Weird question about exercise


(Jess) #1

Hi all! I’m new to keto. I had a weird experience today and wanted to see if any of you have experienced it or have any ideas. I started this whole thing with a 3 day water fast then moved into keto. During the fast I had horrible keto flu which got better when I took electrolytes but was still a struggle. When I started eating I ate keto and immediately felt better. So today I decided to resume exercising with a 4 mile hike on a very easy hill/trail.

The hike started out normal but as I started to get my heart rate up going uphill I started experiencing a weird feeling in my lower abdomen. Think of the area where people get that deep V-cut in their lower abs – that’s where it started. This whole region started to feel very fatigued - like I just did a bunch of reverse crunches and my muscles had enough. This was on my front side, not on my back. As I continued to climb this feeling got worse.

Eventually my whole pelvic region was full of pressure and my muscles in that area were very fatigued. The pressure was like when you really have to go to the bathroom (except I didn’t have to go) or how menstrual cramps feel minus the pain (except I’m nowhere near my period.)It got worse the more my heart rate went up. I also was very winded. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. I hike 25-30 miles a week and never have to stop on easy hills. When I got to the top I had to sit down to catch my breath. Besides this issue I felt fine, my mind was clear and my energy was good and I was well hydrated. There was no pain, just a very uncomfortable feeling. Everywhere else on my body felt totally normal. After I started to go downhill the fatigue and pressure got much less. After getting home I was back to normal after a few hours.

I’ve never experienced anything like this and the only new factor in my life is keto/fasting. So what do you all think? Has anyone experienced anything like this or have any ideas about what’s going on with me?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

The so-called keto “flu” symptoms are signs of a lack of sodium. To avoid these symptoms, get your daily intake of table salt (sodium chloride) into the range of 10-15 grams (2-3 U.S. teaspoons), including any salt already present in your food. Be sure also to drink to thirst but not beyond (overhydrating to the extent recommended by sports drink manufacturers is dangerous and possibly even deadly).

As for the type of fatigue you describe, if you are sure there is no other possible medical explanation (sometimes things go wrong by coincidence when we start a ketogenic diet), then one possibility might be that you are striving to maintain pre-keto performance levels during the keto-adaptation phase, which is not a good idea. Athletes generally experience a drop in performance levels after commencing a ketogenic diet, because muscle cells need to re-adapt to getting their energy from fatty-acid metabolism, after any extended period of glucose metabolism. The adaptation process generally requires six to eight weeks, depending on the individual. Keto-adaptation is stressful enough; we recommend avoiding strenuous exercise during the adaptation period. Once the muscles have fully adapted to metabolising fatty acids for their energy, performance returns to, and sometimes even exceeds, previous levels. Note that explosive power takes somewhat longer to return to pre-keto levels, but I don’t believe anyone knows exactly how long.


(Bunny) #3

Sounds like mountain or altitude sickness; as you travel up the oxygen molecules get farther apart so you struggle to breath, would carry a mini tank of oxygen to compare the difference?

Wim Hof Explains Altitude Breathing

Thing about Wim he can climb in elevations where most other people need oxygen tanks and he does not…lol


(Jess) #4

Thanks for the feedback! Interesting idea about the altitude causing it. But I did another hike today at a very low altitude / no hills and I still had the same problem. It wasn’t as bad as when I did the hills but the fatigue, breathlessness, and weird muscle issues were still there - not as bad as yesterday - but today’s hike was also less strenuous, it was just like a nice nature walk. I think Paul’s idea about being in the keto-adaption phase might be my problem. I’ve only been on keto for less than a week so I think it’s part of my body adjusting. I’m pretty sure I don’t have any other medical problems so I’m going to take it easy for the next few weeks. I’m just used to climbing hills and I think my body is just like, “whoa, this is too much…take it easy.”


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #5

Assuming there are no physical ailments involved, you’re just ‘running out of gas’. You’ve cut your carbs so you’re not getting enough fuel from glucose/glycogen, but your muscles and organs aren’t using the available ketones and fatty acids efficiently. So it’s like running on empty. Rest assured, this will pass. As @PaulL says, just ease off for awhile. Welcome to the forum.