The thing that strikes me is that keto is almost exclusively talked about in weight loss terms.
I don’t want to lose weight. I dropped to 65 kgs which was most unwelcome.
I also experienced discomfort under my ribs after about a week.
I have halted my keto diet in the 5th week as I felt so unwell until I can find some inspiration from people who are not focused on weight loss but on health incomes and what caused my discomfort.
Weight loss or not, what you are experiencing is the adaptation phase. It’s a difficult thing to get through at times.
Sure, I’d like to shed a few pounds, though I don’t have much to lose. I started Keto for a life long maintenance and for increased stamina as a runner. There are lots of health advantages to Keto, but you have to get past the adaptation stage to reap them.
Yesterday I ran 4 miles and felt like I could go twice that if I had had the time. That’s a massive breakthrough for me. Not the running 4 miles. I did that all the time and more. But before every mile was a push to get through. It was a mental game with myself saying “just get to this point, then you can consider walking.” At which point I would renegotiate the terms with myself to keep going another half mile.
But yesterday was a breeze and I truely enjoyed my run for the first time.
Thanks for sharing your experience - I would have thought that after 4 weeks, the adaption phase would have been behind me and getting better rather than getting worse. I didn’t mention it but I have arrhythmia which is scary despite taking a potassium supplement which was recommended.
I do believe that Keto is the way to go but I think I have to gain more knowledge before I try again.
I am thin and I am still keto for the health benefits. If I get too thin I eat a bit more fat and/or protein. 
I can’t wait to get to this stage so I can overindulge in protein and bulk up!
Fat adaptation takes a while for first timers. Minimum is around 8 weeks or so. The more you divert during that time, the longer adaptation will take. Once you’re adapted and have been for a long time, your body will get right back into it quick of you fall off temporarily, which is why my massive 2 day refeeds rusult in zero weight gain. What kind of arrhythmia do you have?
Thanks for responding Angelica - my heart races and is skipping beats. I can feel it in my chest and throat. I have never had a feeling like it and don;t have any heart condition that I am aware of.
I have read that it might be linked to low potassium but not sure.
Weight loss or not is simply a matter of calories.
I have to actively reduce fat (and thus calories) to lose weight on Keto, because too many of my favorite foods are high in fat (and calories) – bacon, sausage, butter, cheese.
I used to joke that I could turn a 60-calorie veggie side dish into a 700-calorie one by adding “just a little” butter and cheese.
The magic thing about Keto (for me) is that it means I’m no longer hungry all the time. But I could certainly eat more if I chose to. 
Yes, same for me. I was amazed I wasn’t hungry when I got up in the morning. I need the calories though.
Ok. I have the same thing, it’s just palpitations or PVCs which should be harmless and are usually stress induced, not an actual arrryhtmia if your doctor has already checked it out.
Actually… from what I heard, the fact that ketosis helps weight loss is not because it really just loses weight. It is possible to gain weight also.(just that normally, lots of people have lots of weight to lose, so ketosis helps to cause it happen, but actually the main point of ketosis is regulation of weight. Which means, if you really don’t NEED to lose weight, ketosis is not likely to help you lose weight.)
On a video I heard someone refered to low carb diets as low insulin diets. It appears to me the positive health outcomes arise from needing less insulin to function optimally. The things I can do to reduce insulin are drastically reduce carbs and drastically increase physical activity. For three months I’ve been doing both with results that are obvious ro me and to everybody else.
Do I miss the treats and sweets? In a moment I can remeber how I felt back then and how I feel today. No contest. I don’t want the physical reactions I remember from eating carbs.
The most negative thing I notice about being low carb is social. I don’t drink so there’s half the adult population I don’t socialize with. I’m not a church goer so there’s a whole lot more people. Where I interact wiith the most people most of the time is at work. I’m looking different from most of them, I’m not eating the endless stream of food offereings brought into the buiding and to rub salt in the wound, during our entire 80 minutes of lunch and breaks I can be seen marching briskly around the building where we all work. Then again, I’ve always been a bit of a loner.
Thanks Charles. I so want to be over this hump and get the benefits I hear so much about. I only wish I was aware of this much sooner.
My heart does this sometimes. Last year, I was seriously stressed out for 3 weeks, and it did this every single day. My husband was traveling for work, my son was depressed, and we had a visitor. When my husband came back and our visitor left, it got better. Like immediately.
It was a scary time being stressed and having my heart out of whack. The doctor suggested stress, and I think he was really right. Could it be that?
I have a heart arethmia. Most of the time I never feel it, but every once in a while I can, usually when I’ve had too much caffeine. I went to the ER one time and they put me on a heart monitor for a week. I just have an extra beat like every third or fourth beat.
They said it’s harmless and actually pretty common but most people don’t ever know they have it because they don’t feel it.
When I do feel it, it’s like a butterfly flutter in my chest every other minute.
Hi Tricia - it could be an emotional response to something. I have had stomach pain trying to transition into keto. I am relieved to hear that heart flutters are so common though.
“The keto diet has become popular as many people claim it can help with weight loss. The diet, however, might not be best for long-term health as the eating habits it promotes might lead to heart rhythm problems. Eating a diet high in fat and low in carbs might also make exercising more difficult”
…i read this from this website https://amp.insider.com/keto-diet-long-term-effects-2019-3
Honestly i would go to the doctors just to check if everything is correct and if you have any dificiencies. Like blood work and EKG. Sometimes the heart works like that to alarm you about a deficiency because its a muscle and it needs its necessary nutrients to beat properly.