and sometimes again at 4:00. My meals lately have lately have been leafy greens (chopped kale, lettuce, cabbage, or similar), feta, avocado, sprouted pumpkin seeds, maybe some chicken or other animal flesh, and dressing. Sometimes for “dessert” I have a couple of ounces of a hard cheese or some nuts like almonds or walnuts. I take Vitamin B and D supplements and also add electrolytes to my water and I drink a lot of water all day.
I have had the gastric sleeve and don’t absorb all the vitamins the same way that others with a full size stomach do. I am post-menopausal and am 58 years old.
Recently, I have been experiencing fatigue. That is why I drink the coffee throughout the day and I have started taking a fast-acting vit B supplement when I get tired. that helps a lot but only for a few hours. I feel as if I am missing something because this is new to me as I have always been robust and have always had all the energy I needed to get through every day.
Does this sound familiar to anyone and can anyone give me some tips?
Thank you!
On keto with low energy
The first thing that pops into my mind when I hear someone say they have fatigue is are they eating enough? Long term patterns of restriction can lead to metabolic compensation and our energy levels are one of the first sacrifices to be made. Do you also feel colder than usual?
I would make sure you are mixing in the occasional feast to assure your body that famine is not a threat.
Well, I am not really feeling colder than normal, except that recently here the weather went from very warm to cold and rainy again. Also, My weight is at a plateau and have been at this plateau for over a year.
Thank you so much for getting back to me.
You might look into a possible mineral deficiency. I believe magnesium, potassium and B12 levels can affect energy levels.
Best of luck with this issue. 
And yet another thing you might do is blood tests for anemia. I’m starting to suspect it can be associated with keto and/or keto plus IF, etc.
That’s a good Idea. Where I live there are few health providers that are on board with keto and when I mention my diet, they say “Watch your fat consumption, eat whole grains and lots of vegetables and fruits. Eat every 3 hours. Don’t eat too much animal flesh, especially red meat.” So I don’t talk too much about keto but I will go there to get my iron levels checked.
Also I forgot to mention that I take a Vit D supplement, Ginkgo Biloba, and a multi for bariatric patients.
Thank you again Carl. As suggested by Charlie, I will take your advice and have my blood levels checked. I might have to start taking an iron supplement too.
Be careful about iron suppliments or any suppliments. Apparently it’s possible to OD on iron suppliments. It took me a nearly a year, but according to cronometer tracking it appears I’m covering all or nearly all the micros from real food.
Thank you. I give blood fairly regularly and I’m not anemic then so I’m probably OK. Thanks for the info. 