Low carb flu. What to do?

Fivepts

Just started low carbing seriously and am feeling fluish. Any suggestions?

Dragonwolf

Eat plenty of food. Don't try to restrict your calories right now. Your body needs fuel to convert its machinery from sugar burning to fat burning.

Eat lots of fat. Get those extra calories from fat. Incorporate coconut oil into your routine in one form or another (I'd say use it to replace the sunflower oil if you're using that to cook with; if you use sunflower oil at all, it should be for cold purposes, not cooking, otherwise you damage the delicate Omega-6 fats in it). No, it's not weird to eat it straight out of the jar.

Keep your sodium, potassium, and magnesium intake up. Take supplements if you have to, especially for magnesium. Keto is naturetic, which means it makes your body dump sodium. When sodium levels get low, it starts doing the same to potassium to try to rebalance the ratios. A lot of people like what's called "lite salt," which is half potassium chloride and half sodium chloride. Others swear by bone broth, which gets you all sorts of good vitamins and minerals. However you do it, don't be afraid of salt.

Drink lots of water. Going low carb means you have less glycogen to draw from. Less glycogen means less stored water. Drink more to ensure you stay hydrated.

DAM5412

First, be patient this is the storm before the calm. Your body is confused and it's taking it out on you, but it will pass.

Up your fluids, up your sodium. I found broth helped me a lot, and I used those little cubes and sipped it. I also did not track my calories, only carbs. Finally, try to take it easy and not push yourself physically.

In a few days it will pass and you will feel 1000 times better.

Good luck and keep asking questions, there are some really helpful and knowledgeable people in this group, and most of us have been exactly where you are.

EAVA

what is a difference between regular flu and keto flu?

I am treating this as a regular flu
I have runny nose , fever 100, headache, coughing, sharp pain in the lungs
so bed rest, lots of fluids, fish broth, extra vitamin C and D3

deansdad101

EAVA wrote: »

what is a difference between regular flu and keto flu?

I am treating this as a regular flu
I have runny nose , fever 100, headache, coughing, sharp pain in the lungs
so bed rest, lots of fluids, fish broth, extra vitamin C and D3

EAVA:

The "difference" is that they are two different things (with two different causes).

The "regular flu" is NOT brought on by changes in your diet.

The so called "keto flu", IS.

Since you haven't provided any details of why you are "...treating this as a regular flu...." (beyond those of the symptoms you are experiencing), it's impossible for any of us to comment intelligently on what "this" is....but...

.....I am inclined to agree with you that in your case it actually IS a "regular" flu (as in, NOT diet, or "keto", related).

Specific remedies for a "regular flu" are outside my area of expertise so I'll leave them to the chicken broth soup crowd (vbg) but agree that their's is probably the best solution.

icrushit

Wait, and stay the course, would be my advice. I get it twice, once when I re-start low-carb, usually a week or two in, and probably when my body is starting to adjust to restricted glycogen (I think of it like the transition stage to an emergency generator). Always get it then about a month or so later, probably when my body is optimising itself to burn fat optimally in the absence of carbs as a primary fuel (I think of it like my body bedding in properly for the long haul).

Usually lasts 2/ 3 days in my case each time, and find it no great nuisance. If it's lasting substantially longer than that, you might consider it's not the low-carb flu, but an actual cold/ flu, lol.

icrushit

By the way, I know low-carb 'flu' is the common term used, but for what I experience personally, calling it a flu is overstating it. For me its more like a crappy low level cold, and one that doesn't linger long before it's gone.

FIT_Goat

iloseityes wrote: »

By the way, I know low-carb 'flu' is the common term used, but for what I experience personally, calling it a flu is overstating it. For me its more like a crappy low level cold, and one that doesn't linger long before it's gone.

As someone who thought he knew how bad the flu was, until he got it for real, this is so true. The real flu is a devastating beast of an illness. The difference between the real flu and the keto flu is like the difference between a jet airplane and a paper airplane. Yeah, they both have wings and fly. But, there's several orders of magnitude of difference between the two.

DAM5412

EAVA wrote: »

what is a difference between regular flu and keto flu?

I am treating this as a regular flu
I have runny nose , fever 100, headache, coughing, sharp pain in the lungs
so bed rest, lots of fluids, fish broth, extra vitamin C and D3

EAVA, your symptoms do sound like the 'real' flu, so please do not assume it's keto related. Perhaps a chat with your doctor, if not a visit, would be in order? Get better soon.

Dragonwolf

iloseityes wrote: »

By the way, I know low-carb 'flu' is the common term used, but for what I experience personally, calling it a flu is overstating it. For me its more like a crappy low level cold, and one that doesn't linger long before it's gone.

How bad keto/carb flu is depends a lot on the person, where they came from (diet-wise), where they're trying to go, and how refined carbs and grains affect them. It uses the "flu" name, because the symptoms are largely the same, even if they aren't as severe as the real flu.

My husband had H1N1 a few years ago, and wheat/grains/carbs have such a stranglehold on him that if he tries to go cold turkey off of any one of them, he feels so bad he once likened how he felt to having H1N1 again.

Pale, cold sweat, shivering, aches, no energy. Even his coworkers commented that he looked like death warmed over, and that was on day 2 of just not having wheat and the subsequent reduction in carbs from that (not even intentionally cutting carbs).

And yes, it wasn't the real flu, because a burger with bun from Wendy's made him very noticeably better.

I, on the other hand, didn't even have what you did, despite cutting my carbs by half to 2/3 what I was previously eating. My body basically leaped for joy at cutting carbs and not eating wheat. The worst I've experienced was going straight from 100-120g to <50g and I got lethargic and couldn't concentrate, so I walked it down to "about 75g," then "under 75g" and finally (so far) "about 50g, preferably under."

Fivepts

Thanks everybody. Turns out I have the real flu but I'm trudging on with LC. Hitting below 50g is a real challenge but I'm peeking in other's dairies for ideas. Strangely, though I have the flu and feel pretty gross my lower back pain is gone. Hoping that's permanent. Dragonwolf, I may take your advice and aim for below 75 for a while til I get a better idea of what I'm doing. EAVA hope you feel better.

softblondechick

Get better soon, chicken broth, add some extra salt.

On avoiding "Keto Flu", I think when people transition to a low carb diet, it should be done in a step down approach, this will help integrate low carb lifestyle for lasting change. Not go extreme, and give up in a month or two or less.

I attempted to go low carb a few months ago, after reading Atkins diet, I felt miserable, headaches, very unwell. I gave up, and went back to regular eating.

This time, completely different experience. I am slowly eliminating carbs, I started with wheat products. No "keto flu", slow lasting change.

sun_shine765

I do the same here - drink lots of chicken or beef broth. Buy them at the grocery store and don't get the low sodium stuff. Heat it in the microwave and it like having coffee or tea. It ups your water consumption, and the salt in it helps with any muscle cramping. Since you have the real flu, it will still help a lot. Add some Tylenol, Advil, etc for the fever, curl up on the couch and snooze. Hope you feel better!!!

Fivepts

Thanks. Feeling better already.