Time to quit keto?

(R L) #6

Being out of water for over a month is definitely a stress factor.
I dont want to quit but this swelling affects my breathing, and i struggle with that so much anyway that i have to isolate myself from people because the fragrances flare up my asthma.
On the other hand, i feel like i have already quit because im stalled.
Ive lost about 50% of my hair judging by the size of my pony tail. Ordinarily id be very protctive of my hair, but im not worried about it because of the bigger picture.
I get a lot of dry heaves, nausea, and dizziness. Dr. Berg mentioned four electrolytes that could cause that which is why im taking supplements now.

(Angela) #7

I would up protein in place of fat.

(R L) #8

Thats what i was thinking too. Protien is harder for me to get than fat for some reason.

("Don't call it calories, call it food") #9

Any chance it could be something unrelated to diet? Those symptoms sound similar to my hypothyroid symptoms.

(Kathy M) #10

So when I think ‘it’s time to quit keto or fasting’ for a specific reason, I ask myself what if that’s not an option? What would I do? For me, I’d rule out other issues first (medical, stress, changes in lifestyle). I would also reduce the protein to give my kidneys a break. I know every expert seems to have a different protein macro but I have tended to moderate protein and reduced water retention. Check out Fung’s article for a few thoughts on that controversy. https://idmprogram.com/how-much-protein-is-excessive/

I hope this resolves for you - let us know!

(Bunny) #11

Edema: albumin transition of fluid in the blood by protein (amino acids converted by the liver); When plasma proteins, especially albumin, no longer sustain sufficient colloid osmotic pressure to counterbalance hydrostatic pressure, edema develops… (<== this reference is used as an example in the case of albumin not working correctly “Hypoalbuminemia“)

Highlights:
The liver takes from the blood amino acids from protein that you eat and makes a protein called albumin (keeps fluid in the blood correctly).

When the liver is not working correctly you get low albumin levels, the answer IS NOT EATING MORE PROTEIN because the amount needed in the conversion process is NOT HAPPENING to begin with because the liver is damaged in some way e.g. scar tissue …a powerful enzyme called sarapeptase? helps to remove this scar tissue!

…eating more raw uncooked veggies?

Whole Body Approach:

  1. Liver?

  2. Kidneys?

  3. Heart?

#12

Have you considered trying a carnivore keto? Have a read of Amber O’Hearn’s posts and do a little research on the subject to see if it might help. Mikhaila Peterson also has some insights on the subject. Even just a month would show if it could help. All the best to you.

#13

IF she eats in a way to put it back on, yes. You can’t blindly say going of the reservation will put back on all lost weight. People go off keto all the time typically to other LCHF diets and not back to SAD without issues.

#14

What’s your normal days diet look like? Are you micro nutrient deficient? Hitting generic macros is easy, getting the micros can be tricky and many times is the cause of stuff like this. Water retention, dry heaves, HALF your hair, this crap isn’t normal something else is going on.

(R L) #15

My mornings are a bulletproof coffee, lunch, if i have it, might be sausage and a couple eggs with keto aid. Dinner is my main meal and i will have at least 4 oz of meat with two green vegetables.
As for micros… Not sure what that is.
You all have given me a lot of good information to look into and i really appreaciate it.
I have at least 100 more lbs to lose and the scale says im up 7 lbs this morning. My eyelids are puffy and obscuring my vision this morning, so things are still going in the wrong direction.:confounded:

#16

As you know our MACRO nutrients are Carbs, Fat and Proteins, our MICRO’s are the Vitamins and Minerals which can play a pretty significant role for many of us. Have you played with your carbs to see if upping them does anything for you? I’ve heard a lot over the years that (some) women do a little better with a little more. Also, are you exercising, resistance training or something else keep the metabolism up and/or healthy?

#18

Sorry, posted reply but botched a couple things and had to delete it. I put that days food sample into my cronometer and it seems pretty deficient in some keys things (for me at least). You may be supplementing some of this in which I can’t account for but solely from your food list MY nitpicks would be very low calorie which we know isn’t too friendly to the metabolism, low protein for most, very low vitamin D, low sodium ( I’m considering the retention), low biotin (HAIR, skin and nails), low BCAA’s (they’re not just for muscles), No real iodine intake (thyroid function), low chromium (supports fat metabolism), not a great Omega balance etc. Again, you may be supplementing half this stuff in but something to think about either way.

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(R L) #19

I have been working on the vitamin and mineral intake, but i feel like its a lot of guess work on my part.
While researching my symptoms it implied magnesium deficiancy so i made sure that i got the recommended amount of keto aid daily.
The problem continued so after even more research i began taking cal-mag, potassium, ‘hair skin and nails’ and b12.
I try to keep my carbs at 20 total and have a fear of going higher.
I am ready to change things up at this point though. How many carbs would you recommend?
As for exercize… Does farm work count? Or hauling water? 10 40lb buckets every other day? Lol So, no im not exercizing, but most of my work is very strenuous.

(Bethany) #20

With asthma and allergies, there may be more confounding factors than nutrition. You said you are having trouble breathing. Have you seen a doctor?

(R L) #21

I see him next week. I was refused an allergy injection last week because of shortness of breath.
My sister suspects the black kohosh i am taking for hot flashes. Ive just been reading that it can cause liver damage, now the question is… Can impaired liver function cause edema?

#22

Everybody’s different obviously, But I’d probably go to 40g to start, it’s not a huge amount or high carb by any means, but it’s also enough that if the low carb is screwing with you it MAY show a difference. I’'ve been at 30-40g most days since I started lifting heavy and have seen no difference as far as backfire from raising them. The farm work will have you burning a lot of that as energy before fat storage becomes an issue.

That work WOULD be pretty descent for somebody that never does it… But if that’s completely normal for you which I’d assume it is, unfortunate it’s probably NOT giving you any benefit (as far as being a workout). Our bodies adapt to physical activity very quickly. During the decade when I put on my extra hundred I worked for the cable company, over 100lb ladder on and off the truck, walking around with it a bazillion times a day, 40lb tool belt on, up down all day, carrying equipment up 3,4,5,6 flights of stairs (lots of walk ups in my area) at most stops, it was just normal, none of it did anything for me anymore.

(Bethany) #23

From what I can tell, there are a lot of different causes of edema. Liver function is related to it - but so could be pregnancy, elecrolyte imbalances (which can also be associated with hormonal imbalances), certain medications/supplements, simply being upright for too long… It can also be a side effect of allergic reactions (and more!).

Great your seeing a doctor next week to try rule things out. Can you ask for a blood test?

Can you pinpoint when the adema seemed to start and if any changes happened just before? Whether food or supplements, or environmental? For example - more histamine from allergens and/or food can make a difference. Where you are swelling can also sometimes help pinpoint the cause(s).

Ultimately, I’d suggest you write everything down and bring it to your doctor, and advocate to get as many blood (or other) tests done to help find out what the issue may be.

Until you can systematically narrow things down, I hope you don’t get too stressed thinking about the possible causes! Dr. Google can be a hypochondriac sometimes.

(R L) #24

It seems to keep coming back to electrolyte imbalance. I know exactly when it started. I was reading about the electrolytes and how we need more salt (1 1/2 tsp/day) and i set that amount aside and ate as much as i could tolerate through out the day, which was less than half. I tried that for 2 days and when the swelling began i assumed i was getting too much salt so i stopped, but the swelling didnt. That was about two weeks ago.

#25

I thought that too when I used Cronometer which I really like but I do not log much. Iodine would never show up even when I ate things I knew had it for example but then someone posted that Cronometer states somewhere that it is not completely accurate for certain micros.

(R L) #26

Unfortunately youre probably right. My body is accustomed to this hard work and i feel like theres nothing left in the tank to give on most days.