Ready to give up - please help if you’ve been keto for awhile

(Kelly Steiger) #1

Sept 2nd update:
Still no change I’m afraid. Tried lots of different things and made all the suggested changes. It appears my body doesn’t like keto, but glad I gave it a go. Thanks again for your responses and help, really appreciate it.

Hello friends!
I’m on the verge of throwing up my little bacon filled hands!

Here’s the scoop:
On keto since June 4, 2018. Other than maybe the second week, I have felt awful and it’s gotten much worse in the last week. I went from working 5 days a week to 2 days because some days I can’t get off the couch. I’m exhausted, dizzy, lightheaded and feel like a zombie all the time. By the end of my work day I’m slurring my words and have no energy to even feed myself. Thank god for my wife. I’m a registered massage therapist. The last few days I’ve had symptoms of transient hypoglycemia. Quite severe unfortunately. I’m missing work and my life actually because my symptoms have only gotten worse as every week passes. I have recently had IV hydration, mag and pot just to make sure it’s not elec imbalance.
The only explanation that seems to resonate is transient hypoglycemia. I have been a hard core sugar user since I was 2. It seems possible that I have finally burned through all of my glucose and glycogen stores, my body is resisting the transition to burning fat full time, and I’m not giving it its beloved fuel. There is a full on revolt in progress.

Two schools of thought - bring in some more carbs, ween your self back down gently.
Stick to it, even if you lose all of your patience and the bank takes your house because you are almost there!! (I have held on to this every week for the last 8 weeks) I am sick and exhausted all the time. I don’t think I can do it.

Watching for hidden carbs
Paying attention to electrolytes like a maniac
Magnesium and potassium on board
Keeping keto sweeteners to a bare min
Eating lots of fat - good quality
2000-2400 kcal average
I eat when I’m hungry, not fasting yet
Keeping protein in the not too high not too low range - as per a ton of research
Read all the blogs, books and listened to all of the podcasts.

Any advice from someone who has been through this, or knows of someone who has first hand, would be so appreciated.

(karen) #2

I don’t have advice for you other than to say that for a while I had the same idea about myself: “I have no more ‘sugar’ to give, and my body is seriously resisting burning fat. It’s taking what little glucose it can manufacture and feeding it to my brain, my body feels like I need a caffeine IV just to move.” I would go for a walk and after two blocks I’d have to sit down, then shuffle home again. This was especially noticeable when I tried to fast. I was producing ketones (as per my breath and urine meters) and losing weight, but apparently I wasn’t burning many ketones, just spilling them, like my body didn’t know what it was supposed to do with a ketone.

I’m about 3 months in and this is in the past for me, I feel fine, normal energy, rarely hungry, don’t eat til noon and fast when I want to. I don’t know if everyone gets over the hump or if there’s something fundamentally off balance about your body, all I can say is my own experience: it passed.

(Omar) #3

you are not fat adopted yet.

this is a transition period and I have been there.

Try IF with lots of mct or coconut oil . cold shower. do some excersising.

(Joy) #4

You talk about magnesium and potassium, but what about salt? It sounds like you might already know that one needs to consume plenty of sodium, but have to ask.

Some of us started out simply low carb/high fat. I’ve never tested for ketones and just aim to keep carb grams below 50. Have dropped 70 pounds thus far, so I’m definately getting benefits in this range. So, yeah, you could expand your carb allowance.

(Kelly Steiger) #5

Karen, you are my favourite person on the planet right now. You saying ‘it passed’ is an enormous help, truly, thank you!

While you were waiting for it to pass was there anything you did to ease this situation?

(Kelly Steiger) #6

Lots of salt, high quality, Himalayan salt or Celtic.

(8 year Ketogenic Veteran) #7

You need salt. Measure out 1 and 1/2 teaspoons at the beginning of the day and take a pinch of it throughout the day until you finish it by the end of the day. Any salt will do. You need minimum 3000 mg of sodium per day. There are 2300 mg of sodium in any kind of salt that you buy. Any type of salt will do. Plain white table salt works fine.

(karen) #8

Stared at bad tv a lot.

Sorry, I really just tried to be nice to myself, as if I had an illness, and waited it out. Hope you’re close to done with this part! :blush:

(Kelly Steiger) #9

Thank Omar, definitely not fat adapted. I’m going to try to swim over the next few days, but honestly just walking up the stairs to my house is an overwhelming thought right now.

(J) #10

Agree. Those are also symptoms of hyponatremia. If you are drinking lots of water and nor replacing your salts, you get those symptoms. I’ve seen it many times during my career.

(Edith) #11

You may need even more salt, up to 5 or 6 grams of sodium a day depending upon how active you are. I take 3 - 1/2 teaspoons of salt either as salt water or bouillon tea every day. I can tell if I miss a dose, I start to get woozy.

#12

That is a method Ive used too, lol

(Hoteski) #13

I had issued around the begining and felt tired … like led. I use ashwaganda drops and maca powder as they are adabtogenics so help your body transition. my failing would be that I’ve never been huge on salt but I do get it through smoked hams and dried cod which you can only get in Iceland… My family always bring some over to the UK when they visit. Anyways been doing this 7/8 months now and energy levels are very good. No major lows other than acouple of weeks ago when I felt light headed and numb. Putting it down too hitting the gym hard. If anything I’d suggest trying adabtogenics… Google it to see benefits pros and cons… Though I didn’t find any cons and I like to research a lot when I’m doing something new. I’m yet to try apple cider vinegar but only because I hate vinegar and as such I don’t think I’ll like it much. The adabtogenics should help your body transition particularly as ashwaganda drops help reduce blood sugar which is why I take them with warm water. They don’t taste nice… bit like tea and I don’t like hot drinks including tea. Exersize has really helped. I find it gives me more energy. I wake up before my alarm… something I thought would be impossible before keto.

(Kelly Steiger) #14

Thanks guys, I think I’m okay re my salt intake but I haven’t actually measured it! It that is the answer it would be amazing. I’m really not excited by the idea of introducing more carbs and slowly warning myself back down to 20 net. Hopefully it’s the salt!

(Sandy Green) #15

image
D67C9DD6-95C0-45D1-B5D8-0B5BB09143FC.jpg1125×2001 719 KB

(Maxwell) #16

Try 100% Carnivore. No cheese, no cream, just very fatty meat, like Rib Eye steaks, roasts, sausage bacon etc. I know it sounds crazy, but after I started doing Carnivore it was a whole new ballgame for me. Inflammation in my elbow disappeared, the weight started rolling off. If I add even a few olives or macadamia nuts the inflammation comes back within 20 minutes.

Like you, I have had a life of eating sugary foods, so the first month was very difficult for me, I was on the sofa too and could barely work or concentrate on anything except how weird and tired I felt.

I didn’t think Carnivore would work for me be/c I’ve been mostly vegetarian all my life. When I was young and living at home, I don’t remember ever seeing a steak, not even hamburger – so you can imagine someone like me going Carnivore.

To me – Carnivore was the craziest thing to suggest, but I looked at the photos of others who were doing it, and how they said they felt so I gave it try, what could it hurt – huge change in how I felt. The change was immediate.

If you decide to ever do it, make sure the meat has a lot of fat. Energy comes from the fat. Also, look up Dr. Shawn Baker – he’s 100% Carnivore and he’s extremely strong, in fact he’s 50 years old and setting world records in rowing – has a lot of energy and he is smart as hell. He’s interviewed on “The Keto Answers” podcast.

Carnivore is delicious but it won’t be as delicious as Keto however, some people – me included – just have to go extreme to regain our health. I am hyper-strict – no cream, no cheese, no eggs – just fatty cuts of meat and I feel better than I have in my life. Weird but true.

Good luck to you, I hope you find the solution to your problem no matter what direction you go.

(Kelly Steiger) #18

That’s a rally interesting idea. What do you do on your really hungry or hormonal days? Do you find if you eat too much your weight or your energy suffers?
Thanks!
K

(Kelly Steiger) #19

Thank you, made some keto-aide this am

#20

@Kstigger
Kelly, any change since upping your salt?

(Kelly Steiger) #21

The dizziness is gone, but the fatigue and no weightloss persists. Just finishing off week 9 now. Thanks for the suggestion, I don’t think I was taking in nearly enough sodium.