Thirsty


#1

I have been following a Keto diet for about 3 weeks and I have lost just over 10 pounds. I found the 2 Keto Dudes podcast to be super helpful and I have to say it has really not been all that hard. My biggest issue is that I am always thirsty. Like really thirsty. I commute by bike to and from work most days and with the summer heat hitting here, this thirst is becoming an issue. I would love any tips or tricks to deal with this.


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Drink more water. You’ll pee more but that’s OK because lots of other stuff you’re better off without goes with the water. You’ll lose electrolytes as well, so you need to replenish. Add to your water bottle or to your food, or both. The more you exercise and sweat, the more you need: both water and electrolytes.


(Susan) #3

Welcome to the forum, Lala. I drink tons and tons of water, I agree with Michael (in previous post all what he said, good advice).

You can make this:


(Allie) #4

So drink water, but be sure to add extra salt to your diet too. It gets easier as you adapt.


#5

Thanks everyone. I do get the drink more water bit, that has always been my theme in the past. Previous trainers have always pushed water over sports drinks and such. But I was wondering if this ever goes away or at least subsides a little. I drink water till I feel nauseous and still get leg cramps and I do not feel back up to my pre-keto endurance. Is there a magic number? 5 weeks? 5 months? I am hosting a 50th birthday 50k fundraiser at the end of the month and right now I don’t know if I have the endurance to ride my own event? I will try the salt thing too. I have been adding more than normal but I’ll try a little more. Thanks again everyone.


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #6

3 weeks in. You are experiencing carb withdrawal symptoms (aka keto flu). As your metabolism and various organs and cells better adapt to using ketones/fat for fuel it will go away. Different for everyone. Some don’t experience anything, others to varying degrees for varying time periods. So, no, there is no ‘magic number’. You will not get back your pre-keto endurance until then. But there is very convincing evidence that your endurance will get better once adapted.

Your nausea and leg cramps aren’t from too much water, but from too little electrolytes.


(Allie) #7

This is why I mentioned salt.


#8

As @amwassil said, you’re losing electrolytes, so you need to replenish those: salt, magnesium and potassium are the main ones. The keto-ade recipe might help. Or take magnesium and potassium supplements and add more salt to your food. Or add some no-sweetener (not even sugar substitute) liquid drops to your water like Hi Lyte or Lyte Balance.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

This is perfectly normal, and will go away. It is an artefact of the process of fat-adaptation, as your muscle cells are now deprived of quick hits of glucose and are re-learning how to metabolize fats instead. So meanwhile, they are limping along on ketone bodies.

Fat-adaptation takes usually somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks, sometimes less, sometimes more. There are changes going on at the cellular level, as mitochondria are healing and new ones are growing, and cells are switching over to producing certain enzymes. The process just takes time. But one of the signs of fat-adaptation is recovering (and, for some people, even exceeding) your previous level of performance. At that point, your muscles will be using fatty acids for energy, passing up the ketones and glucose so that they are available to the cells that cannot metabolize fat.


#10

Thanks. It’s good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. I had to call my husband to come pick me up in the middle of a ride the other day, which has never happened before and that really got to me. Other wise, I love the weight loss and the eating less. I do not have any horrible cravings or temptations. It has all be good, except the darn endurance thing. But I have taken everyone’s advice and upped my salt and made myself some keto aid. I am hoping to hit the road early tomorrow and take it slowwwwwwwwww.