Is this normal? I’m very low energy. I’m eating a pinch of salt with water each morning, taking magnesium, my macros are good, and I’m sleeping fine, but I just want to lie down all the time, and my brain is really foggy.
It’s so bad I’m actually falling behind at work. I’m eating plenty of calories, so it’s not lack of energy, carbs are at or under 20g a day. Any advice? I just need to get some work done!!
Unfortunately this is normal. Your body is transitioning to becoming an efficient fat burner. During that transition period, since you are keeping carbs under 20g a day and your mitochondria do not yet efficiently use fat as fuel, you are essentially depriving your body of an adequate fuel source (all normal in the process of becoming fat adapted). Once your body starts using fat as fuel efficiently, all that should change. Your energy and mental clarity will be noticeably increased. It typically takes 6-8 weeks to become fully fat adapted but that depends on how strictly you adhere to eating keto (not only macros, but also ingredients), and how metabolically damaged you are when you started. At week 5, it shouldn’t be too much longer for you.
If after another week or so you are not feeling any changes, you should post on the forums again a few days of the actual foods you are eating so we can take a look and see if there is something you can tweak or suggestions of something you can add or remove food wise.
This is why we have a saying of “Keep Calm and Keto On”. Stay the course and you will benefit.
Thank you so much! That is really reassuring. As long as this is part of the process I can handle this for a few more weeks. I just need to keep going. Im really not eating any carbs except for vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, spinach and the occasional green bean, cherry tomato or piece of cucumber, with finely slice green onions in salad), about four times I’ve made the diet doctor keto pancakes with about 1/4 cup raspberries and heavy cream, and two days I had a square of Lindt 90% chocolate with 1 teaspoon natural peanut butter. These have really helped with PMT cravings.
The only other thing I eat that I’ve tried to limit is nuts- so on about 6 days I’ve had maybe 8 walnut halves, and two days I had about 6-8 macadamia nuts. Other than that it’s all butter, homemade mayo, olive oil, eggs, bacon, grass fed beef, pork, chicken thighs, coconut cream, coconut oil, cheese and avocados. Free range ham in small quantities (wrapped around cheese) and salmon (or prawns) when we can get them.
I’m really trying to do real food. Black coffee, black tea, loads of natural mineral water. Gin and soda with a piece of lemon peel for a cocktail - because I’m not a saint!!!
I’ve probably done about 8- 10 days of 16-8 fasting only because I’m simply not hungry for breakfast some days, and I was doing this without keto for about a month before anyway.
So real food, eat when hungry, less than 20 gms a day carbs, when hungry add fat. That’s what I took from the diet doctor. Great way to start but not so clear as here on the hurdles you may face.
I really appreciate your calm and solid advice Sheri, thanks so much. If there anything above that looks funky, let me know, otherwise I’ll stay the course. KCKO!!
I notice no mention of potassium. If you are low in this you will experience these conditions also. Eat more spinach and higher potassium foods or you can try a Morton’s lite salt substitute to salt the foods with.
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the advice. We don’t gave Morton’s here in Australia I don’t think, but we do have diet Rite salt- it contains Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Anti-caking Agent (554), so I think it’s the same thing?
I cook with a LOT of salt, and I’ve heard that too much potassium can be a problem. Would I get similar benefits from just eating a teaspoon with water do you think?
At this point I’ll try anything, just to get stuff done.
And noted, more spinach!
Yes but try 1/2 teaspoon to start and increase to 1 teaspoon if needed. I wouldn’t go beyond that without a blood test just to be safe. I take 1 teaspoon myself and it does the trick. I’m a 105kg guy.
I would up your intake of fat some, you may be at the fat adaption phase, and your fogginess would be explained by your system not mobilizing enough lipids because more of your cells are taking a drink from the barrel before it hits the liver. Using MCT’s like coconut oil would help, or even HWC both of which will help with short term energy.
Your IF description sounds like early fat adaption as well for me.
Around fat adaption I need intake more fats, in fact I started to desire them more. I also started adding more salt at fat adaption by about 15% if I were to put a number on it.
Thank you! I tried half a teaspoon and water this morning- already feel a little less foggy, so that was great advice. I am about 88kgs, so I’ll stick with half a teaspoon for now, and then up this if I am still a bit fuzzy in a week or two. I may get some bloods done next week, just to be sure.
Much appreciated!
Hmm, I think you may be right. Most days my macros have been pretty steady with 80% fat, but yesterday I only made 69%-too much protein and was too full. I even ate a tablespoon of Coconut oil after dinner to improve my fats- made feel a little queasy to be honest.
Today doing better- 2 eggs with butter and HWC for breakfast, about 80g grass fed rib eye with 30gms anchovy butter melted for dipping and half an avocado for lunch. I really need to find some palatable way of consuming fats without added protein, as it is throwing me out of whack perhaps. I miss milk, so I may just start chugging cream instead!
Thankds so much, this is all really useful advice. I am very grateful. I know I feel better overall, I just need to iron out the crinkles…:)
I used to drink a gallon of milk every couple days, my ex-wife made me and the family drink skim, I was always partial to whole milk. HWC to me is better, I don’t chug normally though I will mix it up in a shake with almond or coconut milk, some protein powder and cocoa powder, blend in a good blender. I use this sort of like some people use morning coffee, but it last a lot longer. Depending upon the volume of the ingredients I can get in one of those shakes what most people consume in a day, plus my normal daily intake. I have found it better to not take in short chians by them selves in any great qty. If I am feeling a little low and salt did not fix it I will take a tab of butter an eat it. It tastes awesome to me now, 5 months ago I think it would have been a little harder sell. Along with your body your pallette changes as well, food tastes better to me now, I eat to live, but i enjoy it much more than when I lived to eat.
Ok, so I will eventaully find eating straight butter pleasurable? I LOVE butter, but usually with something. I love mayo, but with something. The idea of these being the food and not an addition to the food is still sort of strange to me, but I am getting there VERY slowly.
I think I need to track a bit more rigourously, because I think protein is crowding out my appetite for fat, and I really need to overcome this brain fog- I may get fired!! 
As before, I started following the diet doctor which is a great start, and I would recommend this to other people, but there is really so much to know about this WOE, and I think if I am going to do it I want to maximise my chances of success- for weight loss, overall health and mental clarity. Why not get all the benefits? I’m greedy!
Thanks again, I find tips from those of you who are more experienced amazingly helpful. So glad I found these forums.
I, too, had trouble getting enough fat once I began IF. I added more avocado and coconut butter to my day and have had no problems since then. The coconut butter is a little sweet so I just spoon it right from the jar. Sometimes I use a hunk of butter mashed into the avocado. This adds sufficient fat without really changing the taste of the avocado. Also, I use roasted, salted sea weed and spirulina for minerals like potassium because the result is more comprehensive.
I hope you find this helpful
Keep calm and keto on
Thanks for posting this! On Saturday I enter week 4 and like you, boy I’m pooped all the time. I sleep well, have been strict keto and otherwise feel fine. Nice to know its not just me 