Swollen, puffy fingers and swollen feet after keto

#1

Hi everyone. I went on a keto diet last July but after 4 weeks I started eating carbs again and regained the weight that I had previously lost. Since then my fingers got swollen and puffy. At first I didn’t even notice that and thought it was due to the hot weather but nothing changed since then and I am quite scared. I got swollen feet as well and had 2 episodes of polyuria. I noticed that my glycemia is higher than it was before keto. Doctors don’t believe me when I tell them that my fingers got swollen after keto. Can anyone help me please? I’m so desperate and frustrated after so many months.

(Robin) #2

4 weeks is not yet keto. Whatever happened was unrelated.

#3

It cannot be a coincidence.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

Welcome to the forums!

I always get that when I overdo the carbs, even if I’m still low-carb enough to stay in ketosis. The key to understanding this is that each molecule of glucose we store is accompanied by 3 molecules of water.

The key word in this sentence is “after.” If you stop eating carbs and go back on a ketogenic diet, this problem is likely to resolve itself.

As Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, founder of www.dietdoctor.com, says, keto is like showering. As long as we keep doing it, we keep reaping the benefits, but once we stop, we get dirty/fat all over again. He says life is so unfair like that.

(Allie) #5

This is nothing to do with keto and everything to do with carbs. There’s no way just dipping your toes into the keto lifestyle for four weeks will have had any lasting effects.

#6

your post is kinda all over the place. You did Keto Plan for how long?

you went off yet eating the carbs and feeling bad and getting some swelling/puffy etc one is to now ‘blame Keto’?

you are not swelling because of Keto. You are having reactions to the foods you reintroduced. I have no idea of your true medical history coming into this post and what you kinda are asking but I am sure Keto is not your enemy here since ya went off plan.

were ya improving ON Keto and went off and then ‘blame’ Keto in some way?

sorry but your post has me a bit wonky on how we put blame here in some fashion against the Keto eating plan?

just questions I feel like things are off some how on the post ya know and time lines seems off too and again, we don’t know your full real medical history also??

#7

I’m not blaming keto, was just asking for help and advice

#8

I was feeling well during the keto. But as I stopped it my fingers got puffy and had 2 episodes of polyuria. I am quite scared I have to say and am looking for someone who can help me

#9

But it’s so obvious… Go back to keto where you felt well. If the problem doesn’t get solved, ask us again.
Or if you say why you stopped, we may have tips for that as well. I understand it’s not necessarily easy to stay keto especially when one just started and don’t have enough good recipes and don’t know what to do when keto feels restrictive.

#10

I lost too much weight for my taste and got too skinny. As I had to do some pics after 2 weeks I tried to eat as much as possible (crazy, i know) and there all my problems have begun. My fingers got puffy and never went back to normality after 6 months

#11

Are you the type who automatically undereats on keto even when there is nothing to lose? I met such a person before, she really couldn’t continue. Sad situation. But maybe there was a way for her too, she just couldn’t find it or had some silly ideas like eating without hunger and/or appetite is wrong. Nope, losing fat one can’t afford to lose is. But even if one needs them to eat, I still would have some ideas… Like drinking calories, that is easier for most of us. NOT using our top satiating items all the time (certain people seem to minimize their food intake even if they should do the opposite. maybe habit, taste or something subconscious but we can change a lot if we want to).

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

So you were eating a ketogenic diet and felt great, then you reintroduced carbohydrate into your diet and experienced these symptoms? What then is the obvious conclusion?

Ah, this is essential data.

“Too skinny” is a relative term. If you look at pictures of people from before about 1970, you will see something remarkable: you can see almost everyone’s ribs. I well remember watching Houseboat on television in my teens, about fifty years ago, and marvelling at how zaftig Sophia Loren was. She was quite shapely, but extremely well-padded, compared to the standard of the day. Nowadays, when you look at photographs of her from that same movie, she seems skinny, because we are so used to how much extra fat everyone is carrying around these days.

#13

I reintroduced carbs and chocolates. All of a sudden and in a big quantity. And now after 6 months I eat everything but my puffy fingers are still there and had 2 episodes of polyuria. I am not a big fan of carbs. I tend to eat more proteins usually.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

Well, then, if you are going to eat carbohydrate and not return to keto, I don’t see that we have much advice to give you, sorry.

#15

More protein than carbs? In grams? Because that sounds good. And hints at a woe where fat is the primary energy source as one usually don’t eat overly much protein and the energy must come from somewhere…

But I am a bit confused. Why did you start to eat big quantity of carbs and chocolates if you don’t even like carbs so much? Desire to gain back weight quickly?
And how much carbs do you eat now? What if you lower it to see if you get better at some point? While focusing on eating enough. If you drop your carbs too much to be able to eat at maintenance, maybe stop and go back a bit? I am all for low-carb without keto for people where it works better than keto.

But maybe it’s not (just?) the carb intake but something you added? I don’t know what causes swollen fingers and feet (probably plenty of stuff) but it seems a possibility to me.

(Allie) #16

and you’re having issues since going back to carbs, you’re answering your own question here.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #17

Did they test you for diabetes? Polyuria is a warning sign for it.

If you were doing well on keto why not try that and stop eating the carbs that are probably why you are retaining water as well.

#18

It’s not, you didn’t eat carbs for a month, you dumped a bunch of water weight, then added them back in while on empty, so you started stockpiling subcutaneous water.

I got swollen feet as well and had 2 episodes of polyuria

Yup, because your body is trying to deal with all the water you’re hitting it with.

I noticed that my glycemia is higher than it was before keto.

That’s because you went to a better baseline and now hyper reacting.

Nothing about this is abnormal. Your body is reacting the way anybody’s would if you pulled all the carbs for a month, then just went back to your old normal. Doc’s don’t believe you because most docs have zero clue how this all works.

#19

I wanted to gain back weight quickly. So I should start keto again in order to get rid of these horrible puffy fingers?

(Megan) #20

Hi @Charlotte1, welcome to the forum. I am sorry you are having issues that aren’t resolving. It would help to know what, exactly, you were eating whilst “doing keto”. Some people’s idea of what eating ketogenically is can be very different from another person’s idea. So, types and amounts of food per day would be useful to know. Calorie amount too, if you were tracking that. Also your age and starting weight, if you don’t mind sharing. How much weight did you lose over the 4 week period?